| Proper training is everything. Especially in martial | | | | but when it comes to martial arts and self |
| arts and self defense. You just need to be sure | | | | defense (especially when fighting on the |
| that you can count on the moves and techniques | | | | street)...you may not be so lucky. |
| you have learned. Like in any other sports, if you | | | | 2. Lack Of Body Conditioning |
| are not doing things correctly, you will most likely | | | | Another great problem of Martial arts guys and |
| fail. In martial arts and self defense, you can not | | | | gals is that they do not train their body and do |
| afford to fail, especially when fighting on the | | | | not make it ready for the action. If you are |
| street and for more, when fighting for your or | | | | serious about your self defense skills, and you |
| someone else's life. | | | | should be if you are taking courses of real self |
| Your training is the key and you have to make it | | | | defense, you must spend time conditioning your |
| the best you can. | | | | body so you won't get hurt and make the body |
| So what are the most overlooked things in | | | | harden - especially the parts you are hitting with. |
| training martial arts and self defense systems? | | | | Condition your knuckles, your elbows, shins... you |
| 1. You Never Actually Mean To Really Hit Your | | | | name it. Just make sure you are ready for the |
| Sparing Partner | | | | hit, because an action always causes a reaction. |
| What you actually are taught to do, especially in | | | | Make sure you won't break your arm while |
| martial arts, is that you repeat some scenario | | | | punching your assailant in his face. |
| technique after your sensei. You hit, he dodges | | | | Hit some hard stuff and slowly increase the |
| and throws you on the ground. That sounds nice | | | | power until the pain is unbearable. After that just |
| but it misses the point of reality. | | | | put your hands to hot water and make them |
| The most common experience is that you lead | | | | relax. |
| your punching hand to the place where it should | | | | You should also condition the areas you may get |
| be dodged. You don't even aim on the guy before | | | | hit to. Like your jaws, ribs, stomach... make your |
| you. You are just trying to reach the invisible | | | | body parts strong and used to the pain. This way |
| point where your fist, or whatever it is, connects | | | | it won't hurt that much when it is for real. |
| with your sparing's dodging technique and you | | | | 3. Shadow "Dancing" |
| leave the rest on him, so he can do the technique | | | | I can understand when someone in martial arts or |
| right and you won't mess it up... but it is messed | | | | self defense, who is competing in Kata |
| up already. | | | | performance does these shadow moves and hits. |
| In martial arts and mostly in real self defense you | | | | He needs to get better and better and make it |
| have to learn, that in training you must ACT LIKE | | | | look nice and fancy. Or when you practice your |
| IN THE REAL EXACT SITUATION - only in slow | | | | speed with weights. Then it is all OK. |
| motion. | | | | But what I can not and I will never understand is |
| Your first intention must be to HIT! If your | | | | why the rest of people involved in martial arts or |
| sparring mess the dodging technique, he'll get hit. | | | | even the real self defense do that? If you want |
| Not very hard, but he will learn from it anyway. | | | | to perform good strike, you have to HIT |
| This way you both will get some added value | | | | SOMETHING! You have to have a target to aim |
| from your training. You throw real punches and he | | | | at and you have to feel the thing you are hitting. |
| encounters almost real feeling of failure if he fails | | | | If you will do shadow training, you may get all the |
| to dodge. | | | | fancy nice looking move, but you will be useless |
| Just understand that you all need to learn how it | | | | on the battlefield. You can move like a dancer - |
| looks like in a real fight and if you won't be able to | | | | but you will get beaten like a dog! |
| throw real punch on your training lesson... how | | | | That's no self defense. That's learning how to get |
| would you like to punch someone for real? YOU | | | | ripped off in a nice fancy way. |
| WON'T EVEN KNOW HOW THE REAL PUNCH | | | | Go get some good old MAKIWARA or a HEAVY |
| LOOKS LIKE! | | | | BAG, SPEED BAG... anything you can hit and feel. |
| Athletes can have another chance to show their | | | | Hope it helped you a little and gave you the idea |
| skills if they fail to manage their training properly.. | | | | of proper Martial arts and Self Defense training. |