Sarah Long (MMA S&C Coach)
MMA strength and conditioning coach; posts on nervous system fatigue, recovery, assessment, and injury risk management.
Dead Bugs Boost Bracing, Breathing, and Rotary Stability
This is one of the best posts ever posted. 😂 Dead bug and dead bug variations are money for learning to brace and breathe correctly. 👌 Keep your rotary stability on point by adding dead bugs to your warm up!
McGill’s Research Powers Lifter’s 1300‑lb Comeback
Great watch on spinal biomechanics. Stuart McGill responds to all the criticism and controversy. This is the “pig spine” guy. Idk how people listen to him talk and go with “I’m smarter than this guy” 😩. Anyway, it’s with elite...
Coaches Must Embrace PT‑Rooted Corrective Exercise
You can’t hate on corrective exercise without hating on all of physical therapy. Coaches who say this, don’t realize that’s where alllllllll of these exercises come from. Physical therapists. Whose job is literally to correct your issues WITH EXERCISE among...
Adapt Training to Any Gym’s Equipment for Maximum Impact
I’ve trained people from four of the top MMA gyms. I’ve trained people inside the PI and the coaches knew about it (and are lovely people, shout out to the PI s&c staff). I’ve trained people in many small...
Lift Lighter, Prioritize Clean Movement; Harmful Overtraining Culture
When I tell people to lift lighter and focus on clean movement during fight camps, I get push back from people who aren’t deep in this sport. The culture has to change. Y’all are constantly beat up It’s not just unnecessary,...
All Martial Arts Overlap—Choose a Solid Instructor
Damn, do martial arts. There is no “better” art when the alternative is NO art. I’ve been taught a roundhouse in Capoeira, Muay Thai, Kung Fu, MMA, and Taekwondo. IT’S ALL THE SAME. I’ve been taught takedowns in MMA, Capoeira,...
Too Much Volume, Not Weak Muscles, Causes Injury
It’s good to have one coach that knows ALL of the stuff you’re doing. A program manager. I had a fighter say a PT said his hip flexors were weak. He was having hip flexor issues…. …… because he was kickboxing...
Assessments Replace Guesswork, Drive Global Training Success
I recieved a lot of flack for telling you guys that you need assessments. Because if you’re not assessing, you’re just guessing. We got into assessments in 2009, when the first few started to gain traction. FMS and Assess and Correct...
Train to Absorb Force, Not Just Deliver Power
Understand physics. When you impact a bag or person you absorb the same force. Newton’s 3rd law- Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This is a teeny bit different based on if you’re hitting a soft bag or a...
Master Toe Catch, Straight Knees to Prevent Knee Injuries
Did you all see how Carlos stepped when his knee blew out? I did a post a little bit ago about strong ankles. Flat footed with your toes turned out, is the worse way to catch yourself. Get good at...
Efficiency Beats Size: Power
Fix your power you guys. Big movements are unnecessary. Get better at efficiency. I didn’t get stronger or faster in the one seconds it took to change patterns. It’s just better physics. You can hear the power is better even...
Strengthen Key Muscles and Stabilize Foot to Prevent Injuries
How to avoid hyperextension- Elbow = strong biceps Knees = strong hamstrings These mucles catch the force of your forearm and lower leg during fast extension. How to avoid ankle rolls- Get really good at foot stability. Weight on the ball...
Let Minor Injuries Heal Naturally, Skip Excessive Treatments
Some of you all are doin too much with your minor injuries. Let me explain. We have a painful shoulder. Not awful but it’s there. We want to do all the things and keep training. So we get massage, dry...
You Can’t Outtrain Capacity, Recovery Isn’t Unlimited
I was asked a great question. “There’s no such thing as overtraining, just under-recovering.” Is this true? No. If it was, full time athletes could just add volume all the time. All they do is train and recover. Our current...
Train Shoulder Injuries Safely: Use Dumbbells, Skip Barbells
Training with a shoulder issue: This isn’t to fix anything. I’m not a doctor. This is to help you train without making things worse when you are injured. 1. Avoid barbells and overhead. If one shoulder is janky, keeping them locked...