by Don Heatrick
@donheatrick
I’m often asked if it’s good training for fighters to throw punches and kicks with resistance bands connected to their arms and legs? You know, like in the Instagram posts?
The short answer is no!
Loading up skilled Muay Thai technique is never a good idea, because it changes how you move. An ill-informed attempt to produce the most sport-specific training method ever, actually creates several major problems.
Despite appearances, the physiological demands of a loaded Muay Thai technique are very different to unloaded technique (more on that it an moment).
Same, Same, But Different
The problem is, that although the movement is different, it uses a motor pattern that’s close enough to confuse your brain’s control of the many coordinated aspects that go into that skilled striking technique.
Repeat that enough, and you distort your hard-earned, efficient, movement skill… those motor pattern engrams I mentioned in a previous video.
The truth is, band resisted striking is a gimmick.
Companies are trying to sell their product without having any idea of how to scientifically train fighters, or even if the product improves fight performance at all.
And in fact, it makes fighters worse!
But why is it so wrong?
1. Clumsy AF
First off, let’s use our “coach’s eye”, and see if the movement passes what renowned strength coach Mike Boyle calls the Shit Test…
If you watch an athlete move, how does it look? If it looks like shit, then the form is shitty. You need to fix it.
And in this case, resistance bands spoil the movement. Losing the bands will fix the form!
For example, if you take a closer look at band-resisted round kicks, you’ll instantly recognise the balance is completely different – before the kick, during the kick, and after the kick.
Even Buakaw and Pakorn look bad throwing Muay Thai strikes against resistance bands! It makes them look clumsy.
And repeating bad form will screw up your technique. Simple as.
Not only is the balance messed up using the band, but the striking limb is pulled back after the strike all by itself. The muscles responsible for controlling your movement, and quickly getting you back to a balanced stance are getting the day off!
You’ll effectively train your body to leave your punches and kicks hanging – ready to get caught or countered.
And there’s more bad news…
2. Reversed loading profile
The next problem is the way the extending band adds resistance to your strike.
If you watch any fighter punching using resistance bands, as the band stretches, it slows the strike down. It starts fastest and ends slowest.
That’s the opposite to a real punch… which starts slow and accelerates to the fastest velocity at the end, as you strike your target.
Training your muscles to slow the contraction speed down as you throw a strike isn’t sport-specific – even if the punch shape looks very sports-specific!
Don’t confuse feeling you’re faster, when you take the bands off again, for being faster.
That’s just a relative sensation… Just like it feels fast to travel at 40 mph when you just been stuck in a slow moving traffic jam.
3. You’ll focus on the striking limb
The final problem is that when striking against a resistance band, you’ll incorrectly focus on the striking limb… which doesn’t generate the power, it transmits the power.
And this is true of kicks as much as punches… All strikes.
As I’ve discussed in previous video, even for punches, the primary source of an advanced boxer’s punching force is their legs, followed by the core, and finally the punching arm itself.
Using a band will teach you the opposite.
You’ll focus on the striking limb as you feel the band’s drag. You’ll change your motor pattern – how your brain coordinates your technique.
As performance coaches, we look to produce a training environment that creates the coordinated movement we want with an external stimulus. We’ll use specific drills, and often equipment, to do this – as it reinforces a new motor pattern quicker and more efficiently.
Using a resistance band is a good way to learn and reinforce bad technique, quickly!
Play Things
Buakaw doesn’t regularly use resistance bands in his training… I’m sure he was filmed playing with a piece of kit that a marketing team wanted to promote. It’s certainly not what made him a world class Nak Muay, or a secret training method he’s introduced to give him an edge.
I’ve no doubt he enjoyed larking around with it for a few rounds, and then thought, “Yeh, that’s stupid… it makes me move like a newbie.”
Simply changing up training routines is the wrong motivation for using any piece of training equipment.
And simply misunderstanding the scientific principles of athletic development and motor learning means these equipment manufacturers have put two and two together, and come up with five.
