Group Water Breaks or Grab Some as Needed

[Cirdan]

We do group breaks, frequent very short ones during the class. Bringing your own bottle is a must. Drinking outside these breaks is a big no-no, just like leaving the floor without asking the instructor`s permission. If you think it is time for a quick drink, ask.

Why would anyone think less of a person with brains enough to hydrate him/herself? Heck, I would be more worried about somone who does not.

 

[Miles]

I give a group water break about 1/2 through a regular class (which is about an hr long). It usually signals a change in what we are doing as we progress from a line drill to poomsae or hoshinsul for instance.

If we are doing a particularly strenuous class, like sparring w/full geat & hogu, I tell folks to get water more often.

We train on the second floor of a warehouse. We don't have air-conditioning and it can get pretty hot and humid up there. Wouldn't have it any other way!

 

[Tez3]

We allow people to drink when they need one, we encourage them to drink a lot of water,this follows military medical instructions. These were reinforced recently when a group of soldiers went running and one of them, instead of sipping water as he went didn't take any water on board until he had finished the long run. At the end he gulped down a lot of water, his kidneys couldn't take it and he collapsed and died.
We train hard for over two hours, it's unsafe to not take liquids on for that amont of time then drink a lot to make up for it.

If the Paras can train, exercise etc taking on water as they go it should be good enough for anyone! No one should scoff at training properly which includes taking on fluids.

 

[MBuzzy]

These days the military is very conscious of dehydration. They had a lot of casualties from it before they decided to take it seriously.

Hydration is actually MANDATORY in the military. Drill Instructors can get in big trouble for refusing someone a drink. Heck, deployed, we give you 1L bottles of water for free, in every facility, like tissues. Its EVERYWHERE....



I thought that we'd grown past "this is how we did it when I was younger, so it is ok for you." That is asinine.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Hydration is actually MANDATORY in the military. Drill Instructors can get in big trouble for refusing someone a drink. Heck, deployed, we give you 1L bottles of water for free, in every facility, like tissues. Its EVERYWHERE....



I thought that we'd grown past "this is how we did it when I was younger, so it is ok for you." That is asinine.

I believe the younger generations have moved past this but all old people (particularly 80 years of age or older) start most sentences with "back when I was younger.....................". Also, there is a difference between military 'training' where water is readily available and an actual war where you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with little rations in the heat surrounded by the enemy. I dare say in those situations the soldiers are not just running off to the water coolers every 5 minutes. Also, I dont believe letting people run off to get a drink is teaching them about hydration. When I trained at a club with regular drink breaks the students put no effort whatsoever into preparing for a martial arts class, they would just roll up dehydrated, start the class and just get a drink every now and then. Where I train now there are no drink breaks so the students have learnt the importance of hydration as a form of 'preparing' for exercise, they have become pro active rather than re active. On the days I do tkd I start hydrating myself from the minute I get out of bed right up to the minutes before class starts. Its only an hour, its not like we are running an olympic marathon.

 

[Archangel M]

What the old timers DON"T tell you is that "during the war" they would have given their right testicle for a canteen full of water...

 

[Tez3]

I believe the younger generations have moved past this but all old people (particularly 80 years of age or older) start most sentences with "back when I was younger.....................". Also, there is a difference between military 'training' where water is readily available and an actual war where you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with little rations in the heat surrounded by the enemy. I dare say in those situations the soldiers are not just running off to the water coolers every 5 minutes. Also, I dont believe letting people run off to get a drink is teaching them about hydration. When I trained at a club with regular drink breaks the students put no effort whatsoever into preparing for a martial arts class, they would just roll up dehydrated, start the class and just get a drink every now and then. Where I train now there are no drink breaks so the students have learnt the importance of hydration as a form of 'preparing' for exercise, they have become pro active rather than re active. On the days I do tkd I start hydrating myself from the minute I get out of bed right up to the minutes before class starts. Its only an hour, its not like we are running an olympic marathon.

Water coolers? who the hell has them, our soldiers carry their water and they are quite capable of carrying a lot, have a look at the Camelbak.

Judging everyone by one class you were in is harsh, I've found that people training have put a great deal of commitment into it and don't run off every five minutes for a drink to avoid hard work, it's because they work hard they need constant hydration.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Water coolers? who the hell has them, our soldiers carry their water and they are quite capable of carrying a lot, have a look at the Camelbak.

