#5 Best Ring Exercise for Fighters

Pulling is an critical aspect of fighting, in particular grappling, that conventional programs ignore. Pulling is critical for clinch fighting in Thai plumb holds, in Greco-Roman over/under-hooks, in gi-fighting whether Jiujitsu, Judo or Sambo. It's absolutely mandatory in ground-fighting to set up triangle attacks from the bottom, to prevent posturing out of the guard, and to neutralize attacks in half-guard and mount.

Unfortunately, the pulling exercises that are conventionally made available are either vertical and overhead such as pullups or vertical and beneath such as upright rows, or vertical and seated such as rowing machines and bent-over rows. Groundfighting requires horizontal pulling action where the ground cannot provide leg drive, and where the hips cannot provide structural support into the ground.

I developed an array of ring pulls which address this unique sport-specific application of unrooted, supinated rows for mixed martial arts and submission fighting and of the top 5 exercises is the lawn mower extension.

The lawn mower extension provides unique and important attributes. The range and depth of motion that the lawnmower hits is critical for the ability to draw in limb attacks. It allows you to avoid mere "arm pulls" which are mostly bicep, and lock in the entire corset of muscle around the core as well as the large muscles of the posterior chain.

The torsional timing of moving from a ballistic pull to a pressing drive is one of the key attributes of powerful takedowns from Jiujitsu, Judo and Sambo. This requires a same side (ipsilateral) pull, transfering into an opposite side push. Conventional exercises will build pushes and pulls independently, but like a clean (pull) and a jerk (push), the synergy of combining the two exercises together creates a sum total training effect greater than the individual exercises performed for the same number of repetitions. The Lawnmower Extension times a pull and push across the core with this same "complex training effect."

The Lawnmower Extension also contributes to increasing "attached" striking in the clinch. Half of knockout power comes from the opponent moving into your strike, and half of attached striking is pulling your opponent into the optimal line of force for the strike impact.

Here is a video of the lawn mower extension:

Scott Sonnon, Distinguished Master of Sport
Ultimate Fighter Conditioning and Sport Psychology Coach
www.ScottSonnonLIVE.com

• Lawnmower Extension

Transition between pull and push