Rotational power plays the key component in the performance of many athletes, not just the formal sports one. For martial artists, this power can be deadly. To maximize these many practitioners rely on using their rotational strength training for maximizing their performance.
Rotational power workouts are performed in high regard concerning Boxing. The rotational power force & speed are the integral components of boxing power. Hip & torso rotation is one of the critical factors when it narrows to force transfer via kinetic chain. Your core performs the key link for transmitting the force from your body to the fist.
Effective torso rotations lead to ‘energy leaks’, which can hurt your punching force & speed. Boxers might subconsciously compensate it with the muscles of their lower back for rotating or laterally flexing their spine. This compensation might cause over-activity and usage of those muscular groups, which increase the potential risk of soreness, inflammation & injury in your lower back. For Improving your performance and reducing the risk of injury you must focus on rotational power workouts.
Benefits of Rotational Strength Workouts:
Rotational power training helps a lot in hiking up your sports performance, especially when it comes to transferring power via kicking, hitting, etc. It significantly improves the core stability that you need for explosive movements. Integration of rotational strength workouts in your boxing training programs can be done in number. Below are the reasons why I should perform rotational power workouts for boxing.
- Anti-Rotational Strength & Awareness:
Integrating rotational power training in your fitness & sports training regime helps in developing powerful & strengthened obliques & abdominals, better movement patterning, & improved stabilization of the spine & hips while performing explosive movements like swings, jumps, running, slams & Olympic lifts.
- Total-Body Power & Explosiveness:
Rotational movements in boxing largely rely on the musculature of your legs, hips, & core. The ability to promote rotational forces goes with the resistance of unrequired rotational forces. These workouts are total-body exercises that primarily target your core. Moreover, they help with muscle development & total-body coordination required during explosive movements.
- Injury Resilience:
Rotational power primarily forces on your spine and resolving its issues. Unwanted & uncontrolled powerful rotational movement in any sports can badly affect your hips & knees. Lacking proper coordination & strength for having adequate control over your rotational movements during controlled & ballistic exercises, athletes may become vulnerable to sustaining injuries. Inadequate core stability can cause your hips to become rigid for supporting a movement, which could contribute to limiting the ranges of your movement under an unwanted force that is placed on your body.
- Rotational Mobility:
The rotational mobility of your torso & thoracic spine enhances your range of motion. It reduces the undesirable tension in your core that is induced during the punching session. A boxer essentially requires rotational mobility for transferring force from your foot to the fist. The muscular tightness in your Thoracic Spine might limit your rotational ability.
Your Quadratus Lumborum (QL) muscle starts at your pelvis region, inserting at your lowest rib & tips for the transverse processes of your lumbar vertebrae. These muscles play an important role in stabilizing your pelvis during your spinal lateral flexion & extension.
These muscles might over-activated because of tightness & imbalances in the kinetic chain during punching sessions while wearing boxing gloves.
Two Key Areas For Improving Rotational Mobility
● Thoracic Rotation
The thoracic spine comprises twelve vertebrae in the middle segment of your vertebral column. Your physical limitations are common in that area while boxing because of anterior overactivity. Thoracic extension & rotation are major movements that are limited, & associated with your shoulder & lower-back conditions.
For improving your thoracic rotation, you must separate movement from your lower body.
● Upper-Lower Body Separation
Your upper & lower link is the most important attribute that should be trained for improving the efficiency of the kinetic chain. The better your upper and lower body connection is the more tension you will be able to create in your core & hip muscles eccentrically, with an increased torque resultantly fast & forceful action can be transferred.
Exercises for Building Rotational Strength & Power for Fighters
Rotational power training like throws, woodchoppers & light swings is performed for acclimating to rotational workout and can serve as the light warm-up activities for high explosive rotational work.
- Rotational Lunges: Typically done as a post-warm-up workout for continuing opening up your ankles, hips & upper back before moving to the resisted lifts. It’s an amazing way of introducing the movement in some new directions & preparing your body for working out in multiple planes.
- Rotational Sandbag Squat: These front-loaded squats include pivoting toward the top of this movement. Typically the variation of this exercise is performed, helping in transitioning from the traditional lifts to the combat movements.
- Single Arm Versapulley Rows: Performing single arm rows on a Versapulley is very unique. Pulling action develops resistance which is why it’s an incredible method of building strength & a fun alternative compared to the traditional cable/dumbbell rows.
- Tornado Ball Slams: This workout is an amazing variation of the medicine ball slam which incorporates the use of a medicine ball for attaching the tether/short rope. It’s one of the great exercises for increasing the lifter’s rotational force & training the obliques concentrically & eccentrically at the same time.
To perform these, a boxer has to stand on his back against some wall, while holding the rope, along with the ball at the other end. Do it simply by keeping your arms straight & rotate, by removing the slack in the rope. When the ball slams against the wall, try rotating forcefully, by pulling the ball towards the other side of your body. Keep on doing it back & forth at the intensity you are comfortable at.
- Landmine Rotations: Landline rotation is performed by using the barbell & landmine holster, adding weights is an option. Landmine rotation assists in developing the stronger core which can be resistant to rotational forces, while helping lifters in understanding the transfer of force from your legs & hips through the core.
- Landmine Arches: Jam the barrel into the corner or the Landmine anchor. The energy will be generated via feet, hips, legs & torso. The bar will simply move like an arch from one thigh to the other. It’s an amazing way of developing strength in your body for the punch, kicks, throws & more.
- Heavy Bag Kicks & Punches: Classic heavy bag punching workout is one of the most valuable equipment not just for boxing athletes & conditioning purposes. Focus punch mitts and pad workouts can be performed for increasing rotational explosiveness & translation of rotational movements to the functional patterns.
- Landmine Press with Rotation: Pairing landmine presses with the hip rotation. The activity is initiated as you drive the rear foot & hip, & rotate your hips so the lifter will face landmine attachment. By using your rotational force that’s being produced for aiding the press.
- Sledgehammer Slams & Swings: This particular workout is done for increasing your core strength & rotational power in any setting. To perform this workout grab the sledgehammer by using only one of your hands towards the base of its handle and the middle. Boxing athletes can strike down onto the pad or some tire, or in a variety of angles; these options make sledgehammers one of the inexpensive and versatile ways of building rotational strength & explosiveness.
- Medicine Ball Variations: This workout proves to be effective when it comes to athletes developing a higher amount of athletic power, these workouts range from throws, slams & tosses. Rotational movements performed by using the medicine ball offer athletes an amazing opportunity of moving along their maximal velocities for increasing strength. Medicine ball programs are widely practiced for improving velocity & power.
- Barrel Tilt: Tilting with the heavy barrels lies among the highly challenging drills that are performed but the athletes. Resistance in these workouts is high & perfect for developing muscular strength as they tie up, perfecting under hooks and other positions while playing a match or the fight. Barrel tilt is highly effective for developing martial art strength.
- Rope Sidewinders – This exercise is an Identical chain drill, a rope workout variation that is lighter & allows faster speeds. It is widely practiced for enhancing fighting speeds.
