Is Weight Training Useful in Mixed Martial Arts?

Is strength training a factor in mixed martial arts performance? Everyone seems to have a different opinion on this but everyone seems to believe that combining your flight training with weight training is either critical or worthless. Which one of these beliefs holds true?

Many traditional trainers insists on avoiding weights when training for fights. Mike Tyson outwardly claimed that he never used weights to train for his fights, but this is unlikely. Many people used to believe that weight training was simply not going to help performance. They insisted that the time would be better spent on perfecting fighting techniques and training a more technical strategy and that these skills will build strength and speed rather than using the help of weights. They explained that if you didn't spend your time lifting weights then you would have more time to spend on techniques and practicing combinations. Another great misconception was that larger muscles would slow you down and negatively impact your cardio.

Many traditional martial arts instructors also claimed that overly large muscles would sacrifice speed in their strikes for power. They also believed that you should use your opponent's strength to his disadvantage and use momentum to negate his own strength and use it for your gain so therefore your own strength was not important.

In mixed martial arts, training with weights was an easy choice especially for wrestlers and grapplers. Many boxers stuck with the traditional way of thinking and avoiding weights until crosstraining became a necessity later as the sport developed. In Western countries like America where sports were prevalent, weights for have always been a mainstay and muscular figures have always been championed as an obvious but somewhat oversimplified explanation: stronger people must therefore be stronger. This isn't necessarily the case.

The earliest martial arts dating as far back as Greek Pancrase also agreed with this concept. But in contrast Eastern Oriental countries focused more on fighting skills, fluidity, flexibility, and body skills enabled their bodies to reach limits the average person could not, like the iron body training. Such feats were not considered in line with barbaric weight training and oversized frames. Training in techniques alone was considered to provide enough expertise and to grant enough power to the user for his needs.

The truth is that weight training, when used right, can in fact make its practitioners stronger and faster, not to mention the ability to withstand more damage in some ways, as muscle acts is a protector of the body's vital organs. Weight training should not be overdone as far as martial arts is concerned, and remember that there are weight classes which restrict the use of weight training anyway.