It is paramount for athletes to engage in training to improve their skills and meet the physical demands of their chosen sport. The intensity of training varies from one sport to another. Athletes looking to excel in their careers, train following the mental and physical requirements of their sport.
Some athletes have no choice but to continue training all year round, while in some other sports, training doesn’t have to be throughout the year. For example, the level of training required of a golf player cannot be as rigorous as that of a football player. The fitness requirements of the two sports are poles apart.
Apart from the length or intensity of training, the demand for activity also determines what path an athlete will follow. A distance runner preparing for a marathon will follow a different training program than a footballer or a martial artist.
All sports require hard work, dedication, and training, but some more than the others. Sports such as MMA, boxing, wrestling, etc. require a high intensity of training. Participants need to keep the body in the best possible physical shape to meet the demands of these sports.
In this article, we will be looking at some of the sports that require athletes to train all year round to excel.
Mixed Martial Artists
MMA fighters are frequently subjected to high-intensity striking, concussions and lacerations. The sport demands more of the human body than any other sport. The fitness requirements and intensity of training make it important for athletes to be in the best possible physical shape.
MMA, as we know, is a combat sport and fighters are susceptible to injuries. Injuries are a recurring problem for MMA fighters. They suffered most of these injuries in training because they subject themselves to rigorous physical and mental strain. A participant needs to train all year round to keep fit and meet the physical demands of the sport.
Mixed martial arts is a dynamic sport that requires a high level of body coordination. The different parts of the body need to work together at the same time. You need to develop coordination throughout your kinetic chain. Training will enable you to learn how to make the body parts work in unison. Only through regular and continuous training that you develop the ability to sense your body’s balance and position.
Football / Soccer Players
Football like MMA requires serious training. It requires both physical and mental aspects. You must be physically strong to compete and mentally tough to deal with the pain that comes with it. To become a professional soccer player, one must undergo intensive training. Improving in football is not an overnight thing. It requires long hours of regular training.
Any soccer player that wishes to play at the top tiers of world football should be ready to dedicate his life to football. In football, there’s no shortcut to success. You have to work your way up there.
According to Malcolm Gladwell in his 10,000-hour rule, he claimed that anyone is capable of attaining greatness, but they need a great amount of practice to achieve it. To be a professional, football players repeatedly practice and hone their skills every single day of the year.
Wrestlers
Wrestling is one of the oldest combat sports. It is another sport that requires participants to have a precise balance of training. It requires a high level of both physical and mental principles to be successful. Wrestlers need an optimal level of cardiorespiratory fitness.
When it comes to rigorous training, wrestling is a step ahead. Aside from the physical and mental aspects of training, wrestlers follow the strict nutritional regime. Many wrestlers had to train on how to perform on minimal calories. They often train on food with depleted carbohydrate sources. This is strenuous on the athletes because carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. It adds to the degree of difficulty they experience during training
To achieve high-level wrestling performance, wrestlers need to train harder to develop aerobic power, anaerobic power, and strength endurance.
Boxers
To win a boxing match, boxers must be able to make fast and explosive movements. They need to know how to throw calculated punches and evade their opponent’s attack. That’s why boxers need to engage in both resistance and endurance training. It is through training and constant practice that boxers can ensure they have the required strength and conditioning needed to win.
Cardiovascular exercises help boxers to improve on their conditioning while lifting weights helps them to gain strength. Strength training is not limited to weight lifting, it could also involve doing sit-ups, push-ups, squats or lifting dumbbells.
Boxers need regular training to make their muscles, joints, and bones stronger. They need to burn calories almost every day to gain fitness.
We can now see what fighters had to undergo before making it to the pro level. And it’ll be so unfortunate that after going through such rigorous training, athletes still find it difficult to achieve their dreams. This is why the Fight to fame project is aimed at giving athletes (fighters) around the world the chance to compete on a big platform.