How to become an agile fighter. 10 useful exercises from a martial arts coach

boxing, kickboxing, Thai boxing trainer, fighter of “Our Cause” promotion

In this article I will tell you about a few exercises that will help you develop your agility quite quickly, as well as exercises that I use on a regular basis.

Every athlete, and especially a fighter of any of the martial arts, is required to possess a bunch of skills in order to achieve high performance. One of them is agility, which is the ability to handle any task that requires movement. In the first block I will talk about the exercises that are more conducive to the development of agility of the arms and torso, reaction training and movement on the feet.

Throwing a tennis ball into the wall

Without a partner

Your task: stand at a distance of 1.5-2 meters from the wall and, alternating hands, throw the ball into the wall at the level of your head, and after the bounce catch the ball. You can change the speed of the throws to increase the level of difficulty. You can also gradually add footwork in all directions.

With a partner

Your task: both ofyou face the wall at different distances and at a distance of 1.5-2 meters from each other. The partner behind the first one should throw the ball into the wall at the height of his partner’s head or 0.5-1 m above it. After the ball bounces off the wall, the second partner must immediately try to catch it.

Moving with the ball and kicking it to the floor in front of you

Without a partner

Your task: moving in a circular step in different directions, kick the ball on the floor in front of you, alternating hands (imagine that you are leading a basketball, hitting it on the floor). You can gradually kick the ball a little harder, so that it flies up to the level of your head, and at the same time, imitating a blow to the side of the ball, trying to catch it with your hand.

With a partner

Your task: moving in one direction in a circle with a partner, throw the ball, alternating hands, knocking it to the floor. After throwing the ball, you can also throw a series of 2-3 kicks in the air while your partner is trying to catch the ball.

It is recommended to perform all these exercises for 2-3 minutes (no more) for maximum effectiveness.

Now let’s move on to exercises to develop agility and strength endurance of the legs, as well as the development of coordination of their movement. You will need a coordination ladder.

Running alternately with both feet into the cages

Your task is to alternateteie legs and run into each of the cages while moving forward, helping yourself with your hands (i.e. performing movements like running). At the same time, you should run standing on the front part of the foot so that the ankle works properly and the load on the knees is minimized. Also, the legs should be slightly bent to act as a spring.

Cage runs from the side

Your task: standing at the side of the ladder, alternately run in and out with both feet into each of the cages with forward progression. After running with both feet into the cage, alternately make two strikes with your hands in the air and immediately run back out.

Jumping on one leg with forward movement

Your task: jumping on one of your legs, jump in and out of the cage into the cage with a diagonal forward movement. You should keep your hands near your chin or periodically throw single blows in the air with one of your hands. After passing the stairs, the leg should be changed. You can also perform this exercise with your back forward.

Jumping with both feet inside the cage

Your task is to stand with both feet on both sides of the cage and simultaneously jump inside the cage while moving forward. When jumping in, both arms should be extended forward, and when jumping out, both arms should be extended to the sides. You can also perform this exercise with your back to the front.

Jumping in the shuttle with hand strikes

Your task: being in a stand at the side of the ladder, perform a jump forward on two legs, jumping with the leg, which is in front, into the cage. When landing, you must strike with one of your hands. Then also jump backward on two legs simultaneously, returning to the starting position. When jumping into the cage, the hands should be alternated. When striking with the far arm, the body should be twisted to shift the weight of the body to the near leg (the far leg becomes on the toe). When striking with the near arm, leave the body weight on the far leg.

These exercises should be done to a medium level of fatigue. Depending on your fitness level, the pace and duration can be varied. You can also perform exercises with additional weights (for legs) and dumbbells (for arms).

It is important to realize that agility exercises tire rather quickly. When performing them, it is important to take rest breaks to fully recover. And the exercises themselves should be done when you are not too tired from the previous training.