10 Ways to Improve Competitive Edge --D.Cody Fielding

D. Cody Fielding is a San Francisco based master trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and owner of Empowered Health.  He has done extensive combat sport training and has high level proficiency with regard to combat principles and strategy.  His ability to accurately assess the strengths and weaknesses of individual athletes and provide break-through strength, conditioning and strategy prep is world class.

Here are 10 ways to improve your competitive edge in MMA.  The first five relate to ground game, the second five relate to stand-up. 

Ground Game:

1) Competition creates more stress than rolling/sparing in your own gym. Replicate things in your training that will create similar mental/emotional states as in full competition. For example, use bells for rounds, having coaching from ‘corners’ and a third person as a referee. 

2) Use less tightness/tension overall when grappling. You burn-off critical energy and lose the information you would otherwise be receiving from your opponent's body. 

3) Spend entire training sessions focusing on breathing/use of breath. Most ground-fighters’ breathing is constricted rather than more relaxed. 

4) Sometime drill blind-folded. The key data for winning is not found through your eyes, but through the information you receive from your opponent’s body. You’ll dial into that more with the eyes closed or blindfolded. 

5) Don’t over-train before a competition. A fighter’s body should be rested and healed as much as possible leading into a competition. You can roll lightly (for technique and fluidity) almost anytime, but the really hard work should stop 4-6 days before most competitions.


Stand-Up:

1) Work realistic combinations. A hook (short punch) after a cross, rarely works in an actual match for instance.

2) Be more exact/precise in your targeting. You’re not just punching the head or the body, you’re punching the nose, side of jaw, liver etc. The more accurately you aim the closer to the target you will be.

3) Find a better position for your head and neck. “Head down” does not necessarily mean ‘chin-down’ which is more important/accurate to what is needed. If the chin is up/exposed a whole host of problems arises. Another way to cue this can be “Look out of your eye brows”. If you’re looking out of your eye brows, your chin will be down. Thus your chin/jaw and cervical spine will be in far better position to take blows.

4) Find better ways of connecting with your corner. Most fighters have trouble being able to hear advice from their corner during a bout. Work on ways to better be able to hear this important feedback.

5) Reconsider what your defense is. Your hands being ‘up’ is of course vital. But equally important is that your defense is made up from your movement (be a moving target) and your spinal position. The spine should be slightly “C” curved (to absorb lateral force) with the chin down (as noted above) and you should be executing small movements almost constantly. A moving target is harder to hit AND this tends to allow for ‘glancing’ blows rather than being hit ‘square’ which more often leads to brain reset/knockouts.

D.Cody Fielding may be contacted through  Empowered Health.

Posted by Carey Rockland for OTM SF

Seven Ways To Prevent Grappling Injuries - Magdalina Gofman, MSPT

Magdalina Gofman, MSPT, and brown belt at Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu San Francisco is our primary physical therapist for grappling and MMA related injuries. The following is the first in a series of injury prevention and rehabilitation posts from Magdalina Gofman.

Seven Ways To Prevent Grappling Related Injuries:

1. Listen to your instructor. Make sure you practice safe and correct technique. Jiu-Jitsu movements are designed to be safe and natural for the body. Most of them can be performed with a neutral spine, or in a curled / "crunch" position (as opposed to an hyperextended or twisted spine). Keeping good posture helps use the proper muscles that support your spine, especially when kneeling or standing.

Some other examples of correct technique:

*Illegal grips are guaranteed to break your fingers.

*If you are flexible, don't try to overuse your flexibility to achieve a position. At the end ranges of the flexibility of a muscle, the muscle is not strong. Try to stay in the mid range of your muscle flexibility and use proper technique to line up your body to achieve the technique instead of reaching far with your hips, legs, arms, or twisting the spine.

*Avoid turning your feet out, it will save your knees. When your knees are bent, they should be pointed forward (the direction your pelvis is facing) or outward, never inward with the ankles and feet out. This is especially important when you are transitioning from a kneeling position to a sitting position, which includes going from turtle to guard.

2. Have good flexibility especially in your hamstrings and hips. If you don't have enough motion in your legs/hips, the motion will come from somewhere else, most of the time, your back. Hips are meant to rotate, if your hips don't have enough flexibility in rotation, your spine will over-rotate. If you don't have enough flexibility in your hamstrings to be stacked comfortably, your low back will have to take over and be overstretched.

3. A strong core helps with everything. It connects your lower half to your upper half, it helps you move faster, allowing for more fluid transitions. It helps your balance, again by connecting your upper half and lower half. It helps your body be stronger, so you don't have a missing link in the chain (with a strong upper body and strong lower body). It ensures that no one twists you up...

4. Do a proper warm up, which includes warming up all of your muscles as well as stretching. For example, I make sure I can do a comfortable "Plow pose" (from yoga) before I train. That means I can be comfortable stacked before someone else tries to stack me.

5. Be honest with yourself, don't train when you are too exhausted, or when you are injured. If you do decide to train, it's ok to tell your partner how you feel. We are all at the academy to train with each other, not kill each other. If you are injured, tap early, after all, it's just a game. If you know there is a certain person that is always in competition mode, try to avoid that person when you are injured.

6. Regular yoga practice can be an excellent compliment to your jiu jitsu training, teaching you how to stay calm and breathe smoothly, even in challenging positions, and by keeping you flexible. Weekly yoga practice can reverse all the general tightness and stiffness that jiu jitsu practice generates, thereby making you more fluid, less rigid, faster. Think of it as an investment on your long term training, as opposed to something that takes away from your weekly training schedule.

7. We should keep in mind that we are also responsible for the safety of our training partners and preventing their injuries. At the academy, before winning, comes safety.

