How important in Conditioning to you

[Finlay]

Had a conversation with a friend of mine the other day and he was blowing up on the importance on conditioning.

TBH i am in 2 minds about how important it is.

on one hand you can say that it you are sparring'drilling/rolling enough then you don't need extra conditioning. some people say that you get all your work from being active.

I guess to some level thats true, but there is a limit to how much the body can take of that sort of punishment. Having other sorts of conditioning can be beneficial to give you a break from contact.

Also rolling etc isn't constant conditioning, if you are skilled enough or if there is a big enough skill gap between you are your partner then they amount of conditioning you'll get is limited.

Does this only apply to high level competitors though?

also, if we focus a lot on conditioning is there a danger of changing what you do in to crossfit with punches and kicks?

 

[Dirty Dog]

If you're talking competition, conditioning is of paramount importance.
If you're talking fighting, it's less so. Most real fights last seconds.

 

[MA_Student]

If you can't breathe you can't fight. Conditioning is everything when it comes to fighting either street or in the ring. Look at Conor mcgregor he's skilled but when he got tired he became a human punchbag.

In the street yes you want to finish quick but what if your opponent is skilled and it goes on longer plus that with all the adrenaline you'll get tired quick so yeah in my mind you need conditioning

 

[FighterTwister]

If you can't breathe you can't fight. Conditioning is everything when it comes to fighting either street or in the ring. Look at Conor mcgregor he's skilled but when he got tired he became a human punchbag.

In the street yes you want to finish quick but what if your opponent is skilled and it goes on longer plus that with all the adrenaline you'll get tired quick so yeah in my mind you need conditioning

Agreed!

HARD WORK!

Fitness / Stretching / Conditioning / Strengthening ...etc........

Is the Martial Art way if you really won't to be a "Martial Artist" so let this be an encouragement to us all.......

AGE IS NO LIMIT ......... we just got more experience!

 

[Finlay]

Great replies

so how much conditioning work do you beyond sparring/rolling?

 

[FighterTwister]

Great replies

so how much conditioning work do you beyond sparring/rolling?

Well you got to either speak with a Fitness Instructor to develop a personal plan for you if your not sure because you don't want to hurt yourself. Or research the internet and make a "Fitness Development Plan" for your self that fits your lifestyle and schedule.


Here are some examples...........

There are heaps of "Personal Fitness GYM Workout Development Plans" templates and samples online just spend time digging around or visit your local gym they might be kind enough to share some stuff to help you.


Here are some examples:-

More here:- gym workout plan template - Google Search

There are heaps of PDF's available online also:- gym workout personal development plan pdfs - Google Search


In my opinion its best to do this in the morning before breakfast, work or school and drink only water to avoid dehydration.

You got to develop a plan that suits you and your lifestyle and body allowing at least six hours for your body to heal and recover each day before intense workouts.

There are different workouts you can do so you need to research and create a plan that best fits what you want to achieve in the time frame and goals you set to achieve.

If you can train at home in your own gym that helps cut the travel time which can be a burden so a small hope gym with the basic equipment will suffice depending on time and cost you can afford.

I hope that helps!

 

[JR 137]

True fighting doesn't require much cardiovascular conditioning. Most real fights are over very, very quickly. I don't think any real fights go on for 36 minutes (not including 11 minutes of rest time) like a pro boxing fight does. No conditioning is really necessary if true fighting effectiveness is your goal.

Conditioning is absolutely necessary for competition. And better conditioning is absolutely necessary for more effective training. The better condition you're in, the longer you can train at a higher intensity without fatigue setting in.

The better shape you're in, the healthier you are in a lot of ways (but not all ways). There's no good reason to not try to get in better shape. But to solely make you a better fighter (not competitor) isn't really one of them.

All IMO.

 

[FighterTwister]

True fighting doesn't require much cardiovascular conditioning. Most real fights are over very, very quickly. I don't think any real fights go on for 36 minutes (not including 11 minutes of rest time) like a pro boxing fight does. No conditioning is really necessary if true fighting effectiveness is your goal.

Conditioning is absolutely necessary for competition. And better conditioning is absolutely necessary for more effective training. The better condition you're in, the longer you can train at a higher intensity without fatigue setting in.

The better shape you're in, the healthier you are in a lot of ways (but not all ways). There's no good reason to not try to get in better shape. But to solely make you a better fighter (not competitor) isn't really one of them.

All IMO.

Thats not a truism!

So I can't agree a martial artist should always be at the best level of fitness and performance possible even for your own health and benefit.

