Different types of martial arts (hand-to-hand combat, combat sambo, mixed martial arts (MMA), and pankration) require athletes to undergo versatile training that combines striking and wrestling techniques with sequential transitions between the combat phases: stance, grip, and ground. The key strategy in these disciplines is to use combination attacks, which allow a fighter to maintain dominance during the fight. However, the influence of combination attacks on fighters' overall effectiveness, as well as their connection to psychophysiological factors such as simple and complex visual-motor reactions (CVMRs), remains inadequately studied. Purpose. To determine the effectiveness of combination attacks in MMA and their association with fighters' psychophysiological parameters. Materials and methods. As part of this study, a 12-week training program was developed specifically to improve combination attacks. The program included practicing combination attacks, simulating combat situations, and improving cognitive abilities. The study involved 80 fighters aged 18-30 from four MMA disciplines: hand-to-hand combat, combat sambo, MMA, and pankration. Participants were divided into two groups. Group 1 followed their discipline's standard training methods, while Group 2 trained using the newly developed experimental program. The program's effectiveness was evaluated by tracking changes in key indicators such as the frequency and effectiveness of attacks, transition times between combat phases, and both simple and CVMRs measured at rest and under physical load. Results. The experimental group demonstrated significant improvements: attack frequency increased by 18.1%, attack effectiveness by 15.8%, competition results by 38%, and phase transition time decreased by 25%. Combined attacks were 11.1% more effective than single attacks. Psychophysiological parameters also improved significantly, with simple visual-motor reaction at rest increasing by 12.1%, under load by 14.2%, and CVMR at rest by 10.1%, under load by 13.2%. The highest efficiency gains were observed in performing mixed and ground combinations in MMA and pankration. Conclusions. The developed training program has demonstrated its effectiveness in improving fighters' technical and tactical versatility as well as their psychophysiological readiness. The results highlight the importance of combined attacks in achieving outstanding competitive performance.
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