QUICKNESS KILLS

Copyright 2010 by Eric Wong Training Systems All Rights Reserved. No part of this
work may be modified by any means without express written permission of Eric Wong.

Disclaimer: There is always a risk of injury when performing any type of exercise. You must
consult with your physician prior to beginning any exercise program or if you have any medical
condition or injury that contraindicates physical activity. If you experience any light-headedness,
dizziness, or shortness of breath while exercising, stop the movement and consult a physician. The
exercise information is not meant to provide any medical advice; it is for educational purposes
only. No liability is assumed by Eric Wong for any of the information contained herein.

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QUICKNESS KILLS

INTRO
When you think of a quick martial artist, who comes to mind?

When I think of it, I definitely think of Bruce Lee Its amazing how much he comes up when
talking about martial arts even though hes been (sadly) gone for so long now.

Thats the kind of legacy any man could only dream of leaving.

But how about current mixed martial artists?

As of writing this, to me, Lyoto Machida defines quickness As does Anderson Silva. And Frankie
Edgar.

The ability to strike with blinding speed

To seemingly see attacks before they even start and evade them masterfully

To close the distance, hit, then get out of distance before your opponent has time to react.

This is what the Quickness Kills program is all about and this is why its a part of the CONTROL
THE CAGE series of advanced MMA workouts

In this volume, youll train your body to be able to step in and out with lightning speed, take
complete control of the distance and range of the fight and frustrate and finish your opponent with
your new quickness and agility.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to guide you to peak physical fitness for MMA and help you
to develop into a well-rounded and dominant mixed martial artist.

Your coach,

Eric Wong

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 QUICKNESS KILLS

ON DEVELOPING QUICKNESS
To increase your quickness, you need to focus on 2 areas: Muscular strength/power and Nervous
system activation.

These 2 general areas must then be applied to the specifics of your sport.

Once these qualities are developed, you want to be able to use them deep into the rounds, not just
at the start when youre fresh, so specific conditioning is also vital.

And because MMA is so diverse, you must incorporate the following:

Foot speed and agility moving and changing directions

Do the least amount
of work to get the
desired end result.
Lower body power forwards, backwards and lateral
Hip rotational speed and power
Rapid dynamic core stabilization
Upper body speed endurance
Coordination and mobility for scrambling

As you can see, the development of quickness is not a simple task!

Not only that, but you then have to choose the best exercises and merge them into a progressive
exercise program that trains these qualities without sacrificing other key physical traits.

Luckily for you, Ive spent years studying and refining my methods and now youre about to benefit
from my efforts.

One of my program design philosophies is, Do the least amount of work to get the desired end
result.

Anything more and youre wasting energy that could be better spent on the development of your
martial arts skills.

Because of this I spend countless hours rewriting programs to make sure youre doing only what
you need and nothing more. Ill often scrap entire programs that I spent hours creating because I
know theyre not as streamlined as I know is possible.

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QUICKNESS KILLS

More is not necessarily better as a mixed martial artist, youll be training at least an additional 3
times per week in MMA (probably more), so doing too much will put a drain on your ability to
recover and your bodys ability to adapt.

One common problem that I see in a lot of programs that guys are following is doing way too much
work.

Theyll be lifting weights 3-4 days per week, doing conditioning 2-3 days per week on top of MMA
training.

Its the old more is better mentality and if you have this mentality, youre on the path towards
failure, not success, so I suggest you get rid of it as quickly as possible and adopt a new slogan for
yourself, More is not better, better is better.

Better means striving for perfect technique.

Perfect technique (in a punch, a submission attempt or a Deadlift it doesnt matter) results in
increased efficiency, and increased efficiency means you use less energy doing the same tasks
with more power saving your gas for when you truly need it.

More is better results in fatigue and sloppy technique.

Better means optimizing work/rest.

Optimal work/rest results in full recovery and consequent

supercompensation.

More is better results in overtraining, missed training

sessions and injury.

Better means intelligent progression.

Intelligent progression will take you from where you are and
build you up, step-by-step.

More is better throws you to the wolves each and every

workout.

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QUICKNESS KILLS

Better means performing only the exercises required to achieve your goals.

Choosing only what you need and leaving the rest gives you more time and energy to spend on
other areas of your game that need improving, or allows you to enjoy other aspects of your life.

More is better is clinging to the hope that if you do everything all at once, hopefully youll get the
result you desire.

We live in this quick-fix society where we come to expect results in an instant.

Many of us are conditioned this way and we lose our patience and get upset if it doesnt happen.

But thats where your opportunity lies.

If you want to transcend the masses, focus on constantly getting better in the different aspects of
your game.

Because everyone else seeks instant gratification, your patience and diligence in consistent,
incremental improvement will quickly allow you to rise above.

