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Agility
The power of moving quickly and easily The ability to move and change position
It would be hard for us to imagine a martial art which doesnt need agility, but agility
comes in different forms and importances depanding on the martial art:
Boxing In boxing there are two main components which need to be agile
Back/ Upper body
Legs The legs need to reposition the whole body structure at a very high changing
pace.
Back/Upper body In boxing, more than in any other striking art, the upper body and back work extra
fast and hard. This is due to several technical reasons.
- Boxing uses big gloves In order to affect our opponent with our punchwe have to
produce tremendous striking power, we do this not only by utilizing our hand power,
hip rotation speed and full body movement, but also by using our upper body.
- Boxing does not permit takedowns and the fight ends with a knock out - Because of
this, we can afford to throw every thing we have into a punch (its an exaggeration
but just to make a point), because we have a lot less to lose if we miss
We cannot be taken down, and even if we get knocked unconscious, unlike in a street
fight, we know it will not have life and death implications
- Boxing does not permit leg strikes - Because we are not exposed to leg strikes we
can allow our selves to take a very low and bent posture with our upper body.
- Boxing defense concept and technique In boxing we use our upper body agility to
avoid attacks , a quick slip, many times, is our most preferred technique for avoiding
an attack (if it can be turned into a counter punch straight off all the best and if right
after the slip also good).
This position allows us to be in a good position to deliver an attack with either hands
(contrary to a block/deflection which usually leaves us with only one hand for the next
attack), but this when done in an "extreme fashion" sometimes common in boxing,
prevents us from quickly mobilizing our legs for a leg strike.
Leg agility Used to mobilize our whole body. This also is a result based on the demands of the
fighting art.
In boxing we dont need to be time efficient, sometimes even, we must be able to
waste time. Unlike in street fights where time is a very important factor. In the boxing
ring we have time to move around and pick our best moments.
Don't get us wrong, in street fighting we also need good leg agility! But from the
"physical training" perspective, we would not put the same effort in training it as we
would when preparing for a boxing match (or as a boxer)
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Sambo Probably the most agility demanding, all around, martial
arts. Why? Because we need good agility in all body parts.
Any part, legs, neck, head, shoulder elbow. Any thing that can touch the mat, or get
caught by a lock or choke, needs to be able to move with ease and strength sometimes
with the opponents whole weight on top !
On the other hand, especially when on the ground, the agility doesnt have to be as
quick, as in stand up fighting, or as in mma fighting because strikes are not involved.
The speed of the strike itself is much quicker then the lock therefore the drills used
for developing and improving these qualities will not and should not be the same.
Warrior with armor or combat soldier full geared (the gear can easily add up to
20-40 pounds)
Having extra weight when fighting, forces us to bring many issues under consideration
while deciding which physical components to train.
The concepts, strategies, tactics and techniques, must be coordinated in order to over
come these sorts of boundaries.
Although having extra agility is never bad (especially when it comes to moving around
with the armor) it would be more relevent to first focus on the physical strength
needed to hold and strike with the sword, spear or assault rifle and the stamina
needed to fight with such weight for comparatively a long time (battles are not
measured in minutes).
Stamina
Boxing, kick boxing, mma stamina in these martial arts is of the at most
importance, and is an essential part of our physical training.
The fact that the fight can last for so long, and with such intensity, make these sports
to be some of the most demanding if not the most demanding of any sports - cardio
wise.
Nevertheless we need to consider our choice of drills. We wouldnt work with the same
exercises, as for instance, a basketball player would use inorder to improve stamina.
Even between the martial arts listed above, we would need to differentiate the stamina
training in our phyical training, because of different conditioning demands cardio and
muscle wise
Street fighting - In a street fight, because of its tendency to end quickly, one way or
the other, we wouldnt devote much of our time to cardio exercises.
Although in a street fight there's a tendency to get very tired fast (even before the
fight starts), this is usually due to mental difficulties stress, fear, anger and so on..
To learn more about Stamina in a Martial Art
Strength
Grappling, wrestling One of the most important features we need as grapplers is
our sheer strength, training weights, for example, can imitate accurately the sort of
muscles we will use in the fight.
Kick boxing, street fighting or any striking martial art these arts are based on
their power rather on their strength (for more information go to the power of kicks
and punches)
In general the power of a strike is: [mv]\2. Meaning that the majority of the striking
power comes from the v velocity. As we know abundance of muscle contributes to
speed loss.
