How to make your training more real.

Now folks, this may seem like a garden variety rant, created by a self-absorbed zealot. Well, I am certainly a zealot, but not as self-absorbed as I used to be. Listen up, I must apologize. The majority of my posts have been about how the martial arts world is lacking. I have screamed and hollered about how the martial arts worlds needs a shot in the arm called reality. Or you could call it practicality. But I have fallen short after that. I have failed to give some clear concise ways on how to add a little reality to your sports-oriented training.

For the kickers and punchers out there, I want to start with you. Not because I am picking on you, but someone has to go first, correct? So here we are. In a lot of the schools that I have observed(and there have been many) I notice that there is a lot of wasted motion as it pertains to footwork. Oftentimes, two combatants will move around the dojo floor as if space will always be abundant. So my first recommendation is this: Allow yourself only a very limited amount of space. Draw a circle or square on the mat that is rougly the size of a parking space. Then have the rest of the class stand around the sparring area with kicking shields to act as physical barriers.

This drill often does two things immediately. The first is that you realize that there is often a claustrophobic effect the will come over you. You find yourself WANTING more space. You may find yourself panicking, or punching and kicking in a way that is not effective. Kicking in and of itself will become a different thing. You may find that our bread and butter kicks will not get you the results that they used to :)

And for you grapplers, this is where I am all over ya :) How about instead of your comfortable HCK gi pants, you try to grapple in a pair of jeans. Or how about throwing some empty coke bottles and other kinds of light debris on the mat? Put your wallet in your pants, not your cell phone because it will break. How about trying to grapple in your heaviest pair of shoes? You will find in a hurry, like I did, that your sensitivity in your feet is a large part of your grappling skills.

More importantly, try this, practice getting the clinch and takedown in between two cars. Pulling guard is not an option is it? Try establishing a firm mount on concrete. Or how about your training partner? Being mounted on the hard ground is not a whole lot of fun. But hey, this is what real training is about isnt it? Well folks that is it for me. Holler at ya later.

From where do you get your strength?

I believe that I have touched on this topic briefly before. Martial arts is a mental discipline as much as a physical one. Probably even more. Personally, I am dealing with a number of trying issues, so within my control, and some beyond. I have NO idea how I am going to solve 6 seperate issues in my life. But giving up has never occurred to me. I am not wired that way. And I credit my martial arts training.

Now folks, I dont want to sound like I am some kind of wonderkid, or that I possess something that you dont. Likely, you have the answer somewhere already in your mental rolodex. Sometimes, the problems in our lives involve knowing where to look more than knowing what to do. Look inside of yourselves folks. Your faith, your deepest beliefs, and your martial arts training will get you through.

Just touching on reality for a moment if I may

Folks,

I just wanted to remind you that sport fighting is not real fighting. In a real fight, strategy must be employed in an instant. You dont have rounds or minutes to "figure out" your opponent. You must size him or her up in second and employ a viable strategy almost immediately.

If you are a striker, you likely have a couple of milliseconds to decide which will be your best option to strike someone. As a grappler, you may have a little more time if you can initiate a clinch and control it without taking any punches. But speed is of the essence.

If you are a striker, jab, cross, and front kick ASAP. If you are a judoka, clinch and throw, if you do jiujitsu, clinch, mount and punch. We need more steak and less sizzle folks. Im outro.