So its all about doing whats better, whats optimal for your goal and in this program elusive
quickness is the goal and everything is designed around achieving that goal with the least amount
of time and effort possible.

What you have here is an efficient and brutally effective program. Follow it to a tee, train hard and
youll be well on your way to developing elusive quickness and controlling the fight.

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QUICKNESS KILLS

PROGRAM DESIGN
There are 2 main components that youll be developing in this program:

1. Your raw horsepower

2. The skills of quickness

Horsepower (HP)

For the horsepower, youll be training 2 days per week for a 4-week cycle.

Each workout has different requirements for # of sets, rest times, etc, so be sure to print out the
workout sheets and pay close attention to the details as you record your results.

Once youve got the exercises mastered, each workout will take less than 45 minutes to complete.

As mentioned above, the HP workouts are designed to increase your raw horsepower. This means
that the goal is to increase your potential for moving quickly.

When you think of athletes that move fast, what type of athlete do you think of?

I personally think of 100m sprinters as the fastest athletes on the planet.

When you take a look at the training programs of these athletes, you get a clue to how to go about
developing speed.

Relatively speaking, they do very little actual speed work most of their time is either spent on
perfecting technique or improving strength.

As such, we will be following a similar pattern, but using exercises and drills that are specific to the
development of raw horsepower in movements specific to MMA.

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QUICKNESS KILLS

Skills of Quickness (SQ)

There are a very specific set of skills that go along with

being known as a quick mixed martial artist.

While standing, moving in and out, footwork, balance and

precise control of your body in space define the quick
fighter. Just think Frankie Edgar and you know what Im
talking about.

But standing and moving are not the only areas youve
also got to be quick at sprawling and transitioning from
standing to the ground and vice versa.

Youve also got to be quick to transition your body to and from complex positions while on the
ground.

The drills that youll be following in the SQ workouts will develop exactly these qualities.

The SQ drills are to be performed 4 days per week. Consider these your conditioning/cardio
workouts as they will also improve your conditioning its one thing to be quick but if you fade
because of poor conditioning its useless.

The SQ drills will be 15 minutes or less and are meant to be of high quality, so focus on technique
and smoothness first, speed and quickness second.

If you want to do these drills at the club after you train MMA, do them BEFORE MMA training
classes, but preferably not before or after hard sparring sessions. Give yourself a 5-10 minute
break to recover then start your MMA training.

These workouts will take your raw horsepower and tweak and tune the nervous system to be able
to fire quickly and efficiently in MMA specific patterns, allowing you to move in and out with
lightning speed, close the distance to strike then getting just out of reach to avoid and slip and
move until your opponent is dizzy upon which you can capitalize and win the fight.

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 QUICKNESS KILLS

Training Calendar

Here is the recommended calendar that you follow for this program:

Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

HP Workout A HP Workout B
off SQ Workout B off off SQ Workout A
SQ Workout A SQ Workout B

If you can follow this schedule for the duration of the 4-week program, then great!

However, if you need to modify it here are some general guidelines:

Avoid doing the SP workouts with only 1 day of rest between, ie. Mon and Wed
Feel free to perform the SQ workouts completely separate from the SP workouts
Do not do 3 SQ workouts in a row at most perform 2 SQ workouts between rest days

With that being said, here are 2 more examples of schedules that will work. Feel free to change it
up week-to-week, but just make sure you get all of the workouts in within the 4-week period.

Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

HP Workout A HP Workout B
off SQ Workout B off SQ Workout A
SQ Workout A SQ Workout B

Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

HP SQ SQ HP SQ SQ
off Workout A Workout A Workout B Workout B Workout A Workout B

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 HORSEPOWER WORKOUTS (HP)

WORKOUT A
Exercise Reps Tempo Rest Sets
1) Dumbbell split jerk 24 Explosive 1 2 min 36
2) Cable hip power rotation 4 6 per Explosive 60 90 s 36
3) Scorpion strike Up to 8 per Control 24
4) Twisting lunge chop 6 8 per Control 60 s 24
5) Explosive inverted rows Max in 10 sec Explosive 30 60 s 46

WORKOUT B
Exercise Reps Tempo Rest Sets
1) 1-arm Push press 6 8 per Explosive 60 90 s 24
2) Deadlift 4 Explosive 60 s 48
3) Floating lunge 4 6 per Control 24
4) Russian twist on SB 8 10 per Explosive 60 s 24
5) Explosive pushups Max in 10 sec Explosive 30 60 s 46

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SKILLS OF QUICKNESS DRILLS (SQ)
Circling Drill (A)

The circling drill includes the following exercises: circling left and right, moving forwards and
backwards, sprawling and Lunge jumps.

Youll constantly be circling either one way or the other around the ring, cage, or just a point on the
floor.

