What Do You Do When You Have No Strong Training
Partners?
by John Saylor
Back in 1979, as a member of the U.S. Judo Team, I was training
at Tokai University in Japan. Often there were over a hundred black
belts on the mat, especially when foreign teams were visiting. Practices
were 2 ½ to 3 hours long and included various kinds of Uchikomis
(Fit-Ins of Throws), Ground-Grappling, Randori (“Free Practice”,
Live Wrestling), Throwing Practice and various drills. These were
tough sessions, especially since some of these guys were World and
Olympic Champions, as well as All-Japan and College Champions.
Tokai’s morning weight training and conditioning sessions
were fairly short, 45 minutes to 1 hour and I’d have to say
that the Europeans knew more about that aspect of training than the
Japanese, at least back then. But with all that training each afternoon
against such a wide variety of high-level opponents, the Japanese
fighters could afford to be a little behind the times on their strength
training and conditioning outside the dojo. Their grueling practices
made them plenty strong and conditioned.
In the United States, though, we didn’t (and still don’t)
have the luxury of a hundred-plus training partners to choose from.
And I’m betting that most of you can’t get 2 ½ to
3 hours of practice at the dojo each day.
So what can you do to compete with the best? Start with the following:
- Learn to practice by yourself outside your regular practice
sessions. Every great champion has devised Solo Practice methods
to gain an advantage over his competition (Some examples are bag
work, solo uchikomis with tubing, and so on.). Use your imagination
to come up with more.
- Travel to training camps and clinics. You’ll not only
learn new skills, but you can also “cross swords” with
other fighters.
- Become a fanatic with your conditioning. Use
time away from the dojo to develop greater endurance,
speed, strength, and flexibility. Try to turn your
physical weaknesses into strengths. There are many
good exercises and training methods to choose from
and you should learn and use those that work the
best for you. But let me tell you about one that
you probably haven’t heard of before:
A newly invented piece of equipment called “The
Grappler”.
Regardless of your style, it will make you a much
stronger fighter.
Click
to Order "The Grappler" Now!
The Grappler: A Revolutionary Innovation In Strength Training
For Grapplers and Martial Artists of All Styles
Click here
for Grappler Photos
The biggest problem in weight training for martial artists, especially
those that do some form of grappling is that most of the lifts, Bench
Press for example, strengthen you in just one line of motion. If
your opponent forces your arms even a few inches up, down, in, or
out from that line, you’ll be weaker than a school girl. This
problem is even worse with conventional weight machines since they
don’t allow for as many exercise variations and are generally
limited to one range of motion.
In grappling and other martial arts, though, you
need strength from all angles and positions.
This is why standard weight training isn’t
the whole answer. Body weight exercises like Hindu
Squats, Bridging, Pull Ups, Rope Climbing, Hindu
Push Ups, and various abdominal exercises are
a step in the right direction. They have their place
in any fighters’ routine. Recently, though,
I came across a device called The Grappler that I
believe is the next step for all serious martial
artists and grapplers. Let me tell you a little bit
about it.
Click
to Order "The Grappler" Now!
The Grappler Was Invented By
One Of The Foremost Speed-Strength Coaches In The
World
Click here for
Grappler Photos
The Grappler was invented by my friend Louie Simmons, arguably
the best speed-strength coach in the world. Everyone in the powerlifting
community already knows Louie. In fact, he is often called “The
Great Guru of Powerlifting” and “The Mad Monk of Powerlifting”.
Pretty good description, since his world-famous Westside Barbell
Club is the strongest gym in the world and has produced too many
National and World Champions to count. Westside currently has 5 lifters
who have totaled over 2400lbs, the only gym in the world to have
done so.
