Let’s say one athlete has double the maximal strength of the other. Let’s say that that athlete now only has to use 50% of his strength against 100% of the other athlete. Obviously, the second athlete is going to run out of gas much more quickly and the first athlete will be saving energy. So, that athlete can look fresher and in better shape although he may not really be in any better true cardiovascular condition.
As I see it, the training mentality when it comes to most athletes and strength training is concentric in nature. Concentric contractions result in how must is lifted or how high someone can jump. Although some sports like powerlifting and jumping can rely heavily on the concentric for success, fighting is a totally different animal. But without the ability to first stop and hold a contraction with an isometric (and obviously lower the weight under control with the eccentric which is another article) that concentric strength starts to mean much less on the mat or in the ring. If you are just lifting to see how many reps you can do and have no attention to the pauses and lowerings, you are missing most of the actual workout and subsequent gains that come with it! Time to start thinking about isometrics.
I have used isos for years with my guys and even in our technical training it is something to pay attention to. Think about it, war gassed from holding a full body iso on the opponent and ran out of steam. This wasnt just his arms, it was his abs, legs, groin, etc that all went maxed out for a long time. Anyone that has ever fought knows and those who havent have no idea what it feels like. I have been there, and that is what helped me to alter my training with my guys.
I hope this sheds some light on things and gets people thinking. Time to perhaps just stop running circuit style on everything and get back to building some strength people!
So, Jay, overall, I think strength is a key and that can be built with classic lifts with heavier weight and lower reps, but also some hypertrophy work and isometrics can help too.
I hope this helps.