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Learn to use the Paiva and Del Vecchio Test

This is an excerpt from Training and Conditioning for MMA by Stéfane Dias,Everton Bittar Oliveira,André Geraldo Brauer Júnior & Pavel Vladimirovich Pashkin.

By Vitaly Rybakov, Ryan Fairall, Stéfane Beloni Correa Dielle Dias, André Geraldo Brauer Júnior, João Carlos Alves Bueno, Guilherme Ferreira, Rokaya Mikhailenko, Diego de Castro e Silva Lacerda

The Paiva and Del Vecchio test was developed by Brazilian coaches Leandro Paiva and Fabrício Boscolo Del Vecchio and is designed to evaluate the specific resistance to fatigue of MMA athletes. The tests consist of a simulation of three exercises specific to this sport (see figure 3.8):

1. First exercise: This exercise needs a training partner with similar body mass or who competes in the same weight division as the person being evaluated. From a standing position, the athlete should perform a tackle movement, lifting their training partner but not throwing them. The athlete should perform the highest number of tackles possible in 20 seconds. The rest interval will be 10 seconds between the first and the second exercise.
2. Second exercise: Straddling a sandbag, heavy bag, or punching dummy on the floor, the athlete should use the straight punch technique, simulating a “ground and pound.” The person being evaluated should perform the highest number of punches possible in 20 seconds. The rest interval will be 20 seconds between the second and the third exercise.
3. Third exercise: Starting in a standing position, the athlete should perform the highest number of straight punches possible on the sandbag or hanging heavy bag in 20 seconds.

Three sequences of the exercises described above should be performed, and between the end of the first sequence and the beginning of the second, the athlete should rest for 10 seconds. Between the end of the second sequence and the beginning of the third, a rest interval of 20 seconds should be given. The data are analyzed in the following manner:

1. Step 1: The number of maneuvers in each exercise in the three sequences is noted, summing the total number of maneuvers in each sequence.
2. Step 2: The sum of the maneuvers in the first sequence is considered the maximum level.
3. Step 3: The number of maneuvers in the second and third sequences are summed and divided by two to obtain the mean.
4. Step 4: The fighter’s index of specific resistance to fatigue (FISRF) is calculated according to the following equation:

Table 3.7 shows an example of the calculation.

The closer the FISRF gets to 1, the greater the athlete’s specific resistance. The athlete may be classified using table 3.8.

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