Greg Newton
11-19-2011, 07:34 AM
You always hear the anectodal stories about people developing unusually strong muscle and tendon strength from isometrics. John Brookfield who is a fairly famous strong man from S.C. wrote an article about a man he met in a Judo competition. The man was slight of build, but unbelievably powerful. and John, who was larger, couldn't do anything with him. He'd told John that he had no one to workout with so he practiced the Judo throws by tying an old Judo belt to a tree and doing them isometrically.
I saw an example of this yesterday. I've been working the Isometric Power Belt a good bit lately because I don't have time or energy to do bodyweight exercises. I had a couple of correctional officers come to my senior class to demonstrate cell searches and cell extractions of recalcitrant inmates.
I got to put on a jumpsuit and be the inmate. The point is, you don't fight, but the students have to use appropriate leverage and technique to take you down and put you in restraints. What you do is lock your body down. The five students took me down, but could not move my arms. I left my arms out, but clenched my fist and bent my elbows slightly. With two on each arm they couldn't move my arms behind my back.
I was having a good time enjoying the fact, that five young men couldn't out muscle me and were wearing themselves out trying to do so. The whole point of something like this is to teach them not to go strength against strength. However, my two buddies decided to help. One applied a thumb to the hypoglossal nerve and the other used a leverage technique on one of my arms.:beat-up: The second point being, technique wins out over brute strength anytime.
The third point though is that you can become incredibly strong from isometrics and the other exercises we advocate on the Living Strength forum. They definitely have an application for any grappling sport or martial art and definitely are useful for law enforcement or corrections.
They are also useful to develop body power for self defense. They provide sustained strength and endurance. In other words, I wasn't winded at all after the struggle with my students, but they sure were. You are not going to get this kind of stamina driven strength or control over your own body by lifting weights in the gym. Think about it.
Greg Newton
I saw an example of this yesterday. I've been working the Isometric Power Belt a good bit lately because I don't have time or energy to do bodyweight exercises. I had a couple of correctional officers come to my senior class to demonstrate cell searches and cell extractions of recalcitrant inmates.
I got to put on a jumpsuit and be the inmate. The point is, you don't fight, but the students have to use appropriate leverage and technique to take you down and put you in restraints. What you do is lock your body down. The five students took me down, but could not move my arms. I left my arms out, but clenched my fist and bent my elbows slightly. With two on each arm they couldn't move my arms behind my back.
I was having a good time enjoying the fact, that five young men couldn't out muscle me and were wearing themselves out trying to do so. The whole point of something like this is to teach them not to go strength against strength. However, my two buddies decided to help. One applied a thumb to the hypoglossal nerve and the other used a leverage technique on one of my arms.:beat-up: The second point being, technique wins out over brute strength anytime.
The third point though is that you can become incredibly strong from isometrics and the other exercises we advocate on the Living Strength forum. They definitely have an application for any grappling sport or martial art and definitely are useful for law enforcement or corrections.
They are also useful to develop body power for self defense. They provide sustained strength and endurance. In other words, I wasn't winded at all after the struggle with my students, but they sure were. You are not going to get this kind of stamina driven strength or control over your own body by lifting weights in the gym. Think about it.
Greg Newton