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Power vs. Velocity

by John Brookfield on January 4, 2010

The Battling Ropes® Training System is a unique one of a kind training system which forces the athlete to use velocity and the athlete must be able to maintain velocity to be successful. Simply put, velocity is the combination of strength and speed together.

Velocity is seldom discussed or understood and even less implemented into training routines. Unlike training where momentum is used, velocity is high output and gives the athlete no time to rest physically or mentally. For example, let’s look at the humming bird. Most people have seen the speed and intensity that the wings move on the humming bird. This intensity of the wings must be maintained to keep the bird in flight. This is a form of velocity being used with momentum being non-existent. Another form of velocity is the cheetah as it runs and maintains velocity chasing its food in the wild.

Battling Ropes® Training System helps the athlete to be able to train or compete at a higher level of intensity for longer durations of time.

POWER IS NOT THE SAME AS VELOCITY

Power and velocity are quite different and often power is mistaken for velocity. A simple example of power would be someone hammering railroad spikes on the railroad. When the person swings the sledgehammer and strikes the spike explosively they are using power. Once the spike is struck with the hammer the user must reset for another strike. As he swings the hammer and strikes the spike he must reset over and over again.

With this in mind, velocity would be like an arrow shot out of a crossbow where as long as the arrow can maintain velocity it continues to travel. Another simple example in training would be an athlete training with a kettlebell. When the athlete swings the kettlebell he uses power as he thrusts and swings it forward and upward. Once the kettlebell reaches its height, gravity takes over and momentum is used as the kettlebells travels back towards the ground. In fact the kettlebell swing or snatch relies on a high percentage of momentum. Once again true velocity training uses no momentum but forces the athlete to use total output to be successful.

With this understood the Battling Ropes® Training System helps the athlete to be able to train or compete at a higher level of intensity for longer durations of time due to the ability of being able to maintain velocity. Battling Ropes® training actually has seven different concepts or elements to the training.  The first being the ability to maintain velocity.  The second element is the ability to maintain strength without the use of momentum or the use of gravity.

Even though the system is extremely vast and has many levels of improving and countless ways to up the intensity, we will examine and look at one simple technique to start with. It is also important to understand that the training system is very easy to measure your workload capacity and very easy to track your improvement. The Battling Ropes® can be used to simply train or also be used to compete with others.

TRAINING & TESTING USING THE TSUNAMI WAVE METHOD

This method is the ability to maintain velocity by creating a series of waves with the Battling Ropes®. In general, research shows that the 50 ft. ropes either 1.5″ or 2″ in diameter are the best for this method. For much of the training we wrap the rope around an anchor point which gives us two 25 ft. sections which are grasped one in each hand. However, the Battling Ropes® Tsunami which is the exercise we will look at today requires the athlete to simply lay the 50 ft. rope out length wise on the ground. In most cases the 2″ 50 ft. rope is used for training and testing purposes. Depending on the testing environment, the manila ropes or poly ropes are used for testing purposes.

Once your 50 ft. 2″ rope is stretched out length wise on the ground you can either have someone stand on the very end, the end can be weighted down by a couple of weight plates, or it can be tied off to an anchor point. If you are having someone stand on the very end or using weight plates, it is important to understand that it does not require a lot of weight since the athlete training is not actually pulling back or trying to stretch the rope tightly.

Once you are ready with your one end anchored, the athlete simply grasps the opposite end with both hands using either an overhand grip or an underhanded grip. Also, be sure that the athlete grasps the end of the rope hand over hand and not with the hands and fingers interlocked. Now, while grasping the rope with most of the slack out of the rope, the athlete thrusts the rope up and down as quickly as possible which gets the rope moving and creates a wave or series of waves which travels all the way to the other end of the rope.

You will notice that the faster you can move the more waves will flow in the rope. You will also notice that the Battling Ropes® Tsunami may be the hardest drill you have experienced because you are now forced to use velocity and no momentum can be used. The goal is to sustain velocity and maintain the flow of the waves all the way to the other end. Once your waves don’t reach the other end you are through, or if your wave or waves don’t reach the other end you are not successfully completing the drill.

The Battling Ropes® Tsunami can be used for training purposes as well as a way of testing the athlete’s ability to maintain velocity. The testing method can be measured several ways, however, let’s look at a simple way to measure work capacity and workload. This method or formula will measure how fast the athlete can cover a mile of distance with the wave of the rope. By measuring this you must understand that the athlete must successfully complete the Battling Ropes® Tsunami.

