Читать книгу Fighter's Fact Book 1 - Loren W. Christensen - Страница 7
ОглавлениеI love to train by myself and have always encouraged my students to train alone at least once a week. Solo training is a time when you can do whatever you want to do. No one is telling you to work on a punching drill when you really want to polish your roundhouse kick, and no one is telling you to spar when you have yet to heal from your last session. Solo training is your time to train as hard or as easy as you like, for as long as you like. You can do it in your underwear while watching The Brady Bunch reruns on the tube, or do it in the basement to burn off frustration after a squabble with a family member. You get to choose the time, you get to choose the place and you get to work on anything you want.
One of the complaints I’ve often heard from students is that training alone is boring. How can that be? If you go into your solo training with the right mind set, that is, you picture before you an ugly, salivating beast of a human being who wants to rip your head off, how can your desperate fight for survival be boring?
Use your imagination when you train alone, just as you did when you played by yourself as a child. Make the imaginary attacker your boss, ex-spouse, the guy who cut you off on the freeway, the punks who threw trash in your yard, or that mean school teacher with the bony fingers. While this might seem a little sick, psychologists say it’s actually a healthy (and legal) way to let off steam. It doesn’t matter who you see in your mind’s eye, as long as the image brings out your warrior spirit to enable you to train intensely and get a good workout.
Here are 10 ways to make your solo training interesting, challenging and make you a better fighter.
1. SHADOWBOXING
I have always felt that students who don’t incorporate shadowboxing in their training are missing a valuable aid to their growth. As the name implies, shadowboxing involves your moving about the room punching, kicking and blocking an imaginary opponent who is throwing punches and kicks back at you. Here are just a few of the things you get from it.
Cardiovascular Benefits
If you want to improve your wind for sparring, then spar. Don’t jog, climb the stair master, or swim laps down at the creek. Instead, work to develop your cardiovascular system doing the very thing you want aerobic conditioning for - in this case, to be able to spar without getting weak in the legs and blue in the face.
To get in good cardio condition, you need to shadowbox for at least 20 minutes two or three times a week with your heart rate sustained at about 75 to 80 percent of your maximum. Here is how you determine your maximum heart rate and then your training heart rate.
Males, take the number 220 and females take the number 226 and subtract your age. The difference is your maximum heart rate. Multiply this by the percentage you want to train at and that will give you the heart rate you need to maintain throughout your shadowboxing session. Here is how it looks if you are a 20-year-old male.
220 - 20 = 200 X .75 = 150 beats a minute
If this male is out of shape, he should reduce his training percentage of his maximum heart rate to 60 percent and then progressively increase it as his aerobic condition improves. Even when you are in good shape, it’s never a good idea to sustain a rate or 85 percent of higher.
Your pulse sites are at your wrist and the side of your neck. Stop sparring and check one of them for six seconds and then resume sparring. Multiply the number of beats you felt by 10. If you felt 15 beats, 15 multiplied by 10 is 150 beats per minute. If you are 20 years old, you are right on target. If you counted 10 beats, you need to pick up the pace, but if you counted 20, you need to slow down.
Improve your Timing with Music
Select music that has a pronounced rhythm and then block, kick and punch to its beat. You will find yourself moving about rhythmically and launching your techniques reflexively to the beat as if responding to openings and attacks with a real opponent. A nice side benefit is that music has a way of camouflaging your fatigue, enabling you to train longer and harder. But watch out, when the sounds stop, fatigue will hit you like a truck.
To find your pulse, use your fingers to press at the hollow between your ear and jaw, or along your wrist
Coordinating Footwork with Combinations
It’s one thing standing before a mirror and throwing your combinations, and it’s quite another shadowboxing combinations as you move about the room without entangling your feet. The latter provides you with the opportunity to launch your combinations from constant motion as you move forward, backward, sideways, bob and weave.
You Always get to Win
You always come out on top when you shadowbox an invisible opponent (unless you are a masochist and deliberately lose). All your techniques get to the target without being blocked, you are always successful at blocking your opponent’s kicks and punches, and your match always ends with you as the victor. Savor the moment as few wins in life are this easy.
2. ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING
As a former police officer who has been in dozens of physical force situations, I can tell you that not one of them ever took place in a nice, wide-open space or on mats like those in your martial arts school. I’ve fought people on roof tops, on the edge of a dock over a river, in a slimy skid row bathroom, on stairways, inside of a car engulfed in flames, and many other places I had never thought of when I was learning my techniques.
Training in different environments is a fun and beneficial way to learn more about your favorite moves. Consider conducting your solo training in the following places around your house.
