Abdominal Toughening for Martial Arts

For people who take up martial arts with the thought of never getting hit, then im afraid you are wasting your time. You will get hit eventually, even if you train semi or non contact. There are plenty of these types of fighters that attack so fast and vigorous that it is very hard to “pull” there kicks and punches. For this reason, abdominal toughening should be a must for all martial artists.

There are various ways to condition the abdominals to take hard shots. Obviously you need to strengthen the abdominal muscles so crunch’s, reverse crunches, roman chair sit-ups etc are a must, and should be carried out about three to four times a week. Then there is impact training on the abdominals, where the midsection is struck. This gets the abdominal wall used to taking hits. It also helps you as a martial artist to get used to being hit, so when it happens in sparring or a fight, it does not surprise you. There are many ways to carry this out, including dropping a medicine ball of a heavy bag on your abdominals while you are lying on the floor, having a partner punch you in the midsection whilst wearing gloves, concentrating on a variety of punches, so he/she also benefits from practising, with a partner, kicking each other in the midsection for a few minutes, getting harder as time goes by, or even self hitting. A method found in Fighting Power by Loren Christensen involves positioning yourself a certain distance away from a heavy bag, so as you can swing it and it hits you square in the gut each time it swings back.

If you are new to impact training, you must start lightly and as your abdominals become stronger and your punishment threshold expands, the shots can get harder and harder. Work frequently on abdominal toughening, especially if you are planning on fighting full contact or MMA style.

Marks
Related articles...
Shin Toughening
Six Pack Training Lying on the Heavy Bag