Tag Archives: conditioning

Fitness, self defense

fitness and fighting

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Author: Staff Sgt. Scott Dunn Photo ID: 200599...
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Something I come across time and again in martial arts forums is the debate over the importance of physical fitness and conditioning in martial training.

Some of the arguments center on the technique vs “muscle” issue. This is the “so an 80 yo person can’t be a proficient martial artist if they are not training like a MMA fighter?” tack. This person argues the “use their strength against them”…”it’s all about technique, not strength”…”a fight will be over in seconds”… “conditioning and self-defense are separate disciplines” party line. They believe that martial arts are more about leverage, target selection and technique than the individuals physical conditioning. You tend to see many “traditional arts” people in this camp, especially “non-sparring” arts.

In the other camp are the people who believe that a fit and strong person with martial training, perhaps not a “technician”, but with basic skills, will trump an out of shape fighter. Many people who think this practice the more “sporting” arts; MMA, Boxing, Thai etc.

Personally, I think that many of the people who “poo-poo” conditioning are perhaps looking to justify their lack of it. Or explain why they are not doing a conditioning program.  I think that it’s important for anybody who takes “combative training” seriously to be spending a significant portion of their training time on physical fitness. Yes, technique is important, but all physical activity will be faster, stronger and more efficient with a fitter body.

Granted, not all martial arts schools have the time or ability to condition their students AND train them in the art they practice. Some arts, simply based on what they do,  are a workout in themselves. But MANY arts do not present an opportunity for physical conditioning, as many practitioners stretching out the belly of their Gi’s can attest to. The “martial arts” as fitness sales gimmick is not always as advertised.

H2H fighting ability aside, I believe that fitness training is as much about developing “mental toughness” and “fighting spirit” as it is about the body. I wrote about this in a previous post called “Embrace the Suck“. If you are not pushing yourself past your limits in the dojo AND the gym, you are cheating yourself.

In addition, when it comes to the soldier, the LEO and anybody in a self-defense/survival scenario; there are MANY other physical tasks beyond fighting that need to be considered. Running from threats, chasing suspects, carrying packs, jumping fences, dragging/carrying wounded people and simply doing anything while wearing a ton of “guns n’ gear” require you to be physically fit. It also helps in avoiding injury while you are doing these things.

In closing, let me clarify that I AM NOT saying that if you are not as conditioned as a Olympic athlete that you are misguided in your training, but we can ALL focus on being as fit as we can for our age, our needs and our time allowed. Thats my opinion. What’s yours?

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Fitness

mma conditioning circuit

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I’ve been looking for a new workout for the spring/summer season. I’m thinking about doing some barbell complexes again.

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Fitness, self defense, skills, weapons

video preview

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Here is a nice little preview of Kelly McCann‘s “Crucible HRE Series”. I think I may have to pick this one up.

Although…I do have some small issues with the guy talking about going for the “mobility kill”. Comparing self-defense situations to deer hunting terminal ballistics is a bit of a stretch IMO. First off the deer isn’t a human; It’s not shooting back at you or trying to kill you. Second, most deer hunting scenarios where you see what he is talking about involve shotguns or rifles, not pistol rounds.

It’s my opinion that the “pelvic girdle” shot is a concept best used when that area of the body may be all that’s presented to you. For example, when you are firing at lower body targets from under a vehicle you are using as cover. It’s never been one of my “top of the list” targets. You will always get better and more consistent results with COM shots or head shots.

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Fitness

can i have that with a burpee on the side?

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Burpee’s suck. They are also probably one of the best ways to push your workout into a higher intensity “gut check”.

I have been mixing in a “100 burpee-one two’s” into my workout. My goal is to do as many reps at once as I can. The idea is to reach an “embrace the suck” point where I have to force myself to continue. Right now thats around 30 reps. I then wind up gulping air and doing the rest in 10-15 rep chunks. As time goes on my aim is to do more of them at once and complete the 100 in less time. It quickly emulates that “gassed” feeling you get after rolling around with someone for a while. Good stuff.

Im thinking about mixing them in with some range training at some point.

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Fitness, self defense, Tom, Uncategorized, warriorship

embrace the suck

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Resurrecting this old post as my New Year’s resolution reminder:

“Embrace the suck”: Translation: The situation is bad, but deal with it.

“Embrace the Suck” is a term used by soldiers to describe how they deal with difficult situations. You put your head down and drive on. There is a lot to be said for that mindset. Many people have perished or failed because they simply didn’t drive on that one extra second that their opponent did. The ability to do this is physical and mental. Anybody who reads this blog knows that I believe that fitness is an important aspect of what can be called “the warrior lifestyle” and not just for the improvements it makes in your body. As Mark Rippetoe said “Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general” and I agree 100%. Where I may or may not agree with Mr. Rippetoe is why this is so.