To successfully complete the Tsunami you must have the wave or waves travel the complete distance of the 50 ft. every time you force the rope up and down. With this being successful each time you can figure out the distance the rope will travel over time. With this in mind, if you would take 105 50 ft. ropes and lay each rope end to end you would have one mile in distance. With this understood, if the athlete successfully forces the wave of the rope to the other end every time 105 times without stopping or losing velocity, he has covered a mile in distance with the wave of the rope.

Once the athlete can complete the series of waves 105 times without the rope stopping or not reaching the other end he has successfully completed the mile Tsunami. From here you simply time the athlete and see how quickly he can complete the mile Tsunami. The Battling Ropes® Tsunami will force the athlete into total intensity by taking away the ability to use momentum and gravity to his advantage.

You will also find that someone who is quite strong and not fast will not do well on this drill, or someone who is fast but, not strong will not do well either. The Tsunami will not only expose weak links in the athlete but, also correct the weak links as well. You will find that the Battling Ropes® training and velocity training will greatly enhance anyone’s work capacity in any sport or competition by increasing their ability to work at a higher level of intensity for longer durations of time.

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Weathering The Storms

by Tim Anderson on December 10, 2009

A Tsunami is a series of waves that carry large volumes of water and energy. Tsunami’s are know for the devastation they cause in coastal regions. A Tsunami is also a Battling Ropes® exercise created by John Brookfield; also known for the devastation it unleashes on it’s victims.

If you’ve never experienced it, in the Tsunami, you take a 50 ft, 2 inch rope and your goal is to create a series of waves through the entire length of the rope, at first glance you might not think this would be too difficult. This is where looks can be deceiving. The Tsunami can not be truly appreciated until you actually try to perform the drill. In less than 10 seconds you will feel the wrath of the Tsunami and have a whole new respect for the awesome, effective simplicity of the Battling Ropes system. I can not think of a more demanding exercise.

The Tsunami requires an enormous amount of energy and power from it. It is a total body exercise; head to toe, heart and lungs. In order to get the rope to travel 50 feet, you have to explode your body upwards and then perform a powerful slam downwards.

To create a series of waves, you have to powerfully and efficiently transition from extension to flexion like a jack hammer. This is a phenomenal drill for developing and sustaining explosive power. (See John Brookfield’s demo at the end of this article.)

To implement the Tsunami into your training, keep it simple. Try to incorporate it into your routine twice a week. You can try to sustain the waves for intervals of time, or try to reach a certain number of waves for “sets.” However you choose to train the Tsunami, you can progressively increase your duration, or waves, a little each week. Once you can perform the Tsunami for a whole minute, you will have just survived a Class 3 hurricane!

A word of caution: Because the Tsunami is so demanding, if you are going to incorporate it into your strength training days, you may want to perform it last. The Tsunami may leave you too wiped out to safely perform strength training after you have weathered the storm.

For more ideas of how to infuse the Tsunami into your training check out John Brookfield’s new DVD: Hurricane Ingrid: The Workout.

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Battling Ropes® Tsunami

by John Brookfield on January 10, 2009

The Battling Ropes® Tsunami is quickly becoming the wave of the future when it comes to a standard way to test an athlete’s ability to maintain and sustain velocity and power.

“This has been a great eye opener to a missing link in training, which is the ability to maintain and sustain velocity and power over time without the use of momentum.It has also been a humbling experience, to say the least. The results that can be gained with the Battling Ropes® Tsunami are purely amazing when it comes to being able to maintain intensity over time. This intensity over time will transfer into anything you do. It is my goal and passion to get this training exercise out to everyone wanting to improve their performance in sport or the battlefield. I know that the Battling Ropes® Tsunami will take you past the next level and safely push you to achieve your highest level in human performance!” John Brookfield, Founder Battling Ropes®

The Battling Ropes® Tsunami is simple in concept, however, extremely difficult to maintain for any duration of time. This technique was developed by Battling Ropes® creator John Brookfield.

Everyone who has tried the Tsunami, without exception, has been completely amazed by its effectiveness to test the individual’s ability to generate and maintain power and velocity. They have been equally amazed at the difficulty of the exercise when it comes to pushing the athlete to their limit very quickly!

One unique thing about the Battling Ropes® Tsunami is that the user must generate pure output without any momentum. When no momentum is used, the body is forced to perform at its highest level of performance. With all other methods of training, momentum is used as gravity takes over and this gives the body a slight chance to rest. When trying to train or test an athlete, this momentum factor is poison for the individual who wants to train their body to operate at its highest level.

