swampwater

My instructor introduced me to Olympic weightlifting and it's by far the best weight training I've ever done for actual functional strength. It uses all compound movements. I've been doing it for about a month now and I'm really started to notice that my takedowns are much more powerful and I have much more control. I urge all of yall to try it. Powercleans are great for improving your takedowns just make sure you do them right and don't pull anything.

Crashsti

the Olympic lifts are great but they require alot of skill and a safe place to perform them. not everyone has rubber floors or the boxes used to "catch" the weight should you miss a lift. as for improving functional strength? i would say they improve overall strength and power. there are very few MMA moves that duplicate the motions of an Olympic style lift. however if you have access to a safe place to perform Olympic lifts with supervision from a trained instructor then by all means add them to your workouts, just don't get caught up in the idea that they are all you need to do. they serve a purpose but are not a cure all.