Fitness

[MJS]

Just thought I'd toss this out for discussion. How important do you feel fitness is in the martial arts? How important is it in your own personal life?

 

[MJS]

IMO, I think that fitness is very important. Martial arts wise, I think overall that you'll not only feel better, but you'll also perform better. Being able to execute the basics, the techs, sparring, you name it. With my current training, I honestly couldn't imagine myself being out of shape. LOL. Its one of those slaps in the face, when you think that you've been in shape, yet you step into something new, and you realize just the opposite..lol.

Outside of classes....yes, I find myself being more aware of what I'm eating. Sure, I'll cheat from time to time...who doesn't. But overall, I find myself eating healthier and making sure that I'm doing something daily, fitness wise.

Its amazing how slight changes in your habits, can make a huge difference.

 

[KempoGuy06]

I totally agree!!

I started to notice how hard my SKK classes where getting and how i kept injuring myself. I blamed it on old injuries or the weather or any other excuse i could find.

The truth of the matter was that i had stopped taking care of myself. I was still trying to rely on the metabolism that i had at 18. You can not do that when you are creeping closer to 30.

I decided to take a good long look at myself in the mirror (it broke) and change my lifestyle. I am now more conscious about my calorie intke, the supplements i take and when and how i workout.

after roughly 2 months of 'serious' fitness and dieting changes im down almost 15lbs and feel like i did when i was 18, i know it will only get better from there

B

 

[chrispillertkd]

I think fitness is important to martial arts training, but, honestly, it isn't the most important thing. If you're in a fight that lasts long enough for your stamina to be a deciding factor, for instance, you need to invest in a hand gun.

That being said, stamina should improve over time given normal, regular, class attendance. Strength, too, should develop due to training exercises. Many style of karate focus on hojo undo. Taekwon-Do emphasizes various dallyon exercises, including not just forging of attacking and blocking tools but also general strength building exercises.

Training on a regular basis, coupled with healthy eating should result in a higher level of fitness than what the average person has. I've recently lost 20 pounds simply by improving my diet and drinking more water during the course of the day. Besides the obvious results, I can jump higher, move faster, etc. The relationship between martial arts and fitness, in that sense, seems to be a two way one. Martial arts training can improve your fitness, but an improvement in fitness can also help your martial arts training (whcih is why so many people run, skip rope, etc.).

Pax,

Chris

 

[lklawson]

Fitness is more important for "training" than it is for "fighting."

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[ATC]

I think fitness is important to martial arts training, but, honestly, it isn't the most important thing. If you're in a fight that lasts long enough for your stamina to be a deciding factor, for instance, you need to invest in a hand gun.

That being said, stamina should improve over time given normal, regular, class attendance. Strength, too, should develop due to training exercises. Many style of karate focus on hojo undo. Taekwon-Do emphasizes various dallyon exercises, including not just forging of attacking and blocking tools but also general strength building exercises.

Training on a regular basis, coupled with healthy eating should result in a higher level of fitness than what the average person has. I've recently lost 20 pounds simply by improving my diet and drinking more water during the course of the day. Besides the obvious results, I can jump higher, move faster, etc. The relationship between martial arts and fitness, in that sense, seems to be a two way one. Martial arts training can improve your fitness, but an improvement in fitness can also help your martial arts training (whcih is why so many people run, skip rope, etc.).

Pax,

Chris

Then fittness is important. It is just built into the MA training. Weather you do it seperate or togeather does not matter. You need fittness. You can have all the techique in the world, but if not fit it won't matter. You will get grabbed, or hit, or both, and you need to be fit to withstand that and to give back. have a non fit person hit a fit person and watch nothing happen. Have the reverse happen and watch the non fit person crumble. Have a non fit person move around for 30 seconds and watch them bend over in agony. A fit person will hardly break a sweat. Heck I have seen non fit people get winded in 10 to 15 seconds. Simply put you need fittness.

 

[rframe]

The importance of fitness largely depends upon the end goal of the practitioner. One who studies purely self-defense is looking at short quick techniques and neither strength nor endurance are really all that important.

For point fighting, speed, endurance, and light footwork are important.

For knock-down sport fighting, endurance, speed, strength, and toughness all become very important.

That said "fitness" generically is only going to improve anybody's game, obviously.

 

[oftheherd1]

I am wondering how people define fitness. I always thought fitness and its improvement was part and parcel of MA.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I would like to make a distinction between those who have learned (and to a greater extent, mastered) their arts prior to losing certain physical abilities, be it endurance, balance, flexibility, speed, or strength and those who do not possess those attributes to a large extend during their training.

In other words, a master can most likely work around their limitations and still be very effective. A student is going to find the road to mastery much harder and considerably more of a hindrance.

Fitness is very important to not only martial arts, but to life, health, and enjoyment of same.

That being said, I am unfit at the moment. I was nearly to the point of fitness last year, but I let it slip away and the pounds as well as the slowness, lack of flexibility, and huffing and puffing came back. Now I am redoubling my efforts to get rid of the weight and get my cardio back where it should be. I won't ever be a lightweight, nor will I run a marathon. But I can do much better than this.

 

[Gemini]

I think fitness is important, but not as important as being able to execute the techniques of your art. We spend class time working on technique. I expect students to maintain their fitness on their time, just as I do. That said, I hold fitness very high on my personal priority list. I think it has more to do with my ever growing awareness that I'm not getting any younger.

