Riz's Martial Arts Training

One of the earliest posts I wrote on this blog was The Triangle Hypothesis, which talked about three facets key to improving as a martial artist or fighter. For those of you who've read it, you may remember that I chose to add 'C' to the 'triangle' that many past instructors of mine had related to me. The C in this case stood for Cardio & Conditioning. The logic behind my decision was that without the right levels of fitness and body conditioning, you would be unable to fully utilise the three corners of the triangle that are Power, Speed, and Technique. This post intends to elaborate that view.

It's not by sheer randomness either - While rolling last night (my first night back! *sigh*), I was caught in a surprise Achilles ankle lock (and took a nasty elbow to the brow) and as a result, walking just doesn't feel right anymore – but instead of depressing you (my ever-emphatic reader) with a post about how my leg hurts or about how my eye looks like I was the loser of the Thriller in Manila; I'm going to write about my clever improvement of my instructors' theory with C (even though I'm pretty sure most of them just assume that C is a given).

"Minds, like bodies, will fall into a pimpled, ill-conditioned state from mere excess of comfort."

- Charles Dickens

It's no secret that the more time you spend on the mats (whether rolling, stand-up sparring or drilling), the faster you will improve. And we always hear how martial arts (especially those considered 'Traditional' styles) are all about Technique being used to overcome Athleticism, so then why have I devoted an entire post to Cardio/Conditioning? The answer in short, is that unless you have vastly superior technique to everyone else – your endurance and conditioning is going to play a factor. 

If you're looking to excel in competition (you old glory hound, you), stamina is clearly needed as you'll have to spar several rounds with relatively little rest in-between. Furthermore, if you like competing in the Absolute division (or equivalent weight-free zone), it's possible that you'll be sparring against bigger, stronger opponents who will sap the stamina out of you! There's little you can do when you're completely drained of energy against a well-trained bigger, stronger opponent so the best option is to train hard before the competition to ensure it doesn't happen.

"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining."

- John F. Kennedy

Non-competitive types need to be wary of the same points. You may not be competing at tournaments but note that the competition format is pretty similar to sparring sessions in training. If you don't have a high level of stamina, you won't be able to train as efficiently – i.e. Half of your 2 hour training session is wasted if you only manage to train hard for 1 hour before gassing. Though some of you may here point out that training isn't about all about 'quantity' but rather 'quality'…and you're right. However, once you begin to fatigue, your technique without a doubt begins to slowly deteriorate and while training at this point is arguably still beneficial (any training is better than none in my opinion), it is less efficient (the exception here is when you intentionally fatigue your body so as to limit your use of strength and to focus on working techniques).

And as an old boxing coach used to tell me: physical fitness improves 'mental toughness'. But is that enough? Sadly, no – as martial artists, our training all too often focuses on 'dishing out' while we spend relatively little time conditioning ourselves for the more unpleasant reverse scenario of being the 'main dish' (also quoting my old boxing coach).

In fact, I'll just explain it to you the way the old man would rant about it to me (minus some explicit wisdom)! It helps to know that Coach A was appalled by modern boxing tactics where boxers 'dance around' and 'play for points', he was a staunch believer that you punch for the knockout ("There's no such thing as a jab" he'd say).

Exercises to toughen the body have been all but forgotten. Competition has led to extensive cardio training so that fighters can last entire fights (most of which are spent running in every direction except towards your opponent). Exercises to toughen the body to withstand the rigours and demands of training and combat have been more or less discarded. Coach A used the example that most boxers have never boxed without heavy gloves and thorough wrapping – how's one expect to condition their hands if they're wrapped up and then further protected by a fat padded glove? Jack Dempsey makes a point of it in his book Championship Fighting: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense, urging the rookie boxer to train with ‘striking gloves’ or by “snipping the fingers of a pair of leather work gloves” so that he can condition his fists. 

Martial arts such as Karate require even more conditioning to deal with tackles and attacks below the waist. Furthermore, developing the ability to withstand the constant (but minor) injuries sustained in training is paramount as it to an extent, dictates the level of confidence you have in the said art – so hit that makiwara until it apologises to you!

The Best Way to Cardio and Conditioning

This is one of those obvious points that's so obvious people don't notice it. The best way to develop the required stamina and conditioning for your martial art is simply to train…a lot! Not only does that ensure that you'll be developing your body in a natural way that complements your art but, you'll be doing it via means that you already love doing (the assumption here is that you enjoy training)! Make sure to train hard and push yourself in all aspects of your art, otherwise you may find your body woefully underprepared later… and please make sure to properly warm-up, stretch, and cool-down. Here's a clip of Goju Ryu 10^th dan Morio Higaonna – he uses a rock to condition his fists… He's a scary man (though apparently a really nice guy too!).

