Can you be More Specific Please?
If you cared enough to keep up to date with what is going on in the fitness industry you will have noticed the never ending discovery and challenges of new exercises. To the fitness junkie these are pretty exciting because something new on the market, just as exciting as the arrival of a new fitness apparatus, marketed on television, brainwashing millions of people this is the answer to thei weight and fitness problems. Like many Instructors, we have been introducing new fitness routines to compliment the martial arts rather than stay with the old fashion push-ups and sit-ups, specialty of the ‘70’s and ‘80s. As martial artists, our exercises have to be sports specific and not to get carried away with the many new thousands of exercises. Exercises have to suit our needs; eg it would be a waste of time training a boxer to be flexible like a ballerina. Whilst exercises should be specific for each particular sport, consideration should also be given to some exercises which may only be suitable for specific people. To avoid any confusion, sticking to the basic fitness routines will just about suit everyone – they worked very well for me when I was training to be a Police Officer, 29 years ago; I was super fit by doing just the basic cardio and fitness routines!
There is also another consideration. A newly discovered exercise usually has not been researched and long term tested. Today, they will tell you it’s great, and tomorrow, they will tell you how bad it's for you. We were told to do sit-ups with our legs straight (great for your back if you wanted to retire early) and today you would scold anybody for even thinking about trying it that way. But history has a habit of repeating itself.
One final thing – fitness machines look much better on television than what they really are ie under the bright lights with all the good looking guys and gals with smiles on their faces. The marketing overinflates the price, quality and effectiveness of the machine. The only good thing about them is that you will at least do some form of fitness, until you're bored or they break down. They all have one thing in common, once you stop using them, you will probably never use them again. Thank goodness for eBay. Don't worry too much about the new machines and DVD's, you are already getting fit just by training in the martial arts. I hope you like the picture which has nothing to do with this blog, the same as those machines on TV which have nothing to do with fitness.
See you on eBay.
GA
Perfection can be defined as faultless or high degree of excellence. However, it is more of an ongoing pursuit than an end result. Perfection in the martial arts is what keeps us training because, to the martial artist, there is no end to the pursuit of excellence. As students, we do like praise from the Instructor but too much of it can breed complacency resulting in a reduction in enthusiasm to further progress. That's how it was done in the old days.
This is not about buying drinks for friends in a pub. This is the yell made by martial artists during training called KIAI. There are many purposes for this, but to begin with, it is when one focuses all the energy to one particular strike (or any other movement) with explosive power. Another, is to control the breathing at the moment of impact. A third reason is to distract or even intimidate your opponent. But it doesn’t end here if we start talking about the spiritual side.
A Black Belt is has been often thought of as a licence in the martial arts. Some of us older guys might remember the rumour you had to have your fingerprints taken when you got Black Belt because you would be considered lethal (the title of this blog is supposed to be a pun, hopefully, not offensive). If a Black Belt is a licence in the martial arts then there is almost a direct correlation to that of a drivers licence. People training for these ‘licences’ are students required to log the minimum amount of hours, gain the experience to be able to handle situations and demonstrate both mental and physical ability.
Like most young people, my teenage daughter has a saying ‘get real’ (typical teenage response which means nothing). However, that could mean a lot in the Martial Arts which have come a long way from the mystical perceptions of the 70s & 80s where they had people believe they can beat their opponent with one strike. This may be true depending on how well the person is trained, where the strike is placed and who they come up against. But that is usually not the case.
Boredom is a sad word in the martial arts which is an excuse for being lazy. It can usually result from doing a technique many times over but that’s what it takes to develop a technique into a reflex action before becoming useful in a ‘live’ situation. Next time you are sitting back watching dancers on television, think for a moment about how many times they practiced to get it that good. Boredom should be treated as a challenge, just another hurdle to get over. Boredom can also result from not focusing so it is important to give your full undivided attention to training. Learn as much as you can while you’re there. Go home and write things down; you’ll probably never going to refer to your notes (I never have) but the point of this exercise is the processing of writing ie you are recalling information and consolidating what you have learnt.
I had just returned from the Sunshine Coast after spending 3 glorious days (minus the sunshine) with our Qld students. My good friend and Qld Instructor, Darren Grieve, was waiting for me and the twins (John and Tim) at Maroochydore Airport last Friday morning. John and Tim headed off with Instructor, Dean Taylor, and his student, Lee. Darren and I made a pit stop at Noosa Heads for the last chance to get good coffee before heading off to Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach. Darren, the local Police Sergeant, runs Budoshinkai Karate and a small BJJ class for his students, and police officers. Early afternoon, it was time to get on the mats and do some work! Conducting seminars gives me the opportunity of analysing and consolidating my knowledge; it’s like actually attending somebody else’s seminar. We were later treated to a BBQ at Lee’s house which was well deserved after a 3 hour workout. Darren handed me over a bowl of grapes and said, “Sorry, we don’t have oranges” (please refer to previous blog).
Just about every martial arts student would like to earn a Black Belt one day. Is it because they like the colour or is it because what the colour represents? If most of us will pick the latter answer then why is that an increasing number of Martial Arts Instructors seem to be lowering the bar which reduces the value of the Black Belt? There is an important lesson to be learnt from the way BJJ students are graded. BJJ grades are not easy to get and wearing the same colour for a long time, might not appeal to most people. It takes about 3 years to get the first grade (Blue Belt) then another 7 or 8 to get Black (if you ever make it that far). In most Karate systems it takes about 4 years to get Black. If a student is dedicated and persistent there is no doubt they will eventually succeed. Whilst there may be martial arts styles/schools lowering the standard, I’d like to keep the bar up high enough, in our school, so there is an incentive for the student to train to the highest level they can reach. The students who drop out may have never really wanted it. I was recently talking to John Will, our QC of BJJ*, that I hope Instructors don’t ever lower the bar in BJJ. I’d rather work hard and wear each grade with pride. I believe this approach will ensure everyone will really appreciate the meaning of a Black Belt. Chief Instructors of all martial arts schools have the responsibility to maintain quality control for this to happen. I hope our students share my philosophy.