Medicine Ball Drill to Develop Explosive Takedowns in MMA
Here’s a killer med ball drill I use to train specifically for explosive MMA takedowns.
Of course, you want to do takedown drills doing actual takedowns too, but this drill will develop your raw physical ability to pull them off and you can push yourself without fear of hurting your partner or yourself.
Do the drill 2x/week following the schedule below
Week 1 – 6 sets x 2 reps, 1-2 min rest
Week 2 – 8 sets x 2 reps, 1-2 min rest
Weeks 1 and 2 help you work your explosiveness and pop without too much fatigue. The key here is not to be too tired – you want to start each set fresh, so take as much rest as you need.
Week 3 – 6 sets x 3 reps, 90 s rest
Week 4 – 6 sets x 4 reps, 60-90 s rest
Weeks 3 and 4 transition to Power Endurance development. A lot of guys will want to do this first – but it’s backwards because how can you develop Power Endurance if you haven’t even worked on Power first?
That’s right – you can’t!
So do first things first and work on your explosiveness, then progress to developing endurance after you’ve built your explosiveness.
I have no idea how the purity...
Nice video! I have been following this site for a while. I have been doing martial arts for about 13 years now and have in the last 6 months started doing MMA training. Unfortunately, I have MS so my balance and sprinting ability is horrid, but I do it anyway. I just thought I’d introduce myself.
Thanks Eric!! Great vid!
I am not an MMA fighter; I’m a 52 year old woman who likes her workouts to be a bit more exciting (and effective) than running on a treadmill! I love checking out videos for wrestling drills, boxing drills, basketball drills, etc. You, Ross Training, and Ice Chamber are my three bookmarks for new ideas and inspirations. Thanks for all the great workouts!
Hey Eric. That looked awesome.
What are the details behind why that workout is so successful for explosive takedowns.
Hey Eric! Absolutely love the videos man, keep ‘em comin’! I’m a thirty year old with aspirations of fighting professionally. I’m always looking on your website for training tips, and you have been a tremendous inspiration to me and my sparring partner. Thanks a bunch!
James
Nice video, thanks Eric.
Nice choice of song too
Thank you eric for all this work shared
Useful in our trainings
*WHY THIS DRILL ROCKS FOR DEVELOPING TAKEDOWN POWER*
First of all – great question Aaron – thanks, your Q will help everyone…
1) 1-Leg MB Back Toss
This exercise is killer for takedown power because you’re ‘triple extension’ off 1-leg with powerful upper body extension as well… Triple extension is a term used to describe extension at the ankle, knee and hip – what you’d do in a jump…
Although it may not look like it because it’s vertical vs. horizontal, this motion is what you do when you drive through your opponent for a takedown.
2) Getup into a Sprint
Sprinting is great, but from the prone position, you get full range of motion at the hip on the first step.
This way you’ll develop power from the hip, knee and ankle, not just the knee and ankle when you sprint from standing or a slight crouch.
That’s why I say in the vid to focus on driving powerfully on the first step – that’s where you’ll get the most bang for your buck and develop this ability to the fullest.
And don’t forget that I talked about in the initial article that you want to work on your Hip strength with the Reverse lunge and your posterior chain strength with the Deadlift before coming to this drill to develop power and power endurance.
Hope that gives a more in-depth explanation as to why this drill works so well for takedown power (endurance) specifically, and thanks to everyone who left a nice comment!
Hey Eric, that’s a cool looking drill.
How would you go about incorporating it into the MMA Strength and Conditioning Program?
Ferg
I’d add this drill into the Base Conditioning phase as an AnE workout…
Hey Eric I’ve been reading your newsletter for ages now and watching your videos. I’m 17 and not competing yet but i’m keeping my body in the highest physical condition i can while i work on my skills. Your videos provide a constant inspiration for new and fantastic workouts man! My favourite exercises are ones that i can do with minimal equipment, as i feel more primative when i’m pumping out old school workouts hahaha. I really dig the personal touch you put in all your newsletters and videos and that’s a big part of what keeps me coming back. Keep up the awesome work Eric, maybe i’ll meet you on the fight circuit one day.
Thanks a lot Eric for that video and all of the other information you give out. It truly is brilliant and nothing else compares to it. Just wondering if you know of a good training session purely for striking power endurance as i do boxing and muay thai matches aswell as MMA. Many thanks
I like to use Rope ball exercises followed by heavy bag power punching.
Rope ball: http://ericwongmma.com/2008/11/rope-ball-exercises-for-developing-ko-power/
Awesome tool!
Thanks Eric, great information as always and i will definately try this out and let you know how it goes.
Hey eric i’ve been training mma for almost a year now and i bought your program a few months ago and i love it. Its definately helped and im trying to get on a local card coming up in september and it’d be my first fight. Im looking forward to putting all your workouts to use!
And I’m looking forward to seeing you put them to use (and beat your opponent down in the process)!
Keep us posted on your results Jacob.
Hey Eric
Im from south africa, and mma is taking off in a big way over here. Ive been training mma for 3 yrs now and ive done 12yrs of lo han kungfu. Im more of a stand up fighter, but my ground game is good. I have two questions: 1.Could i combine this exercise with the cave man routine 2.What exercise would be best for jumping higher?
Thank you
Hey Morgan,
To answer your Q’s,
1) Not sure – many different cave man routines exist. What is yours?
2) There is no exercises per se, you need to develop strength in the hips using the Squat and Deadlift, then translate this strength into power using high velocity exercises like jump squats etc. It takes time there is no ‘quick-fix’ for vertical jump.
Did it this morning. I’m pooped.
hi thanks Eric
I’m not sure of the name. It’s quite intense, using a medicine ball 20ft heavy rope. Treadmill, suplexing heavy punching bag and various weight lifting. All this with using a heart rate monitor. I’ve read many books on developing vertical jump, e.g.: some old kungfu books where u jump out of a hole repeatedly for weeks then add weights progressively. Ive done that but I find if u don’t keep that specific training up you lose whatever gain you have made.
How would one keep the gains that one would have made?
Thank you
Excellent drill. I like the explosiveness this will build as well as the tremendous conditioning aspect.
Thanks!
hey eric.thanks for all the videos and training tips.i’ve tried them all,my conditioning and explosiveness has gone to new levels,raw power like never before.
Awesome…I love a different challenge
I am a 17 year veteran police office for a major city in Texas and I am 50 YOA. I run alot lifted wieghts and have studied martial arts since I was 13. I am also a former marine and love staying fit. I am currently doing the crossfit/metcon workouts. I don’t get tunnel vision into doing one workout system and I try differ things I come apon to keep me at my top condition because of my line of work. I am also a control tactics instructor. Well thats about it just wanted to drop a line FYI about me and will continue to look forward to more work out videos from you Thanks alot.