But what may not be as well known is the work Louie
has done with other world-class athletes. He has
worked with the strength coaches of The New England
Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, and
The Green Bay Packers, to name just a few. And about
1/3 of the college teams in the country have adopted
some version of Louie’s
stuff. He’s also trained a 70’ plus shot
putter, an Olympic sprinter, mixed martial artists,
wrestlers, and athletes from many other sports. Nobody
knows more about developing strength, power, and
speed for grapplers, mixed martial artists, and sports
in general, than Louie Simmons.
Louie’s a big mixed martial arts fan, and one night recently
while watching the Pride Fighting Championship at his home I asked
him:
“Why,” I asked in between fights, “did you invent
The Grappler?”
“I made it for guys like you.”
“What do you do,” he went on, “when you don’t
have anybody to train with?”
“Yeah, that happens a lot in this country,” I interjected.
“Well, when you don’t have any strong partners to workout
with,” he continued, “just do a session with The Grappler.
It’ll wear you out.
After the next fight in which Mario Sperry knocked out his opponent
in 11 seconds, I asked,
“What weight exercises do you think are most important for
grapplers, jujitsu fighters, judoists, submission wrestlers, and
mixed martial artists?
“I’d concentrate on 4 things: Towing a Sled with your
legs and with your arms, Good Morning, Zercher Squats, and The Grappler.”
“What kind of exercises,” I asked, “would you
do with The Grappler?”
“Do all kinds of stuff. Do a lot of Vertical Bar Twists,
what we call ‘Land Mines’. This will work the rotational
muscles of your torso and your stabilizers. Invent new movements
to work your weaknesses and to support your techniques. Work your
arms and shoulders in circular motions and try working them independently
of each other. Just use your imagination.”
“Are there any other exercises you’d recommend?” I
went on.
“Yeah. Anything to work the posterior chain. The Towing Sled
is great, but also do lots of Glute Ham Raises, Seated Leg Curls
with Bands, and Reverse Hypers. I like that DB Drill you do, too.”
Louie was referring to The 5 Minute DB Drill, a method I used with
my fighters from The U.S. National Judo Training Squad at The Olympic
Training Center. It is described in detail in my soon-to-be-released
book on physical training for grapplers and other martial artists.
Click
to Order "The Grappler" Now!
With The Grappler you will develop:
- Superhuman rotational strength which is vitally important in
many throws of judo, wrestling, and other grappling-based arts.
It will also increase the power of your kicks and punches.
- Ultra-powerful shoulders, all-round upper body, torso, and lower
back strength.
- Awe-inspiring, specific strength in the motions you need for
many forward and twisting throws.
- Super strong stabilizer muscles throughout your entire body.
(These are the often neglected muscles which most conventional
weight training misses, but which are so necessary in all ground-grappling,
throws, takedowns, kicks and punches.)
- Greater resistance to injuries through greater tendon, ligament,
and stabilizer muscle strength.
In short, The Grappler will make you a much tougher fighter, whether
for self-defense or competition.
Click
to Order "The Grappler" Now!
“The Grappler” is simply a super heavy-duty steel platform
onto which two universal-type joints are mounted. These two joints
are designed to hold ends of 2 standard Olympic Bars. (The 2 Olympic
bars are not included). The joints allow you to grip the other end
of the bars and move them in all directions making it possible for
you to get strong from almost any angle. You can load the end of
the bars up with extra weight as you get stronger. “The Grappler” is
designed to handle as much weight as you can safely use no matter
how strong you are.
“The Grappler’ is for the guy who wants to get real
strong. I don’t mean beach and barbell strong. I mean real
diesel horsepower strong.”
Josh “Heavy” Hendricks,
2x NCAA heavyweight All-American Wrestler, Professional
No-Holds-Barred Fighter
“‘The Grappler’ is a must for every serious fighting
gym. It enables you to train at angles that just cannot be mimicked
by any other equipment.”
J.P. Pocock, Professional No-Holds-Barred Fighter
, Former National Jujitsu Champion
Also, if you would like information on bands or any of Louie Simmons’ other
outstanding exercise equipment, please give me a call at the above
phone number or e-mail
me
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