To prepare a fighter for war the training methods used must reflect the violent and relentless nature of the sport -making the fighter 'BE' the part not just look the part.

Training with CRITICAL MASS™ and the Tornado ball (refer previous articles) can be barbaric in its application, but they ensure that efforts in the gym translate into 'RESULTS' in the ring. These battle hardening exercises provide one of the best training mediums for strength and power development -preparing the fighter both physically and mentally for war.

'The law of successful operations is to avoid the enemy's strength and strike weaknesses -Sun Tzu

In confrontation -the speed to attack swiftly and accurately at an enemy's weakness while avoiding their strengths is a powerful weapon to have in the 'art of war'.

For a fighter to develop 'combat' speed to a level that will have devastating consequences in the ring -requires a methodical approach to sport specific conditioning.

Even though Heredity plays a major role in your ability to move quickly, proper training can improve the speed and accuracy of performance.

To recap on the previous article -when training for 'SPEED' three fundamental conditions must be adhered to (3):

* The technique of the exercise must permit performing the movement with extreme velocity.
* Exercises must be mastered so well that an athlete can focus attention solely on the velocity of movement, and not its form.
* The duration or number of repetitions of an exercise per set has to be established such that velocity does not diminish before the end of the set due to fatigue.

Developing 'combat' speed is a unique conditioning aspect: it depends on eliciting a very specific physiological response – one that can actually be hindered if the wrong training is performed.

In the previous article CRITICAL MASS™ and the Tornado ball were demonstrated for their ability to develop this explosive 'combat'speed -making the figher 'BE'the part not just look the part.

In this article I am going to introduce a power exercise from the strong men of yester year….SLEDGE HAMMER Training

SLEDGE HAMMER TRAINING – back to the basics

There are few exercises out there that epitomise the destructive power of explosive strength like Sledge Hammer training.

Its application is brutal -but the sweat and tears shed here will translate into 'RESULTS' in the ring.

For anyone brave enough to step up and go toe to toe with this exercise -you will learn the hard way why it has earned its place on my top 10 list of training insanity.

Warning!

SLEDGE HAMMER Training is associated with a high degree of impact loading – requiring both accelerative and decelerative strength.

Accelerative Strength – accelerating the weight of the sledge hammer.

Decelerative Strength – decelerating the weight of the sledge hammer as it recoils off the tyre.

Although this type of training load has strong transfer to athletes exposed to high impact envirnmonets -it is associated with a higher degree of risk than the more conventional training exercises for strength and power development.

Progress slowly and do not be in a hurry to execute movements explosively -it is advised that you reach your potential in Tornado ball training before advancing to SLEDGE HAMMER Training.

Try the following routine and get back to basics with the tried and proven methods of yesterdays gladiators…Train Hard and Fight Hard

'Winners never quit and Quitters never win' – Ali

SLEDGE HAMMER -Explosive chop patterns

This is an explosive exercise for grappling, striking and takedown techniques

Biomotor Profile -speed component of explosive strength.

Primal Pattern Profile -twist pattern.

Beginners -use a moderate tempo for 20 seconds

Advanced -use explosive tempo for 10 seconds

Recommendation -perform 3-4 sets with rest interval 2-3mins between sets