The Tsunami technique is done with a rope and, as the name says, a tsunami or “powerful wave” is created by the person’s power and velocity generation on the rope. The only thing is that the person must create and sustain these powerful waves for as long as possible without stopping or losing the flow of the waves. It is important to understand that if the person is strong, but not fast, he will struggle with the technique. On the other hand, if the person is fast, but not strong, they will struggle to sustain the Tsunami.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers go at it on the Tsunami

You will also find that the user must have a great anaerobic threshold to maintain the Tsunami and score well on the test. Every muscle of the body and every physical and mental fiber must be used to maintain the Battling Ropes® Tsunami. The testing and training method will also quickly expose any weak link the athlete may have and start to improve the weak link. Even though the Battling Ropes® Tsunami is becoming a standard way of testing the athlete, it is also a way to train the athlete to produce tremendous results which will produce transfer into any sport or battlefield.

2" Anaconda

2" Anaconda

To train or test on the Tsunami…

You simply need a fifty-foot, two-inch diameter rope. The Anaconda (pictured) is perfect for the Tsunami! It is a thick, heavy duty Battling Rope® which is slightly over 2 inches in diameter and 50 feet in length. The “Anaconda” is also made of high grade manila and is treated for longevity and durability.

Please note that the “Anaconda” is slightly over twice the weight of the standard Battling Rope®. This thickness also plays a part in making the “Anaconda” much harder to grip and hang on to. This rope should only be used by the advanced and elite athlete. Different types of ropes are different when it comes to the weight of the rope. The manila rope is generally used for the training or testing.

Also, by using the manila fifty-foot, two-inch diameter rope you are equally able to make the test standardized and able to measure your performance against another athlete’s performance. You will also find that the surface can make a slight difference. However, your ability to sustain the Battling Ropes® Tsunami and maintain the waves over time will not vary much no matter what the surface.

Wrestlers going at it in the stadium

Wrestlers going at it in the stadium

You can either have your rope stretched out in an outdoor setting such as a park, football field, playground, or your backyard, or you can use an indoor setting such as a basketball floor or large gym.

Simply take your fifty-foot, two-inch diameter rope and lay it on the ground while stretching it out so that the slack is taken out of the rope. Once the rope is in this position, have a partner or friend stand on one end of the rope at the very end.

If you are training or testing yourself without a partner, you can simply place a couple of heavy weight plates on top of the very end of the rope to stabilize the rope. Another way to stabilize the rope if you are by yourself is to tie the very end of the rope around a pole to secure it. However, you must understand that you are creating the Battling Ropes® Tsunami with the entire fifty-foot rope. So, if you tie the rope around a pole you must tie the very end so that you are not losing much length of the rope. This way you can train and test yourself equally with others.

Also, as mentioned earlier, we generally use the fifty-foot, two-inch diameter manila rope for the testing instead of the poly ropes. Even though the poly ropes are popular for training indoors and you can certainly train on the Tsunami with a poly rope, it is important to understand the fifty-foot, two-inch poly rope is lighter than the manila. This, of course, will make the Battling Ropes® Tsunami somewhat easier and will make your performance slightly better than if you were using the manila rope.

Once you have your rope in place and properly anchored, you are ready to begin!

Be sure to have your coach or partner have an accurate stop watch on hand. If you are by yourself, I suggest using a large clock where you can easily see the time. Now, with everything in place, grasp with both hands the opposite end of the rope which is anchored. You can either use an underhanded or overhanded grip with one hand in front of the other. Get a good tight grip and start to force the rope up and down powerfully and quickly. This will start to create the wave action or “Tsunami” effect which will make the rope start to flow.

With enough force, you will be able to create the wave (or Tsunami) going all the way to the other end of the rope. Please understand that your goal is to keep the Tsunami rolling nonstop without slowing all the way to the opposite end of the rope. In simple terms, it’s like waves constantly crashing or rolling onto the shoreline. You will quickly understand that you must maintain constant velocity and power output to keep the Tsunami going. Your goal is to last as long as possible without the Tsunami stopping or not making it to the other end of the rope. You will also notice that the more output you create the faster and more waves you create in the Tsunami.

Once you lose your flow of the rope and the Tsunami is not making it to the other end, you are finished as far as the testing goes. Once again, be sure to measure the time that you are able to keep the Tsunami rolling to the other end. I’m sure that you will find that this training or testing will work and push you to the utmost. There is also no way to gain advantage on this drill — you can either keep the Battling Ropes® Tsunami going or you can’t!

The Battling Ropes® Tsunami has quickly made believers
out of everyone who has tried it! Read the testimonials!

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