by Thomas Kurz Do these tests to determine if you have the potential to do back bridges, even before you start my strength and flexibility program. Back Bridge Test: Thoracic Spine Mobility Test Keep your feet flat on the floor, buttocks firmly on the floor. Don’t arch your lower back. Keep your arms straight, with […]
Test Your Flexibility Potential for a Back Bridge Read More »
by Thomas Kurz Before I get to the post’s subject, a note on terminology: The words skill and technique are often used interchangeably, and that is fine. For my use, talking about sports, I consider techniques to be building blocks of skills. Thus a boxer’s skill of evasion is built from various techniques of footwork
How to Learn Skills Faster and Better—Through Verbalization Read More »
by Thomas Kurz This is the third article in a series dealing with important concepts and principles you should keep in mind when designing and conducting your strength training. This one is about a bias to rely on strength. The previous one was about strength goals and the amount of strength training a fighter needs.
Strength Training for Martial Arts: What to Keep in Mind, Part III Read More »
by Thomas Kurz This is the second article in a series dealing with important concepts and principles you should keep in mind when designing and conducting your strength training. This one is about strength goals and the amount of strength training a fighter needs. The previous one was about fixing faults and a fighter’s priorities
Strength Training for Martial Arts: What to Keep in Mind, Part II Read More »
by Thomas Kurz This article is the first in a series dealing with important concepts and principles you should keep in mind when designing and conducting your strength training. This one is about fixing faults and a fighter’s priorities. The next one is about strength goals and the amount of strength training a fighter needs.
Strength Training for Martial Arts: What to Keep in Mind, Part I Read More »
by Thomas Kurz This article is an excerpt from Mental Training Makes Winners. There is a simple way to tell if the mental training offered by sports psychology can improve your performance. If you answer yes to either or both of the questions below, it can. — Do you do well in practice but not
Do You Need Mental Training? Read More »
by Thomas Kurz In this article I show a test of your potential to do a side split that is simpler and in some ways better than the test shown in my article Misconceptions on Stretching and Flexibility and the Method of Testing Your Potential to Do a Side Split. The test I show here
A Simpler and Better Test of Your Potential to Do a Side Split Read More »
by Thomas Kurz An article in the August 2006 issue of Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research describes a study comparing the effect of a dynamic warm-up with the effect of a static stretching warm-up on three tests of power and agility (McMillian et al. 2006). The study proved, as could be expected, that the
I Told You So. . . About Warm-Up Read More »
by Thomas Kurz Information on this Web page is for educational use only, and is not intended as medical advice. Every attempt has been made for accuracy, but none is guaranteed. If you have any serious health concerns, you should always check with your health care practitioner before treating yourself or others. Always consult a
by Thomas Kurz You can do it if you just have a little confidence. —D. L. Feltz, Understanding Motivation Squat jump is both an exercise for improving jumping ability and a test of it. You can see it used as a test in a contest between a dancer and a weightlifter in the video below:
Confidence and Jumping Ability: Dancer vs. Weightlifter Read More »
