That is one of my favorite comments – everyone can be stronger. There is NO negative to being stronger. Stronger doesn’t necessarily mean bigger muscles and losing the ability to wipe your own ass. Being stronger maybe developing the strength to do 20 pullups, 50 pushups or sprint faster. The importance of strength and how it relates to fighting, particularly explosive strength, is that explosive strength and power gives you the base and the “power” to execute your fighting technique. If you don’t have the base strength to take a man down or throw a good punch, what good is the ability to throw that punch?

Technique always wins…?

To some degree I completely agree with that statement. Technique is the key to winning. Without it you’re just an empty clueless mass of muscle and brain that has no idea what to do. Technique gives you the tools, BUT strength gives you the power to execute. We have two VERY strong individuals in both of our ju-jitsu classes. I’m talking freak strong. Over 280lbs and built like bulls. Ex-football players and ex-wrestlers. When we first taught and sparred with these guys, technique won. They were clueless. But, once they learned good baseline technique, everything changed. Now they understood how technique relates to their strength and how they can combine their technique WITH their strength. The result – A PAIN IN THE ASS. I half-joke! I love training with these guys, and they still have a lot to learn. But their strength and size play a huge role in their fighting ability.

Do I need to be HUGE?

No. As I stated before strength doesn’t mean size. Size does not mean strength. Look at small Olympic lifters who weigh 145lbs yet can take over 300lbs on the ground to over their head in one quick movement – THAT’S STRENGTH. On the flip side, you can have a 300lb man who can barely pick up 145lbs. One of my favorite training partners is 180lbs yet is one of the strongest people I have ever fought. His key – explosive training.

How can you develop a fighter’s explosive strength?

There are many programs, routines, etc out there. Some of it is complete BS other stuff – SOLID. The key is to finding a program that addresses all the concerns in combat. Explosive strength and power as well as conditioning. For a street fight scenario, explosive power is that you are looking for. If you are planning on fighting MMA, kickboxing or grappling matches, you will need a good combination of both.

Check out this program: Ultimate MMA Strength

I was able to obtain a copy from the author and I was VERY impressed by the content. It gives you the tools, drills, exercises and workouts to develop the strength you need to fight.