Magdalina Gofman, MSPT

Magdalinagofman@yahoo.com

Center for Sports Medicine

St. Francis Hospital

900 Hyde street,

San Francisco, Ca 94109

posted by Carey Rockland for OTM Fight Shop San Francisco

D. Cody Fielding of Empowered Health on Competition Prep

D. Cody Fielding is a master trainer, coach and owner of Empowered Health. One of his specializations is fight competition preparation with emphasis on strength, conditioning and mental strategy. We love our technical coaches and the intricacies of our sport, but what Fielding does is different. There are not a lot of guys like him who specialize in the mental game and the specificity of S & C relative to individual physiology and psychological composition in combat sport prep. Fielding has been one of my professional mentors since 2008 and what follows is a brief Q & A overview of some of his work:

What type of competition prep do you do?

All forms of competitive athletics with a specialty in martial arts. boxing, kick-boxing, MMA, grappling, fencing & stick fighting along with surfing, soccer, marathons, triathlons, track & field events, baseball & football.

What principles is your event prep based upon?

What are the specific athletic needs of the event and where is the althlete relative to those needs – I work to close the gap so that the athlete is physiologically as well as mentally & emotionally prepared to beat their competition.

How does preparing to win differ from thorough physical prep?

First, athletes and technical coaches are not per se experts on understanding the ‘energy signatures’ that particular events require. This is where a Strength & Conditioning specialist comes into play. Analyzing the precise muscular and athletic needs is a specialty in itself. Second, rarely is the critical component of the mental game brought into focus. In MANY matches of all types it’s the player with the better mind-set that wins. We fold both of these together and at times can combine that with the tactical needs the coaches are preparing for the fighter in this case.

Why do you feel this type of event prep is important?

Training to win vs. simply training hard is vital because there’s a reason two people are fighting, they are (hopefully) reasonably fairly matched. Thus on any given day, either one can win. So the logical course is to use every tool and means available gain those few percentage of gains that give the best chance for victory.

Fielding may be contacted for consultation by following the contact link on his website, Empowered Health.

Written by Carey Rockland for OTM SF.

Patrick Jernigan on MMA Prep, Noble Iron Fitness and His Upcoming Fight

On Saturday February 11th Patrick Jernigan, Manager of OTM SF and owner of Noble Iron Fitness will be fighting in the Dragon House Cage Fight Series at Kezar Pavilion. I asked him a few questions about his own MMA prep and the work he does to help athletes prepare to fight.

Who are you fighting?

I'm fighting Noe Tellez from K-One Fitness Academy.

What performance objectives have you set for yourself going into this event?

My main performance objective is to get the fight to the ground and stay on top. I like the guard but this fight has two minute rounds and judges don't always understand the guard.

What are the primary components of MMA competition prep for yourself and for the athletes you coach?

Cardio is the number one concern for most MMA fighters. Even at the top level you see guys gassing. In my kettlebell classes I work a lot on mobility, which goes beyond flexibility, in that some people have no idea how to use some of the muscles in their bodies.

How do you structure your training program?

I started training for this fight about six weeks out which is about average. I train six days a week outside of camp so fight training means more no-gi training and MMA specific stuff outside of the BJJ, and Muay Thai stuff that I do. I actually do less kettlebell training leading up to a fight, focusing on cardio and saving strength work for outside of camp.

What type of mental strategy do you focus on when preparing to fight?

Mentally, I try to relax when I'm not training and push the pace when I am training.

How do you dial in your nutrition and what do you do if you need to cut weight?

I cut out beer and ice cream leading up to a fight. I never really eat junk food anyway.

What do you do for your own strength and conditioning, and for the athletes you coach?

The main thing I do besides BJJ, and Muay Thai is kettlebells. Outside of camp I do presses and squats. During camp it's swings and turkish get ups. Nothing fancy. There's a lot of mobility work that I incorporate into my classes that I do before and after BJJ.

Check out this short video on Kettlebell lifting for MMA from Noble Iron Fitness:




written by Carey Rockland for OTM SF

Venus Tactical Training & The Women's Self Preservation Program

This weekend Sharon Sanghera, owner of Vincit Magazine and Carey Rockland of OTM SF taught women how to kick ass and take care of themselves in the event of a violent encounter.

Venus Tactical Training For Women is a component of a new larger project called The Women's Self Preservation Program (WSPP). WSPP provides information on health and fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, leadership and self-defense.

The Venus Tactical Training Program is a basic course focusing on incident prevention, de-escalization, situational awareness, mental / emotional prep and a series of strikes, blocks, escapes and basic weapon common sense. Advanced and / or specialized training is also available and coming soon.

For information on upcoming seminars and events contact carey@careyrockland.com
Photography by Vincit Magazine / Bob Gill

Bogdan Reznik is Student of the Week: 1/23/12

(Reznik pictured on the right)

Gene Royale, Reznik's coach at Mits Kimura Judo notes that at 10 years old, he is already a California State Champ and a two time National Champion. He will be competing in the US Judo Junior Nationals in July. He is currently a green belt and he sets the competitive standard for his teammates.

Congratulations Bogdan!

Each week we feature one student from one area academy who stands out based on effort, competitive success or improvement.

Ao Anderson: Student of the Week 1/1/12

Congratulations to Ao Anderson of Ralph Gracie San Francisco! He is Student of the Week for January 1-7, 2012.

Anderson's coach, Kurt Osiander, says that Anderson has thoroughly applied himself to learning proper technique and to taking his conditioning to the next level. Anderson won all the matches in his division by submission at the December Ralph Gracie In-House Tournament.

Every week we ask one coach to select one Student of the Week from their academy to be recognized for outstanding work. One Student of the Week will become Student of the Month and receive a gift certificate in recognition of their commitment to their training.

Fight Hard.
Train Hard.
Party Hard.