Fitness and Conditioning
Fitness and Conditioning
One of the greatest benefits martial arts confer on their practitioners is the improvement in their physical and mental fitness. They offer an enjoyable and exciting way to get fit and be fit. Most student take up martial arts mainly with this aim in view.
Whether it is to lose weight, to develop and tone the muscles, to sculpt the body, to increase strength, endurance, speed, and flexibility, to achieve better coordination and balance, or to manage stress, martial arts can offer effective solutions.
A student who goes in for martial training in order achieve and maintain fitness should have a clear idea of the fitness goals he or she want achieve so that training can be channeled for the greatest benefit. Students should also be realistic about their physical abilities and the amounts of time they can devote to training in order avoid disappointment and frustration.
Right kind of training While almost all the martial arts offer some type of physical training, the benefits, as well as the amount of time and physical rigor needed for training in martial arts depend on the particular art being practiced. Generally more modern and sports oriented martial arts are better for achieving physical fitness and conditioning goals than traditional martial arts since one of their main aims is fitness. Such arts include Judo, Tae Kwon Do and various other grappling and wrestling marital arts. It must be noted that there are exceptions and that some traditional marital art do offer rigorous physical training.
With their fitness goals in mind the students should select a school that offers the required kind of training. Some martial arts schools offer courses aimed specifically to fitness oriented students with specially trained instructors. Given the proliferation of fitness oriented martial art schools it will not be difficult to find a school that is well equipped and staffed, exude energy, and offer value for money.
Training routine Training program should be well planned in advance .If the beginning students did not have much physical exercise before the training they should start slowly and then increase the intensity of their routine as the time goes on. Training may begin with a session once a week and gradually increase to three to four sessions a week at the end.
A martial art training routines usually include a warm up period, repetitive physical movements and exercises, performed solo, with partners, or as a group, and a cool down period. The duration and the movements will depend to a great extent on the particular martial art. The speed and complexity of movements will generally increase as the student advance in the training. Some training programs will involve practice sparring as well.
If the student finds a particular exercise or movement too difficult he or she should stop doing it and consult the instructors in order to get to the cause of any problem and to find ways to introduce it gradually into the training program
Students engaged in martial arts training must ensure that they get all the required energy and nutrients through a well balanced diet in order to keep up with the training. They should consult their instructors and other qualified persons for the best composition of the diet.