Judging everyone by one class you were in is harsh, I've found that people training have put a great deal of commitment into it and don't run off every five minutes for a drink to avoid hard work, it's because they work hard they need constant hydration.

you may be right, Im certainly no expert on the subject, but I would have thought that someone who is properly hydrated is capable of an hour's exercise without a drink, I could be wrong though. I have a mate who is a nutritionist, I'll ask.

 

[Tez3]

you may be right, Im certainly no expert on the subject, but I would have thought that someone who is properly hydrated is capable of an hour's exercise without a drink, I could be wrong though. I have a mate who is a nutritionist, I'll ask.

You may only do an hour, a lot of us do at least two, some nights we do four hours plus we do a lot of 'gym' work for fitness. Only the kids do an hour and they have a break for a drink after the warm up.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

You may only do an hour, a lot of us do at least two, some nights we do four hours plus we do a lot of 'gym' work for fitness. Only the kids do an hour and they have a break for a drink after the warm up.

In that case I agree completely. Most clubs I know only train for an hour so I was basing everything on that. We warm up for 20 minutes (and we can drink) then class starts and goes for an hour (we dont drink). Training camps we go longer, but regular week to week classes are 1 hour.

 

[MBuzzy]

I believe the younger generations have moved past this but all old people (particularly 80 years of age or older) start most sentences with "back when I was younger.....................". Also, there is a difference between military 'training' where water is readily available and an actual war where you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with little rations in the heat surrounded by the enemy. I dare say in those situations the soldiers are not just running off to the water coolers every 5 minutes. Also, I dont believe letting people run off to get a drink is teaching them about hydration. When I trained at a club with regular drink breaks the students put no effort whatsoever into preparing for a martial arts class, they would just roll up dehydrated, start the class and just get a drink every now and then. Where I train now there are no drink breaks so the students have learnt the importance of hydration as a form of 'preparing' for exercise, they have become pro active rather than re active. On the days I do tkd I start hydrating myself from the minute I get out of bed right up to the minutes before class starts. Its only an hour, its not like we are running an olympic marathon.

Personally, I carry a camelbak and at least two canteens anytime I'm outside the wire. Most do and some carry more. Long convoys, we always took a few frozen bottles of water too. In the desert, if you don't hydrate, you die.

The point that is important is that everyone is different. People are at different levels of fitness, their bodies use water at different rates. Personally, I sweat gallons when I work out. Granted, I can run a 10k without water, but I'm miserable by the end and AT the end, I guzzle water. And I can tell you that if I do stop to drink or use the electrolyte gels, my time is better by minutes. I know people that can run longer than that without even thinking about water. On a run of that length, pre-hydration doesn't matter much, because you use it up.

Plus, drinking a boatload of water beforehand doesn't necessarily ensure that you're hydrated.

Finally, if someone DOESN'T prepare properly, what training value is there in punishing them, by not allowing them to drink during class? Make them suffer, they get less out of the workout, they are less focused, and perform worse. All because you want to teach them a lesson? Isn't the lesson supposed to be martial arts?

 

[ralphmcpherson]

we will have to agree to disagree on this one. I agree that the lesson is supposed to be martial arts, and like all physical activity part of the learning process is learning how to prepare for a workout and if someone wants to come along unprepared then they will learn the benefits of hydrating prior to exercise, as I said earlier become pro active rather than re active. Its no different than someone who comes to class hung over after a big night, they very quickly learn that that is not the correct preparation for exercise. Coming to class without hydrating first is the same in my eyes. All of this though is based on a one hour class, for longer stints of exercise then water breaks should be compulsory. To be honest I dont think its that big of a deal, the club I train at has been around for 40 years, has 4000 members and we have trained this way since its inception (not that I was around when it started) and we have never had anyone pass out or get sick from lack of hydration so I dont think its anything to worry about. The other thing is, Im yet to hear anyone complain about it.

