Martial arts discussion thread

[Bartrim]

10 fitness facts and myths according to fitness experts

I think ones the ones I find especially relevant for martial arts practitioners include:
Stretch as a cool down, not as a warm up
"No pain no gain" is a myth (I've met some martial artists who think that they haven't trained properly if they're not hurting )

There are a lot of other interesting fitness tips there, but I personally found those two to be the most poignant.

What about the sports bra one?

I agree with the stretching one. We only stretch at the end of a lesson. No pain no gain... well I think that depends on what you are training for. For example former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir will often train in explosive exercises like sprinting wearing a snorkel with his nose plugged up. Forcing his body to perform at maximum capacity with limited oxygen intake as this builds up a tolerence to lactic acid. It is a very gruelly exercise that takes it toll on him. So then when it comes time to fight he is not really performing at maximum capacity for all the fight, but he has the maximum oxygen intake.

However if you just want to shed a few kilos or improve your fitness 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 times a week should be plenty.

[GoktimusPrime]

What about the sports bra one?

The majority of people in my school are women, but I doubt (m)any of them wear sports bras. Mind you, Tai Chi is a fairly low impact martial art (although we do have some jumps).

I agree with the stretching one. We only stretch at the end of a lesson. No pain no gain... well I think that depends on what you are training for. For example former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir will often train in explosive exercises like sprinting wearing a snorkel with his nose plugged up. Forcing his body to perform at maximum capacity with limited oxygen intake as this builds up a tolerence to lactic acid. It is a very gruelly exercise that takes it toll on him. So then when it comes time to fight he is not really performing at maximum capacity for all the fight, but he has the maximum oxygen intake.

I'd say that's more of an example (a very extremem example ) of "no strain no gain," which I would agree with. Sprinting with a snorkel and nose plugs would strain/exert one's body to its limits, but if you twisted your ankle during a sprint then I don't think continuing to run (rapid limp ) on that ankle would be very beneficial. I've seen lots of cases where people train through injuries in martial arts -- I'd be here forever retelling them, but there's a book called "Angry White Pyjamas" by Robert Twigger - a Brit who lived in Tokyo for about a year and trained in Yoshinkan Aikido. The book details some of the gruelling and agonising training that they went through.

"He refers to doing kneeling techniques, or suwari-waza, until his knees bled, only to practice the next day and in so doing tear open the scabs.
Other experiences on the course include "hajime" sessions where one technique is performed repeatedly, without a break, sometimes for up to half-an-hour or more. During these sessions, trainees sometimes pass out or vomit, especially in the summer months."
^I don't see much physical benefit in making students bleed and vomit as part of training. :/

However if you just want to shed a few kilos or improve your fitness 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 times a week should be plenty.

+1