Since the early days of MMA, also known back then as NHB competitions, there has been an ongoing

debate on whether certain things will work in the competition area of choice, be it the ring or the cage
of some sort. For the most part, those arguments revolved around the applicability of certain technical
elements and/or fighting styles and systems, so depending on the "celebrity status" of some of their
exponents and proponents, those techniques and systems would be in vogue at one point, then
forgotten soon after. Over the time, the crucible of combat has forged the more or less coherent
technical and tactical toolbox shared by the absolute grand majority of athletes involved, and which we
today recognize as modern MMA.

However, only since very recently has the focus of popular discussion among the different "schools of
thought" shifted to a particular set of training tools and methods not directly related to the sport-
specific technical demands of competitive performance. It took, as usual, a top-level athlete with
colorful personality, who commands enough attention from the spectators to be followed around the
clock, just as much outside the octagon as he attracts inside. We are talking of Conor McGregor, and the
hot topic of contention among various camps is his affinity for what is known as 'movement training'.
This subject became especially topical during McGregor's preparation for the title match with Jose Aldo,
since the former shared freely the footage of his training sessions with a popular movement "guru" Ido
Portal. Most of the things they were doing in those video clips had been previously completely absent in
most MMA circles, and hence their usefulness being deeply doubted or even laughed at. For better or
for worse, that particular bout was too short to say with any degree of confidence if McGregor's novel
approach had anything to do with it. Maybe a better conclusion could be gained from another title fight,
between Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit, where the latter had previously did quite a lot of movement
training as part of his preparation. Despite losing the fight (split decision, and disagreed by many fans
and "people in the know"), Condit demonstrated incredible ability to withstand some serious
punishment, maintain his composure and get back with some serious action of his own. Does that mean,
then, that movement training could be the next big thing?

First, this sort of training is not quite new to the wider world of martial arts, albeit it has been around in
varying forms and shapes. In the more exotic styles, such as capoeira and kalaripayyatu it is more or less
inherent, but in the recent times and among more modern systems, probably best examples are
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Russian martial art schools known collectively as RMA. In the case of BJJ, the
exercises tend to put emphasis on the ground movement, and it makes sense having in mind the
fundamental marks of that style of fighting. In RMA the work strives to encompass the full range of
options - from standing, through squatting, to sitting, kneeling, laying and other floor options. This
happens to be the first and main source of inspiration and guidelines that Istarted with. Therefore, it Commented [p1]: "I" umesto "author of this article". Licnije je.
forms the foundation of the opinions and conclusions that will be presented in the text. Still, I do not
claim that any of those approaches is better than the others...instead, the goal is to take a look at the Commented [p2]: Ovo je ok ali bi mi zvucalo licnije
(konverzacionalnije) kada bi stavio sebe licno:
benefits of the movement training and why one should include it in their overall work, especially from
the standpoint of combat athletes. "Still, I do not claim that any of these approaches is better than the
others..."

BENEFIT 1: AVOIDING OR DEMINISHING INJURIES Commented [p3]: Dodao sam prvi podnaslov radi lakseg
snalazenja u tekstu.
To begin with, we have already mentioned that the technical inventory of most sports, including the
fighting ones, is by now largely defined. It makes the specific portion of the training process more
efficient and likely to achieve its goals. The other side of that coin is that each sport has its own set of
typical injuries, many of those being caused, unfortunately, by the very training process in the form of
repetitive injuries, due to the overuse of certain body parts in line with the technical demands of the
sport. This occurrence could be largely diminished, or even completely avoided, with the addition of Commented [p4]: Specific dynamic stereotype - nepotrebno
izdrkavanje. :)
new and different (if possible - complementary) patterns of motion. Namely, such work will have
positive effect on both the locomotor and neural systems; the trainees will feel fresher, thus reducing Pises za ljude (iz MMA sveta) a ne doktorsku disertaciju.

the possibility of fatigue caused injuries, too. It is clear from this stance that playful nature of movement "by repetitively training the same moves which lead overuse of
training makes for an almost ideal form of active recovery. The benefits do not end there, though. certain body parts of athletes."

