(Photos by Sebastian Troen)

All trainers and fighters should prepare as if their fight is the most important in their careers. And it could be – people tend to remember you no further back than your last fight…

This article is for coaches, preparing that fighter who has reached a higher level – a professional or top amateur. This means that technique is no longer a serious issue for this fighter. You’ve done the military-style training with him and will resort to that (crazy) method only once in a while – just to shake the comfort-zones a bit. Training a pro like that (this implies long training hours, with a lot of fitness, stamina and long hours of technique in a rigorous programme) will have the same effect it has on a military recruit during basic training: lack of sleep, compared to training amounts, will drop performance and testosterone levels to the pits; injuries can’t heal; mental fatigue setting in and lack of ambition. The list goes on and on. Hey, I’m all for a tough session every now and then – just to stretch the guts and mental drive. But if you drive them all the time, they will not give their best. They’ll look for a way to rest, because they don’t know how long the session will last and they would conserve the energy for later on. However, I like to use this every now and then for mental training as you’ll see below.

Assuming you got all this down…

Starting at the bottom of the pyramid, train power three days a week; speed four days per week and mind seven days per week.

Power

Training power is just a matter of:
1. Developing the muscles (yes, lift those weights)
· Use the principle of lift big, eat big and sleep big. Build size and strength in the gym by focusing on bench press, squat and dead lift. Also spend time on shoulders and biceps (for hooks and uppercuts)
2. Synchronize the movement (that’s what you’re training technique for)
3. Using simple compound movements (involving the big muscle groups)
· Straight punch: punch in a straight line, add forward movement of the step lean into the punch. Also add the turn of the shoulders, torso and hips into the delivery of the punch.
· Hooks: Turn the body into the punch – involve the back muscles and lats into the swing and the penetration at the moment of impact – turning 90-degrees into the punch.
4. Using technique that generates maximum brute power
· Swing big swings. Punches traveling a short distance don't generate so much power. Hooks and uppercuts should travel a long path to generate a tonne of impact.
5. Learning to penetrate (punch through the bag)
· Do not stop on the surface of the bag – punch right through it. It is a further extension of the big swing-technique noted before. If your fighter breaks your bag or your pad – CONGRATULATE HIM! I know of coaches who will pay a fighter ten bucks for every bag he breaks with a technique. I like that system.
6. Mental focus on your power – how it feels and how you make it powerful with your mind.
· Let him bellow like a beast with every punch. Let him feel his fist slam into the bag so hard that the bag bends around the glove. Let him feel his power. There are very few better motivators…

Speed

This is trained by executing combinations on count. It is very difficult to learn with one-punch training. You lack the realism of distance and impact. Impact shouldn’t be hard. Make a clear distinction between power training and speed training.

Power is hard on the joints and muscles. Speed training is not. Punch combinations at high speed, but just tap the pads on impact.

Start out with easy combinations, such as left, right, left hook. Or; right uppercut, left hook. Just three- or four-movement combinations.
Count loud: “One!”  Then your fighter should execute a combination as quick as he can, without sacrificing technique. Count “Two!” and he’ll do the same combination.

Then, just before he completes the combination, count the next count – just stay ahead of him, so that he has to work extra hard to keep going.

When he slows down, give a rest and then let two fighters square off. One holds his gloves like pads (allowing the other to punch into his palms) for a count. At the next count, they switch and the other punches his combination. This forces the fighter to execute his combination before the next count – risking a clean combination on his nose…

As your fighter advances, you can add a kick into a combination – stick to easy ones, such a front kicks, low kicks and knee strikes.

Mind

The mind is the toughest to train. This is what differentiates the champions from the contenders. The top 10 fighters in a weight are separated by very little – except mental power.

It starts by encouragement (well done, old chap, marvelous punch you’ve got there; don’t worry, we all struggle at first…)

Which moves to motivation (yes, yes, that’s the way to do it!) or beefed up encouragement: You can do it! You’ll knock his lights out with that punch! And to keep them from slacking off: “You’re in the fight game – not ping-pong! Go at it, man!”

And then, you move over to specialised mental training: Can your fighter motivate from within? Can he motivate himself?

You have to get them to that point where he doesn’t need your encouragement – pretty important when fighting an opponent in his home stadium. For this I use the old and trusted military training system used by Special Forces the world over: I tell them to prepare for training. Then, we train:

“Down for push-ups! Only quality push-ups count.  One, two, three, four, four, four, four, four, four, four, five, five, five, six, six, …come on you sissy, can you do it?”

Then my favourite: “I don’t think you can make it. I don’t think you’ve got what it takes. If you think you’re that caliber, maybe you can show me, but I don’t think so.”

If it seems like he wants to quit: “Yea, I thought so…, you sissy, want me to call your Mama?” But be careful – you can break your fighter. Build it up slowly until it is objectively really tough. If you’re not sure, ask a buddy from Special Forces to help you to build something progressively tough until it is tough enough in his opinion. This may be the best investment you’ve made for your fighter.

With this, you teach him not to listen to the opinions of others, but to find his inner strength. He’ll want to show you, he’ll curse you out loud, even, but he’ll never quit – he’ll grunt and shout and complete the assignment. Then, your work is done – move over to the next phase.

The next phase is programming. This is where he repeatedly tells himself: “I’m a dangerous fighter; I’m a knock-out specialist; Every opponent better fear me,” and so forth.

The fighter must tell himself this every day – 7 days a week. And you’ll support by saying: “See how you went through that military training? Nobody can conquer your mind! You are phenomenally strong!”

What your ear often hears, your mind believes. That’s Psychology 101 – basic stuff. Then, you’ll see him act on it. Then he really IS dangerous!