A Review of Striking Force in Full-Contact Combat Sport Athletes: Effects of Different Types of Strength and Conditioning Training and Practical Recommendations

To succeed in full contact combat sports like mixed martial arts, tae kwon do, and boxing, athletes must deliver a greater number of damaging strikes than they receive. Producing knockdowns, rendering unconsciousness, and scoring points can be accomplished through the application of high magnitudes of striking forces. There is evidence that striking forces can be enhanced through either nonspecific or specific strength and conditioning methods or a combination thereof. To better assist practitioners working with combat sport athletes, this article reviews current empirical evidence on how combat sport athletes respond to different methods of resistance training and offers practical recommendations for implementing nonspecific and specific exercises.