The extra muscle mass does have its advantages it supports the mass component of
the equation, but remember were thinking economically. Therefore itll be more
efficient to put more time in other physical trainings, which are more important for the
striking martial arts.
MMA As mma fighters we have our work cut out for us.
Because of the characteristics of this martial art, we have many things we must be
good at. If to compare it to the Olympics The mma fighters are the decathlon
athletes (the striker would probably be the sprinter, and the grappler wrestler would be
the iron ball thrower..)
As mma fighters we definitely need to develop our strength, especially if we want to
utilize throwing and taking down components, but not at the same extent as the pure
wrestlers.
Av course, even, as mma fighters we can choose which fighting style, strategy and
technique to apply. We can decide to concentrate, for instance, on our striking.
Examples of such fighters are Chuck Liddel (Great knockout power in both
hands), Lyota Machida and many more.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu Developing strength in this martial art is very important..
But too much muscle in this martial art can be a big disadvantage if even a little over
done, it reduces the agility and the flexibility needed to excel.
Sambo Developing strength in this martial art is also very important.
But unlike its Brazilian brother, here strength in the form of muscle, is not as harmful.
This is all derived from the fact that there is a difference in strategy and techniques
between these fighting methods (More on types of martial arts).
Knife fighting, and cold weapon fighting
There is almost no strength training needed in these martial arts, because the weapon
itself does the damage and it does it without the need for us to apply much power or
strength
Physical endurance
Although this and mental endurance are most of the time referred to as one, theres no
question, that the physical part of the endurance must be addressed as a factor on its
own.
A person attempting to break a brick, without practicing it before is more then likely to
break his hand on the attempt, and a boxer trying to defend a muai-tai low kick with
his leg for the first time is likely to have it hurt or stiffen up so bad that he would not
be able to use it
Boxing In general we concentrate our physical endurance training on upper body
shots, and head shots.
There is no need to train hand or leg endurance First of all we dont block strikes with
them aside from with our gloves and shoulder. Secondly, we get hit with a glove, which
lowers the chances of muscle stiffening
Karate This martial art has probably perfected the element of physical endurance to
its peak
In this art we utilize blocking with every part of the body.
Physical Endurance
Bone and Muscle Development
Agility, Speed and Quickness
Martial Arts Exercises
Martial Art Stretching
Martial Arts Conditioning
Reaction Time
Not everyone uses the martial arts for fighting; or at least winning the fight is not
their primary goal, in which case the way we build the physical training program
depends on our specific needs and wants..
Aside from giving specific tips for physical training methods and drills, we(the warriors
project), also recommend for you to read the sections which concern: Warm-ups,
injuries,physiotherapy, chi-gung, massage, acupuncture health tips and treatments
(when these sections will be added) which will complete the overall picture of the
physical training in a martial art.
Its normally used after a workout and or when recovering from injuries. It is the most
common way to achieve static active/passive flexion.
5. Isometric Stretching is a type of static stretching, but it involves using the
contraction of the muscle to stretch with out applying motion.
For instance, when trying to push the wall with our heal in the air. As we try to push
the wall (which of course can not move) we create an "isometric stretching" effect for
the calf muscle. Another example is to have a partner hold our leg up high and then try
to force it down, stretching the ham string as a result.
This is considered one of the best and quickest ways to achieve results, because of its
strong effect it is not recommended for children and adolescents, as it can meddle with
their bone development.
It is important to remember that the muscle must reach it's full motion range (at that
specific time) before contracting (starting the isometric stretch).
This stretching method stretches and strengthens at the same time.
6. PNF Stretching this technique is in fact a continuation of the isometric technique,
in that it combines more than one isometric stretch.
For example while laying on our back our partner raises our leg to our full passive
flexion with a passive stretch, we then try to lower the leg against his resistance
(isometric). Then we rest 20 seconds, while he takes the leg up to its new limitation
and again.
All the tips and rules for isometric workouts apply here as well (They are listed in
important stretching tips just below).<="" p="">
Over-Flexibility
Over flexibility can cause injury just as much as insufficient can. It is the case when
the muscles have not been strengthened as much as they have been flexed. This
causes loss of stability in the joints and the potential tearing of the ligaments and
tendons.
We can reach over flexion if we don't train according to a balanced program, which
balances and coordinates the amount of stretching and strengthening exercises (listed below are some important stretchingtips).
