[quote]Aragorn wrote:
[quote]Heroic Wolf wrote:
So just to clarify, are you saying that the best way to train explosiveness would be in functional motions like punches, takedowns, etc. because weightroom explosiveness might not transfer to a functional setting?[/quote]
That’s not entirely true. No they won’t transfer to exactly how you bridge from the bottom, pass, mount, or whatever. BUT, and it’s a big BUT. They make your current skill coordination much more powerful.
There is no such thing as truly “sports specific” weightlifting, except doing your actual training. That, however, doesn’t mean that developing whole body explosive power is useless or overrated. The ability to switch from expression to absorption of force rapidly, or vice versa, is of primary importance in almost all sports, and particularly in one requiring the ability to redirect an opponent’s force or bodyweight.
Let’s put it this way: you have a movement vocabulary, just like you have a vocabulary when learning a language. The bigger your language vocabulary, the faster you learn new words and meanings, and the greater your reasoning skills become. The more able your mind is. It works in an analogous way with weightlifting (but only really where complex motor skills or explosive movements are performed, not isolation work. So that would include tumbling, gymnastics, agility work, squats, plyos, oly lifts, etc etc etc, but not bicep curls or pushdowns etc.)
The more movements you are proficient and effective at, the faster you adapt new skills, new movements, and the more effectively you can focus your existing muscular power to whatever new/awkward movement you require mastery of. The easiest and most accessible example of this is elite gymnasts: they do almost no true weight training, but tons and tons of complex and explosive plyometric training (skills in their given sport). As a result of their sport requiring MASSIVE amounts of force absorption capabilities and very tight coordination, they can direct this vast movement vocabulary to weightlifting and other sports very easily. Very similar to how teaching a professional dancer to assume a specific position or move a specific muscle is so easy—they have done it for so long, and are so in touch with their body position and tensions, all you have to do is tell or show them once, maybe twice. Interestingly enough, it works in reverse as well for the general population and sportsmen (from the gym to the field/mat/cage).
Weightlifting is definitely valuable, done properly.[/quote]
VERY nicely put…I really like the term “movement vocabulary”. I’ve talked about the same concept, when explaining why some athletes have a faster learning curve than others. I would refer to it has having developed greater kinesthetic intelligence.