 

[Steven Craig]

I have found that in dojangs where there are more children the drink breaks can really cut into the time and can be used as an excuse to waste time by less enthusiastic members. Where I train the climate is not extraordinarily hot at any time of the year. I train in a club where the instructor keeps everyone on the go the full time we train and there does not seem to be time for a water break, however; in saying that we only train for one hour. My son (eight years old) at his class, at the end of the hour always goes straight for the water bottle, but I have not heard him complain once during class, nor after about feeling desperate for a drink. I know that there are different instructors who have different opinions in the club on if there should be a drink break and ‘back in the day’ they were not encouraged by the GM. As an adult I think I should be responsible enough to hydrate myself before and after training. As a parent, it is my responsibility to do the same for my son.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

I have found that in dojangs where there are more children the drink breaks can really cut into the time and can be used as an excuse to waste time by less enthusiastic members. Where I train the climate is not extraordinarily hot at any time of the year. I train in a club where the instructor keeps everyone on the go the full time we train and there does not seem to be time for a water break, however; in saying that we only train for one hour. My son (eight years old) at his class, at the end of the hour always goes straight for the water bottle, but I have not heard him complain once during class, nor after about feeling desperate for a drink. I know that there are different instructors who have different opinions in the club on if there should be a drink break and ‘back in the day’ they were not encouraged by the GM. As an adult I think I should be responsible enough to hydrate myself before and after training. As a parent, it is my responsibility to do the same for my son.

My point exactly.

 

[Tez3]

Talkng about children's training and adults is two different things. I've never been, in nearly 20 years of training, in an adults class that only lasted an hour. Whatever I've trained in, Wado, TSD or TKD and MMA has always lasted much longer, I've never been in a one hour lesson.
One hour and children's lessons aren't very long so I doubt you need drinks on tap, but for more serious training you definitely need to be able to drink when you want.

 

[Steven Craig]

Talkng about children's training and adults is two different things. I've never been, in nearly 20 years of training, in an adults class that only lasted an hour. Whatever I've trained in, Wado, TSD or TKD and MMA has always lasted much longer, I've never been in a one hour lesson.
One hour and children's lessons aren't very long so I doubt you need drinks on tap, but for more serious training you definitely need to be able to drink when you want.

It does not seem to me that anyone is disagreeing with that point. Those who say ‘must endure’ are talking about for a limited amount of training of an hour or less that you yourself have said “I doubt you need drinks on tap” for.

 

[Tez3]

It does not seem to me that anyone is disagreeing with that point. Those who say ‘must endure’ are talking about for a limited amount of training of an hour or less that you yourself have said “I doubt you need drinks on tap” for.

Actually, I think that 'must endure' attitude is out dated however long you train for, not least because it comes with other things you 'must endure' but the time spent training wasn't mentioned at first and many of us I think assumed that as normal training for adults is 2-3 hours this was indeed harsh.

 

[Steven Craig]

Actually, I think that 'must endure' attitude is out dated however long you train for, not least because it comes with other things you 'must endure' but the time spent training wasn't mentioned at first and many of us I think assumed that as normal training for adults is 2-3 hours this was indeed harsh.

No time was not mentioned at the beginning, but time was mentioned before your last post. I think it is fantastic that you have the opportunity to train for two to three hours straight. I once had an instructor that taught at two different venues a half hour apart and I was able to train at both on the same night, but that was the exception to the rule and was not expected of any of his students. There is no clubs in TKD that train for that long in one sitting in the city I live in that I am aware of. I am from Australia, perhaps we do things a little differently over here, but most (all the ones I looked at when choosing a club to train at in my area) of the main stream ones seem to offer one hour as the standard class time.

 

[Tez3]

No time was not mentioned at the beginning, but time was mentioned before your last post. I think it is fantastic that you have the opportunity to train for two to three hours straight. I once had an instructor that taught at two different venues a half hour apart and I was able to train at both on the same night, but that was the exception to the rule and was not expected of any of his students. There is no clubs in TKD that train for that long in one sitting in the city I live in that I am aware of. I am from Australia, perhaps we do things a little differently over here, but most (all the ones I looked at when choosing a club to train at in my area) of the main stream ones seem to offer one hour as the standard class time.

It's a shame if you can only train for an hour at a time, you are just getting into your stride as it were especially if you have spent time on a warm up first too. It doesn't give you very long to train.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

we generally are expected to warm ourselves up before a class. When the class officially starts we would spend no more than 5 minutes doing a class warm up (the exception to this is if we are doing a class based on stretching and flexibility, in which case it will be longer). That still leaves time for 20 minutes non stop sparring, 20 minutes of form (which at roughly 1 minute per form means I can run through about 20 forms) and then 20 minutes of self defence, usually working on one defence against a set attack. That is not every lesson, but an example of what a class may involve. Doing that 2-3 times a week is heaps if martial arts is a 'hobby'. For me, I would love to train for 2-3 hours but realistically I have a life, I have a business to run, 2 young children, a wife and other hobbies I persue.