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Kettlebell Do you do any sports alongside Kettlebells?

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Stuart Elliott said:
I still play Cricket.
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They still play that in the UK? I thought it was all subcontinent and West Indies. Where I used to live, after my weekend football league’s matches were done, a crowd of Indian cricketers would set up. Took me awhile to figure out what it was.
 
vegpedlr said:
They still play that in the UK? I thought it was all subcontinent and West Indies. Where I used to live, after my weekend football league’s matches were done, a crowd of Indian cricketers would set up. Took me awhile to figure out what it was.
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Great sport
 
@vegpedlr yes we still play in the UK. As well as playing I coach my son's under 10s team. Its one of those sports you can play at any level of any age. We have members in our club over 80 still playing. There's a level for everyone.
 
I am also a mountain biker. I appreciate that I can do day of S&S and have plenty of energy for a long ride. I don't ride on the road too much, but my wife's uncle wants me to join him riding along the Blue Ridge Parkway from the visitors center outside of Asheville to the top of Mt. Mitchell. It is a 32 mile ride each way with about a 5000' climb. Should be tough and rewarding when we see him again next Summer.
 
Bjj + Judo. I find swings + presses + pullups are the “money cluster” for my sport... but I do like doing squats and bench press so well.

If u do another sport and want to get good at it, u should spend 70-80pct of your time on it. For BJJ at least, it certainly helps to be strong, but once u run out the linear gains I would argue you would improve in performance more by concentrating on skill and conditioning work.
 
Alan Mackey said:
I’m going to go against the current here...

I’ve been a martial artist and moderately successful competitor all my life (started at six years old and now I’m forty six) and I’ve also spent quite a long time hiking and running mountain trails. I’ve been doing some form of resistance training since I was sixteen: bodybuilding at first, then Starting Strength, I’ve even given Crossfit a fair try and then I decided Easy Strength, KBs and some calisthenics were all I really needed.

And this is what I found, regarding strength training (I’m not trying to generalize, I’m just talking about MY experience, which may or may not be shared with any other person):

- Being strong helps... to a degree, but it’s waaaaaaaaaay more important to improve my specific martial skills. I try to spend at least 80% of the time I train doing martial arts.

- Being combat-conditioned is way more important than being strong. Being able to pull 500 lbs. but gassing out after one round is kind of useless. The other way around (not being able to deadlift a broomstick, but being able to spar quite hard for one hour) is manageable.

- Being strong enough is a real concept. And easily achievable. I would say that, being able to do ten chins, ten dips, ten front squats and ten Romanian deadlifts with 100% of your bodyweight is WAY more than enough. Strength standards don’t really apply here; fighting is a rather different game.

- No amount of snatches, swings or circuits can replicate the sort of conditioning you need to fight. Sparring, sparring, sparring and then more sparring is all you REALLY need (because it improves your skills, conditioning and, to a lesser degree, your strength at the same time in the way is needed).

- Strength training is a GREAT injury prevention tool (provided you do it to improve your game on the mat, instead of pursuing strength-oriented goals).

- Slow steady cardio is a fantastic recovery tool which, aditionally, creates interesting adaptations which can easily be translated to the mat.

- Walking (I’m talking about taking a stroll, not doing it for cardio), Yoga, Original Strength are great recovery tools.

- All the above applies to both grappling and striking arts. And, I suppose, to any other skill oriented activity too (climbing, skiing, basketball, etc...).

- I would bet 98% of this forum’s members could easily push, pull, squat and deadlift WAY more than Manny Pacquiao. And those same members could probably do way more swings, cleans and snatches than him. Then, you step into a ring, not with PacMan, but with any amateur competitor and reality hits back (quite literally).
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I've come to the same physical facts as you but my theory behind them is different. I think walking for example is critical for filling in strength gaps left by judo training, and also for evening out imbalances from judo training, such as preferring right handed movements and so forth. Running improves lunging movements in judo and cardio endurance, and should be done for at least 10 minute stints in order to help prepare you for the demands of a 5 minute fight. Running is also an important self-defence tool in and of itself. You need to deadlift a bit heavier than the weight of opponents PLUS their own strength added, so this gets into the 300+lbs (not necessarily much more than 300lbs though) category. Deadlifting one's own bodyweight is acceptable as a minimum, but I'd aim for at least this much. I agree that excessively high weights are not necessary for fighting sports, since skill counts for much more than strength in general, although not necessarily in particular. For example in ground grappling, strength is a little more important than technique but in standing grappling/wrestling technique is enormously more important then strength. I agree totally that playing the sport itself covers almost everything you need to get better at it. However, I do think some supplementary exercise is indeed needed. What? In my opinion at least these:

1. Long walks to build strength, balance, cardio endurance and coordination.
2. At least short runs of 10 minutes in length, but longer is good too if you can stomach it alongside regular training. This develops full body strength, speed and endurance. Note that these two exercises walking and running give your arms a break, which are worn out by regular training.
3. Deadlifts, or at least kettlebell swings - at least a "big pull" movement. Good luck to you without a strong lower back! Chinups/curls count for something though if there is a lack of kettlebells or barbell.
4. Dips, presses, pushups or similar. I think the bodyweight stuff is better here since you'll find yourself pressing yourself away from your opponent often, and this is a bodyweight move.
 
