Power of Volume Training

We envy top athletes, including martial artists, and we wonder what it takes for them to get there. Many of us will have us believe that that we don’t have the ability. Thank goodness that is wrong because the power of volume training can help anyone do a whole lot better. What this means is not so much repetition training such as doing a punch and kick 1,000 times but reassessing as you go along; eg after 10 kicks, analyse to see what it takes to improve. Then do another 10 reps, and so on. Get it right first before you commit to 1,000 times. Most people will stop practicing a drill once they have finally put things together when this is the time they should be getting right into it. Actors, repeatedly go over their lines even though they may already know them. Practice what you have learnt; not just practice what you are trying to learn. That’s the correct way of volume training. Realistically, you are not going to achieve a 1,000 reps in one session (and you shouldn’t) but that is what it takes to get good at something in the long term.

When doing a combination, don’t worry too much about the result. Practice how to get there not what happens when you land that kick to the head or when you finish off that armbar. This is unnecessary because it wastes time, and you will not get much help from your opponent if you are causing them discomfort. It is more important to do the techniques leading to the result.

A good way of capturing of volume training is giving students a time limit (usually a minute) of how many reps the students can clock up. The difference is amazing once there is a bit of competition; no time wasted and students are on full alert. Always remember the power of volume training.