A fight depends on many things and time is no stranger to expelling to much energy too soon and then you are gassed out now that happens in less than a minute depending on your fitness.

For example in a real fight you want to move around a little sometimes and create angles not just go straight in because you don't know what your walking into. Your opponent could be very skilled or very strong taking you down to the ground where energy and skill are needed, so many examples one could create here.

So in my opinion great health and fitness will always pay off!

 

[jobo]

Had a conversation with a friend of mine the other day and he was blowing up on the importance on conditioning.

TBH i am in 2 minds about how important it is.

on one hand you can say that it you are sparring'drilling/rolling enough then you don't need extra conditioning. some people say that you get all your work from being active.

I guess to some level thats true, but there is a limit to how much the body can take of that sort of punishment. Having other sorts of conditioning can be beneficial to give you a break from contact.

Also rolling etc isn't constant conditioning, if you are skilled enough or if there is a big enough skill gap between you are your partner then they amount of conditioning you'll get is limited.

Does this only apply to high level competitors though?

also, if we focus a lot on conditioning is there a danger of changing what you do in to crossfit with punches and kicks?

it rather depends what you mean by " conditioning"? It's means all most anything, so means nothing!

muscle and strengh athletes tag on conditioning to the end of their work out to mean a bit of cardio, MT fighters keep kicking bamboo, to condition their legs to impact, WC guys keep banging that wooden dummy to condition their forearms.

a fit individual trains at all the ranges of the human body abilities. So strengh, flexability, endurance, real endurance, aerobic/ anaerobic. You need the lot.

however some activities require a lot more of some than others, so people focus on them,a lot more, distance runners,don't,spend to long bench pressing it has no value to them as sports men. Tennis players need lightning fast,sprints over 10 yards, running half marathons isn't in their interests .

to some extent an ability to do one thing very well takes away the,ability to do other things, and that,specializing,certainly its very,difficult to train opposing things at the same time, as your,asking your body to make multiple,adaptations,at the same time. So you either train say strengh exclusively, and then move on to endurance, or you do them both and make less progress at each.

so if your question was do i need cardio/ endurance, then yes of course you do, how much you need it to what level, is a,choice for you dependent on what you think you will need.

my selection is i need 5 mins of flat out cardio, that's running as fast/ far as i can in five minutes, there is no real science in that, other than it may well come in useful at some point and i can bounce,around the,dojo in sparing, with out getting out of breath for 5mins or more

 

[DanT]

In terms of street fighting / self-defense, the training you get in a regular class is enough as long as you are training minimum 3-4 times a week and you are constantly pushing yourself. You should be drenched in sweat by the end of the class. If you can't train at least 3 days a week I would advise you to do calisthenics at home in addition to your training for 45 minutes each day. If you wish to supplement with cardio I recommend skipping hard for 5 sets of 2 minutes or swimming for 20 minutes, as they are typically low impact exercises. You can get ripped by doing your martial art alone if you train hard enough, but most people do not push themselves to this point (hence people with a black belt with a beer belly). In terms of weight lifting, I usually do 1-2 supplementary exercises a day aiming for 3 sets of high reps (15-20) to build muscle endurance. Remember that in terms of weight lifting, you're not trying to develop strength to move the opponent. You're developing strength to move YOUR body quicker. Furthermore, street fighting body conditioning exercises such as knuckle push-ups, bare knuckle heavy-bag training, shin conditioning, etc. all build muscle. Furthermore, hard sparring (about 20 rounds of 2 minutes a week) is important.

In terms of ring fighting, additional cardio is required due to the time frame of the sport (15-45 minutes typically). To train for this, running 45 minutes to 1 hour each day is important. You would also want to up the sparring to 10 rounds a day / every other day.

 

[marques]

It is important... for my health. Nothing else. I am not, usually, the most fit in (any) class, but I try to compensate it with efficiency (art). Conditioning matters, but it is just one compenent.

 

[jobo]

In terms of street fighting / self-defense, the training you get in a regular class is enough as long as you are training minimum 3-4 times a week and you are constantly pushing yourself. You should be drenched in sweat by the end of the class. If you can't train at least 3 days a week I would advise you to do calisthenics at home in addition to your training for 45 minutes each day. If you wish to supplement with cardio I recommend skipping hard for 5 sets of 2 minutes or swimming for 20 minutes, as they are typically low impact exercises. You can get ripped by doing your martial art alone if you train hard enough, but most people do not push themselves to this point (hence people with a black belt with a beer belly). In terms of weight lifting, I usually do 1-2 supplementary exercises a day aiming for 3 sets of high reps (15-20) to build muscle endurance. Remember that in terms of weight lifting, you're not trying to develop strength to move the opponent. You're developing strength to move YOUR body quicker. Furthermore, street fighting body conditioning exercises such as knuckle push-ups, bare knuckle heavy-bag training, shin conditioning, etc. all build muscle. Furthermore, hard sparring (about 20 rounds of 2 minutes a week) is important.

