Martial arts & fitness centre

 

conditioning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To get through any jungle one needs knowledge of the terrain, understanding of its laws, the right equipment and support and finally a real sense that we do have a choice in our journey - to go this way or that, try this route and change your mind forge ahead or rest awhile... the world of conditioning is like the jungle or maze and the same rules apply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

basic foundation

 

 

Fitness on your part will require some basic knowledge on 'how your body works'.  Basic training will be based around the physical goals and your understanding of them.  This basic foundation is what you are building upon and like any building if this foundation is weak then the building will fall down or be unsafe.

Once this basic level of conditioning is achieved then you can move on to the next level.  However you will need to know what your physical goals are and the proper training approach to achieve them as different approaches to training will produce different physiological developments in the body.

 

 

topics covered

 

 

Muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexability, motor skills, motor learning, neuromuscular control, the energy systems, reflexes, muscle fibre types, motivation, well being, creativity and self expression, training principles.

 

 

muscular strength

 

 

Which can be defined as the maximum force or tension expected by a single person in a single effort as measured by a calibrated instrument or by the single lift or resistance.

A systematic strength training programme specific to the muscle group requirement of your Martial Art or sport when combined with a flexibility programme will significantly increase the speed and power of movement and ultimately performance.

 

 

muscular & cardiovascular

endurance

 

 

Which can be defined as the ability to maintain performance at a sustained level over a period of time.  If your goal is improvement in your endurance then your basic training should include not only general cardiovascular training but also specific endurance training of the muscle groups in the martial art or sport for which you are training.

Intensity, duration and frequency must all be addressed when planning your programme.

The mechanism for delivering energy to the body is the cardiovascular respiratory system - Heart, Lungs and blood vessels.  Consistent endurance training will have significant effects on the structure and functioning of this system which in turn will improve your endurance performance.

 

 

flexibility

 

 

Suppleness is an essential component of physical well being and a full, free range of movement will enchance physical performance.  'Flexibility is an essential element of optimal physical performance'.

Stretching therefore has to be directed to the particular needs of your body and the physical goals of your art or sport.  In addition to this flexibility and suppleness will guard against injury.

 

 

motor skill, motor learning

& neuromuscular control

 

 

We all know someone whom we consider to be a natural athlete, someone who no matter what they put their hand to seems to accomplish it with inordinate skill, ease and profecciency. 

 

It may have seemed effortless, but the control that this person manifested was the result of a large number of variables and factors which include not only hereditory gifts but early childhood training and subsequent practice of skills.

 

The sum total of inhereted and learned capacities could be labelled - Neuromuscular control.  Abiliites are the next level of sophistication in neuromuscular control.  Skills might be defined as the learned ability to achieve consistently a set target with the minimum expenditure of time and energy.

 

One of the characteristics of a skilled person is the ability to perform apparently complex activities with grace, effortlessness and smooth timing.  Also balance, agility and coordination play a major part in motor skills.

 

Motor Learning - is the process where by we train physically to use our innate abilities in order to develop skill in a particular activity.  Through successive rehersals of a skill you require more and more control over the movements required in order to perform it.

 

 

There are 3 stages to motor learning

 

1.  Cognitive Stage - at the beginning of learning a skill you start to develop a sense of what the skill should feel like.

 

2.  Associative Stage - you now have a basic grasp of the skill, you know where to place your feet, what angle your body should be at and you begin to refine the skill and move it closer towards accepted levels of connectness.

 

3.  Automatic Stage - here you no longer have to think and consider what you are doing.  The performance is automatic, the skill is fully acquired and incorporated into the performance of your martial art or sport.

 

 

the

energy systems

 

 

Whatever kind of work you perform you must have energy to do it.  The body is essentially a user of energy and since any form of exercise automatically requires the body to perform work it follows that we must be able to generate enough energy, deliver to where it is needed and can convert it to work once it has arrived or reached its destination.

 

The energy system is composed of several systems of the body:

 

The Respiratory System - provides oxygen needed for the burning of the fuel

The Cardiovascular System - delivers the oxygen and fuel to the muscules

The Energy Conversion System - convert the fuel and oxygen into muscular action work or activity.

The Digestive System - which provides the fuel in laymans terms exercise will stimulate, food will replenish and rest is where you will grow.

 

 

 

reflexes

 

 

Reflective movements and basic compositional movements which are generally under the control of the nervous system.

 

 

 

training principles

 

 

 

1. SPECIFICITY - The closer the training movements parrell the kind of physical activity you are training for the more effective the influence of training on performance.

 

2. OVERLOAD - You must safely overload (Tax) your muscles and cardiovascular systems.

 

3. PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE - Particulary applicable in Strength Flexibility and Endurance training. This principle maintains that as you improve it is necessary to increase progressively the demands on your body.

 

4. REGULARITY - Regularity of training is important to achieve your goals.

 

5. REST AND RECOVERY -
Exercise - Stimulates
Food - Replenishes
Rest - Grows

 

6. ARRANGEMENT - Exercises should be arranged so that you get the best possible results, while guarding against injury.

 

7. PROPER TRAINING ENVIROMENT - different sparring partners and as near to the real thing.

 

8. RECOGNITION OF GOAL REQUIREMENTS - Every goal may require a different approach.

 

9. DON'T OVERTRAIN - Along with ignorance, over-enthusiam and poor coaching, overtraining is a major contributor to injury and poor performance.