Over-Stretching
It is the stage in which instead of enhancing the range of movement we accomplish the
opposite.
Over stretching can cause fatigue of the muscle (the tissue which surrounds it) and
cause tears which result in scars, which limit the motion and the ability to stretch and
gain flexibility.
When trying to stretch the muscle past its limits. We end up stretching our ligament
and tendons whom are not designed to stretch (tendons are not meant to stretch at all
and the ligaments only about 6%). This can cause instability of the joint and result in
injury.
Post training day muscle soreness can be caused by over-stretching just as mush as
from the lack of stretching after the workout.
A static stretch should be held between 20-50 seconds, and 10 seconds for people
whose bones are still growing. There should be between 2-5 repetitions with 15-30
seconds rest in between.
We should keep breathing normally and if possible deeply when holding the static
stretch. One way which is recommended is stretching when exhaling and holding the
stretch while inhaling.
We should not hold the stretched position at a painful area, but rather just before it
starts. If we maintain the painful position we will scar the muscle and create the
opposite effect.
It is better to relax the muscles which neighbor the stretched muscle (the
synergists muscle) before beginning the actual intended stretch; for instance when
stretching the calf keeping the leg straight and not bent in order to relax the hamstring
muscle.
Make sure our muscles our warm before stretching.
Stretch with clothing which wont limit the range of movement and motion.
Drink a lot of water.
Stretch using static-passive stretching right after a strength workout, it will give
better elongate (flexile) results and actually help the muscle grow and strengthen as
well; not to speak about improving post training soreness.
Dynamic stretching is best before strengthening drills.
To avoid over flexion once we have achieved the full length of the muscle intended
we should leave it and only maintain it after it shortens (due to time and especially
strengthening drills).
When performing dynamic stretching sets of no more then 8-10 repetitions, or less if
we feel our muscles tired.
Isometric stretching1. Should be performed when the muscles are warm.
2. Should be performed ideally every 36 hours and not less than 24 hours.
3. The contraction of the muscle is between 7-15 seconds
4. 20 seconds rest between each set.
We can massage our muscles before and after a stretch to improve blood flow and
relaxation.
Try to isolate as much as possible the muscle being stretched for instance it is
better to stretch one calf at a time than both, and it is better to only stretch the
hamstring than stretch the hamstring and the calf at the same time. This allows us to
better control the stretch.
The better our leverage on the stretch the more control we have over it the better
the stretch.
Working with a partner offers great isolation and usually great leverage.
Some stretches are risky in that they can cause injury to other body parts. We
shouldn't put unnecessary tension and strain on the back disks and that we dont over
twist and bend a joint.
It is important to stretch the supporting muscles of the area focused upon before we
go to work on it from that perspective:
- Arms should be stretched before the chest
- Calves before hamstrings
- Shins before quadriceps
- The upper and lower back and afterwards the sides should be stretched at the
beginning
- And so on
Conclusions
Flexibility is a necessary component of physical conditioning in any martial art as it
helps develop muscle tissue, stability and is an important element for preventing
injuries.
However, not in every martial art it is needed as much and in the same manner.
Stretching as the tool in which we attain this attribute can be very useful if done
correctly, but can be equally as damaging if done improperly.
Agility Training
Speed Quicknes and Agility Training - Learn about
these physical attributes, how to gain them and how
they will help you become a better martial artist...
Agility training agility, quickness, speed (AQS) and on the other hand reaction time,
are 2 elements which are part of our physical training in a martial art
In the physical training article we examined the agility element of a martial art and the
different characteristics of it varying from the needs of different martial arts.
We will begin by understanding and defining the meaning of each element and the
difference between them.
* This is not a Websters Dictionary definition, but rather that of experienced martial
artists coming from different language backgrounds (Warriors Project) so as long as
we can understand the essence of what is said and avoid vocabulary semantics were
going to be o.k.
In this article we will examine agility training (which includes quickness and speed
training as well) and the way for improving it.
Agility
Agility is our ability to change position of ourselves and or parts of our body in a quick,
fast and accurate manner.
As we examined above it is our ability to carry out our minds command in the exact
manner in which it wants, so it doesnt necessarily have to fast (In Tai Chi, for
instance, our agility is not measured by pure speed of change but rather by the ability
to adhere to our opponent).
