
Fitness and Training for Jiu-Jitsu / Self Defense
Author: Malcolm Bale
When I started training Jiu-Jitsu as a system for Self Defense, it became very apparent to me that the students did not take their personal Fitness to a level anywhere near that of competitive Martial Artists or Fighters. Having a competitive Boxing and contact Karate background made me far more conscious of my fitness than many of the people around me. There is not that same goal of getting into tip top condition for an upcoming fight or Tournament because that goal is often preparing for a fight on the street that hopefully would never happen. It is very difficult to sustain a very high level of fitness without a specific goal. Therefore, it is important for the average Student to set their own goals and take their level of fitness to whatever they feel is required for their own situation. Remember why you are training and consider if your fitness will carry you through a real fight, especially if it goes on for more than a few seconds as it most likely will.
Try walking into your local Boxing Club and you'll be punched by the smell of Sweat on as soon as you walk through the door. The whipping of skipping ropes, rattling of Floor ceiling balls, speed balls, thudding on light and heavy bags, people doing sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, shadow sparring and Sparring with their training Pals. The general level of energy is simply impressive. These guys train hard for a couple of hours each night, so then ask yourself; "What kind of match would I be"? Some people have trouble showing their techniques on a compliant partner so are they really going to work on a guy that's continually pounding them with 3 and 4 punch combinations, dancing around on his toes and can probably keep this up for quite some time. "I'll just take him to the ground" you might think but how are you going to react when you've been hit hard, maybe even for the first time and your mind has gone blank. Have you trained so much that instinct takes over and your body is reacting automatically? If this guy throws anything other than the right arm swing that your practices have been limited to, you could well be in trouble. This guy may not be a drunken bum throwing a single Hay Maker, trouble can pop up anywhere. These days Road rage for example is even becoming pretty common, here you've got someone who steaming from the ears and could really be anyone from any background, trained or untrained. Ensure that in training you have different partners and vary the level of intensity. You don't need to train full-on all the time with your techniques but every now and again raise it to a realistic level, it will not only give you an inner confidence that this stuff really works but will give you more of a workout too. If we trained full-on all the time then many would get injuries and you'll end up having no one to train with. If necessary get your attacker to wear padding to reduce that risk of injury at that higher level. Think for a moment about those guys getting trained up for an upcoming Kick Boxing Match, a full contact Karate fight, Judo or wrestling. They know that if they do not get into Prime condition for that fight, then it's likely that they'll get their Ass kicked soon after climbing through the ropes. Needless to say most are pretty well prepared cometh the day. It's not to say that you have to get to that level of fitness and keep it all year round but be aware that these guys tick over most of the year with a reasonable level of fitness and then train hard, real hard, during the 5 to 7 weeks leading up to a fight. Attending a class a couple of times per week and practicing your techniques is great for getting your techniques sorted out but take your own Fitness Training into your own hands. Try working on your Stamina, Strength, speed, flexibility etc outside of classes. If you're going to wear a Club emblem, then wear it with pride and live up to the expectations that other people have of Jitsuka. There is only an hour or two for classes so much of the time has to be taken up practicing and perfecting techniques so make an effort to get some fitness training outside of Jiu-Jitsu classes. Whatever level you're at now, try taking your body to that next level of fitness, you may even get to like it! At least you know exactly what it took and what it feels like to be there and get all the benefits that go with it. When you are punching those bags just try to simulate fighting conditions by raising and lowering the tempo. When you go hard, really go for it, when you lighten up think about your defence, movement and striking technique and don't let up on your speed. Use different strikes; fist, open hands, sides of hands, elbows, knees, shins and feet. Know what it feels like to hit a solid object, otherwise the first thing that you break could be your wrist. Practice striking in combinations, it's a far better way of getting through to your