Physical preparation for combat sports.

01

Build around the fighter in front of us.

Combat sports share some training challenges, but a boxer, an MMA athlete and a grappler do not have identical preparation needs. Rules, bout format, technical style and the balance of training sessions all shape the physical brief. Your current experience and competition schedule matter as much as the name of the sport when deciding what belongs in the programme.

That is why the consultation starts with your actual week. Describe the striking, wrestling, grappling or other technical work already in place, including which sessions are hardest and which are most important. This gives the strength and conditioning programme a realistic foundation. It also makes clear where the gym work is meant to support your wider preparation.

02

Give strength and conditioning separate purposes.

A strength session and a conditioning session do not need to look the same to be useful to a fighter. Each should have a defined role in the training block. Exercise choice, effort and scheduling follow from that role and from your starting point, rather than from how closely an exercise resembles an exchange in the ring or on the mat.

For an athlete already completing demanding combat sessions, adding work requires a reason. The discussion may centre on building strength, developing power, improving a conditioning quality or making the week more manageable. The priority should be specific enough to guide decisions when time is short or the sporting schedule changes unexpectedly.

Technical practice remains the place to develop the skills of your discipline. Strength and conditioning provides physical preparation alongside it. Keeping those responsibilities clear helps a fighter understand what a gym session is meant to achieve and prevents the programme from becoming a collection of exhausting exercises with no clear connection to the plan.

03

Fit the programme around sparring and camp.

Fight camp often brings several coaches, fixed sessions and a competition deadline into the same week. A useful programme begins by mapping those demands. Share the bout date if it is confirmed, the planned camp structure and the sessions your sport coach wants you to prioritise. If the date is uncertain, say so; that uncertainty is part of the planning problem.

Hard sparring or a demanding grappling session can change how the rest of the week feels. Regular communication helps keep the physical programme connected to that reality. When a sport session moves or the technical workload increases, flag the change rather than trying to complete every gym session simply because it was written down earlier.

Between bouts, there may be more scope to work on longer-term development. That period is useful for discussing what was difficult to address during the last camp and what would be valuable before the next one. The emphasis can shift as the calendar changes, while the programme remains anchored to the athlete’s needs and training history.

04

Online coaching from your own training base.

Fighters often split their week between a combat gym and a separate strength facility. Online coaching lets you complete the physical programme in your own environment while receiving individual programming, video feedback and ongoing accountability. The available kit is part of the brief, so the plan reflects the facility you actually use.

Useful feedback includes what you completed, how the session fitted around combat practice and anything that made the prescribed work difficult to execute. Video gives the coach another way to review the work. Together, these details support adjustments across the block and help avoid a plan becoming disconnected from the fighter’s changing schedule.

Inner Athlete’s in-person performance testing in Yorkshire is an additional option when a clear testing question exists. INSCYD and aerobic testing can help establish a baseline and guide training priorities. Testing should serve a decision in the preparation process, rather than being added automatically because an athlete competes in a demanding sport.

05

Discuss your next block of preparation.

Bring your discipline, experience, recent training routine and next competitive target to a free consultation. If you are a professional or semi-pro athlete balancing camp with employment, include your working hours and travel. If you already have a head coach or other performance support, explain who is responsible for each part of the preparation.

Inner Athlete is led by Jack Daysley, a BSc (Hons) Strength and Conditioning graduate with a coaching focus that includes combat and contact athletes. The service here is physical preparation, with online coaching available worldwide. The first conversation establishes the role of that support and whether bespoke coaching is a suitable fit for your next training block.

Common questions.