Speed v Strength

I got this off rosstraining.com not sure if it adds anything to the discussion.... http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/strengthtraining.html

6. What About Speed?

Many will read of heavy weight training and falsely assume that such methods will negatively influence speed. One common myth suggests that heavy weight training will lead to unnecessary bulk, which consequently will reduce range of motion and speed development. This is completely untrue.

Consider a powerful football player who sprints 40 yards in less than 5 seconds. Clearly, weight training does not influence his speed. What about the 100 meter sprinter who covers this distance in less than 10 seconds? Weight training does not influence his speed potential either.

When you understand how the body functions, you will quickly realize that a strength program designed to enhance the efficiency of the fast twitch muscle fibers will not harm speed potential. On the contrary, the right program can assist with speed production.

As stated in perhaps the best translated Russian text from Yuri Verkhoshansky, Special Strength Training – A Practical Manual For Coaches:

“When effective methodology is used, exercises with resistance promote not only an increase in movement speed but also perfection of coordination, motor reaction, quickness and frequency of movements, the ability to relax muscles, development of local muscular endurance and an increase in maximal anaerobic capacity.”

Hi there, in the latest issue of men's health there is an article on olympic weighlifting which mentions that

'olympic lifters excel above all other sports people in the most basic measure of raw atheletic ability (that's the vertical jump) Shane Hamman (ameica's strongest man) 25 st in weight can jump 3ft. Most pro basket ball players can't get past 2 ft 10 in.

The reason for this is that the olympic lifts (the snatch and the clean jerk) engage nearly all of your muscles to move weights further and faster than any other conventional exercise. each rep takes only a second or two from start to finish which means they target your fast twitch muscle fibres.

That's a brief synopsis of what it says in the magazine, don't ask me any questions i only know as much as i've just read.

I don't agree with the assertion made but still no closer to finding the study.

Peter,
Take your medications, man, and stop obessessing about the study! It's not Christmas yet! And the title of this thread is not "Where's Peter's Study?!!"



I will say that a video of Shane's vertical jump is one of the things that impressed the bejeepers out of me, regarding the kind of explosive power that o-lifters can generate. I defer to Peter as to whether that transfers to The Mat, as he's got way more experience than I in that regard. Seemed to help me, but that's a pretty small survey sample.

But it's freakin' impressive to see a 350 lb man jump up onto a high table.

Obessessed? Absolutely not. It's still 74 days, 14 hours, 45 minutes and 25 seconds until I win Dave's videos.

Peter: I´ve got a quick question for you. You seem to be a man with lots of experience and some strong opinions. Did you ever post an introduction? I don´t remember seeing one.
All the best,
RGC

Actually I joined in just as the old GT forum expired. I wrote to Dave with a bit of an introduction.

Experience is unfortunately nothing but a reflection of age in my case. I started Judo in 1964 with Percy Sekine at the Judokan in London and basically have been involved seriously in Judo and wrestling since that time although I have experienced for brief periods a lot of other arts/styles.

We had a lengthy discussion on WC and just out of historical interest I was friendly in the late 1960's with Rolf Clausnitzer ( German father but brought up in Hong Kong) who co authored what I think was the very first WC book published in this county. I believe that he is now treaching in Melbourne and from memory is a former Wong Shun Leung student. I think that I must have been one of the first in this country to be exposed to the style as it was not being taught publically at the time.

Thanks for the reply. I´ve heard of Rolf Clausnitzer, but I haven´t read his book yet. He wrote an introduction or a foreword to David Peterson's book on Wong Shun Leung, which is the best book I´ve read about the system so far.

As someone who´s stuck with the martial arts for more than 30 years, what do you think there´s a cycle of which arts are "fashionable?"

For example, in the 70s (when I was a kid), I´ve heard that everyone wanted to do kung fu and nobody rated boxing and judo. In the early 21st century, however, boxing and judo are massively popular and people seriously question whether anyone has EVER won a fight using Chinese martial arts!

My feeling is that it´s best to find a good teacher in a style that you enjoy and stick with it as long as possible, with as much exposure to other arts as possible once you´ve got a fairly good level. There will be times when your art will be fashionable and times when it won´t. What do you think, Peter?

All the best,
RGC

(FYI, I prefer not to use my real name on forums because my job is totally non-combat related, but I´m happy to use it in private messages and so on)

You may have trouble locating the Clausnitzer book as it was published in the late 60's and although obviously ground breaking for its time it would be of historical interest today.

Not so sure about things going in cycles. When I started there were 4 permanent Judo dojos established in London. Three of them have now closed one relatively recently and only the Budokwai survives. There were over 20 wrestling clubs open in London when I started. There are now half a dozen if that and none open more than once or twice a week. You are lucky to get over 60 entrants at the British championships. Boxing has always been essentially a youth sport and has remained so.

The MMA scene is still relatively small and the popularity of boxing and wrestling within that activity probably distorts what is actually popular. There are relatively few MMA clubs compared say to Tae Kwan do.

In the scheme of things I don’t think that it matters too much what you do in terms of the art you follow. For most of us it is just not going to be that significant. Life is shorter than you think. Do what you enjoy. Don’t punish yourself too much.

Although I totally agree with your post, I´d better not write too much as I´m a bit p¿$$ed...