balance

[erskine777]

this might seem to be a pretty stupid thread, but i really believe that a good sense of balance is one of the key elements that a fighter should strive to attain, and yet is one of the most untouched subjects. strikes and throws are only as good as their foundations, and i know firsthand how fricking hard it is to sweep, take down, and throw someone who can magically always get their feet underneath themselves. i just started watching UFC about a year ago, and BJ Penn is a prime example. does anyone else consider this in their training?

[Nasty Nate]

i totally agree man, balance of very important

[blackass]

Balance is really all about having your muscles being trained equally.... e.g quads and hamstrings must be equally developed along with stabilizers. If an agonist and antagonist are equall then you will have balance in that zone. Now add in core development and shoulder girdle stability and you can transfer that balance all over the place.

[erskine777]

i was thinking more about recovery rates, and how fast you can recover your balance after being jerked out of position. for instance, i've been taking judo for the last five years and controlling your opponent, forcing them off balance, is the basic setup for every single throw. after learning how to surf, which of course requires a high development of one's balance, i noticed that i was able to stablize myself quicker and blocked most sweeping/throwing and take-down attempts. i think that surfing greatly improved my vestibular nerve connections, not just conditioned my muscles. does anyone else surf or skateboard who's noticed this or am i just drawing false conclusions? i really thought i was on to something...

[blackass]

i was thinking more about recovery rates, and how fast you can recover your balance after being jerked out of position. for instance, i've been taking judo for the last five years and controlling your opponent, forcing them off balance, is the basic setup for every single throw. after learning how to surf, which of course requires a high development of one's balance, i noticed that i was able to stablize myself quicker and blocked most sweeping/throwing and take-down attempts. i think that surfing greatly improved my vestibular nerve connections, not just conditioned my muscles. does anyone else surf or skateboard who's noticed this or am i just drawing false conclusions? i really thought i was on to something...

You are 100% correct. Unless you are a world champion at the highest level of a sport like gymnastics, then the more sports you learn, the more complete an athlete you will become. I noticed big differences in my game after I learned to surf and again later with snowboarding.

[Vens]

Balance is very important in MMA, Especially for takedown defense, considering that it is very hard to take someone down when they have good balance.