Full contact routine

[Van Zandt]

Here is my current training routine for full contact kickboxing / freestyle tournament fighting.

1) 8 x 3-minute rounds punching on the heavy bag (1 minute rest between rounds)

2) 4 x 3-minute rounds shadow boxing in front of a mirror (1 minute rest between rounds)

3) 4 x 3-minute rounds skipping rope (1 minute rest between rounds)

4) 7 x 3-minute rounds kicking pads held against a partner, throwing three or more kicks in any single combination, averaging 135-150 kicks per round (1 minute rest between rounds)

4) 15 x 3-minute rounds sparring light to heavy contact (1 minute rest between rounds)

This usually takes 2 hours 30 minutes ~ 2 hours 45 minutes to complete.

Let me know what you think :)

[El-Guapo]

WoW!
This is really brutal
are you sure that you can handle it!
If you can let me say that this routine is great!

[narcsarge]

Brutal is an understatement!

If you can handle that routine, you don't need our input!

[jabcrosshook]

How often do you do this?

Do you do any sort of periodisation? I say this because most full contact competitors will ramp up the sparring in prep for a fight and you haven't really left much scope to increase yours!

How about less sparring volume, and more 'freestyle' pad work (calling shots) for time between fights. Then when a fight is coming up increase the sparring and decrease the padwork?

EDIT: One final thought... do you have any technical work in there?

[Yohan]

How often do you do this?

Do you do any sort of periodisation? I say this because most full contact competitors will ramp up the sparring in prep for a fight and you haven't really left much scope to increase yours!

How about less sparring volume, and more 'freestyle' pad work (calling shots) for time between fights. Then when a fight is coming up increase the sparring and decrease the padwork?

EDIT: One final thought... do you have any technical work in there?

I would actually consider reducing your volume overall. Are you really completing this workout within 80% of your full performance??

[shift]

I would actually consider reducing your volume overall. Are you really completing this workout within 80% of your full performance??

ditto

[Yohan]

Here's how I would structure a workout like this:

1) 2 x 3-minute rounds skipping rope (1 minute rest between rounds)

2) 2 x 3-minute rounds shadow boxing in front of a mirror (1 minute rest between rounds)

3) 4 x 3-minute rounds punching on the heavy bag (1 minute rest between rounds)

4) 4 x 3-minute rounds kicking pads held against a partner, throwing three or more kicks in any single combination, averaging 135-150 kicks per round (1 minute rest between rounds)

I would maybe do a little sparring after all that. More likely, I would end the workout there and do my sparring in a separate workout.

1) 15 x 3-minute rounds sparring light to heavy contact (1 minute rest between rounds)

[Van Zandt]

Sorry.

Forgot to include the frequency of this workout.

I follow the above workout three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), with technical training (forms, slow kicking and punching in front of the mirror, etc) on Tuesday and Thursday. Every morning I will do a Yoga style stretching workout, which is repeated on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

I'd say I go around 65~75% max effort during the off-season. As a fight approaches I drop the amount of padwork and increase the number of sparring rounds, which go up to 80~85% max effort. I'll also do road work in the mornings (as well as the Yoga style stretching) to ramp up my cardio.

On days when I'm tired I will split the routine I described in my original post, so I'd do the punching rounds and skipping rope in the morning, followed by the kicking and sparring in the evening. I actually sometimes follow this method when preparing for a fight as I find I can do this 5~6 days a week and still have good recovery.

Please bear in mind I'm consuming sufficient calories (3500~4000) and getting enough rest (8~9 hours) each day to maximise my recovery.

I based this routine on Bill "Superfoot" Wallace's full-contact training, and he was doing a very similar routine at 80~85% max effort all the way through, 6 days a week! :eek:

Thanks again for all your input.

Kind regards,

[jabcrosshook]

I follow the above workout three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), with technical training (forms, slow kicking and punching in front of the mirror, etc) on Tuesday and Thursday. Every morning I will do a Yoga style stretching workout, which is repeated on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

By technical work, I really meant combination drills etc on a big bag/pads, rather than the forms and slow kicking.

I'm of the opinion that forms have no real place in full contact (we have 12 active fighters at our gym and none of us do them). As with slow kicking - your time would be better spent doing bag/pad work.

How about substituting your forms/mirror punching/slow kicking with some kind of conditioning (be it weight training, bodyweight or whatever). I can't see any conditioning work in your programme and really this is one of the most important parts!

As a fight approaches I drop the amount of padwork and increase the number of sparring rounds, which go up to 80~85% max effort. I'll also do road work in the mornings (as well as the Yoga style stretching) to ramp up my cardio.

You can't do more than 15x3 sparring surely? Just out of interest, what sort of level are you competing at? Also, what system are you competing under again?

Don't take any of my comments as mean/negative, by the way. I generally come across differently on forums but hey - advice is advice :)

[Van Zandt]

No worries, no offence taken.

Apologies, didn't mean to write "increase the number of sparring rounds" but rather increase the effort in sparring rounds. I trip over myself when typing at times.

I compete an an amateur level, but I'm training as though already a pro for when I do go up to that level - which may some time off yet!

Sorry, the punching rounds on the heavy bag tend to be technical for the first 4 rounds, then the next 4 focus on power. The 4 rounds of shadow boxing in front of a mirror are where I pick up on mistakes in form, and work different combinations at different angles and assess my ducking/bobbing/weaving etc.

A lot of the time I will do themed sparring rounds, e.g. against a tall opponent who primarily kicks, a short opponent who works the inside, etc. The first six or seven rounds are trained this way (with a theme), and the remaining eight or so are free sparring.

I tried doing conditioning on the days I don't do this routine, but I found I was over training and prone to injuries.

The style I do primarily is TKD, so forms are an integral aspect of that training. Most of my fight training, however, is kickboxing-based (with regard to the rules I'm training for, level of contact, techniques allowed, etc.) while using Tae Kwon Do-style kicks.

Hope this makes sense :)

Thanks again for all constructive criticism :)

[Brand New Day]

Every morning I will do a Yoga style stretching workout, which is repeated on Saturday and Sunday evenings.


Is there any way you could elaborate on this? Looking more for specifics.