Science has had a major impact on top class sport, revolutionizing the way athletes prepare to participate in their respective competitions.
One of the biggest changes that sports science has introduced is highlighting the importance of rest and recovery in respect of maximising performance.
Combat sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts have embraced this ethos, with the best athletes in both disciplines incorporating it into their training regimes.
Good quality sleep plays a huge role in rest and recovery, with the body using that time to repair itself from the rigours of competition.
A perfect example of the importance sleep in sport was the decision by Great Britain’s Boxing team to agree a partnership with a mattress manufacturer in the run-up to the 2020 Olympic Games.
The deal provides every member of the squad with a mattress of their choice to sleep on at the team’s training facility in South Yorkshire.
GB Boxing had previously run a project in conjunction with the English Institute of Sport to look at the best ways to optimise the sleeping patterns of its athletes.
Matthew Holt, Chief Executive of GB Boxing, said: “The squad has an extremely demanding training regime and train three times per day, so it’s essential their comfort and well-being are prioritised.
“We want to make sure they get the best night’s rest whilst at the GB Boxing training centre in Sheffield.
“We are excited about this partnership and are sure it will have a beneficial impact on the boxer’s preparations training regimes.”
In addition to organisations like GB Boxing becoming switched on to the power of sleep, many stars within the professional ranks also recognise its performance benefits.
Joshua sleeping his way to success
World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua changed his sleeping routine in order to maximise his performance, as well as investing in the latest sleep and mattress technology to help him sleep better and recover faster from his workouts.
The British star previously woke up at 5.00am every day to start training, but now allows his body to wake naturally around three hours later. I
That decision has paid dividends, with Joshua recently regaining the world title after completely outclassing Andy Ruiz Jr in their rematch.
“In the past, you used to train, go do your work, then train after, so you had to wake up at 5.00am to be done at seven,” he said. “Luckily, we are in a position that this is our full-time job.
“It’s a bit weird because boxing is old school. When I watched a Manny Pacquiao documentary, he does the same thing. Floyd Mayweather trains when he is ready, same with (Vasyl) Lomachenko.
“I now wake up naturally at 8.00am. It looks lazy, but you’re still getting the same amount of work done and in a better way.”
McGregor’s kids kickstart new regime
The UFC has been at the forefront of implementing rest and recovery techniques into training regimes, with their Performance Institute driving many new innovations.
The Institute encourages its fighters to use its nap pods between sessions and offers tailored advice about getting quality sleep at home.
Irish star Conor McGregor has adopted the Institute’s ideas in order to ensure that his sleep not only helps his performance, but also fits in with his two children.
“I did this in the Diaz 2 camp,” he said. “I introduced a structure and had a set time each day that I would go to bed, wake up and train.
“I have replicated that again (for the Donald Cerrone fight) and it honestly happened naturally because of the kids.
“I could not stay up late and get up late because the kids would be running around and jumping on me. It just happened naturally and then I just regimented it a bit more and made it a specific time.”
Top trainer advocates quality sleep
Mike Dolce knows a thing or two about combat sports having worked with the likes Thiago Alves and Ronda Rousey during his time in the UFC.
The award-winning coach says that many athletes still overlook the importance of sleep and says it should be an integral part of every training regime.
“As we sleep our bodies secrete growth hormone, which builds and repairs muscle,” he said. “If you don’t sleep enough, that muscle mass breaks down.
“Additionally, sleep deprivation can throw off your internal clock and your eating habits. In a recent study, sleep researches from the University of Colorado found that people who sleep less tend to eat more calories than their well-rested counterparts.”
“A lot of people say they’re too busy (to get that much sleep). That’s B.S. I don’t know anyone busier than I am. I show up to my bed just like it’s my job.”
Sleep in combat sports – the final word
Sleep plays a hugely important part in modern sports and that is certainly the case in boxing and mixed martial arts.
Failing to get enough good quality sleep can be the difference between winning and losing and should be high on the list of priorities for athletes in combat sports.