dancingalone
Grandmaster
What say you? I think allowing individuals to leave the floor for a water break is less disruptive.
Group Water Breaks or Grab Some as Needed
- Thread starter dancingalone
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Earl Weiss
Senior Master
Our classes for kids are an hour and adults an hour and a half. 15 minutes is spent on warmups. The facility is air conditioned.
Absent unususal conditions or circumstances I think the students should be able to go the entire class without a break.
granfire
Sr. Grandmaster
Well, we try to teach folks to drink when needed, once you feel thirsty it's already high time.
But for the sake of continuum have the group water break 'who needs some, grab some' so you can structure the class better.
Usually with the kids class, being only 45 minutes that is less of an option, then again in Alabama it gets really hot, you need your water...there are many oportunities when they are send to grab something from their bags when they can get a quick sip from their water bottles.
With the adults it's usually a bit more relaxed.
But for the sake of continuum have the group water break 'who needs some, grab some' so you can structure the class better.
Usually with the kids class, being only 45 minutes that is less of an option, then again in Alabama it gets really hot, you need your water...there are many oportunities when they are send to grab something from their bags when they can get a quick sip from their water bottles.
With the adults it's usually a bit more relaxed.
Having been brought up in classes where I almost passed out from dehydration, I am a big believer in need a drink - get a drink. I had classes in the old days which were 2 or more hours and we got so some of us did informal weigh ins before and after class. I had classes where i lost 5 pounds of water weight. It is hot here too. If they need it, slip off and get one. There are those who seem to abuse the privilege, but after my own experiences, I would rather be safe than sorry. I do agree the group drink takes too long and is too disruptive to getting back into the swing.
ATC
Senior Master
5 pounds of water loss due to a good hard workout is normal. You should expect to lose that much water weight every workout. With that said we take scheduled water breaks as a group. However if you are at the point of passing out then excuse yourself and take a small break and sip some water. If you have to throw-up then also excuse yourself and do so. Then get back on the mat and finish up.
Too many people have poor habits and come to class not ready for a workout. They don't eat all day or don't drink enough water before hand. Anyone that chooses not to eat at all for the day or drink water a few hours before hand will learn hard lessons. I have seen many pass out for just those reason.
Too many people have poor habits and come to class not ready for a workout. They don't eat all day or don't drink enough water before hand. Anyone that chooses not to eat at all for the day or drink water a few hours before hand will learn hard lessons. I have seen many pass out for just those reason.
StudentCarl
3rd Black Belt
What we do aligns with ATC.
goingd
Purple Belt
My white belt class is primarily young kids, and we are in the valley of southern california in a room that is mostly windows, so it can get pretty hot. So, on especially hot days I might tell them about half way through that they have one minute to get a drink of water or catch their breath; if they're not back in one minute they owe me push ups. The color belt class has older, more patient students, so they can wait.
Bottom line to me - ALLOW YOUR STUDENTS TO DRINK. In my opinion, it is a pretty outdated and dangerous practice to expect all students to go an entire workout with no water. Different people have different requirements to sustain themselves. There was a time when you were expected to go without drinking. But you can't TRAIN yourself out of the need for water. My teacher in Korea did this and we DID have someone pass out and hurt themselves from lack of water. My school back in the states ALSO didn't allow water and I had a hard time some workouts, prepared or not. If it is a hard workout, your body needs hydration.
As to the individual or group - I think that scheduled group breaks are better to ensure no one abuses it....adults are no problem, they could go individually...but kids generally can't be trusted to only go when necessary and only stay as long as they need.
As to the individual or group - I think that scheduled group breaks are better to ensure no one abuses it....adults are no problem, they could go individually...but kids generally can't be trusted to only go when necessary and only stay as long as they need.
tellner
Senior Master
My Junior High wrestling career ended the day it began. We were supposed to run in sweats with plastic jackets and pants in the 100+ degree Eastern Washington . And we were told "Don't drink water. It just adds weight," after those runs.
My father, a physician, pulled me out of the program the next morning with some very sharp words for the wrestling coach. Pity the coach didn't listen. They had a kid die of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance a few years later.
