Recovered by Dave Wardman

The athlete involved in combative sports is always walking the fine line between maximizing his performance level and over training. Martial arts training is of itself very intense and exhausting.I am unfamiliar with Japanese jujitsu,having spent the last decade devoting myself to Gracie style Brazilian Jiujitsu. The fitness and energy requirements for BJJ are extremely high at the competitive level. There is no exercise regimine that can beat simply getting on the mat and grappling for an hour or so.I am a strong believer in preparing oneself for exactly how one is going to compete. For 5 min. matches, work all out for bouts of 5 minutes. For 10 minute contests, prepare by training 10 minutes etc. Multiple matches in one day,train multiple bouts of match length per training day.

In closely contested matches where everyones skill level is high,it pays to have an edge. That edge is conditioning,which I define as the sum total of an athletes physical attributes neccessary for competing in his chosen sport;ie.strength,endurance,carioendurance,flexibility,agility,speed,power
reflexes,reaction time etc. Because many of these things are developed through drill and practise of the sport itself,which is time consuming and exhausting, supplemental training needs to be efficient,intense and not to time consuming.Enter the kettlebell.

Your instincts are entirely correct as the KB is the most efficient training tool on the planet.Have your son work hard on multiple sets of snatches continuously with brief rests for the length of whatever bout he is preparing for.For example,my matches at the senior level are 5 mins.
I "fight " with snatches by doing as many sets as I can squeeze in in 5 mins. Since I usually have at least 4 fights,I will perform 4 bouts of snatches(each lasting 5 mins.)Another good total body exercise for this type of interval bout training is the double KB clean,squat,press movement.I vary the reps per set,10 to 20 works well for the snatches and 5 to 10 for the clean squat press. I also use other exercises for my 5 min. bouts;chins alternated with dips ladder style with no rest between sets.Pistol and one arm pushup ladders wth no rest btween sets. Jump rope,deck squats,hindu squats,neck bridges,pullups,lunges ,jump squats,bear crawls and hindu pushps can comprise longer bouts of up to 20 minutes to build mental and physical toughness. Mix it up,keep it brief(under 30 mins.total)and back off at the first sign of over training.Three weekly workouts of this level seems to work well for most.Always finish each session with ab work and relax into stretch(pick your worst areas of flexibility)
Good luck to Brian and his quest.

Yours in strength and health,

Steve Maxwell