Stairs
It’s a whole different world trying to defend yourself on 12-inch wide steps as opposed to a wide-open floor. Do your rep practice and shadow boxing while moving up and down a set of stairs, while leaning against the wall with one foot on a high step and the other on a low one. Evaluate your favorite techniques as to what you can and can’t do while trying to maintain your footing.
Cluttered Room
Practice your techniques in your cluttered basement or in your crowded attic. Don’t move anything out of the way. Move around those boxes, kick over that stack of tires, jump over that collection of newspapers and move around that pile of unwashed clothes. If barefoot, look out for mousetraps.
Small Room
I’ve fought people in restroom stalls, clothes closets, and phone booths. Once I thrashed around with a man in that narrow space between a bedroom wall and the bed, on which his wife laid with a knife protruding from her throat. You quickly realize that you can’t do your techniques in these places the same way you do them in your school. Train in a small room, like your bathroom or pantry, to learn more about your punches and kicks.
* See Training Outdoors, #9 for another fun and beneficial way to train in the environment.
3. REPS
Everyone in karate is looking for the secret that will make them faster, stronger and an overall better fighter. Well, there is something that will do it, but it’s not a secret.
It’s repetitions, lots and lots of reps. If you are a disciplined hard trainer, you already know this. But if you are one of those students who is under the impression that doing a new technique a half dozen times is all that is needed, here is a revelation: You need to do lots more.
The concept is simple: The more times you correctly repeat your kicks, punches and kata, the better you will be at them. The trick, however, is to make the reps interesting. The way I practiced when I began in the 1960’s - sitting in horse stance and executing punch after punch after punch - just doesn’t get it in the new millennium. You still need to do reps, but there are other ways to do them that are enjoyable and more beneficial. Here are three ways.
1000 Punches
This is a fun drill (well, maybe not too fun) that not only improves your punches when done twice weekly for four weeks, but also improves your mental fortitude and leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment. First break the 1000 punches into sets.
Here is one example. If you don’t like this break down, create your own. You might want to do them all in just five sets or break them into 20 sets. It doesn’t matter how you do them and how many reps you do in each set as long as you get in the 1000.
METHOD
SETS
REPS
Lead leg lunge
50 reps each side
100 reps
On one knee
50 reps each side
100 reps
Moving backwards
50 reps each side
100 reps
On stairs
50 reps each side
100 reps
Horse stance
50 reps each arm
100 reps
Sitting in a chair
50 reps each arm
100 reps
Combination
roundhouse
kick and punch
50 reps each side
100 reps
Backfist and punch
50 reps each side
100 reps
Lunge step and
double punch
with same arm
50 double punches
each side
200 reps
TOTAL: 1000 reps
Rep training is one of the most important training concepts in karate. I discuss it many more times throughout this book.
4. WORK WEAK TECHNIQUES
Let’s say you have one lousy technique. Okay, you have lots, but for our purposes here, let’s say you only have one and it’s your sidekick. Your front, round and back kicks are looking good, but that sidekick goes out crooked, lands toes first, and then drops to the floor like a sack of spuds. You rarely use it because it’s hard to execute, it looks bad, and it’s, well, it’s just a big, fat embarrassment.
Since you hate executing the kick in public, do it when you train alone in the privacy of your own home. First, make sure that you completely understand the mechanics of how the sidekick is executed. To refresh your memory, talk to your instructor about it, find a book or magazine that illustrates the sidekick step-by-step, or ask a fellow student who has a particularly good one. Once you are clear on the how-to-do process, it’s time to sweat.
Your plan is to spend two or three days a week working on the kick at home. Here is your itinerary.
• Do inside leg, groin and hip stretches so that your sidekick travels smoothly and effortlessly.
• Do three sets of 10-15 reps of only the chamber portion of the kick to build strength in the pre-launch stage. Hold for one to two seconds at its highest point.
• Perform 10 -15 reps of the kick in slow motion to strengthen all the muscles involved in its delivery.
• Work on various ways to close the distance to get to the target. Do one to two sets of 10 reps of each method.
• Once you feel you have the motion of the kick perfected, add three sets of 10 reps of fast kicking.
It’s important that you don’t progress to fast reps until you can perform the kick flawlessly. I know you will be anxious to do them fast, but control yourself until you are absolutely ready. When your form is flawless, your speed will develop seemingly overnight.
The final stage is for you to prepare to get lots of compliments from your teacher and fellow students. Be humble and say something like, “Aw, shucks. Thank yuh, thank yuh.”
