This is something I’ve grown to like alot, when grappling, I find positions I’m weak in, and then find an exercise to strengthen that specific area.
having no formal background in for example wrestling or judo, I’m pretty far behind the rest of the pack.
My grip is weak as shit for example, and I have a hard time ‘connecting’ my arms to my torso power-wise during moves.
My clinch game is also weak, and I need to strengthen my neck and the ability to pull out of clinches and neck cranks.
Solution?
Put a band around a power rack pilalr, walk backwards until your head gets pulled powerfully towards the reack, and pull back using your head, moving at different angles like you’re clinching.
Get down on all fours, have a partner stand over you and push your head down until the chin touches the chest. Then push the head back up. Sets of six seem to work well.
In just a few practices I could feel the difference, was able to have more control, and ‘connect’ more power from the core through the arms.
Anyone else got something like this, good exercises for specific situations?
your neck work might be too complicated.
and none too safe.
neck bridges.
to the front
to the back
progress to rolling and flipping between the two.
you can add weight - via plates and eventually with a partner.
neck harness keep it simple.
Martin Rooney , Zach Evan Esch and JC Santana all have good stuff
Nick Tumenello too.
specific to grip and grappling.
obviously- dont ever use straps
lots of fat bar work
rope climbs or pulls-
or use a gi or towels thrown over the pull up bar/station.
Kroc rows for grips are great.
pullups with tenis balls on the top of the bar will set the grip and forearm on fire.
dead hangs on a pull up bar
power curls
do you pummel?
you should be at every practice
if you want to try something specific for the clinch.
I have seen video of a kettle bell rigged from a power rack or pull up bar
and you hang from the bell- using your forearms.
I bought a shorter rope from Art of Strength and my grip improved. I usse it for pull ups and wrap it around heavy kettlebells for swings. My forearms get torched with them. So I would recommend you get one of those or just a rope and start working with it. Especially the pull ups with a rope.
As for the neck the harness is really the the only thing I see working for you. You could do wrestler neck bridges but I dont know if you have someone to show you how so I cant recommend them. If you have someone to show you properly then go for it but a neck is not something to mess with.
I disagree on the straps though - I’d rather use them for top sets and be able to use alot more weight, and do more focused grip work because of it. For rack pulls for example, there’s no way in hell I could pull 300 kg without straps, but with them, overloading the back muscles insanely becomes and option.
The way I do it now I do a set of fat bar pullups, then a set of normal ones with added weight, and for rows for example, ramp up using a fat bar and no straps, continue with the regular bar and no straps, and end up using straps. This way I feel I get the best of both worlds.
bret conteras has some stuff martin rooney uses on fighters in aprticualr the glute bridge being used to escape from mount positions… some footage on training for warriors youtube account of dan miller doing it and frankie edagar both ufc fighters… kneck stuff looks solid man… plenty of kneck bridges is what alot of wrestlers, brodge bench press, cobra extensions, isometric resistance exercsies and kneck leans are all options… the partner push thing you do is actually in rooneys book except they do it as a push up exercise, where you are in push up position and ur partners hands are on your head he is leaning into it in a staggeerd push up positon and you try and maintain head position while he cranks out some push ups…