I
got a question the other day, which made me elaborate a bit on something that
was clear in my head but nobody had ever asked before for an explanation. Since
lately a major portion of my solo training
is in the form of physical conditioning (the topic
that has been
addressed several times
already), the discussion first touched upon the aspects of what is the
contents of my sessions, but then, more importantly, on how does it affect my
martial training.
Now,
in the strength & conditioning circles the debate on the adequacy of the distinction
between general and specific exercises and workouts is seemingly endless, but
my approach is somewhat different. Namely, what I will be briefly presenting
here is not aimed at the same goal as the concrete conditioning plan, but
rather as something of an auxiliary-type work to be done alongside one’s main,
discipline-specific training. However, it is not to say that I don’t use the
same kind of exercises or methods, but their implementation might differ,
depending of the desired outcome.
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| But potentially handy |
When
including any exercise in my training, it will be treated either as developmental or preparatory. In short, the former type of exercise strives to
develop certain attribute(s) that will hopefully positively affect the trainees’
performance, especially in the long-term. As such, it is done over periods of
time, possibly following some sort of progression. The latter type is primarily
meant to prepare a practitioner for the demands of any particular training
session, or maybe the series of sessions. In consequence, they are implemented
on a shorter term basis.
It
also stems from the above explanation that the developmental exercises could be
done both as part of regular training sessions (for example, during the warm-up
section) and on their own, in separate sessions. On the other hand, the
preparatory work only makes sense if done immediately prior to the main portion
of the discipline-focused session. In that regard, we could say that the
developmental work loosely relates to the standard idea of general
conditioning, and the preparatory to the specific. Yet, there is big difference
in the intensity, load and other aspects of programming. Therefore, neither
side of my dichotomy is really the replacement for the proper S&C program,
should you need one.
Another
point to ponder is that many exercises and movements could belong to the either
category, depending on how and when they are included in one’s training. Take
one of the typical groin stretching exercises as an example:
In
many martial disciplines it would be a good developmental exercise in an
attempt to facilitate the better form when doing the horse stance.
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| Developmental goal |
But,
in BJJ/grappling it could be the main preparatory exercises when working on the
so-called rubber guard technique and its aspects.
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| Preparatory goal |
Following
the same logic, the overhead press might be perceived differently when done
explosively with a light load (ballistic manner) and slowly with a heavy load
(grinding manner). Which of those would be developmental or preparatory from the
perspective of a striking combat system? How about a grappling method?
I
hope this short article has provided some useful insights that may help you
take different and applicable look at your training, but ultimately, it is
simply my way of thinking about particular aspects of my training, so it is
most certainly not an attempt to offer the new be all end all paradigm.