 

[MLA9741]

I try to exercise every day of the week with 1 day off. I've been dealt a slow metabolism so I pack on weight really quick; the only way to fix it is to exercise and eat properly. In my training, I find that the more fit I am, the better I perform and the more confident I feel. Ultimately, I am not interested in appealing to people based on appearance, I try to stay (or get) healthy for me and my health. Strength, endurance, speed, flexibility and technique are the most important focuses of my workouts.

 

[MLA9741]

I would like to make a distinction between those who have learned (and to a greater extent, mastered) their arts prior to losing certain physical abilities, be it endurance, balance, flexibility, speed, or strength and those who do not possess those attributes to a large extend during their training.

In other words, a master can most likely work around their limitations and still be very effective. A student is going to find the road to mastery much harder and considerably more of a hindrance.

Fitness is very important to not only martial arts, but to life, health, and enjoyment of same.

That being said, I am unfit at the moment. I was nearly to the point of fitness last year, but I let it slip away and the pounds as well as the slowness, lack of flexibility, and huffing and puffing came back. Now I am redoubling my efforts to get rid of the weight and get my cardio back where it should be. I won't ever be a lightweight, nor will I run a marathon. But I can do much better than this.

This is me. I was never a small guy, never will be. My current goal is to shed the excess fat before summer to get a nice look

 

[chrispillertkd]

Then fittness is important.

Uh, yes I know. That's why I said it was important. The OP asked if we thought it was important to both MA training and to us personally. I answered yes to both.

Pax,

Chris

 

[rframe]

I am curious how many people have conditioning as part of their normal MA classes?

We always have some, and some days we have a lot, considering conditioning an essential ingredient to our MA and train together with that in mind. But, I know some arts consider class time as reserved for technique and you can sweat on your own time if you want. One thing I notice ( and I try not to be judgmental but it's noticeable ) is that those who are most out of shape usually have an excuse (some "injury") for skipping or modifying part/all of the conditioning parts of our program... I cannot help but think "you're not going to get healthier by skipping the hard stuff".

 

[Bill Mattocks]

This is me. I was never a small guy, never will be. My current goal is to shed the excess fat before summer to get a nice look

In my case, I want to be able to train harder in the dojo, and I want to be able to get my cardio level up to where I can spar for two minutes in tournament without losing my wind. I know I can do better if I can go all out for the whole 2 minutes (have to repeat that if I win, of course). If I lose more weight, I should also be more flexible, which should help with my kicks being higher. If I lose more weight, my speed of my kicks should increase, since I'll be able to move less weight faster. So that's the deal for me. I'm too old to care what I look like; I just want to be able to kick major booty for a longer period of time.

 

[jasonbrinn]

I think it really depends on what you define or expect from any specific Martial Art.
Martial Arts don't have to be specifically concerned primarily with self defense although traditionally they have been expected to be and tend to to have that as the overall goal.
Self Defense does not require fitness.
Martial Arts do no require fitness specifically.

I personally feel that fitness is the MOST important aspect needed for self defense after a "survivor mentality" and I predominantly train martial arts for self defense.

Fitness is for me essential, if not critical, to my martial arts and my life.

Bruce Lee was obviously BIG on this as well.

 

[K-man]

Just thought I'd toss this out for discussion. How important do you feel fitness is in the martial arts? How important is it in your own personal life?

Fitness for me, as I get older, is a big part of my life. I do an hour of circuit type exercise every day. That works in well with my MA training. Unless you are competing in tournaments, fitness is desirable but not essential to train MAs. There will be a certain level of fitness developed by normal training that should develop core strength. For example, I only have to perform a couple of kata and I start to perspire. Add a couple of times through Sanchin and your starting to get a reasonable workout anyway.

I am curious how many people have conditioning as part of their normal MA classes?

We always have some, and some days we have a lot, considering conditioning an essential ingredient to our MA and train together with that in mind. But, I know some arts consider class time as reserved for technique and you can sweat on your own time if you want. One thing I notice ( and I try not to be judgmental but it's noticeable ) is that those who are most out of shape usually have an excuse (some "injury") for skipping or modifying part/all of the conditioning parts of our program... I cannot help but think "you're not going to get healthier by skipping the hard stuff".

Conditioning is more important to me, in class, than fitness. The ability to stand your ground and absorb a bit of punishment until you can do what you have to do is essential. Nice if you can get out of the way but sometimes that is just not possible. :asian:

 

[chinto]

Fitness is more important for "training" than it is for "fighting."

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

yes I agree, mainly because a real fight is over in seconds not minutes. In less then 20 seconds almost all real fights are going to be over with some one badly injured or dead.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Fitness has always been very important to me, even before I started martial arts. I find my martial arts training is so much more enjoyable when Im cardio fit. For me personally, martial arts and fitness go hand in hand.

 

[MLA9741]

In my case, I want to be able to train harder in the dojo, and I want to be able to get my cardio level up to where I can spar for two minutes in tournament without losing my wind. I know I can do better if I can go all out for the whole 2 minutes (have to repeat that if I win, of course). If I lose more weight, I should also be more flexible, which should help with my kicks being higher. If I lose more weight, my speed of my kicks should increase, since I'll be able to move less weight faster. So that's the deal for me. I'm too old to care what I look like; I just want to be able to kick major booty for a longer period of time.

This. Gotta get in optimal shape for an upcoming tourny (my 1st) and I want to be able to do well.