This ability is dependent mostly on our muscular system, and therefore the emphasis
during pure agility training is on the muscles.
2. After we understand the elements and skills we want to develop we can use the
fight simulation as fertile grounds to improve (a.k.a. working against a partner
stage).
To learn about the stages
If we have a problem with our defense techniques we practice them in the
simulation; If we have a problem of over committing to a strike we train it in the
session; If we have a problem countering we try to always counter in the upcoming
sessions.
By conception and definition these sparring sessions are different from the first
because here we are supposed to think and concentrate on "what it is we want to
improve".
The simulations may have different levels and different purposes, but they do have one
mutual concept
They simulates - What happens when we try to hurt another person and he not only
doesnt want to get hurt but also tries to hurt us!!
A few tips for a good sparring session:
An out side observer, for gathering mistakes and elements needing correction. He
also can calm things down if they heat up.
It is important to set the rules and limitations before hand, especially in the first kind
of sparring we talked about decide on - Power of striking; with kicking or without;
with throws or without
We must remember that the more rules we put in the further we are from the real
situation For instance professional boxers which train with head gear; mma fighters
which train without elbow striking; street fighters practicing with out groin attacks
On the other hand the sparring session is not the fight it self, therefore it makes little
sense to injure ourselves during it.
Conclusion
It is clear that sparring / fight simulation can not simulate the fight exactly, the
adrenaline might be different and so might the amount of opponents and so on
On the other hand this can be the difference between one real fight to the other.
Sparring/fighting simulation, experience, skill and quality improvement,
development and perfection, walk hand in hand.
Using sparring as a tool for improvement is irreplaceable in any martial art and for any
kind of fighter.
Plyometrics
Plyometrics is a method of agility training which started in the 1920s, as a training
method for athletics athletes, and developed in the Soviet Union of the 1960sfor all
competition sports including the martial arts.
Just like the 1RM method it two develops the muscles by putting a heavier weight on
their normal action.
However there are two major differences between the two:
Plyometrics in some cases, involves utilizing a reflex called
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/myotatic-stretch-reflex.php
myotatic reflex (stretch reflex) which reacts to a sudden stimulation of the tendon
(just like when the doctor uses his hammer to tap on our ligament and cause our shin
to snap up(the tendon wouldnt react in this manner if it was a gentle or slow tap).
This brings us to the second difference which is the amount of weight pressure
needed to train A LOT! plyometrics uses eccentric weight pressures not only to put
more stress on the muscles, but also to initiate the myotatic reflex.
Example:
1. Leaping from a meter off the ground and straight after landing performing our front
step forward in this exercise our body needs to push not only our body weight but
the weight of it falling from a meter high. Further more because this is done with
suddenness the myotatic reflex is also activated.
2. Jumping push ups, which try to push up as soon the hands touch the ground after
the last push, are also plyometric and they are good for improving punching AQS and
power.
For more free drills and tips join our
Warriors Project Drills and Tips E-zine
Note - Any weight training, and agility training is no different, should make us
consult with a professional be it a fitness instructor a martial art instructor or
teacher or a doctor. Due to the extreme pressures which are applied in plyometrics on
the body, it is even more important to consult before starting these trainings.
Tips for plyometric training:
Rest period between each set 1-3 minutes. Transitioning between sets require 3-5
minutes rest.
A plyometric drill or exercise starts at the beginning of training after a
thorough warm up (no static stretching before plyometrics it may lead to injury).
Always assume less of your real ability in plyometrics.
Make sure everything you use for these drills are stable, not slippery and wont slip.
Visit the links above and you will have a thorough and deep
understanding of how to achieve the martial art conditioning which is
right for you
We must be very versatile with our drills. Never wait until we feel comfortable with an
exercise, train one for a short time, and change, when we come back to it we will be
surprised how much it has improved.
* Another example
Training an arm bar (arm lock) Aside from working on the power of the arm bar
itself, which we can do with dummies, weights and such.
Theres the question of flowing into the technique from different situations, we would
do ourselves a "bad service" by working on it only from the mount position. We should
train applying it from different starting positions; we should train applying it with
different distraction, for instance a third person, slapping us
When returning to one of the starting positions we will be surprised how much we
improved our execution ability without doing only the specific drill.
This method of training holds one more important advantage. It makes sure that we
have the ability imbedded in us no matter what the situation maybe.