The key to effective athletic development is to overload the movement pattern, NOT the skill.
And we do that in the weights room.
Muay Thai sessions are for practicing technical and tactical skill – and once well rehearsed enough – testing that skill under fatigue.
And anything that messes up your skilled technique should be kicked to the curb.
Focus your training on what will really make you a better fighter.
If you liked this video, please hit the like button below, share with your friends and be sure to subscribe.
And I would love to hear your feedback. So leave me your comments below and let me know what you thought of this episode and if you’ve found it useful.
Thank you, and I’ll catch you next time.
Don Heatrick
Founder of Heatrick Strength and Conditioning
Don Heatrick is a family man from the UK, former mechanical design engineer, European Muay Thai silver medallist, former pro Thai boxer (ranked 4th in UK while aged 40-years), a Muay Thai coach, podcast host, and the go-to expert on Muay Thai performance training with over 25 years of coaching experience.
Don helps ambitious fighters and coaches take their game to the next level by bridging the gap between Strength & Conditioning, Performance Science, and Muay Thai.
Follow Don Heatrick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donheatrick/
Hey so I discovered this article after I bought one of those Instagram leg and arm punching resistance bands lol. It cost around 50$ and obviously now I want to return them. I train for boxing, is there any way I can salvage the bands and make use of them for boxing somehow. Is there anyway I can benefit from them in terms of boxing and put them to use somehow even if it’s not how the product was originally intended to be used? Or should I just return. They are the bands u attach to your legs and arms to add up to 100 lbs resistance in your shadow boxing.
Just spotted your reply! Apologies for the delay!!
You can use the bands for any resistance training movements… I’d just recommend avoiding using them extensively during striking skills practice.
There’s this guy on line who’s trying to tell everyone that training with resistance bands will help them to experience what he calls “momentum handling” and “strength handling”. He also described it as being able to feel multidimensional force handling. Anyway I’m not buying rubber bands thinking that they are going to help replace years of trading I’ve done already. I like doing the old myth buster thing though, but geez I just can’t even spend $10 measly bucks to do it.
Thanks for sharing that. There can be a lot of cognitive dissonance when it comes to accepting that something you’ve believed has been helping doesn’t offer any quantifiable benefit – or indeed could be detrimental if over used too. This can lead to coming up with justifications using non-specific terms.
Terms like strength handling, momentum handling, and multidimensional force handling all sound like non-specific definitions of strength, power and general multiplanar exercise. As with most things, being ruthlessly good at the basics in training is the real secret to elite performance, rather than ‘secret’ exercises or pieces of equipment.
They’re all tools in a tool box, with either a right place and a right time, or a not appropriate for your given sport.
My question is the following, for example, what difference would there be between looking for the overload with landmine or with bands? Does the landmine respect sports technique?
Gym work has nothing to do with technique, why then is gym work recommended?
working with bands without imitating the striking would be correct?
Good question Marcos.
A landmine exercise would be a good exercise, as it matches the kinetics and kinematics of a punch much better. Namely, it requires a drive from the floor (not just the arm), and it accelerates as you execute it (starts slower, finishes fastest).
Gym work does have everything to do with technique – it reinforces and strengthens movement patterns used in your sport skill. The problem is when you choose exercises that contradict the patterns you use in your sport skill. This deteriorates your technique when the movement closely resembles the striking skill – it confuses the motor pattern learning (engram) you’ve built. So using bands if you’re not imitating striking is ok.
What’s your response to the fact that Buakaw trains for power using resistance bands during waist level round kick pad drills as shown in the video linked below?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5IR2FH9g3G4&feature=share
Hi Simon, thanks for sharing your question.
Yes, it’s common to see even less affective training methods apparently being used by top level athletes. The truth is, these pieces of footage don’t represent the training that these athletes regularly use. Rather it’s often a snapshot of a one-off experiment or a trial with a piece of equipment from potential sponsors. And because it’s “different” or quirky, it gets social media attention!