Youll hear the following commands as youre circling:

SWITCH quickly change directions to circle the other way

JUMP change your level then explode up in a jump, land, jump again, then follow the next
command

SPRAWL sprawl out then get back up into your stance then follow the next command

FORWARDS step forwards

BACK step backwards

Your goal during this drill is to maintain your fight stance while moving as quickly as possible and
performing each change of direction or move immediately on command.

As you fatigue, youll tend to get higher in your stance but fight this and focus on keeping your
stance and moving as quickly as possible while in this position.

Do not sacrifice your position for speed.

Think of it this way if youre in a fight and youre tired, do you want to be in your stance or do you
want to be standing straight up with your chin in the air?

This drill will improve your footwork, balance and reaction time.

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X-Drill (B)

The X-Drill is a great exercise for improving your footwork and speed in changing directions on
both feet as well as on one.

You can see the setup of the X-Drill to the left the easiest way to set this up is to tape some xs
down on the floor. There are 5 movements:

1. 2-foot split
Start with left foot on 2 and right foot on 1
Jump both feet together to 3
Then split feet and jump to land with left on 4 and right on 5
Jump both feet together back to 3
Return to starting position, this completes 1 cycle.

2. 2-feet together
Start with both feet on 1
Jump to 3 4 5 3 2 1
This completes 1 cycle

3. Left foot
Same as #2

4. Right foot
Same as #2

5. 2-foot 180
Start with left foot on 2 and right foot on 1
Jump both feet together to 3
Then split feet and jump to land with left on 4 and right on 5
Then do a 180 jump and land with left foot on 5, right foot on 4 youll be facing
the opposite direction now
Jump both feet together to 3
Then split feet and jump to land with left on 4 and right on 5
Do another 180 jump landing in the start position this completes 1 cycle

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For each of the movements, the key is to stay in an athletic/fight-ready position knees bent, on
the balls of your feet, hands up, elbows in, chin down.

When doing the X-drill, you want to aim to land directly on the Xs each time.

Itll be tough at first but YOU WILL improve through consistent practice and focus.

Also minimize the amount of extra little hops you do.

You want to land then move directly to the next position, dont stay in one spot for too long and
minimize the little adjustment jumps or steps that you might be tempted to take.

This drill will improve your reactive strength and ability to quickly and powerfully change directions.

If youre keen, you can also do this drill daily if youd like, but when youre doing extra days top of
the regular program, do the drill for 5 minutes max.

You dont want to over-fatigue your feet and ankles, which will slow you down in your training.

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exercise descriptions

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HORSEPOWER WORKOUT A

1) Dumbbell split jerk

Benefit: This exercise will teach you to co-ordinate your movements and integrate the
timing of the lower and upper body as well as teach you to quickly change levels
and explode up, helping you improve the speed of your level change and
wrestling style takedowns

Technique Instructions
Stand in an athletic stance
Hold 2 dumbbells up at your shoulders
Quickly drop to load up the lower body, then explode up driving the dumbbells
straight up
As you initiate the upwards movement of the dumbbells, change your levels and
drop into the split stance
Your elbows should lockout as you catch yourself at the bottom of the split, then
you can stand up powerfully and bring the arms back down to the starting position

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HORSEPOWER WORKOUT A

2) Cable hip rotation

Benefit: In this exercise you will be generating rotational power without having to project
the arms, allowing you to focus on the hip motion required and leg stability
required for powerful punches

Technique Instructions
Stand facing forward in an athletic staggered stance (left foot slightly behind) with a
cable stack to your right side at hip level (you can use resistance bands)
Grab the cable and place it firmly against your right hip
Rotate powerfully to accelerate the stack as fast as you can
Quickly rotate back and repeat without pausing between reps to finish on one side
Make sure the knee of the lead leg does not go out outside of the foot
Also ensure you dont stand up out of your athletic (fight) stance stay low!

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HORSEPOWER WORKOUT A

A3) Scorpion strike

Benefit: The Scorpion strike will really challenge your shoulder strength and stability as
well as your mobility and co-ordination. This exercise is a complex movement
that will make your nervous system smarter, improving your ability to quickly
transition through difficult body positions on the ground.

Technique Instructions
Start in a normal pushup position
As you lower yourself down, kick the right leg around to the opposite side of your
body like a scorpion stinging with its tail
You should feel a stretch through the front of the quad and hip flexor as the foot hits
the floor
As you do this, do your best to keep your shoulders square to the floor and
shoulder blades down and back
Push yourself up and bring your leg back around to the starting position and repeat
for the other side

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HORSEPOWER WORKOUT A

A4) Twisting lunge chop

Benefit: This exercise will improve the reactive strength and stability of your outer hip
muscles, so you can maintain good balance when throwing powerful punches,
which will allow you to attack then get out of the way and allow you to quickly
change directions laterally, helping you become an elusive fighter

Technique Instructions
Stand up tall with your feet close together
Hold the dumbbell or medicine ball with both hands up to one side
Open your hips and step to one side into a lunge as you powerfully chop the weight
down over this leg
The key is to keep your front foot grounded and stable and not to let your knee flare
out to the side
Drive back up powerfully to the starting position and finish the reps on the same
side before switching

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HORSEPOWER WORKOUT A

5) Explosive inverted rows

Benefit: This exercise will be performed in a similar fashion to the Explosive pushups for
the same goals short, explosive sets with progressively shorter rest periods.
This will ensure that both the push and pulling muscles are able to perform a high
power burst of activity and with a quick recovery, which is necessary in pulling off
lightning fast combos without getting tired.

