Abstract
Combat sports have been practiced for millennia and today are predominant sports at the Olympic games, with international organizations that host world, continental and national championships at amateur standard. There are also an increasing number of professional combat sports with global audiences. The growing popularity of professional combat sports and their importance at the Olympic games have led to an increase in scientific studies that characterize the physical, physiological, nutritional, biomechanical and training strategies of combat sports athletes. These studies characterize combat sports as high-intensity sports which require training strategies to develop the high-intensity capabilities of athletes. Therefore, the aim of this article is to (i) summarize the physiological demands of combat sports; (ii) present the primary considerations required to program high-intensity conditioning for athletes; (iii) define and present key high-intensity conditioning methods; and (iv) provide guidance for scientists and coaches to help prepare athletes under common but differing circumstances.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
An athlete who has under-fueled for a high-intensity conditioning session risks potential underperformance, psychological impacts of frustration caused by poor performance, injury, illness and a missed opportunity for quality training
More so in ‘professional’ versions of combat sports such as boxing, have typical considerations such as the irregular scheduling of bouts, making weight and the athletes training history. Identifying and understanding these considerations should be a key focus for coaches as these factors influence the duration and the type of high-intensity training that can be used at any stage in the training process
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The evidence base for high-intensity conditioning methods has improved [3,4,5,6,7,8] but at present, there has been limited exploration into the practical application of high-intensity conditioning strategies for combat sport athletes. This is somewhat surprising considering the potential for high-intensity conditioning to develop the aerobic, anaerobic and neuromuscular qualities that underpin combat sport performance. The aim of this manuscript is to (i) summarize the physiological demands of combat sports in general; (ii) present the primary considerations required to program high-intensity conditioning for combat sport athletes; (iii) define and present key high-intensity conditioning methods and (iv) provide guidance for scientists and coaches to help prepare athletes under common but differing circumstances
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