We will be able to execute the response/technique with power concentration and
precision from any position, because it is ingrained in us.
(Following the same pattern of thinking If we find it hard to execute a new
technique, we shouldnt try to push ourselves too much in order to get it right the first
time. If we leave it for a while, train something else, and then come back to it, we will
be able to do it better than when we left it. our body has its own assimilating and
adjusting methods)
Imagine that we are working with a partner with the pads (focus mitts), and we want
to improve our punching quality by not falling into the punch (not losing our balance if
we dont hit the pad). If we dont have this attribute in our mind whilst training, we
would not be able to eliminate this behavior.
However, it works the other way as well.
Although whilst training we try to assimilate a certain behavior and internalize a certain
response and a certain way of doing things; sometimes, for instance, when working
with a partner We must practice mistakes, for example, telegraphing our punch or kick,
in order to allow our partner to respond. If we are minded to the fact that were
practicing a mistake, the mistake will not be imbedded in us.
For more information about "The 4 stages of technical work"
The examples go on and on.
Being minded to what it is were training is very important for our martial art
development, and it can improve our abilities, in countless ways. It also makes our
training more efficient and economic, so we can achieve great results.
Of course one could argue that lack of cardio leads to lack of muscle stamina (because
the lack of oxygen to the muscles reduces their abilities).
Interesting enough, though, studies show that athletes that are cardio oriented long
distance runners for example showed a reduction of muscle stamina ability, proving
that there is another system involved A metabolic system to name one (more on this
in a bit)
As we examined earlier the stamina we need is dependent on our martial art and its
conception of the fight..
The best way to prepare for doing something is to do it, or train as close as possible to
it. For instance the best thing for a swimmer to do is swim, and for a runner to run...
We examined this in the Improvement and Development article and in theSparring and
Fighting Experience article
On the basis of this point of view, if we know were scheduled for a K-1 fight which will
have 3, 5minute rounds, with a minute rest in between.
We can train 4, 5 minute rounds and rest a minute in between (the extra one to
simulate the stress factor) while sparring to prepare ourselves for the stamina
needed..
This is a good method, yet it holds some disadvantages - The biggest one being
when sparring, many qualities need to be combined for success thus making it very
hard to focus just on one of them.
To put it into more exact definition - we need to figure out a way to simulate the fight
and at the same time be able to focus most or all our attention on the stamina (or
which ever quality or element we want) factor.
To achieve this we must define three things:
If its a street fight we might assume that 5 minutes is much above average, but there
is no rest in between
Types of stamina (muscle and cardio) activities:
1. Aerobics work Means working with air and refers to an ongoing physical
activity, in which the body uses oxygen in order to provide energy for the body, using
its metabolic system.
Exercises which are considered to be aerobic are cycling, running, swimming as
long as they dont extend to the anaerobic phase To learn more...
2. Anaerobic work Our body usually enters this stage at about 75%-90% of our max
heartbeat. Because of lack of oxygen our body begins to use two different metabolic
systems
one of the results is that our body begins to produce lactic acid, which the body can
not effectively clear from the itself resulting in a shut down of our muscles.. To
learn more...
The muscle used and how:
1. Hand muscles - to punch or may be to grab and lift
2. Legs, to kick, or maybe only for moving. Maybe its to be able to hold our opponent
in guard position
After we defined the above, were ready to choose our training methods.
A fight is naturally an anaerobic experience, if not due to the activity itself, then due to
the mental stress. Therefore we will concentrate on anaerobic training.
For a runner an interval drill can be 300 meters sprint, 2 minutes rest 5For more
ideas and information
With the help of these methods we train our specifics - be it cardio or muscle stamina.
Example
Lets give some examples of a possible stamina improving training drill:
We will build our drill to suit a K-1 fighter.
First we define our specific stamina needs:
Uses strikes
Fights 3 rounds of 5 minutes each, 1 minute rest between the rounds.
Severe stress
Explosive activity, which is some times done with little air. (mouth piece, getting hit
in the body, forgetting to breath)
Must maintain power in strike contrary to fatigue
Always in movement, except for the break between rounds.
Doesnt need grabbing muscles.
It becomes clear that the best way to simulate the rounds themselves requires the use
of fartlek exercises, and simulating the break between rounds requires interval
exercising.
Like we said earlier the fight itself resembles a fartlek training. And therefore the whole
drill should be done at this tempo, pulse wise.
