Restrictive Striking

Has anyone taken the time to train/practice in the Geoff Thompson method of 'Restrictive Striking'? if you have what was the outcome in regard to finding power from restriction?

Marc

yes i have and have done so for quite some time..the short answer is yes it works well...if you get chance to visit anytime we can go through it.

Worked for me too - applying what I learn't on Geoff's Masterclass took my punching power to a whole new level. Also taught me a lot about overcoming restrictions in other areas of my life too.

It's worth the time and focus training it. You'll be surprised with what you can achieve with it.

Where could I find more info about this? Sounds pretty interesting.

Al, goes into a bit of detail on restrictive striking on the the new sd seminar dvd

Hi Marc

Restrictive Striking, or rather, Restrictive Training is something I work on alot and will be bringing out some instructional DVD's on the subject soon.

From a basic level, restrictive training is a way of teaching you to develop power at very short range, where movement and space is at a minimum.
So, should you be in such a position and need to be physically pre-emptive, then you are able to deliver knock out power from very limited movement, such as sitting down, in a phonebox, in your car, in a crowded room, etc etc

However, what most people are missing is the real reason for training with restriction.

On the SD Forum Seminar (DVD out this week by the way) I talk about this and have a very basic diagram that explains the real purpose behind Restrictive Training.

Restrictive training is a physical analogy for any other type of restriction you may find yourself in.
We are all facing financial restrictions at the moment for example.
Some of us never seem to have enough time, or perhaps we are stuck in jobs we don't like and find that limiting and restricting.
Whatever it is, we can relate this back to being forced into a restricted position and being asked to still deliver a powerful punch.

Sounds a bit woolly but what I mean is this.

When I am in a position, such as, with my back to a wall or sat on the floor and then I try to hit the pads with power and speed and accuracy; every inch of me just wants to bitch and moan and move away from this confined position to something that feels more comfortable, and familiar. Where I can move as much as I want to generate the power and punching technique that I am used to - that my muscles remember.
And, in the gym, of course we can do that, but some restrictions aren't as easy to break out of.

So what we do with out training is force ourselves to stay in this restriction.
By not becoming frustrated or monaing about the lack of room to move or the lack of power we're generating, and simply dealing with it and getting on with the job, we start to find new ways and new body mechanics to overcome the problem.
better still, once we stop being frustrated and start relaxing in this restriction then the power comes back in abundance - it's kind of a reward for sticking with it and relaxing.

So translate that to the financial restrictions we all have. No amount of moaning or procrastinating will change the lack of money we may have - we just have to relax and get on with it.
You may be surprised at the lessons we can find if we stop moaning and start relaxing.


The upshot is that, when I realise there is growth and power in the restriction so long as I can relax and accept it - then I can start to find new restrictions - actively look for them, both in my training and in every other aspect of my life.

Not only do I then accept whatevere restrictions life may throw at me - I see those restrictions and raise them with a few more of my own!


And if none of that makes sense, then at the very least, you'll still develop a more powerful punch that, as Geoff would say, works just the same whether you're fighting in a field or in a phonebox ;-)

Hope I haven't waffled too much

Al ;-)

I never get tired of hearing of how this relates to everyday life mate.
If only more people could 'get' what this can bring us.......oh well if wishes were horses eh?
Mick x

As always, top information, Al. You really are running with the ball on this concept. I guess the art of restriction is a cousin of "necessity is the mother of invention". It is amazing what can be achieved when your back is either literally or figuratively against the wall!

You, Matty and Geoff heavily influenced my club's restictive training drills. Our current warm-up drill now contains two restrictive drills for straight shots and hooks, which are also transitional. Along with push up striking and work with resistance bands/cable crossovers I think restrictive striking is one of the best ways to develop force in striking.

Thanks Jamie

Restriction is a great training partner because you don't have to look very hard to find it.

For me, not only do I use physically restrictive positions but I try to find new ways to add restriction to my training.
For example, restriction on rest time or even restriction on number of rounds - making the limited number of rounds far more intense.
Restriction on my energy, by getting gassed before I do the drill I am intending to train under restriction.
Restriction with the removal of all of my favourite techniques - the list is endless

As I said, for me, developing the increased power or new body mechanics is merely a by-product of this training.
The biggest thing I get is to learn the actual process of dealing with restriction.

Learning a method, or a process is far more valuable as it can be translated to many other areas and applications.
For example, my girlfriend speaks fluent in a few languages. She said that once she learned the first language, the others were easier to learn. That is because she was able to translate the skill and process of actually learning a new language.

The process of relaxing in restriction is something that I can now use in every other difficult, uncomfortable, restrictive situation I have.