5. KARATE BETWEEN WEIGHTS SETS
I try to use every second I’m in the weight gym. I’m not one who likes to sit around between sets of curls (okay, maybe I do a little posing in the mirror), but I prefer to fill the “rest” period with those karate movements I don’t normally get to work on during class time. I’m not only benefitting from some extra martial arts training, but I’m getting in some aerobic work since I’m constantly moving without a rest period.
Here are some techniques I do between weight sets and between weight exercises to get a little free karate training in. Try these or replace them with whatever you need to work on.
Exercise
In between the sets
Bench press 4 sets
Chambered leg lifts as if I were going to throw a kick 4 sets, 15 reps
Curls 4 sets
Bob and weave as if evading a head punch 4 sets, 45 seconds
Triceps press 4 sets
Practice various forms of footwork for gap closing 4 sets, 15 reps
Shoulder press 4 sets
Practice getting up from the floor fast 4 sets, 15 reps
There are others, but you get the idea. I try to incorporate fighting techniques that are rather obscure, but are nonetheless important.
6. HEAVY BAG
Here is a way to work on the heavy bag by yourself that builds power, endurance and lets you know which techniques need additional work.
Begin by placing a clock where you can see the second hand. Your objective is to strike the bag 60 times for 60 seconds, that’s one per second for those of you who are as bad at math as I am. No matter what technique you throw - punch, kick, head butt, shoulder ram - do it hard. Work to ensure that your form is perfect: your hips are rotating, your opposite hand is snapping back, your balance is solid, and your energy is going into the bag.
When you are ready, maybe in a week or two, increase the time to two minutes and throw 120 hard techniques, one for each second. Be sure to move around as if you were sparring: bobbing, weaving, shuffling and sliding. Throw singles and combinations, counting each hit on the bag as one.
You may have to stay at the two-minute count for two or more weeks until you are in shape to progress. This is quite taxing so progress wisely. When you are ready, add another one-minute set. Now you are doing one, two-minute set, hitting the bag 120 times, resting for a minute, and then hitting the bag 60 times for another minute.
For the next stage, and let me warn you again to progress slowly, add one more minute to the second round, which will increase your hits for that round to 120. Now it looks like this.
Set 1: two minutes, 120 hits
Rest: for a minute
Set 2: two minutes, 120 hits
There are a couple of ways you can increase at this point. You can continue to progressively add one and two minute sets until you work up to a 20-minute cardiovascular workout. Or, if you just want to do this exercise for only two, two-minute sets, but you want to increase your output, you can add more hits per minute. World Champion kickboxer Kathy Long likes to throw 200 - 300 hits per two-minute session, and she always strives to make each hit hard, fast and accurate.
It’s easy to get the pulse up to 90 percent of maximum heart rate with this routine. Since most trainers recommend 75 - 85 percent, 90 percent is too high, so don’t stay at that extreme too long. Progress slowly with this workout, especially if you are out of shape cardiovascularly.
7. TRAIN TO YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC
I mentioned earlier that it’s fun and beneficial to shadowbox to music. Here is another way you can train to the tunes.
Whether it’s rock music, Beethoven, Barry Manilow (sheesh!), country western, or whatever, your favorite music touches your spirit and energizes your muscles. This is your time, your solo workout, so choose whatever sparks your plug.
I like powerful Asian music. I’ve been to the Orient a few times and certain music transports me to that place where martial arts basically began. If I’m listening to Japanese music, I let my wild imagination conjure an image of a small, vulnerable village nesting at the base of Mt. Fuji. The people there have come to me, a highly-trained samurai, and asked that I give them protection against marauding bandits in the area (I know this is sort of weird, but hey, I don’t poke fun at your fantasies). I get a tremendous charge as I train with that music in my ears and that image in my mind, all of which psyches my brain and adds speed and power to my movements.
For an easy workout, choose soft, gentle music. Maybe you want to polish your kicking and punching form by doing the movements slowly and gracefully, sort of tai chi-like. This can make for a relaxing workout that will calm your spirit and mellow your psyche.
If you want a cardio workout to improve your endurance, choose music that gets you moving, that makes you want to rock and roll with punches and kicks. Turn up the volume of a tune that has a pronounced beat and just go crazy. This is fun and will energize you even on those days when you are feeling tired. It improves your endurance and flow and, when you train to hit on each pronounced beat, your rhythm and timing will improve, too.
Experiment with music and see how it effects you mentally, physically and spiritually.
8. TRAIN WHILE WATCHING THE TUBE
There are some areas in your karate training where you need to train with intense concentration, such as when you are polishing a complicated kata movement or an intricate fighting combination. But there are also things you can do while training by yourself that don’t require a lot of concentration. For these exercises, it’s okay to do them while watching your favorite TV program.
