Martial Arts Conditioning

Feel better, look better, be better. Martial Arts can help...

• What are the physical fitness benefits of martial arts?

• Our top 10 list of benefits gained from conditioning for martial arts:

• Increased stamina.
• Weight loss.
• Increased endurance.
• Increased flexibility.
• Increased agility.
• Increased strength.
• Improved coordination.
• Better balance.
• Speed.
• Movement efficiency.

Increased Stamina.

Defined: strength of physical constitution; power to endure disease, fatigue, privation, etc.

Most martial arts training programs incorporate training designed to improve their students stamina.

The philosophy is simple: If you can't move, you can't fight.

Knowing this, cardiovascular training is of high value to martial arts instructors. Often, many shcools will begin each training session with warm up drills, stretching, and followed by some sort of conditioning designed to improve stamina.

They will also use the training of new techniques to increase their student's stamina. By repetetive motions of moves, the student will have a high heart rate over a sustained period of time. With consistent practice, not only will the students learn and become proficient with new techniques, they will simultaneously increase their stamina.

Weight Loss.

The unique approach of martial arts is that the training is goal driven. You are there to learn a new skill. As you progress and become more efficient, you are promoted through (usually) belt ranks. With the advancement of your martial arts talents, you will learn more techniques and methods. Each of them requiring practice, repetition, and implementation. Each of them requiring exercise. Suddenly, you realize you've been sweating and training, but not for sole purpose to sweat and train. You've been exercising to learn!

There are many different methods, diets, programs, etc., that are designed to encourage, stimulate, or assist in weight loss. It would be out of the context of socalmartialarts.com to provide a full list of all weight loss methods.

But this site does fully promote that martial arts can be a significant source of exercise for those that are interested in weight loss. Martial arts programs incorporate repetitive drills and training that stimulates the heart rate, increase cardiovascular performance and burns significant amounts of calories.

"I personally lost over 30 pounds after 6 months of martial arts training. I've seen this same thing happen to so many people that I cannot even begin to keep track. The physical conditioning benefits of martial arts alone are reason enough to start training."
-Mark, from socalmartialarts.com

You should be forewarned however. Losing weight, learning self-defense, looking good and feeling great is a very addictive combination. You won't want to quit.

Increased Endurance

Defined: the ability or strength to continue or last, esp. despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina: He has amazing physical endurance.

Almost synomous with increasing stamina is the practice of increasing endurance.

Without proper endurance conditioning, even the best athletes will fail.

Endurance is attributed to an athletes VO2 max which is the highest rate of oxygen consumption attainable during maximal or exhaustive exercise. Elite athletes have a higher VO2 max, and it is commonly thought, that this threshold is genetically determined. However, with proper training, it is considered possible to increase an untrained athlete's VO2 max by as much as 20%.

Other factors affecting endurance is:

• Lactate Threshold: If VO2 max can be seen as an upper limit for aerobic exercise, the lacate threshold determines how much of that 'aerobic' upper limit can be used.
  
• Exercise Economy: The speed at which an exercising athlete reaches their maximum thresholds, usu. affected by stride, stroke, speed, etc.

High endurance allows fighters to perform more effectively over longer periods of time. This ability for increased and prolonged performance can translate into other sports as well. Martial artist are well known for for thier physical abilities. Sustained and effective training can increase an athletes endurance, which allows for better performances both in and out of martial arts.

Increased Flexibility

Defined: a joint’s ability to move freely through a full and normal range of motion.

Flexibility is a staple of martial arts.

But being flexible doesn't only help those in the fighting arts. Being flexible can help in so many other areas. Check out some of the benefits of increasing your flexibility:

• Greater freedom of movement.
  
• Increased relaxation and stress reduction.
  
• Decreased risk of low back pain.
  
• Decreased risk of injury.
  
• Decreases recovery time. <
  
• Increased balance and coordination.
  
• Increased physical efficiency and performance.

Every martial arts school incorporates stretching and warm-up exercises into it's training program. Many martial arts focus heavily on increasing the student's flexibility as certain manuevers and techniques require a high level of flexibility to perform them.

Increased Agility

Defined: the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness: exercises demanding agility.