The next best thing…

If you're gym/dojo/basement happens to be closed, you're a little shy about training in the park, and no one is around to play sports with, there are plenty of other options. Main thing – find something challenging that you enjoy. Personally, I hate elliptical and body building machines so I steer clear of them. Instead I prefer to swim (with the occasional bit of underwater karate when the coast is clear!) or go for runs at varying speeds (undisciplined interval training). One of my training partners hates exercise and formal workouts; he instead chooses to dance on days off from the dojo – I've joined him a couple of times… two hours of salsa/hip hop is surprisingly hard work!

Dieting

Though I know plenty of people that are constantly dieting in order to make weight, I'm not really a fan of the process. Personally, I think it’s better in the long run to follow some healthy eating habits and maintain a weight that is natural to your body even if it means that you end up at the bottom of your weight category – after all, why would anyone really want to fight someone much smaller than them (unless the ickle opponent is an absolute badass)?

Recovery Time

Whatever means of cardio and conditioning you choose, make sure to get in ample recovery time. Not only will this help your absorb information/techniques faster but it will allow you to perform at a higher rate with a lower risk of injury. And yes, sometimes you'll just need a week or two out from training – don't worry about losing the short term training as taking time off not only helps you recuperate but, it also allows your body to fully assimilate the training you have done recently (just be sensible about how often you take time off).

*Sigh!*

You may have noticed that I've used more boxing references than I usually do in this post. It's because my head is still going over Amir Khan's defeat of Marco Antonio Barrera from last week. The "Baby-faced Assassin" (Barrera) is one of my favourite boxers and it's sad to see him dominated (though I suppose I must admit, he has been on the decline for some time now). Ah well…c'est la vie! 

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Your progress in the martial arts is generally a result of three things: Training, Instruction, and Natural Attributes. This post is relevant to the ‘Training’ aspect, which in my opinion is the most important of the three. 

Despite what you see in the movies, martial arts are not a solo gig. Solo training certainly plays an important role but sooner or later, you need to work with a partner. The calibre of your partner directly affects your progress and vice versa – it’s actually a pretty big responsibility (as such, this is going to be a bit of a long post!)! It’s also a two-way street; your partner is there to help you, just as you are there to help your partner. And while skill level does play a factor, it is not the most important trait of a good partner. Here’s a rundown of what I believe to be the 5 key aspects of being a good training partner (in no particular order):

Maintain Proper Hygiene

No one likes a stinky training partner (not even if you reek of expensive cologne). The only acceptable smells in a dojo/gym are that of Tiger Balm and the sweat that occurs during the training session (…and that peppermint foot sanitizer stuff too). Be sure to wash your gi/clothes between training sessions (always a good idea to keep more than one gi if you’re training regularly) and make sure you’ve washed your body and checked your breath before you start class. Make sure to clip your nails and remove any piercings/items of jewellery. And finally, the reason I was inspired to write this article…don’t do anything ridiculously unsanitary (such as biting your partner… you know who you are)!

Communication

If you remember only one point from this post, make it this one. Communicating with your partner is essential. Ask whether you’re providing enough resistance or using enough force. Similarly, if someone is going too hard on you or you have an injury – let them know! Communication is about more than just safety (though safety should be your number one concern), partnered training is an opportunity to learn from someone other than your instructor – make the most of it. Ask questions and offer advice (but don’t nag).

Developing a rapport with your partners is generally a good way to go. If you are comfortable with someone then you are more likely to enjoy training with them. Sometimes ‘friendly rivalries’ may develop – these can push you to work harder than you have previously, but don’t fall into the trap of training to beat one person. Use these rivalries as motivation to grow as a martial artist.

Enthusiasm

Don’t be a downer – no one wants to train with someone who looks like they’re not interested in what they’re doing. It is natural that certain aspects of training will be more appealing to you than others but it is important to participate with good spirit in every aspect (yes, even drilling techniques without any resistance is important).

Make sure to train regularly; attend every session you can and be punctual. Not only will this breed familiarity but it also builds discipline, which will help you train more efficiently – that is, if you are disciplined whilst training, your partner will feel compelled to match your level of commitment.

Etiquette & Equipment

Preserve dojo/gym etiquette. Etiquette is not just about imitating Japanese (or wherever else) traditions. At its most basic level, dojo etiquette can be considered part of class structure, for the sake of letting go of your ego and, to keep the class in order.