(max pulse is very generally calculated as 220 minus the age. So if some one is 25
years old his max pulse is around the 195 pulse per minute).
We can perform this exercise as intervals during the rounds themselves meaning we
work at 75%-95% of our ability for the whole round.
This will probably cause, however, the rounds to be shortened, because normally at the
peak of the anaerobic stage our body has trouble maintaining it for more then 2
minutes.
It is a great idea to keep notes which record our results, and our feelings,(Example I
finished the shadow boxing with a 150 pulse, and ended the rest at 100. I finished the
pad work at a pulse of 170, and worked the last 30 seconds full power and speed. The
break I finished at 120, my arms began to feel very heavy)
Its important that even when doing the same drill we change the peak occurrences;
For example at first when doing the pad work we can reach max pulse in the first
minute, for 30 seconds, and next time training the drill we keep the first minute 75%
and then work it up to 95% for 45 seconds
There are countless drills which we can use to improve our stamina. We just need to
use our imagination and logic. (Register to our newsletter to get more ideas or visit our
forums when they will be up and running)
Conclusions
1. We understand and decide upon the stamina which we need for our martial art (if at
all we need)including, methods tools
2. We build drills which will simulate as much as possible the fight, but at the same
time allow us to focus on the stamina attribute, and which are versatile both in
qualities they train and in manners which challenges our body and mind.
3. We record our progress and build our session accordingly.
*One more note Improving our stamina is not only hard physically but also mentally.
Were the only ones who know if in the drill we put 100% of ourselves, and really
were the only ones who should care.
We are the ones who feel if we with held our efforts or gave it every thing we had.
Its very frustrating to lose a fight due to a lack of stamina!
One of the qualities which improve the fastest in a fighter and martial artist is his
stamina, and running short of it in a fight is most likely due to lack of training it and
not a lack of talent or innate ability.
Strong fighting spirit - doesnt give up and has a strong will to fight.
Very aggressive - Tries to impose his will on his opponents.
Fearless - Is not afraid to receive punishment or endure pain if it serves his winning
goals.
Calm - does not allow his actions to be effected/ "infected" by emotions.
Concentrated - Maintains his concentration and focus, and does not allow him self
to be distracted by anything.
This is a general blue print of the mental qualities of an "ultimate warrior" - qualities
which provide the mental edge which is so important in a fight*.
We'll examine these qualities and their changes due to different circumstances.
Its the quality which raises our head when were down and drives us through potential
breaking times. Correct mental training can improve this attribute.
- Fighting spirit can also be referred to as Mental Toughness
Fighting Spirit and Mental Toughness
(Example - Lets imagine an extreme situation - If a person has dislocated his two
arms, and his opponent is still in good condition, it will probably cause the will to fight
to dissolve and the mind will probably accept defeat.)
Sometimes it will be a mental defeat. For instance if the person is just too good, and
we feel that what ever we do, we just cant hurt him or win. The mind might give in!
By the way, it does not necessarily have to look like a hands down no defense situation
defeat, it might, just the same be a kamikaze response, where the person attacks
knowing he is doomed
Sometimes the same mental defeat is purely mental. It happens when fear takes over
(Remember the fearlessness part). It can even happen before the first blow. The
mind just gives in and accepts its defeat.
As we said before these are the tie breaking situations where life and death is
concerned, but looking closely these are also the same "mental breaking" situations
experienced in the different fight types and competition being the opponent - another
fighter or ourselves.
However one major difference is that in a sports event room for "mental escalation"
still exists, meaning, the fighter still has mental space to push himself mentally to a life
and death situation (even if, realistically, this is not the case).
This indicates that:
Through changing our perception of a situation, we can give ourselves a certain edge!!
[More on this when we introduce our articles about visualizing and hypnosis]
Nevertheless we must beware! If implemented fully this ability or "technique" of
mental training leads to life and death actions aswell.
One might break all the physical rules of his sport to protect himself and kill his
opponent, (If the opponent is the person himself (self motivated) he might cause
himself serious health injuries over train, over strain exe.)
Meaning that if he is the initiator the other is the responder. Statistically by being the
defender our chances of getting hit grow (Of course this depends, on whether or not
our response is an attack or just a defense more on that later).