Here’s a post and video that looks at a similar topic: https://heatrick.com/2020/11/18/elevation-training-masks-breathing-pure-oxygen-proven-or-playing/
I initially started training in a sallow swimming pool to recover from injuries
I continued training to improve/maintain my amplitude. I’m not a man2man martial artist, I perform free-form straight bokken and I dance (oh my god).
I also use water resistance for high knees and body punches.
I have no doubt that the most work needs to be done in the gym but has anybody else tried do this as a supplement to increase power in punching and knee kicks?
I can tell for sure that my amplitude and sense of balance has improved.
Hi Orlando, thanks for contributing!
And the crossover between good martial arts skill and dancing (rhythm, balance, timing, etc) is huge! No need to play that one down! :)
Training in water is a great way to develop movement patterns against a uniform resistance, rehab injuries (through reduced loads and impact), and promote recovery from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). More on DOMS here if you’re interested: https://heatrick.com/2022/06/03/fighters-and-delayed-onset-muscle-soreness-everything-you-need-to-know/
I know there is some research on the effect of water resistance on strength and power, but I must admit I’m certainly not up to speed on that! The nature of hydro resistance increases as speed increases, making it less sport specific than training in “air” for sure. Without digging into this further myself, my gut reaction is that water resistance training for Muay Thai performance (outside of rehab or DOMS reduction) will help build movement patterns and foundation strength/stability/balance in particular.
Bruce Lee was a champion dancer as was boxing great Sugar Ray Robinson. The kung fu (kenpo) instructor I most respected and who had the greatest conditioning and agility of any man I was personally trained by also included dancing in his training routine. He had also been a marine who had the job of going down into the Viet Cong’s tunnels with a knife and a .45 pistol on search and destroy missions. He has known life and death in many contexts and always came out living.
I read a fairly long biography on Rocky Marciano many years ago and in it was described Rocky’s regular training routine which included 45 minutes of continual punching with the water being at shoulder level. He also used a 300 pound heavy bag in his training. Considering the continual power Rocky had in every punch thrown, I think the use of water resistance training makes sense for the Muay Thai fighter or any fighter for that matter.
Thanks for not lol !
I’ll take it 4 granted that U know what a (straight) bokken is. Here’s another (oh my god) remark.
I’ve improved on my ambidexterety by another hobby :juggling.
Obviously NOBODY can ever be truly ambidextrous. Not only is it impractical to invest that much time and effort, but basic physics gives an unescapable advantage/fact about spinning/rotation. Namely PRECESSION is always counter-clockwise.
But still ; these days when doing chores I often find myself using my left hand without making a conscious decision to do so. And often afterwards I’m like “did I just use my left hand?
And when performing free-form with my bokken , I can make some strikes southpaw (WITH INTENTION of course) which is a big NO-NO in traditional Japanese weapons.
So could it be advantageous if young fighters when warming up and/or cooling down juggle (very simple and basic patterns) to improve their ability to switch to southpaw. In boxing it’s sometimes useful , but of course it carries the risk that the fighter himself may get confused.
Anyway I can GARANTY that juggling helps to loosen up the upper body.
Interesting question! I’ll likely expand on this with a post in the future, but to give a quick answer…
Autonomous, dependable skill requires thousands of repetitions. When practicing equally in both stances, you’ll half the amount of skilled repetitions you can bank on your ‘best’ dominant side. This can leave you mediocre. That said, you should not feel completely vulnerable when you find yourself in the opposite stance to normal either! So there’s a balance to be had. Don’t seek to become perfectly right/left balanced (you never will), but a percentage of training on the ‘opposite side’ can afford you to minimise weakness as a fighter.
Just a clarification: : people often think that juggling is mostly about hand-speed. That is simply NOT true. The most important thing in juggling is TIMING and directly after that is accuracy.
So in terms of combat-sports you can make this analogy: Five quick punches that only hit air will only make your opponent laugh . But if you make TEN accurate and well-timed punches he’s gonna get pissed.