The best way to train for a sport is to do it over and over and over again. If you want to get better at throwing a football, you need to throw hundreds and hundreds of passes. Combat sports are no different. The best way to become a better boxer is to go to gym and have an instructor train you in the sport of boxing. However, gym membership costs can add up quickly and there are a few things that you can do at home with minimal equipment (such as a heavy bag and double end bag) or if you are training at a gym, you can do these workouts on your own without a partner. As I said earlier the BEST way to train for combat sports is to sign up with a gym and get professional instruction. Workouts you find online, or even instructional DVDs are NOT a substantial substitute for diligent dedication and countless hours with a qualified instructor.
Shadowboxing - Shadowboxing is a great tool for honing your skills and building your conditioning. I like to think of there being two different types of shadowboxing. The first is a controlled, slow-paced action where you concentrate on technique, footwork, and head movement. The emphasis here is on getting full extension on your punches and kicks and make sure they have good technique. The second type is of course shadowboxing as a means of conditioning. Mike Tyson did a lot of this. It was almost more frightening to watch him shadowbox than to fight. You are more likely to "get sloppy" when throwing hard and fast, so make sure you have good technique before you begin shadowboxing for conditioning purposes.
Sample Workouts:
1) 5 minute rounds (with 1 min rest between rounds) until you've thrown over 1,200 punches
2) 1,500 punches in 5 x 5 min (1 min rest)
3) 800 punches in 3 x 3 min (1 min rest)
4) 1,050 punches in 3 x 4 min (1 min rest)
5) 1,300 punches in 3 x 5 min (1 min rest)
6) 1,500 punches in 5 x 5 min (1 min rest)
7) 760 punches in 7 min (no rest)
Plyometrics - plyometrics are great for improving coordination and core strength. Below is a list of different plyometric exercises. If you do not know what some of the exercises are, Google is your friend. You can add intensity to these exercises by progressively increasing the distance you do them. For example for weeks 1, 2, and 3 you might do them each for a distance of 10 meters; weeks 4, 5, and 6 a distance of 20 meters; and weeks 7, 8, and 9 a distance of 30 meters.
Sample Exercises:
High Knees (forwards and backwards)
Butt-kickers (forwards and backwards)
Shuffle
Carioca
Bear Crawl (forwards and backwards)
Skip (for Height)
Skip (for Distance)
Runbox (forwards and backwards)
Walk on Heels (forwards and backwards)
Lunge (forwards and backwards)
Sidebend Walk (lean to front leg) (forwards and backwards)
Trunk-Twist Walk (turn towards back leg) (forwards and backwards)
Heavy Bag and Other Bags - Bag work is a good way to drill combinations, work on conditioning, speed, and safely work on punching power. There are several different ways to train on the heavy bag; for speed, for power, and for technique. Below are some sample bag workouts, most of which I found on RossBoxing Conditioning Forum.
1) 5 min rounds w/ 1 min rest until you've thrown 1,200 punches
2) 6 x 5 min rounds w/ 30 sec rest
3) 5 min shadowbox, 2 x 5 min heavy bag, 5 min double-end bag, 5 min jump rope (1 min rests)
4) 12 x 30 sec burnout (30 sec rest)
5) 10 x 1 min power (every shot as hard as you can) @ 30 sec rest
6) 3 x 5 min (30 sec rest), 4 x 1 min power (30 sec rest), 4 x 30 sec burnout (30 sec rest)
7) 4 x 5 min (30 sec rest), 6 x 30 sec burnout (30 sec rest)
8) 3 x 3 min shadowbox, 3 x 3 min heavy bag, 3 x 3 min double-end bag, 3 x 3 min jump rope (1 min rests)
Conditioning - Unfortunately the time tested method of running long mile after mile, is NOT the best way to condition for combat sports. Any type of circuit training is ideal. There are tons of workouts found online. There are obviously TONS of similar websites, but these are some of my favorites.
Websites:
http://www.gymjones.com/schedule.php
http://www.rosstraining.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19144
Long Distance - Long runs still have their place. They are good for general conditioning, and road work can be very helpful, but the more sport-specific you can make your training, the better. If you're training for a marathon, run half-marathons to train. If you're a sprinter, sprint; a fighter, fight... etc.
Road Work Examples:
(Olympic Boxing examples from RossBoxing.com)
1) 1 mi warm up, 2 x 800m (1 min rest), 4 x 400m (1 min rest), 4 x 200m (1 min rest), 800m cool down
2) 1 mi warm up, 6 x 600m (1 min rest), 800m cool down
3) 2 mi run, sprint 100m, shadowbox 3 min, backpedal 200m, sprint 100m, shadowbox 3 min, sprint 100m, runbox 400m, shadowbox 3min, sprint 100m, backpedal 100m, jog 400m, walk to cool down
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