Stretching
Turn on MTV, drop down on the floor and do a few of your favorite stretches. You can listen to the program, occasional glance at the screen and improve your flexibility.
Reflexes
Turn on a talky program, such as the evening news, and begin shuffling around on the balls of your feet. Select two or three common words, such as the, a, and is and listen for the newsperson to say them as you move about. When you hear your selected word, explode with a kick or punch. While this is an audio exercise, it nonetheless conditions your reflexes to react.
Stretch while watching TV
Visually, try punching or kicking each time the scene changes or someone on the screen does a particular action. For example, throw a technique every time the news anchor blinks or looks down at his papers, or every time a field reporter adjusts his hand-held microphone. The idea is to create a reflexive response to a visual stimulus. While the stimulus in this case is harmless, the benefit overlaps to stimuli that is not harmless, such as your opponent’s surprise punch.
For an extra hard TV workout, throw punches and kicks in response to both visual and audio stimuli. Throw a technique every time you see that news person blink, say “a,” look down at his papers, say “the,” adjust his hand-held microphone, and say “is.” Do this for 15 minutes and your reflexes will be so on edge that you will need to meditate afterwards just to relax.
9. TRAIN OUTDOORS
This goes along with “Environmental Training,” but it’s so special I wanted to list it separately. Training outdoors is a wonderful way to get fresh air, a little sun and to experience a whole different feel to your usual workout.
I have had some incredible solo outdoor workouts. I’ve done kata in a forest clearing in Kyoto, Japan, and I’ve trained in the middle of a dirt road in Vietnam’s countryside. I’ve practiced karate reps on the beach at sundown, and tai chi at sunrise. I’ve practiced slow punching combinations during a snowfall and worked my kata in the rain. I’ve worked out in parks, in backyards, in driveways and on street corners. I even attempted to sit in horse stance and do a few punches during a hurricane in Florida, but that ended when I was sent rolling painfully along the ground.
I saw lots of examples of solo training outdoors in the Orient. I watched people doing kung fu forms along the banks of the Saigon River and, from my hotel window in Seoul, Korea, I watched a taekwondo man practicing kicks on the roof of a 25-story high-rise. In Hong Kong and China, I saw countless people training by themselves wherever there was a little space, like the guy working out on a six-foot wide traffic medium on a busy Hong Kong street.
There is something about training by yourself outdoors that lifts your spirit and leaves you with a sense of having experienced something special. Give it a try, you’ll like it.
10. TRAINING IN WATER
I’m not talking about punching and kicking in the shower; those little drops don’t offer much in the way of resistance. But when you are submerged in a body of water up to your neck, you get resistance throughout the entire range of your technique.
If you haven’t trained in water before, take it easy at first and build up to a hard workout. Once I was feeling fat and sluggish on vacation, so I decided to train for an hour in the ocean, doing dozens of punches, kicks, blocks and lunges. It was a dumb decision. I was soooo sore that I had to cancel a hike the next day, and I had a sore hip and knee for a week. Start out slowly and progress slowly.
The beauty of training in the water is that it provides constant resistance. With many barbell and dumbbell exercises, gravity helps you do part of the movement, which reduces the resistance you want. When you curl a barbell, gravity takes over about 3/4 of the way into the upward arc, which causes the bar to drop the rest of the way to your shoulder. This does not happen in the water. For example, consider doing an uppercut punch, a motion similar to the curl. When you execute the movement under water, don’t stop the punch where you normally would, but continue pushing your fist up and into a big arc until it’s 2 or 3 inches from your shoulder, just as you would curl a barbell. Since gravity has little effect under water, the resistance remains constant throughout the movement.
Here is a good underwater workout to exercise your arms and legs in all the basic directions. To stimulate the fast-twitch muscles, the ones that make your movements fast and explosive, do the following movements as fast as you can. But, and this is a big but, do so only after you have done a set or two at slow to medium speed to thoroughly warm up your muscles and joints.
Reverse punches
3 sets, 10 reps
Backfists
3 sets, 10 reps
Uppercuts
3 sets, 10 reps
Roundhouse punches
3 sets, 10 reps
Backhand blocks
3 sets, 10 reps
Palm sweep blocks
3 sets, 10 reps
Front kicks
3 sets, 10 reps
Sidekicks
3 sets, 10 reps
Roundhouse kicks
3 sets, 10 reps
Back kicks
3 sets, 10 reps
For sure there are many other techniques you can do, but this is a good starter workout because it stimulates your foundation techniques in all basic directions of force.
Let’s say you feel strong in the basics, but you want to train a couple of other techniques that you consider weak. Working them once or twice in the constant-resistance environment of water will bring them up to speed in a month.
By the way, skinny-dip training is another option.
