Bengals Utililzing the Ignition Hand Combat Program

During the off-season, a lot of time is spent in the weight room getting stronger, and on the field getting faster. Both are very important, but it is also imperative as a football player to become a tactician with your hands. Head Strength Coach, Chip Morton, understood the importance of hand combat for football players and wanted to incorporate it into his program. He asked Coach Ben Creamer to travel down to Paul Brown Stadium during the Bengals 5 week off-season program to train the players in hand-to-hand combat. The program consisted of various techniques and principles from Wing Chun Kung Fu, Boxing, and Judo. These techniques, however, are not purely martial arts, but bridge the gap between martial arts and football. Twice a week, players from various positions learned how to effectively control an opponent by understanding the ranges of combat and how to use momentum and joint control against someone. The program was tailored to each position so the skills learned can be practically applied to the playing field. Wide receivers learned how to get around a DB trying to jam them, defensive lineman and linebackers learned various moves to get around or overcome an offensive lineman, and offensive lineman learned how to keep an opponent in front of them.