My father, a physician, pulled me out of the program the next morning with some very sharp words for the wrestling coach. Pity the coach didn't listen. They had a kid die of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance a few years later.
ATC
Senior Master
What was the reason for running like that? Did the entire team need to cut weight? That just seems plain stupid to do. I can see running but to run in a sweat bag when you don't have to or just because the coach wants you to make no sense at all. Then to tell you not to drink water on top of that. What was the point?
Sounds like that coach thinks that there is some secret gains to be made from lack of water and training. Like the body is going to harden up and your cardio will increase somehow.
We're adults, if you need to leave to get a drink, leave. If you need a break, go sit. If you need to pee, go. Sensei is not your mother. Just do not disrupt the class!!
These are the rules we apply to ourselves during all our classes. During our three hour class, we will take a formal break halfway through for 5-10 minutes. Again the above rules apply to our three hour class as well.
These are the rules we apply to ourselves during all our classes. During our three hour class, we will take a formal break halfway through for 5-10 minutes. Again the above rules apply to our three hour class as well.
During an hour long session we break for 1 minute for water at the 20 and 40 minute mark.
Some of the younger students aren't up on the fact that they should rehydrate constantly rather than drink a bottle of water at the end of a class. We encourage everyone to step off the mat and take a quick water break.
Research has shown that an athlete who is as little as 2% dehydrated can lose 10% of their performance.
Some of the younger students aren't up on the fact that they should rehydrate constantly rather than drink a bottle of water at the end of a class. We encourage everyone to step off the mat and take a quick water break.
Research has shown that an athlete who is as little as 2% dehydrated can lose 10% of their performance.
ralphmcpherson
Senior Master
Our GM is very strict on this. Absolutely no water during class, he will say "must endure, must endure". It is up to us to hydrate before class. As ex-military our GM laughs at the fact that some people cant go 1 hour without water, when back in the day he would fight all day with little to no water during the war. He is very old fashioned when it comes to things like this.
Your GM sounds like a real ***, if you ask me.
So tell us, does he beat you with an escrima stick too, when you screw up, much like his master probably did to him?
tellner
Senior Master
These days the military is very conscious of dehydration. They had a lot of casualties from it before they decided to take it seriously.
ralphmcpherson
Senior Master
Im not saying I agree with it, its just the way it has been at our club for 40 years and the instructors who trained under our GM have kept it going. I think implying he is a "real ***" when you've never met the guy is a bit harsh and after seeing clubs where the kids run off for a drink break every 15 minutes just as an excuse to have a break, I think he has a point. I run 10klm easily without a drink (I hydrate in the hours leading up) and so I cant see why people struggle to go an hours training without a drink unless they dont prepare properly before class.
Bruno@MT
Senior Master
Huge +1
I learned early on that it's better to drink regularly during the day, than several glasses an hour before class.
Also, you should do endurance training outside of MA class so that lasting through the class does not become a goal. It should be a given. An additional bonus is you'll lose fat, which makes it easier to endure since you'll have to drag along less weight, and the cardio exercise will make it easier to sustain elevated heart rate without getting winded or tired.
I don't take water breaks. Most people in our dojo don't. But some do occasionally and I don't think less of them for doing so. It also depends on the person itself. Someone who has been training only for a month or 2 will have much more problems with dehydration than someone who has been training for a long time. Having them pass out or throw up is not really useful to anybody.
Bruno@MT
Senior Master
When I played badminton (I think I was 16 or so), our coach was a little Indonesian guy. At one time I had 2 practice sessions in a row and afterward I said I was tired. My coach said that as a kid / teen he was imprisoned in a Japanese concentration camp during WW2. He said that at one time, they were forced to march from camp to camp in the tropical heat, with practically no food or water, and that they were whipped if they lagged. That was a full 2 day march. He told me that when they arrived, that was his new baseline for tired, and I didn't have a clue what 'tired' really meant.
Now I have to say he told this story in a friendly enough manner. I mean it was not like he was preaching at me. It was more like someone sharing a story with someone who doesn't have a clue. And I have to say that it put things in perspective for me. Ever since then, I try not to complain about discomfort because I understand that whatever discomfort I am experiencing is nothing compared to what others did and do.
