Most exercise programs focus on pushing. Wrestling programs tend toward this focus because of the forward pressure of top-game control. However, submission fighting involves a much slower and balanced game, demanding as much pulling strength as it does pushing.
For example, as opposed to submission fighting or mixed martial arts competition, working for the pin in folk-style, or collegiate, wrestling demands significantly more strength and endurance to force the opponent's shoulder blades to the mat, as well as prevent him from escaping or reverse. This is due to the fact that a wrestler can "scramble" – use explosive strength with even little technique – without the danger of being exposed to submission holds or strikes.
In submission fighting or mixed martial arts, scrambling out from the bottom exposes you to dangerous and painful locks and openings for being hit. As a result, in sub-fighting and MMA, positional maintenance on top requires a lot less forward pressure, and more sensitivity.
Contrarily, when on the bottom, sub-fighting and MMA demand highly athletic pulling attributes, so that one can prevent the top fighter from creating openings for submissions or strikes, as well as for setting up his own attacks (such as from the guard.)
As a result, I incorporate many non-conventional use of our monkey bars at the RMAX Gym, some of which can be seen in the "Sonnon Day" videos on youtube.com.
Here are an example of a few of the techniques which I use for fighting-specific and strategy-specific (bottom-game sub-fighting) pulling athleticism.
The triangle and figure eight moves can also be seen in the world of
mixed ice/rock climbing. Guys will hang from an ice tool and arrange
their leg wrap to afford them maximal reach to the next placement.
These moves are pretty hard, since your breathing apparatus is
compressed. They therefore simulate the restrictive spaces in grappling.
We do similar things on the rings. I wish I had a climbing apparatus such as yours. When doing any kind of rows with the KBs or DBs, such as renegade rows, or see saw rows, I always compare them to arm drags in closed guard. Cool video. Did you get some inspiration from Ginastica Natural?
Question: Are the one-arm kip-ups hell on your elbows? Looks like it would be hard on them.
You're right on. I adapted them from climbing (we're at a climbing Mecca up here in Washington).
Ideologic,
The whole rig only cost $250 self-installed. I've never trained in GN. My background in Russia (Body-Flow), flow yoga (Prasara), combined with working with the climbers in my organization took it suspended. It's good fun.
No it doesn't bug your elbows at all if you don't already have issues there. It's more a pain on the calluses; you really have to keep your hands dry / chalked.
That's a particular technique. If you're strong enough, you can override it, and just trap-swing, which isn't bad for general conditioning, but like you imply, isn't as specific to grappling.