Functional training is a whole-body training method that involves working combinations of muscles and joints, as opposed to simply working on isolated muscles, while emphasizing the inclusion of trunk and core muscles in order to train the body to move more efficiently.

Why is functional training important? When performing exercises such as punches and kicks, the body is continuously moving a number of parts simultaneously. The arms, legs, and torso of the body are forced to move in a coordinated sequence, which can become rather exhausting very quickly.

For instance, in order to strengthen the power of your punches, you wouldn't spend all of your time building up your deltoid (shoulder) muscles. For increased punching power, you also need to strengthen the muscles in your chest, back, core, and legs.

In order for your body to perform an effective punch, be it a hook or a straight jab, all of the necessary muscles must work together. Rather than training all of these muscles individually (which would take a very long time), it would make far more sense to perform multilimb exercise movements. Functional training exercises strengthen your entire body as a whole.

One example of a strength-training exercise in which both the legs and arms are used together is holding a weighted or medicine ball (see Chapter 7, page 87) while performing a combined exercise of a Basic Squat (Chapter 6, page 66) with an overhead lift of the ball. This exercise directly strengthens a myriad of muscle groups while developing a coordinated movement pattern that will aid the body in becoming more mechanically efficient.

Your body can become too accustomed to symmetrical patterns of motion, primarily because a majority of your regular functions (such as walking) require such movements. With each step, your body performs opposite but symmetrically similar movements — one foot goes back while the other goes forward, one arms swing back while the other comes up.

Exercises that work the limbs together will help develop coordination, which will translate into making complex movements (like the Hook Punch in Chapter 13, page 153 or Side Kick in Chapter 14, page 166) feel more natural and fluid. This will ease the transition of both your mind and body as you encounter more mechanically complex techniques later on in your training.

Not only does functional training enhance sports performance, but it also makes everyday activities more efficient. Functional training will increase your ability to perform normal everyday activities such as carrying groceries up a flight of stairs, placing a weighted object on a high shelf, or lifting heavy objects up off the floor. Functional training exercises can make these tasks feel much easier and less stressful on your muscles and joints. It also decreases your risk of injury from performing these tasks.

Functional training enhances activities in different sports. An athlete from any sport will be able to increase his or her level of performance by implementing a functional training routine. However, a golfer may not necessarily increase the distance of his or her drive by doing the intensive footwork and speed training that you would likely see a football player doing. In Krav Maga, functional training exercises are used to increase the power and improve the performance of punches, kicks, body weight shifts, and body movement in a coordinated and controlled manner.