Building that One Punch KO - By Sean Keefe

Every fighter wants that ‘One Punch Knockout Power’ and every fan wants to see that one punch knockout happen, whether watching MMA, boxing or kick boxing, watching someone get knocked out is very appealing, why? As a fighter it’s exhilarating and as a viewer it’s entertaining!

Fighters that are known for having that KO power put fear into their opposition before even entering the ring, so this is half the battle won already as they know if one punch connects it could be lights out goodnight for them!

So how do you develop that knockout power, some people just have it and some people don’t, consequently they have to work hard to develop it and spend many hours training. A combination of skill, speed, strength and power are all needed.

The foundation for this power lies in strength, being strong is the key to developing knockout power. If you had two fighters with equal skill level, but one was stronger, I’ll bet my money on the stronger fighter comes out on top! And when I talk about strength here I mean total body strength not just in the bench press for example. Fighters need to strengthen their posterior chain, hip musculature as well as their rotational power to execute the maximal power needed for a knockout punch.

We need to understand that there is no secret exercise or one piece of equipment to getting strong; using various exercises and pieces of equipment such as ropes, kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells and sandbags is the key along with proper programming and planning. Getting strong should be a continuous development where different methods of training can be used throughout a yearly or fight cycle. For example, fighters should work on their GPP and strength further out from a fight and as it gets closer the training should switch to more power development as maximal strength is no longer the main focus. This is where the use of bands and chains can be used to help increase the rate of force development (speed).

Below is a template of how to set up training for a fighter out of season or not in a fight camp. Remember a thorough warm up is needed prior to this including various SMR techniques, stretching, activating, mobilising along with some simple movement patterns.


GROUP 1 SUPERSET
Start your training of with some form of explosive work, so for the upper body medicine balls are perfect and the lower body any form of jumps can be utilised, 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps can be used.

Exercise 1 - Upper body

Chest Pass both single and double – Stand facing a wall holding a medicine ball in tight to your chest then explode forward and release the ball
Over head throw – Wide stance holding a medicine ball between your legs, swing the ball like a kettlebell and release overhead, both straight up or behind can be used. Triple Extension is key here
Vertical throw – Hold a ball high on your chest and throw upwards, both bent and straight leg variations can be used
Slam – Hold a medicine above your head and slam towards the floor (mind your face)

Remember each of these can have variations themselves, from two feet together, split stance, step, jump etc

Exercise 2 - Lower body

Box Jump – Use different height boxes with the goal in mind, then from a shoulder width stance jump onto the box
Hurdle Jump – Same as above except you’re jumping over a hurdle
Repeated Hurdles – Same as above but this time you will do repeated bounds over 4-5 hurdles
Broad Jump – From a standing position jump forwards and stick
Kneeling to Standing – From a kneeling position, try and explode up onto your feet
Vertical Jump – From a standing position try and jump as high as you can

Single leg and weighted variations can also be used here. Make sure correct landing technique is used.

As the trainee becomes more experienced, variations of all the above can be used to form a complex exercise, e.g kneeling to standing and med ball chest pass in one.

GROUP 2 SUPERSET

Strength focused for both upper and lower body. Bands and chains can be used here depending on the athletes experience and levels of strength. Lifting heavy is the priority here. During this series fillers are normally used during the rest. Fillers are exercises with a prehab focus; it can be set up as follows:

A1 Deadlift
A2 Wall Slides
A3 Bench
A4 Ankle Mobilisation

Exercise 1 - Lower Body

Deadlift Variations
Squat Variations

Exercise 2 - Upper Body

Bench Press Variations
Military Press
Chin Up Variation

GROUP 3 TRI SET

Assistance for the main lifts and to help maintain muscle mass and balance. 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps are used here depending on the athlete.

Exercise 1

Recline Row Variations – Using your own bodyweight as resistance, you can use ropes, rings or a barbell
DB Rows
Chest Supported Row Variations – From a supported position, use both a neutral and pronated grip to hit your upper back the most

Exercise 2

Single Leg Variations – These can include reverse lunges, Bulgarian split squats, forward lunges, pistols, walking lunges, step ups and the intensity can be increased by the use of DB’s, BB’s, KB’s, sandbags etc
GHR – Glute Ham Raise
Hip Extension – Any form of hip extension so this could include KB Swings, Glute Bridges, BB Hip Thrusts, Swiss ball leg curl

Exercise 3

Press up Variations – These can include feet elevated, single leg, on rings, on a BB or DB’s, moving, weighted, on swiss balls, etc
DB Press Variations – Both single and double along with different inclines


GROUP 4 TRI SET
To finish with the core, grip and another prehab exercise are completed; 2-3 sets are used here.

Exercise 1

Plank Variations – Feet elevated, one leg, on a swiss ball both hands or forearms, weighted
Woodchop Variations – Using a band or cable and different directions
Med Ball Rotation Throw Variations – Holding a medicine ball either close to your chest if heavy or if its light then hold it further out. Stand by a wall and throw the ball towards the wall through the rotation of your hips and core. This can be used for both strength and speed purposes
Rollout Variations – Any form of Ab rollout through the use of wheels, barbells or swiss balls

Exercise 2

Plate pinches – Grab 2 plates and hold for time
Towel holds – Same as above or hang from a towel for time
Plate deadlift – Load up one end of a barbell and try and pinch the plates and lift them up
Fat bar holds – Using fat grips hold onto a barbell for time
Hex dumbbell throws – Using hex dumbbells try and throw them from hand to hand and catching them at the end
Rice Digs – Using a bucket full of rice, repeatedly go in and out squeezing the rice as hard as you can for time

Exercise 3

Band Pullaparts Variations – Hold a mini band in front of you and by squeezing your shoulder blades together pull the band apart
Prone Cobra – In a prone position, extend your arms by your side and externally rotate your shoulders. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades hard
Wall Slides – Up against a wall, with arms at 90 degrees, focus on pulling your shoulder blades down and squeeze
Scapula Retraction work – Any exercise where the focus is to move the scapula only
Neck Work – Neck Harness or Bridges can be used

Below is a sample of two total body strength training sessions

A1 Chest Pass A1 Overhead Med Ball Throw
A2 Box Jump A2 Double Broad Jump
B1 Deadlift B1 Squat
B2 Wall Slides B2 Chest Stretch
B3 Bench Press B3 Chin Up
B4 Ankle Mobilisation B4 Hip Flexor Stretch
C1 Chest Supported Rows C1 Recline Rope Rows
C2 Reverse DB Lunges C2 GHR
C3 Feet Elevated Press Ups C3 Single Incline DB Press
D1 Heavy Med Ball Woodchop D1 Rollouts
D2 Rice Digs D2 Fat Grip Holds
D3 Elevated Scapula Press Ups D3 Band Pullaparts


Every fighter is different and therefore this needs to be considered when programming their strength and conditioning work. But the bottom line is, fighters need to develop good levels of strength which then play a major role in the development of power and finally that KO Punch!

For more information visit our website at www.strengthandperformance.co.uk

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