Endurance Training for Martial ArtsThe amount of time you devote to endurance training may determine whether you will win the fight or a martial arts competition. Your chances of success are not very good when you are out of breath and your legs feel like jelly from fatigue. What is endurance? Endurance is your ability to keep going. It is made up of a physical aspect as well as a mental/emotional aspect. Endurance in the martial arts
A real life encounter will usually last only a few minutes at most. It is unlikely you will be in a street fight that lasts 30 minutes or an hour! Most martial arts competitions have rounds that last two to three minutes each. It is important that we train our bodies to cope with these short bursts of activity rather than long distance endurance events.
One of the best ways that I know of to train for martial arts endurance is to use interval training. This form of training involves cycling between short bursts of intense activity, lasting from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, with periods of rest or less intense activity lasting between 30 seconds to one minute. This stopping and starting ensures that your whole body adjusts to the demands of this type of endurance. As your endurance improves you simply increase the number of rounds of intense activity that you do as part of your endurance training. Interval Training Ideas The following endurance training ideas may not seem very hard but when you try them you will find that they are very difficult, especially when you have completed the first 4-5 cycles. It is important to note that ‘sprinting’ in these drills means that you are going as hard as you possibly can. When you have done them every second day for a month you will find a dramatic increase in your endurance. Running program
Bagwork 3 minute round (75% intensity), rest for 1 minute. Repeat the cycle for as many cycles as possible. Swimming Sprint swimming for 30 secs, swimming at medium pace for 1 minute, slow swimming for 1 minute. Repeat the cycle for as many cycles as possible. Shadow boxing Shadow box at 75% intensity (can include kicking, elbows and knees) for 3 minutes, rest for 1 minute. Repeat the cycle for as many cycles as possible. Learning to conserve energy The combative nature of martial arts training means that you can use up a lot of energy preparing to hit or be hit. When emotional levels are very high, such as when you are fearful or angry, lots of energy can be wasted as you use muscles unnecessarily. To conserve energy it is important to be able to relax when required and then explode with power when the time is right. A big part of developing this skill is to be constantly aware of your emotional level and muscle tension when training or sparring. Try to remain physically and emotionally relaxed (but mentally alert) until you need to explode. If you are able to turn this into a habit you will greatly improve your endurance training. Preparing for the violence Violence can strike at any time. You may be forced to defend yourself in a car park, in an elevator or even while in your car. It is important to train in these non-traditional environments occasionally so that you are not overly stressed and waste a lot of energy in ‘flight or flight’ mode when the situation arises. When training in these environments try to simulate reality as close possible. For example, try wearing head protective gear and take a few shots to the head or try a scenario with multiple attackers or weapons. You will be surprised what happens to your endurance levels when you placed in an unfamiliar and highly stressful situation. I am not saying that by simulating these training scenarios you will be well composed and not stressed at all should a confrontation arise, but what I am saying is that at least you will be better off then not practicing them at all. Endurance training for martial arts competitions
In addition to your endurance training (interval training) you need to familiarize yourself with your competitive environment. A good way to do this is to use visualization techniques. I intend to write a whole page on this topic soon so I won’t go into too much detail here, but visualization is simply using your imagination to ‘picture’ and ‘experience’ the event in it’s finest detail regularly before the event. Most elite sport people use this technique to prepare for competitions. It is often used and taught by sports psychologists as well. Strictly speaking, visualization it is not an endurance training technique, however, by lowering your stress levels during a competition you can remain more relaxed and therefore conserve more energy.
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The form of endurance required for most martial arts is very specific. If you think about why most people do martial arts, either to prepare themselves for a real life encounter or to compete in a competition, you will see that energy is required only in quick bursts.
Interval Training
Walk for 1 minute, jog for 1 minute, sprint (as fast as you can) for 30 secs then repeat the cycle for as many cycles as possible.
Martial arts competitions can also be unfamiliar situations that can make you overly tense and waste a lot of energy (and thus lower your endurance) unnecessarily. An audience, an unfamiliar opponent and the presence of referees or judges can add a lot of stress to the situation.