intended target. The more you practice your own striking techniques, the more natural they begin to feel and the more instinctively you will react. Don't just be a head hunter either and give some thought to the many other effective targets that are available. Sparring and grappling is also an essential part of training so do not neglect it. Even if you cannot follow a schedule as laid out here, remember that doing something has got to be better than doing nothing. You are responsible for your own Fitness and Health. We all know that Boxers get themselves into incredible shape for a fight so it should make sense to at least do some of what they are doing and change it as required to suit your style. A typical simplified boxing type of workout could involve the following: 15 minutes Skipping or running 10x3 min rounds Punch Bag/ Ball work
(Hands and Feet) 3x3 min rounds on focus pads with trainer 3x3 minute rounds of Sparring Shadow sparring (Wear heavy Gloves) Static exercises: (10 Reps of each)
Sit up Twist
Push ups
Squat Jumps
Burpees
Squat Jumps
Squat Thrust
Knees - Chest
Pike Sit Ups
Sit Ups
Dorsal Raises Repeat Static exercises Repeat Static Exercises again if you've got anything left Warm down with a few rounds of skipping and stretching **This type of workout is to be repeated several times throughout the week and remember, if you are cheating on your training then the only person that you're cheating on, is yourself** Train Hard / Fightwize By Malcolm Bale - 2nd Degree Black Belt in Jiu-Jitsu http://www.fightwize.com/Instructors.htm Alberta Self Defence run classes and courses for Men, Women and Children. Learn Escape Techniques, Targeting and Striking, Ground Defence, Keychain Defence, Take Downs and Hold Downs.
See http://www.fightwize.com/Self-Defence-Courses.htm © 2005, fightwize.com You may reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact. http://www.fightwize.com Alberta_self_defence@yahoo.ca
More Martial Arts and Self Defense Articles
Shaolin Kung Fu for Kids
Shaolin is a 1,500 year-old Chan (Zen) Buddhist temple in China that is famous worldwide for its peaceful-looking monks who perform incredible kung fu stunts. You might have seen images or performances of Shaolin kids bending their limbs...read more
What Are Hard Style and Soft Style Martial Arts?
Sometimes one would see references to 'hard' style and 'soft' style martial arts. To many non-martial artists, these terms may be puzzling. In North America, these terms are used to classify martial art styles into two main categories....read more
Tips For Self Defense
Every day we face the risk of being attacked. Attacked by the street robbers, home intruders, rapists and violent persons of other sort. If you, your relative or a friend are attacked, you have a right to ward off an attack by using a force....read more
Why Most Women's Self-Defense Programs Are Wrong
In the world of women's self-defense training, there are two generally accepted "schools" of thought. Unfortunately, both take extreme viewpoints and are usually founded on nothing more than the so-called "expert's" beliefs. Without real-world...read more
Blended Martial Arts for Self Defense
I’ve never been one to enjoy performing hours and hours of kata. That doesn’t mean I don’t like to practice my martial arts moves, just that I prefer them to be more active and realistic. Over the years, I have searched for an effective martial...read more
Martial Arts: The Number One Way to Combat Bullying
As parents, we do everything we can to protect our children from harm and to provide them with the skills they need to be healthy, successful adults. The problem is, we are not with them all the time. What our kids do at school is sometimes a...read more
Overcoming Fear in a Self-Defense Situation
How do you overcome fear in a self-defense situation? Basically you don't, you learn to use the fear instead. Making it a tool that you shape not allowing fear to control you. All fine and dandy, but how do you go about learning how to use fear? ...read more
4 Reasons Why Kicking an Attacker in the Groin is a Bad Idea During a Self-Defense Situation
It goes without question that, within the realms of martial arts and self-defense, there are literally hundreds of things that you can do to debilitate an attacker. From the various methods of striking different body targets with punches and...read more
Self Defense Protection - Keeping Kids Safe Online
We all know that keeping our kids safe on the internet is a parent's priority lately. Here are some new tips and strategies to give parents solutions on how to protect their children. The biggest trick some child predators’ are using these days is...read more
Why Train Self-Defense Solo?
For students who attend our regular classes the information below will be nothing new. Many have heard me pontificate on these points at various times, however, I think it's important to share this information with others to hopefully help them...read more
|