I get questions all the time about what is the best way to train for martial arts. I always give the same answer, “Well, that depends…”.
Helpful, I know.
It depends on a lot of things – how much time you have, what equipment you have (if any), what your goals are (strength, endurance, size, etc.), what type of training you already do, and on and on and on.
I think part of the problem is that most people don’t really know what they need or want. I also think part of the problem is that once people figure out what they need (or think they need) they often get a bunch of bogus information from people who don’t know anything. These people may be well-intentioned, but that doesn’t make them well-informed.
So, what’s a person to do?
First off, you need to figure out what you need, I mean REALLY NEED. Take a good, hard look at where you are now, and where you want to be. Figure out if you need more skill work, or more endurance work, more strength, or more flexibility. To some degree, you will be able to work all areas, but you need to pick one or two to concentrate on.
Now you know what you need to work on, how are you going to do it?
Take stock of the time, space and equipment you have, or can get. Now you can start figuring out how to design your program.
Just a note here, don’t get too locked in to one type of training. Some insist on kettlebells, others on bodyweight, still others on Olympic lifting. Any of these methods can give you great results, but you’ll get even better results by combining or rotating them in your program.
Also, don’t forget the fun factor. It’s important that you are doing something you enjoy (that’s why we train in martial arts after all), so pick something that is fun and vary your methods periodically. This will keep you from getting too burned out, physically or mentally.
Another important thing to keep in mind is this is SUPPLEMENTAL training. Don’t let your fitness training detract from your martial art. Your fitness training is intended to ENHANCE your martial arts training.
If at all possible, find a training partner. This shouldn’t be too tough since you probably have lots of people in your classes to choose from. Generally speaking, if you have a partner, you will get better results. You will be accountable to another person and have somebody else there to push you harder. If you don’t have a training partner, don’t sweat it, just be sure to push yourself that much harder.
That’s all for now.
Train hard.
-Chris
