Where I lacked in skills and experience, I convincingly compensated in the speed and power of my punches and kickswhen I fought at the 2007 World Muay Thai Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, where I knocked out my Thai opponent early in the second round.The great teacher/warrior Miyamoto Musashi stated in his famous text "A Book of Five Rings" that one ultimate goal of the warrior is to learn to end the fight with a single blow! That's exactly where speed and power come in!
The idea is to make them as specific as possible so as to achieve the most applicable results. This was the primary strategy I had in the beginning and this is what I focused on during training in preparation for my fight.
Economy of Motion
Basically the more you practice your particular techniques, the more your nervous system becomes familiar and you naturally get faster. It's a really good idea to use mirrors or shadows because you can self-coach and strip away wasted movements as well as learn to utilize power centers (like the hips and legs).For example you can immediately make your punch twice as powerful by twisting your hips and springing off the slightly bent legs when you execute. This is where I earned the nickname “Cobra” – my body during a fight is akin to a coiled up snake about to strike!
Think SPEED!
It’s mental conditioning. Sounds simple but when you start thinking you are fast you will actually start moving faster. Get over any preconceived mental limitations you may have. The other aspect of this notion is to keep the thought of speed on the forefront of your mind.
Do everything with speed. For example, I wanted to develop lightning-fast leg kicks to disable my opponent’s attacks. I also wanted to develop lightning punches for instant KOs. Thus, I made a conscious effort to use these skills at the best speed and power I could muster during training!
Time yourself and keep improving your records. For example, I would count down how many strikes or round kicks I can land on a target or heavy bag in a 10 second period. Seek to improve your numbers every session.
Over Speed Methods
(Forcing faster muscle memory)
The abridged version goes like this: You have an innate speed at which muscles can fire off and move any given limb. Factors like motor unit recruitment, neural efficiency/capacity, and strength ratios effect this.
What we are going to do is teach the nervous system to coordinate movement and build muscle memory at faster speeds!
To speed up punches, wrap a tubular resistance band or even bungee cord around your wrists and anchor the other end or have a partner stretch it out. Now release and throw the arm into motion with the added speed. Relax the opposing muscles to avoid any "braking" effects.
The same procedure can be performed on kicks by binding the band to the foot. 10-20 reps 2 times a week will be enough to develop noticeable results.
Specific Drills To Build Power
Much can be done with a simple medicine ball and even bodyweight outside of what you are already familiar with. Here are some to get started on:
Power Absorption Exercises:
How the theory works is that you can't create more power than you can absorb. So it only makes sense to start here before we start "jumping" into plyometrics!
Drop Push-Ups:
For upper body power, drop push-ups are king! Assume a position upright but on your knees with both arms at chest level slightly more than shoulder width apart bend approximately 90ยบ. Now drop to your hands without hesitation and forcefully contract when the hands touch the floor as to limit the amount of arm bend.
The higher the "drop" the more force is absorbed, thus the more power potential to develop. The same concept is easily adapted to the lower body by doing drops from a 4'-5' surface landing in a 1/4 squat.
For pulling power which is an excellent for strengthening the Muay Thai clinch, hold yourself at the top of a pull up position and fall to "catch" yourself about halfway down the pull-up’s range of motion. You'll find after performing as little as 10 reps each you'll be plenty sore! It's a good idea to work these 4-8 weeks, 2 times a week before progressing to the next phase.
Plyometric Training
This type of training will develop your punching/pushing power.
Clapping and Hopping Push-Ups:Clapping and hopping push-ups work great but I feel the need to mention that the idea is to "bounce" off of each rep. Not just get the clap in! In fact, forget the clap; just repetitively hop off the floor from this position. It's the fast reaction off the landing that matters so focus on that.
Jump Kicks
One idea that will work well on the legs is to depth-jump right into a kick. This means jump as high as you can (safely) and throw a kick. Maintain your balance and keep your legs apart on landing.
These are some easy but excellent starters and warm-ups that will condition your muscles for speed and power. The rest is in the quality of the training and fight conditioning that you undergo. Don’t prepare for a fight alone. You need a trainer and good training partners. Fighting in the ring isn’t a one-man show!
Conclusion
I was able to build up my timing and accuracy while I developed faster and more powerful techniques. You will, too! Keep the intensity of your training but be careful not to overdo it and end up getting injured. Give your body some rest days or light training days in-between the high-intensity days.
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