Balancing Exercise and Inner Training

Like many people, I use martial arts as a way to get a good workout. I've always joked that without karate, I would probably weigh about 500 pounds. Going through katas full power, snapping the bo around, and blasting through the punching bag all provide an excellent workout. So does sparring at a fast and intense pace. At one point I believed if I didn't leave the dojo with a sweat-soaked uniform, that I didn't work hard enough and had wasted the class.

After receiving my black belt, I realized that there was a lot more to training than pushing these physical limits. It is one thing to fly through katas, but it is another to actually feel the moves and to understand them. This higher level training is only possible to achieve by going through things slowly and methodically. The same goes for sparring. The only way you can improve and eliminate bad habits is to slow down and cut out all the unnecessary movements. To ask yourself "Why did I just throw that front kick?"

That being said, there is also a place for physical exercise in martial arts training. Without endurance and muscular development you will not last very long performing katas, while sparring, or in self defense. Push-ups, sit-ups, squat-thrusts, and bag training help turn our bodies into efficient tools capable of delivering devastating power when necessary. Having the ability to sprint or run away from an altercation is just as important.

I believe that you need both components in order to be a well-rounded martial artist. The difficulty is managing to balance them out. Sadly, most of us do not have the luxury of being able to train at a gym for a couple of hours, and then to train in the dojo. So how do we work in both sides of our training?

Training on your own is very important. Getting to class early or staying late and slowly going through katas is always a good idea. Even 15 minutes will make a difference.

Vary your goals during sparring. Pick a few rounds to slow down and to work with your partner, regardless of their rank.

Take advantage of the endurance training during class. Perform all these exercises to the best of your ability and without any excuses.

Think about martial arts during the day. One thing I love doing is looking at people walking by or standing in line at Wegmans, and imagining how I would best unbalance them.

I'm sure there are other ways to fit in both sides of martial arts training. Feel free to share your own ideas and methods!  

Photo by Federico Stevanin