Being the aggressor resembles having the first move in a chess game. If played
correctly our opponent reacts to our moves...Lets examine this further:
Definition and conception of the fight:
If the fight is a street fighting situation, for example, we must consider "worst case
scenario" which we talked about in the previous topic:
The more time which passes by, the more we risk the chance of having some one
intervene (not in your favor...). If its friends of our opponent/s, or anyone else that
may interrupt the occurrences
Dont get me wrong we're (the warriors project) not encouraging violence; god knows
that if we can avoid violence we should, even if it means running away!!
But when trying to look at the fight as objectively as possible, when engaging in one, it
means we intend to win, be winning what ever we decide.
The more time which passes the more we risk the chance of our opponent changing
thefighting equation to his favor (again, worst case scenario) picking up a
stone, bottle, stick, any sharp object.
We stand the risk of losing the element of surprise which if used correctly can be
decisive
And one last and important thing, which sums everything up, there is a saying
when you start a war you know where it begins but you dont know where it will
end (another reason to avoid violence!!), a logical implication of this is
When in a street fight/battle finish it as fast as possible.
All that said, we think the implications are obvious
In a street fight aggressiveness is a strategy!!
It is a key factor in our ability to win, and getting out of it alive and in one piece.
Aggression as part of our nature.
Our mental stature is the one component that holds the most potential for
improvement and development through mental training, but is the hardest to
change (we examine this point later on).
If our nature, even when fighting***, is not an aggressive one, we will find it difficult to
implement this strategy in our fights whether they are (street, army, mma)
As a street fighter, due to the reasons we examined above, it is worth while through
correct mental training to develop our mental ability or choice to be aggressive.
However even on the streets it is not the only way; and when not on the street, to
much more of an extent, it is not a must to obtain
Therefore in other fighting situations, because of the huge difficulty of adapting these
kinds of changes to through our mental training to our nature.
Perhaps it'll be better to spend the time on something that will produce better results For instance, choosing the right martial art, or/and the right fighting style for us!
There are some martial arts which are not meant to be aggressive, but rather be more
responsive taking what your opponent gives you exploiting his mistakes, instead
of forcing him to make them.
Martial arts such as - Tai-chi, Aikido, and even Brazilian jiu-jitsu (especially in its
traditional version, without the striking) tend to recommend this kind of behavior.
Choosing the right fighting style is also a way, to bridge over lack of aggressiveness.
[ more on that when we publish our articles on Fighting Styles]
Perfect examples of this we see in boxing Roy Jones junior fights a totally different
game then Mike Tyson, and both do boxing.
In many cases we see a fighting style adapting and adapted to a persons character,
and not the character adapting to a style
2. If it causes our fight or flight mechanism not to work - Blood pressure rises to
allow faster and stronger responses, adrenaline is distributed so that the pain is less
felt, and the occurrences of injuries are less likely.
Most of us become afraid at some point, either from physical punishment or mental
strain the thought of losing.
It might happen because of the size of the opponent, it might happen because he is
holding a weapon, it might happen only after we received a hard hit But at some
point we will need to deal with this emotion
There are ways to deal with it when it appears, and through correct mental training
improve our mental ability, so that we can avoid it before it reaches our conscious
level...
Learn more about Meditation
Learn more about Hypnosis
Nevertheless we should only be so fearless!!
Footnotes
* We dont refer to a battle, because a battle always implements life and death
situations and fight can mean both.Go Back
** This will be a concept we will refer to many times in this site. Meaning - what is the
worst case we need to prepare ourselves to deal, with in a rationale situation?
For example: In the boxing ring, we might want to prepare to face an opponent thats
faster and stronger then us, but there is no need to prepare or adapt our technique for
someone that is out of our weight category. In the street, we might want to prepare
and adapt our technique and strategy, to a very big guy that over-weighs us and over
towers us, but there is little need to prepare for someone holding a grenade (In
which case run and pray)
Furthermore, it is preferable to train for the worst situation ,and let reality "surprise"
us with an easier scenario, then the opposite - When in reality it's a worst
situation)Go Back
*** This is such an important point that we risk repeating our selves for the sake of it
being understood:A fight is not a normal situation for a human to be in, it is usually a
very extreme situation!!
Extreme situation call for extreme measurements and actionsThe qualities
mentioned, are all qualities which are important as measurements for a fighting
situation. Not for everyday, routine behavior, frame of mind.
Other references for quality martial arts training and thinking are
Martial arts development
And
Sparring in the martial arts