The man who rows the boat doesn’t have time to rock it. 

~ Anonymous

On a deeper level, dojo etiquette is an outward expression of your awareness in the martial arts. By observing proper etiquette, you are demonstrating understanding of your relationships with other students/teachers and also with the martial nature of your training.

All martial arts carry with them a degree of risk. It is important to maintain the required safety standards of your class. However, make sure you are using the same or similar equipment to the rest of your class:

About six months back, I was at a local throwdown where I was pitted against a local TKD practitioner who was known for his terrible body conditioning. From the beginning of the fight, I used a lot of low leg kicks…but they barely fazed him. In fact, they hurt me! Checking my legs at the end of the fight, my shins had gone a funny shade of blue. I was terribly demoralised that this guy known for being an easy win had absolutely destroyed my legs…until I saw him remove a pair of footballers’ shin pads from under his tracksuit bottoms.

Now while you may be able to get away with that sort of thing in poorly regulated competitions like the one I had entered, it’s not something that’s done whilst training. I.e. if you have knee problems, wear knee supports – but don’t wear them because it makes your Closed Guard harder to pass; If your class trains using Pride mitts, which offer 2 inches of padding, don’t use MMA gloves that offer less. Be safe…but be fair.

When Drilling / Sparring / Rolling

Always use the appropriate amount of force. If you are just drilling with resistance, the appropriate amount of force/resistance is however much it takes to make your partner really work the technique, but not so much that your partner gasses himself/herself out on each rep (this of course doesn’t apply if you are Live Sparring / Rolling). Remember: Drills are to improve technique, not strength.

Do not put power into the form. Let power arise naturally from the form.

 ~ Old Tai Chi Proverb

When Live Sparring / Rolling, you should generally be going at 70-90% - going ‘all-out’ at 100% often leads to bad judgement and injuries as a result. Always maintain some degree of control as to what you (and if you can, your partner) are doing.

If you are sparring against someone weaker than you, your aim should be to elevate their game by using them as an opportunity to work on fundamentals. If you are sparring with someone much better than you, use it as a learning opportunity – they are providing a demonstration of how to put to practice what you’re learning.    

A final point - Selfishness and bullies are easy to spot. Karma’s a b****; if you’re picking on the smaller / less experienced members of your club, sooner or later your seniors will give you a taste of it. If that’s not enough, think of it like this – if you break all available training partners, you’ll not be able to train. If you help them reach your level, you’ll get plenty of practice as well as find stronger challenges within your club.

Do unto others as you wish others to do unto you (…provided you’re not a masochist). 

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I had originally planned to write and post an article regarding Karate and Bunkai (Application) today but given that since last night, all I can think of is De La Hoya’s performance against Pacquiao, I’ll post a little something about boxing instead – not last night’s fight, that’s over (I’m actually a big fan of both boxers, but De La Hoya really failed to impress last night).

This is a review of Jack Dempsey’s ‘Championship Fighting: Explosive Punching & Aggressive Defence’. Jack “The Manassa Mauler” Dempsey is a boxing legend, known for his aggressive forward-moving style (similar to that of Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson –Tyson is known to have modelled himself after Dempsey, including shaving the sides of his head for fights) and one of my favourite all-time boxers; he was World Heavyweight Champion from 1919 to 1926.

The book, which as far as I know, is now out of print but is a great resource for any boxer (or fighter in general) looking to power up their punches. The information presented was written in mind for both ring boxing and bare knuckle fighting. This was a conscious decision by Dempsey who feels that trainers are forgetting that boxing at it's very core is about self defence - he asserts that too many young boxers are taught solely technical boxing whilst ignoring the importance of packing a powerful punch! 

Another famous icon to draw on Dempsey’s knowledge was the legendary Bruce Lee – some study of both their books shows you the clear influence that Dempsey’s ‘vertical punch’ and ‘falling step’ had on Lee; furthermore, Lee’s counterpunching techniques used in the Jeet Kune Do system are heavily modelled after those that Dempsey describes in this book.

Aside from punching skills, the book goes over training, conditioning, defence, sparring and the proper way to watch a boxing match.  It’s well-written and easy to read, providing some insights to Dempsey’s own thoughts regarding boxing.

The book can be quite difficult to get a hold of but the information presented in it is actually quite cutting edge (especially since it was published in 1950!)...except for the illustrations, the illustrations are charmingly 1950.

Here is a list of the book’s chapters:

I’ve read that there is a pdf version of the book floating around the internet – so if you feel so inclined, give it a quick Google. It really is worth it.  

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