Technique Instructions
Setup a barbell in a power rack so that when youre hanging on your entire body is
just off the floor
Make sure your body stays flat throughout the movement, knees straight, hips up
Pull yourself up with as much force as possible
Lower yourself as quickly as possible, almost pushing yourself away from the bar
Make sure you work through a full range of motion
Make the transition from lowering (eccentric) to rowing (concentric) as fast as possible
this will increase your punching speed

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HORSEPOWER WORKOUT B

1) Deadlift
Benefit: For the Deadlift, well be incorporating my Power Curve method, which has you
using a weight thats about 70-80% of your 1RM while performing multiple sets of
low reps, to develop explosiveness through the posterior chain and develop your
ability to rapidly activate the nervous system to explode in the Deadlift pattern.

Technique Instructions
Stand with your shins close to the bar
Drop down to the bar by pushing the hips back, back straight and shins close to
vertical with your eyes looking forward and down slightly the whole time
Drive up making sure the chest and hips move up at the same rate
Squeeze your glutes forward to hump the bar and pull your shoulder blades down
and back at the top
Keep your weight on your heels the whole time and keep the glutes engaged the
whole time

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HORSEPOWER WORKOUT B

2) 1-arm Push Press

Benefit: This exercise will teach you to use your hips to generate rotational power in
projecting your arm, which leads to more punching power and the ability to throw
punches quicker by developing the ability to rapidly coil and uncoil the hips.

Technique Instructions
Stand in an athletic stance
Hold a dumbbell in the right hand up at the shoulder and keep your left fist up by
your temples
Quickly drop the right hip back (the right knee can straighten a bit)
With speed, rotate the right hip forward and project the dumbbell up driving from
the hip

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HORSEPOWER WORKOUT B

A3) Floating Lunge

Benefit: The Floating lunge will improve your acceleration and deceleration, which will be
used when closing the distance quickly to attack and then stepping back out of
distance to avoid your opponents attacks

Technique Instructions
Start with either a barbell on the shoulders (preferred) or dumbbells in the hands
Step forward with the right leg into a forward lunge, then immediately push back all
the way into a reverse lunge with the same leg back
Bring yourself back to the starting stance quickly
This is considered 1 rep on the right side
Repeat with the left leg
Maintain your posture throughout and spend as little time on the ground as possible
(which gives it the floating name)

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HORSEPOWER WORKOUT B

A4) Russian Twist on SB

Benefit: This exercise will teach you how to integrate your hips and your obliques so that
you can get maximum rotation through the hips and core when throwing punches
giving you more power and helping you throw punches more efficiently so your
arms dont get tired and can maintain your speed and punch output.

Technique Instructions
Start with your head, neck and upper back on a swiss ball and knees at 90
Put both palms together and point your arms straight up to the ceiling
Keeping your hips centred and high, explosively rotate using your obliques as much
as possible so that youre on one shoulder
Make sure you dont drop your hips or shift your body to the side
Hold this position for 3 sec, then return to the centre, pause briefly, then repeat on
the other side

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HORSEPOWER WORKOUT B

5) Explosive Pushups
Benefit: The benefit of this exercise lies not so much in the exercise itself but the program
design. The Explosive pushups will be performed at maximum velocity for short
sets to engage the alactic system with progressively shorter rest periods to train
your pushing muscles for high speed and quick recovery so you can throw a
blindingly fast flurry of strikes then recover to do it again and again.

Technique Instructions
Start in a solid pushup position with the hands slightly wider than shoulder width
apart and the shoulder blades pinched down and back
Lower yourself as quickly as you can then explode up with a clap
Drive up with as much force as possible and clap it out loud
Think of the ground as hot coals and youre trying to minimize your ground contact
time

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MOVING FORWARD
Once youve completed your first 4-week phase, its best to switch off to a different style of training
and some different exercises for at least 2 weeks, preferably maximum strength training (think
Squat, Deadlift, Bench for 2-4 reps with heavy weights).

You can then revisit this program and be ready to achieve more results and get even quicker.

Id like to congratulate you and thank you again for investing in this program, I truly appreciate you
trusting me to be your coach and applaud your willingness to be coached and dedication to
improving yourself.

Until next time,

Eric

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