Many types of martial arts incorporate training and drills that focus not only on increasing stamina and strength, but also agility. Once a technique is learned, it is safe to say that it is useless unless the practicioner can perform it easily, quickly, and effectively.

This requires agility.

Imagine you just learned a blocking technique and now you are sparring. Your opponent throws a typical jab at you. Now, unless you can proficiently perform your block, and do so quickly enough to catch the jab, you will be hit. This is just one small example of many that demonstrate the need for agility in the martial arts.

Each time a technique is learned, it is practiced over and over. There are two main reasons for this amount of repitition. One is to have the technique committed to a subconscious level so that it can be performed without thought, and the other is to perfect it. This level of repetition also has another benefit which is increased agility.

In addition to increasing agility through repetition of techniques, many martial arts focus on movement of the body. More specifically, footwork, avoidance drills, and body positioning. Fighting arts require an understanding of balance, angles, and positioning to gain a dominant position in which to fight and getting to your dominant position requires agility.

Increased Strength

Defined: the quality or state of being strong; bodily or muscular power; vigor. Mental power, force, or vigor.

It goes without saying. If you practice martial arts, you will get stronger.

Having the perfect technique, being flexible, fast and agile isn't enough sometimes. If you don't have the power to perform, you will fail. This is why increasing strength is a vital function of martial arts training. But don't be misled, you won't be doing a lot of weight training in your dojo or studio. Strength comes in many different forms. The two most highlighted areas of martial arts strength training is mental and physical strength.

Each art has drills and exercises that have multiple effects. One of which is improving your physical strength. It may be through standard exercises such as push ups, sit ups, or pull ups. Perhaps it is through isometric exercises that your instructor has you complete. It will vary from school to school.

You will also improve your mental strength. This is accomplished by increasing focus, awareness, patience, and much more. Each martial art requires it's student to force themselves to concentrate and perform tasks that they had never done before. There is a definate learning curve. As you progress in martial arts, you will find yourself slowly becoming more capable at other areas of life because you will start to convert your new-found mental toughness to other tasks.

Increased Coordination

Defined: the skillful and effective interaction of movements.

Perhaps this goes without saying, but martial arts increases your coordination. This is accomplished by repeated practicing of techniques and movements that are taught by the individual styles. Some martial arts instructors will also incorporate small "obstacle courses" during their training sessions to help their students increase coordination in conjuction with focus.

As you learn your new techniques, you will undoubtedly become better at them the more you practice. Hence, your coordination improves with these techniques.

This coordination does translate into other areas of life. You will begin to notice that your footwork improves, and suddenly you stumble less. Your movements become more graceful, and you are able to do other things better such as dance, run, bicycle, etc.

Increased Balance

Defined: a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc.

Some martial arts focus more heavily on balance than others. Typically, standing styles as opposed to grappling styles require more balance. Nevertheless, all martial arts do focus largely on balance.

Many coordination drills concentrate on improving the student's ability to balance. Strikes and techniques that are performed when off-balance are not nearly as effective. Moreover, strikes and techniques that are performed against an opponenet that is off-balance are equally as effective.

A few martial arts styles that focus heavily on balance are:

• Judo


• Karate


• Kenpo

Regardless of which martial art you choose however, your balance will improve.

Increased Speed

Defined: rapidity in moving, going, traveling, proceeding, or performing; swiftness; celerity.

When someone mentions "speed" most people interpret this as how fast something is going. For martial arts however, it can be viewed not only as "how fast" but "how swift" as well.

Consider this: Speed is a function of power and coordination. The more power you can generate to propel you forward the faster you will move from point A to point B.

Now consider that being swift is being capable of moving with great speed or velocity.

So, yes you will increase your speed with martial arts because you will gain power. But more importantly, you will become swift. You will find not only the power and ability to perform new techniques, but through repeated practice and drilling you will become more swift.

Suddenly doing every day tasks seem easier. The vacuum cleaner becomes lighter, and you move it faster. Heavy doors are no longer a burden, the full gallon of milk isn't as hard to pour, you climb stairs faster and aren't out of breath. Life just gets a little bit easier.

Reference: Answers.com; sports-fitness-advisor.com;

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