In terms of ring fighting, additional cardio is required due to the time frame of the sport (15-45 minutes typically). To train for this, running 45 minutes to 1 hour each day is important. You would also want to up the sparring to 10 rounds a day / every other day.

yes and no, the benefit of exercise is that it causes adaptations, the exercise only has to be long enough to causes the,adaptations you desire, doing 45 mins of body weight exercises is no better than doing 5mins of,exercises, if the intensity of the,exercises is,such that 5mins is all you can do till your body shuts down.

the only benefit of doing 45 mins of,light exercises is that it trains you to do 45 mins of light exercise, if you goal is to be,able to do 5mins of max intensity, like say a fight, then its of next to no use in building to your goal.

its the same with the running time you identify, a45 min jog, doesn't help if if you want to sprint up hills, or just,sprint, there isn't a one,size fits all do it for this,amount of time,solution to fitness

 

[shihansmurf]

Everything that follows is purely anecdotal so be sure to take as many grains of salt as needed.

I am a firm believer in fitness and conditioning. I lift weights, and do interval cardio and my students do likewise. I didn't used to make it part of class and I have found that my students perform their martial arts better the more fit they are. Karate is a physical endeavor and being strong and having with good cardio endurance has a positive impact on how well they apply their skill set.

As far as street self denseness goes, it is a good idea to prepare for the possibility that we may not finish the fight in a few seconds. Having a high level of endurance and the ability to outlast the bad guy can spell the difference between successfully defending ourselves and not.

Mark

P.S. I would also point out that Heart disease, diabetes, and other obesity related illnesses are far more likely to threaten our live than any would be mugger or terrorist seems that those of us that are focused on that would want to prepare ourselves to combat that. A simple weight training and cardio plan will do wonders to help defeat those foes.

 

[Kong Soo Do]

Great replies

so how much conditioning work do you beyond sparring/rolling?

To begin with, I don't spar. Not needed for self-defense training, but that is another subject. Secondly, conditioning is of prime importance. I body build with short rest/pause between sets. Additionally I do stairs. Not stair stepping but actual stairs. I'm up to just under half the height of the Empire State building. This works the legs as well as cardio. I also do body weight exercises and one of the best for conditioning is a 'power pyramid'.

Power pyramid

Karl Gotch/Nick Fury of Catch-as-catch-can wrestling and combat conditioning would require a new student to be able to perform 500 hindu squats and 250 hindu push ups before they would even begin to teach them the first technique.

 

[Danny T]

There are two types of conditioning. Both are important in the martial arts and fight reality.

1: is the process of training to become physically fit by a regimen of exercise, diet, and rest; also is the resulting state of physical fitness
2: simple form of learning involving the formation, strengthening, or weakening of an association between a stimulus and a response

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

You guys are all talking about cardio conditioning. Guess I'm weird, my mind immediately went to conditioning your body (hitting makiwara, conditioning shins/legs, etc.)

 

[Danny T]

You guys are all talking about cardio conditioning. Guess I'm weird, my mind immediately went to conditioning your body (hitting makiwara, conditioning shins/legs, etc.)

Tempering.

 

[drop bear]

It depends what you are trying to do. So if for example you sparred for ten rounds you get the benefit of ten rounds of sparring. Skills, fitness, immersion into a concept.

If you only have the ability to spar 5 rounds because you are a disgusting fat body you get the benefit of those 5 rounds.

The conditioning should put you in a position that allows you to train more relentlessly. Relentless training gives you better outcomes.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

It depends what you are trying to do. So if for example you sparred for ten rounds you get the benefit of ten rounds of sparring. Skills, fitness, immersion into a concept.

If you only have the ability to spar 5 rounds because you are a disgusting fat body you get the benefit of those 5 rounds.

The conditioning should put you in a position that allows you to train more relentlessly. Relentless training gives you better outcomes.

If you only spar 5 rounds, but each round is twice as long as the 10 rounds someone else can do, are you still a disgusting fat body?

 

[drop bear]

If you only spar 5 rounds, but each round is twice as long as the 10 rounds someone else can do, are you still a disgusting fat body?

Yes
No
Mabye