BENEFIT 2: PLAYFULNESS AND ADAPTIBILITY Commented [p5]: Dodao sam drugi podnaslov radi lakseg
snalazenja u tekstu.
The key word in the previous sentence is PLAYFUL. When engaged with such attitude, training becomes
something that offers immediate pleasure, which is not dependent of the final outcome (such as
winning or losing a match). Parallel with that, it also stimulates experimentation and trying new things,
looking for and tackling self-found instead of outside-imposed challenges, which in turn develops Commented [p6]: Sjajno (kao i vecina stvari u ovom clanku), ali
se plasim da citaoci nece znati sta je to intrinsicno a sta nametnuto
another very important attribute in fighting activities - adaptability. It is this last part that may have (zapravo suprtnost intrinsicnom je ekstrinsicno ali da ne
played an important role in Condit's enviable performance against Lawler. Adaptability works on cepidlacim).

multiple layers, physical and mental, so the benefits are even stronger than it may seem at the first Mozda zadrzati ovo ali staviti u zagradu pored intrinsicnog neko
sight. pojasnjenje. Recimo:

"...intrinsic (internal or self-selected) instead of imposed (perhaps by

society) challenges."

Ne znam da li je moj primer dobar ali shvatas sta sam hteo da

BENEFIT 3: FEEL THE MOVE kazem - treba im pojasniti.
Commented [p7]: Dodao sam treci podnaslov radi lakseg
Next, another intrinsic value of movement training is that if done mindfully, the athletes will develop snalazenja u tekstu.
their personal feeling and sense for the quality of movement. Why is this kinesthetic quality important?
Unlike the case of some other sports, the combative ones have to deal with too many dynamic variables
in the competitive situation in order to be able and say confidently that that this or that technical detail
has this or that degree of impact on the result. The opponent’s actions make the entire situation much
less predictable than, for example, track and field sports, archery etc. Therefore, without the internal Commented [p8]: internal
feeling of the quality of performance, the fighters could lack confidence in their techniques, as
sometimes strong punch may have lesser impact if the opponent was moving away, compared to the
weaker punch that intercepts the opponent on his way in, not to mention different opponents
altogether. In contrast, the developed internal feedback will attest to the quality of the technique, Commented [p9]: Nesto mi je slab ovaj primer. Ne vidim
povezanost udarca dok se protivnik krece unapred ili unazad sa
regardless of the specific situation and myriad of factors at hand. osecajem pokreta. Ili je jako tesko vidim. Jel imas neki drugi primer?

Inace super je opservacija.

BENEFIT 4: UNIVERSAL AVAILABILITY

Let us take a look at another valuable aspect of movement training, before we wrap up. The fact is that
the activity specific techniques of martial arts and combat sports can really be fully appreciated when
trained with a partner (again, in contrast to numerous other sports). Consequently, the practitioners
have been seeking ways to improve their mastery for ages. Frequently it lead to the development of all
kinds of training equipment and apparatuses, but most of those ended up offering almost entirely the
specific conditioning, along with being tedious and boring in the long run, not to mention being less than
readily portable. On the other hand, a creative and non-dogmatic embrace of movement training as
exploration and source of joy will produce a number of beneficial effects almost as side-effect, quite a
few of them closely related to the more successful performance in the competitive arena. Commented [p10]: Kako ovo da definisem? Nemam za sta da
se uhvatim ovde. Mnogo mi je metafizicki. Kao da pricam sa Acom.
:)

Kako bi ti opisao ovaj benefit?

CONCLUSION Commented [p11]: Dodao sam zakjucak kao podnaslov radi
lakseg snalazenja u tekstu.
In the end, the movement training is not by any means the be-all-end-all answer to any training
questions and dilemmas out there. It is but part of the puzzle, but probably more important one than
believed, if considered at all. Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh probably summarized it best in
comment on why was that segment of training added to the fighter's regime, in saying that "hardware
was already in place, but we needed to maintain and improve the software". In the world of computers
we take it for granted that both segments are important for the optimal performance...maybe it's time
for the updated and improved operating system in your athletic training as well.