ShawnM said:
I can say that before I found kettlebells and S&S my BJJ cardio was garbage, no matter how much rolling I did. After a month or so of S&S my rolling cardio was much improved and the KB training didn't get in the way of my BJJ, it just made it better. When I started to program hop and not maintain my swings my rolling cardio dropped and the aches and pains of old returned. Not only did my cardio improve but the ability to be explosive, rest and then be explosive again on command again improved greatly.
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Agreed. Additional physical training should be part and parcel of BJJ/Judo training.
 
In the summertime, paddle boarding and trying to learn to surf.

In the winter, downhill skiing.
 
DrFierce said:
...trying to learn to surf.
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Paddling ability is, in my experience, one of the key limiting factors. Depending on the spot and the size of the swell, you could easily paddle 1000 strokes or more in one surf session. When I was in high school, all the best surfers were on swim and water polo teams--crawl stroke is same movement. Off season, swimming if you have access to a pool. What I discovered in my dotage that works perfectly is Nordic walking. Again, same movement pattern and builds amazing endurance-strength. Don't know for certain but because of the Nordic walking cross over, my guess is that cross country skiing esp track type where poling is big part, would also have good cross over. I tried all sorts of other things, band work, ab wheel, etc over the years to duplicate the surfboard paddling action and maintain when no surf and nothing beats nor even comes close to swimming and Nordic walking that I ever found.

Now I'm a back country hiker, living next door to endless Rocky Mountain trails, and a cruiser bike, er, um, cruiser; got rid of my car so all shopping, library, friend visiting, etc is by bicycle. Also just for fun.
 
GeoffreyLevens said:
Paddling ability is, in my experience, one of the key limiting factors. Depending on the spot and the size of the swell, you could easily paddle 1000 strokes or more in one surf session.
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No kidding...

Swell, current, where the break is...
You could spend a lot of time paddling.
 
My most frequented spot when I lived in Sonoma County, CA was a beach break with often big, rough surf, powerful side current, no channels... Can't even count the times I got in the water, put my head down, and paddled like a madman for 30 minutes or more then looked up to find myself still about 75 feet from shore (or less) and 1/4 mile (or more) down the beach i.e. zero progress. Even more times sat in my warm car and watched some other fool do the same. Place did have its glory days though. Fun? Mmmmm, not so much. But somehow compelling. Nothing like icy water, huge waves, and sharks, lots of sharks to make you feel fully alive! WOOT!
 
If we’re going to drift sideways . . .

Swimming is number one. Not only does it carry over to the endless paddling surfing requires, but it is an essential survival skill out there. While swimming carries over to paddling brilliantly, the reverse is not true. Paddling a surfboard ruins your swimming stroke. Nordic skiing/walking is sorta similar, I never felt much. Elastic bands/tubing are fantastic for strengthening your stroke. Lean over, and paddle away, even better if you attach the bands to swimming paddles. Also triceps kickbacks done the same way. Yoga is popular with many top surfers, as the therapeutic effect on the spine is great after hours of paddling, and the body control and kinesthetic awareness it develops are great. “Mr. Pipline” himself, Gerry Lopez has been an avid yogi for decades.

Surfing is without doubt the hardest sport I’ve ever done.
 
Could be a of the carry over benefit I felt from Nordic walking was because I'd been surfing for about 45 years already and was just surfing much less often but had the paddling form grooved in. Also, I did wear weighted vest (I think around 45 lbs) and 5 lb wrist weights when walking. So may not work for someone else. Surfing does have a brutal learning curve! I was lucky to start when I was young and stubborn, 8th grade...
 
And then do it in the Northen latitudes (Atlantic or Pacific) in the winter. Or the Great Lakes (yes you can...!). Where a thick wetsuit or even dry suit is mandatory. It's all good stuff...
 
I compete in BJJ & submission grappling as well as cross train in freestyle/folkstyle/Greco-Roman wrestling. I love the grappling sports, they are amazing.

Beyond that I will get roped into the occasional men's league ice hockey game but I kinda want to wait until I hit 40 so I can play in the senior league to get back into it full on. The "open" league for ice hockey is insane and half the guys think they will be called up to the NHL the next night. It's not built for hobbyists.
 
sizzlefuzz said:
I compete in BJJ & submission grappling as well as cross train in freestyle/folkstyle/Greco-Roman wrestling. I love the grappling sports, they are amazing.

Beyond that I will get roped into the occasional men's league ice hockey game but I kinda want to wait until I hit 40 so I can play in the senior league to get back into it full on. The "open" league for ice hockey is insane and half the guys think they will be called up to the NHL the next night. It's not built for hobbyists.
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BJJ+Wrestling kind of = judo.
 
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