I’ve always believed that the real benefit of exercise is in the persons mental development rather than the physical results. Size, genetics and other issues outside ones immediate control will limit the physical advantages you can gain over an opponent through training. Where we all start out on a level playing field is between our ears. Intense exercise, the type that makes your internal dialogue start telling you “this sucks, I cant go on anymore, just slow down, just stop, just quit”…but you don’t…that type of exercise sows seeds that you will reap later when you are fighting for your life and are approaching exhaustion. When your opponent is approaching that same threshold the person who quits is going to loose and reaching that quitting point almost always originates from the mind. Hard exercise, the type that approximates the exertion of a fight will give you a “stress inoculation” that makes all your training effort worth the time.

Military trainers learned this long ago. The point of basic training is part “whipping recruits into shape” but a larger part still is showing them that they can push beyond their self-imposed limitations. A lot of “kids” joining the military have never really been pushed to the point where they have to keep going when their mind is telling them that they cant make it.

I am by no means belittling the “bottom line” importance of measurable improvements in physical strength, endurance or stamina. The body and the mind are a unit and the mental/physical benefits of training cannot be separated and measured. But, if you are pushing yourself to the mental breaking point and following proper exercise and diet protocol, the physical improvement will naturally follow. What I am saying is train hard, but focus on that mental toughness aspect of your training rather than the cosmetic improvements.

Push yourself. REALLY push yourself on occasion. I don’t mean just get sweaty or breathing hard. I mean a “I cant do one more rep, lungs burning, gonna die, mommy I wanna quit” push. You don’t have to do it every workout, but if you are coasting you are cheating yourself. Its not only your body that will benefit, it builds mental toughness that translates directly to fighting.

Change things up. If you are happy and comfortable with your current program, you are likely not getting much out of it anymore. If you hate running, run. If you hate lifting, lift. Change up what you do once you get into autopilot with your exercise.

This opinion of mine is what first attracted me to CrossFit. Instead of the familiar 3 sets of 10 three times a week in the “same old, same old gym”, CrossFit throws some intense GPP style workouts at you mixed in with maximum effort lifts like squats, overhead presses and deadlifts. While I am by no means at the level of people you will find on the CrossFit website, I have noticed measurable improvements in my fitness and I am in my 40’s when improvements begin getting harder to come by, so that’s saying something. Another “embrace the suck” workout is the 100 burpee workout. Even just deciding to do it once you know what you are in for is a mental effort.

So get out there and “embrace the suck”. Next to sparring, its the best thing you can do to improve your martial arts training. It can change your whole outlook on life and your opinion of yourself.  It could be the best decision of your life.

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Fitness, martial arts

Bas Rutten Workout

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Fitness, martial arts

MMA conditioning

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A nice example of MMA conditioning and how it paid off in a match. The fighter is Paulo Thiago.

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Fitness, self defense, skills, Tom

where to find the time

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English: A clock made in Revolutionary France,...
English: A clock made in Revolutionary France, showing the 10-hour metric clock. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Low Tech Combat has an excellent post on how to maintain your skills and fitness even with the conflicting demands we all face in today’s busy society.

Training When Busy

Training can mean different things to different people. For readers of Low Tech Combat it will generally mean two things. Strength and conditioning training along with martial arts or fight training. Either or both of these areas will be neglected as we become busier as priorities are juggled around. In today’s day and age, the requirement to be able to fight off an attacker can seem far fetched and is really a luxury and past time that is easily dropped for many people.

For those who really enjoy training, when we skip sessions, we often feel really bad about it and can regret the decision later. Obviously, this is not really healthy. What I intend to do is list some things which make it easier to maintain our training when going through some busy periods in our lives. We can cut back on the time spent training whilst maintaining the benefits or even improve ourselves with less time!

Another good post over on Low Tech…check it out.

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Fitness

flipping out

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Something I was exposed to at the FBINA was the tire flipping workout. Flipping  large tires is an explosive movement that emulates many combative movements. I used to do 440 sprints (some were simply “jogs” I admit) followed by 10 chins and 5 flips in series. Other workouts include flips followed by jumps into and out of the tire. Some folks include a sledgehammer and mix in flips with hammer striking. I would like to continue doing them but a large tire in the backyard killing the grass isn’tsomething the wife or neighbors are going to be prone to approve of. If you have the opportunity to give them a try I highly recommend them. Start out right though, if you bite off more than you can chew you can wind up hurting yourself more than helping.

Fitness

the front squat

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The Front Squat. Most people avoid doing them, as I did until recently. They are awkward, painful and you cant lift as impressive an amount of weight with them, but they provide some benefits that the back squat cannot. The major benefit of the front squat is the fact that your stomach and back muscles are engaged in order to hold your upper body upright. This is part of the pain and fatigue that scares people away from the exercise, but once you begin to get stronger in this particular lift, you are strengthening your core musculature almost as much your legs. A  “more bang for your buck” benefit that makes this exercise worth a closer look.