ARTICLE: Sled Dragging For Combat Athletes

Sled training for combat athletes:
Training doesn’t have to be a drag!

Introducing the sled

A dragging sled is usually a metal plate with a turn-up at one end, with a loop to attach straps on the front edge and a loading pin in the middle so you can add weight. The straps are usually three or four metres long and can be attached to a belt or harness or held in the hands. The user then drags the sled along the ground to train. A tyre or pallet can also be used in place of a sled, although adjusting loading can be more difficult and an advantage of a well-designed sled is that it will do minimal damage to the ground, unlike the alternatives. Sounds simple, and the design is indeed uncomplicated, but this tool can take your training to a whole new level!

The sled can be used in many different ways to improve strength or fitness, or as an active recovery type exercise. I will go into more detail later in the article about specific ways to use the sled.


Advantages of using a sled

There are many advantages to using a sled. Depending on your goals, there are normally alternative means to achieve the same training effect, but I believe in most cases using a sled is superior. For instance, instead of using a sled for sprints, you could use a weighted backpack. In this case the sled would be superior as the weight is not bouncing on the back interfering with your technique, nor is it bearing on your body which will increase stress to the joints, especially knees.

A sled can also increase the difficulty of sprint training, increasing the positive adaptations made by the body and teaching you to ‘dig deep’ and keep fighting against the sled (despite the fact you can’t ever win!)

If attaching the sled to the body with a belt, it will ensure that you are using correct abdominal bracing, tensing the abs and keeping tight through the torso. With the belt around the waist, ever step you take will cause the belt to try and push into the abdominal wall. Bracing the abs will counteract this force. Of course, when training with the sled, you will get out of breath but still have to keep tight in the torso. This is a very important skill for fighters or anyone in a sport where contact or other external force is applied through the body while the breathing is being challenged. Most people when first training with the sled will find that the abdominals are challenged as much or even to a greater degree than the legs.

Another advantage to using the sled is that there is no eccentric loading (also known as the ‘negative’ in weight training circles). Since the eccentric is a major cause of DOMS (delayed onset muscular soreness), removing it enables the trainee to train without getting so sore the next day. This may enable you to train more often, or at a higher intensity, in other parts of your training.

How to use the sled

A sled can be used on most surfaces, including but not limited to:
 Grass
 Concrete
 Astroturf
 Rubber running tracks

A correctly designed sled will do no damage to any of the above surfaces, so strap on one and get training!

The first way to train with the sled is to simply walk with it. This is a great exercise for people who are a bit further from optimal fitness, or as an easy workout to get some blood flowing through the legs. The sled can be attached with a belt, harness or the straps held in the hands and you simply walk! Distance and weight will depend on the goals, fitness and strength of the individual, but a 200m course followed by a short rest repeated multiple times would be one idea of how to train just walking with the sled. Believe it or not, this method is harder than jogging with the sled, as each step will be from almost a dead stop and the pulling effect of the belt into the torso (if using a belt) is particularly pronounced when walking with it. I would recommend this style of training to replace an easy jog, as the heart rate demands will be similar but the impact to the knees/hips/back is a lot lower.

Someone of a higher fitness level who is accomplished at running may want to try sprinting with the sled. This is, for most people, a wake-up call that will really have you questioning your fitness! Also sprints followed by walking and a short rest will train similar energy systems to those used in a fighting situation, as there are often spurts of high intensity activity followed by lower intensity time which you need to be able to recover before the next flurry of action.

I like to use the sled sprint in two distinctly different types of session. The first session I call a strength-speed session. This type of session would involve covering a relatively small distance with as heavy a weight as possible, and taking a large rest period. This will really work on the production of force quickly and train you to direct it through the body efficiently. I recommend a relatively short course, which you should cover in 8-10 seconds. When we train with the sled we usually sprint to the marker then walk back before resting. Due to the huge energy demands, as well as the direct demand on the lower body (and to a lesser extent torso), I recommend resting for a longer period in between lengths with this type of training, increasing weight or slightly increasing distance to make it harder rather than resting less. Think of it more as strength training than cardio work. This type of training works well in groups as the rest period isn’t a major concern, and having to keep up with the pack forces you to push yourself harder than you thought possible!

The other type of sled sprinting session I like to do is a lighter, longer distance run. I call this strength endurance work, teaching you to keep moving fast while fatigued, and building up lactic acid tolerance. In this type of session the course is up to twice as long or more than the course used in the previous style. Again in this type of session we sprint to the marker, walk back and rest. In this case the rest should be incomplete. You should be breathing hard still when it is time to go again. The goal is to try and keep your time for the sprint the same as, or close to the time you did for the first sprint, even when fatigued.

Of course you can combine the sled with other equipment to get a different type of workout, for instance combine sled sprints with kettlebell swings and presses or press-ups and burpees for a killer cross-training workout!

The sled can also be used for recovery exercises, the goal of which is to get blood flowing through sore muscles, which will bring nutrients to the muscle and flush out any waste byproducts of the training session from the muscle. As mentioned previously, the lack of an eccentric phase means these types of session are ideal for using the sled. Here is a short list of some movements you can do with the sled (there are videos of some of these featured on my site)


 Chest press - elbows high
 Chest press - elbows tucked
 Row with high elbows
 Row with elbows tucked
 Chest flyes
 Front raises
 Rear delt raises
 Overhead tricep extensions
 Bicep curls
 Row to external rotation (sled ‘snatch’)
 Woodchop/Standing twist
 Forwards walking
 Backwards walking
 Sideways walking
 Pull-throughs
 Ab crunches
 Walking holding straps overhead



More specific movements to MMA:
 Lunging in a ‘shoot’ style
 Twisting hip flexion, strap over one shoulder (judo throw style)
 Single arm press with hip rotation
 Ankle dragging with bent and straight knee
 Anything else you can think of!

Hopefully this article has given you some ideas on how using a sled can benefit your training, no matter what your goals or what shape you are in. Now get out there and start dragging!

Alex Gold is a strength and conditioning coach and sports therapist specializing in working with sportsmen to increase performance. He can be contacted on 07931 561 807 or via his website, www.hardcoresportstraining.co.uk where you can also sign up for a free newsletter with training tips and more!