| Should You Add Supplementary Weight Training | | | | Make a plan before you begin anything. |
| to your Martial Arts Training? | | | | |
| | | | To make a plan, you need to figure out where |
| There are four things you should consider | | | | you want to improve. You need a balanced |
| before you add supplementary weight training | | | | body to be a good martial artist, so if you |
| into your workout schedule: | | | | do decide to add supplemental training, it |
| | | | should be to improve this balance. Is there |
| Speed | | | | a part of your body that is not up to par |
| | | | with the rest of your body? Do you have |
| Flexibility | | | | plenty of endurance but lack speed? |
| | | | |
| Endurance | | | | Here's an example of what I mean. I had a |
| | | | student at my Bellevue Academy of Kempo |
| Strength | | | | Martial Arts school that had perfect form. |
| | | | She was worried that her technique wouldn't |
| Martial arts training will naturally help you | | | | work in a real situation. She practiced slow |
| improve in all of these areas, but many | | | | and accurate movements, so the answer for her |
| people wonder if they need to add | | | | was to start training for power or speed to |
| supplementary weight training to increase | | | | make her movements more real-world |
| these areas. The answer is maybe. | | | | applicable. |
| | | | |
| The first determination of whether or not you | | | | In the "old days" martial artists were not |
| should do separate weight training is how it | | | | purists if they did strength training along |
| will affect your martial arts training. If | | | | with it. The thing is, even in the Shaolin |
| weight training will take the place of your | | | | temples, the Kung Fu practitioners had |
| martial arts training, then I don't recommend | | | | exercises like moving granite balls and doing |
| it (especially for beginners). Advanced | | | | hundreds of movements with iron rings on |
| martial arts students can make the | | | | their arms it sounds like a form of weight |
| determination depending on their personal | | | | training to me. |
| goals. | | | | |
| | | | If anyone tells you that weight training will |
| When you're making the decision, consider | | | | harm your kung fu or martial arts training, |
| this: | | | | they are only right if you stop or reduce |
| | | | your martial arts training to weight train. |
| You can add weights if you have your martial | | | | If you break your training down into sections |
| arts training regime down cold you don't | | | | and focus on the parts of your body or goals |
| want your martial arts training to suffer so | | | | that you need to balance your body, then you |
| that you can weight train on the side. | | | | can train accordingly without affecting your |
| | | | martial arts training. If you're still not |
| If you do choose to weight train, educate | | | | sure whether or not you're weight training |
| yourself or get a trainer so that you get the | | | | affectively, just make sure you do an hour |
| most out of your training. | | | | and a half of martial arts training for every |
| | | | hour of weight training you do. |