AnonymousOne

I have built my own custom piece of equipment that my Fiance calls the Gallows. All it is, is a wooden construction 6'6" high with a main post in the middle with supporting beams. It has a series of pullies with weights at one end then a rope running up over the pullies and at the other end of the rope I have varies things that allow the rope to connect to my feet, hands or body. The purpose is to allow a Karate kick or punch to be made whilst under load. In other words the exact karate bio mechanical movement is performed under load. Most weight training is good but is doesnt get at the exact muscle(s) for that particular movement. So when I punch with this system the exact same muscles are used in proper form, but under load. Also I am able to attach it around my waste. This means I can do lunge punches or almost any other body movement under load. I can practise side stepping technique, karate kata turns etc. However you are limited in this because you have a rope around you. I have a friend of mine who suggested that if I was mad enough to do this, I might as well get a Knights heavy armour and do Kata. LOL But seriously, I find the system, seeing it matches exact karate movement is very good. Since having built it late last year, my punches, blocks and kicks have improved dramatically in the area of power. You can do normal weight work with it (matching karate movement) or plyometric type exercises matching karate movement. I thought of the idea many many years ago, but just never got around to making it. So I designed it and bought all the parts and assembled it. Its quite a simple system, nothing fancy looking. But the area I find the most benefit is in kicking because you can really get at the muscles around the hip joints that lifts your knee. I have also devised a particular workout session with it and I only use it once a week on Saturdays because it really cuts into my muscles and I find myself quite drained the next day. Another benefit is you can practise your technique in reverse order to use the muscles differently. Same Karate movements but the muscles working in reverse order. I find this very good especially in the need to develop skills at grabbing and pulling an oponent. In fact since using it, I have noticed that I have improved alot in this area. I was sparring with a Nidan last Friday night and I side stepped his attack and instead of counter attacking as I usually would, I simply grabbed his Gi by the shoulder and hip and pulled him side ways and downward and he fell like melting putty. He got up and asked me "How did you manage to do that?" I was even surprised myself because thinking about it now it takes good arm strength to move someone who in in a solid low stance. But I attribute this to the "Gallows" training I have been doing. So I was pleased with the progress. I will try and get a pic of it with me training, but perhaps it may be even better getting a video and running through all the various exercises I do. I will see what I can do. I am sure some of you could think of ways of using it that I havent thought, this I would love to hear. On the gallows main beam I have mounted two large size dowels like the Wing Chun wooden dummy. I hit this with my forearms to condition them. A Karate-Ka has to have conditioned arms in blocking. I remember my first ever teacher who was undefeated in Kumite contest in this country, he had forearms like iron and he was a little skinny dude that looked totally unthreatening. But he was lethal and still is. Hes a 8th Dan now. Sadly because of his work that takes him overseas alot we dont get the benefit of his expertise as often as we would like. He was a San Dan when I started 27 years ago. It was amasing, he never lost in contest (over many years) here whether Kata or Kumite and never used weights. His philosophy was just to practise Karate on its own. It sure worked for him. For me I have a much different philosophy. I guess we all explore and experiment for ourselves. We retain the good and disgard the useless. My Goju friends encouraged me to explore weight training. Its not a big thing in our school. I am so glad I did, to me its made a world of difference. And these young whipper snapper newly appointed Shodans who dont see me much get a big surprise when they 'try out' this old goat! LOL They seem to think a few gray hairs makes you slow and not as fit as them. I try to be humble but you know sometimes the ego takes first place and I feel I have to put them in their place. I feel guilty for enjoying that. LOL We from time to time, seem to get these younger guys that are very ****y and confident and maybe they have won a contest or two and they like to try our the senior ranks. We have a central Head Dojo and they came from other Dojos from all over the city and as I dont teach they dont know me, but not for long! We have a lot of senior Dan grades that dont teach because of the time factor. In our school you must be at least SanDan to teach. Its a large school with a long history and it takes awhile to get to know everyone, so it can be fun meeting these younger guys (the girls never seem to be like that). Sometimes I feel like showing up with a white belt just for a laugh. The only negative thing I would say about our school is because its quite militaristic in its discipline and it does seem to foster within 'some' people rather Hmmmm unique ego's. On the odd occasion the seniors need to sort this out. I must say I do like the attitudes of some of the other Styles. However I am where I am and I enjoy the training and excellent advice we get from our leading exponent. There are no other legitimate 9th Dans in the country

I have not mentioned what Dan grade I am here I dont think because it does not mean much to me anymore. After 27 almost 28 years of training the colour of my belt and the ensuring grade I have just doesnt seem as important as it was. When I was young and immature I wanted a black belt so I could brag to all my friends. If I say I am a black belt and I have friend who is a black belt, how do you determine who is more skilled, or a better teacher, or who is more committed? The colour of the belt will not tell you these things. In my many years of experience I have met so many fine Karate-Ka and I believe the feeling is the same as one matures in technique the ranking system is not as important as many other things. Looking back now, if our school had no ranks I would still join.

The ranking system has a good and bad side. Unfortunately it really doesnt show real skill by someones words. You get earn a black belt over the net and get a cert without ever having done much, in other words you buy it. That is no protection for the general public. On the other hand their are some protection systems in place. For example one can show that the cert is authoried by the World Karate Union and the school has recognition by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Personally outside of this I wouldnt look at a school. As for Chinese and Korean Martial Arts thats a whole another difficulty for me anyway because I dont keep up with whos who. In the old days in Okinawa your grade was being able to advance to the next Kata it was simple. Its a difficult issue. Some people may not be astute enough to check the school out. Fortunately I was. And what I saw deeply impressed me and still does. [ This Message was edited by: AnonymousOne on 2002-01-30 20:58 ]

Well thankyou very much

Tyson a loser? Hmmmm Not physically. I think he suffers from a poor self esteem imho

Was this an attempt to try and provoke me?

http://www.karatedo.co.jp/itosu-kai/english/index.html

Thanks Kicker

All the masters of old changed the Kata. Today with all the 100's of different schools there are many interpretations of Kata. No one has or practises original Kata. No one! Its like the Bible, no one has the original copies, and there are many translations. But... the meanings can be understood still despite slightly different word preferences. Slight and minor changes will not effect your fighting ability. Having a new bio-mechanically poor and ineffective fighting technique capability is not good at all. Is Karate limited by the past? Is new research and technology not possible to the develop growth and greater performance of Kata? As Funakoshi said "The old and the new, this is only a matter of time, the way, who will pass it on straight and well?" What is now old was once new. What is new will soon be old. Man has made great strides in every endeavour and particularly sports in the last 30 years. Is Karate never going to benefit from the research?

Ahhhh the very problem I once had. Now if you are smart and determined this will be your imputus forward to greater heights. First of all sit down and design a written weekly training programme. Then after training at the Dojo, no matter what go running. Even if you are so tired you have to end up fast walking. Then on a daily basis, yes critical daily, start a running programme. But when you run, lift your knees high and take long strides. As your aerobic capacity increases, twice a week work on anaerobic work. ie sprinting, rope skipping, kata at high speed, running fast up hills etc etc You are suffering from anaerobic break down, you need to build your anaerobic capabilities and you can only do this by building your aerobic capabilities as a foundation. As you get stronger, work weights on your legs and whole body really. But make utterly sure you are healthy enough to do this. I had this problem many years ago and you know what it wont go away if you slack off again either. After a 2 hour intense Karate training I started running when I got home. From where I lived 2.5 miles away is a small mountain of 1200 feet high and getting up is steep, really steep. I set a goal to run over that every night. I was training 5 nights a week then at the dojo. The slackers were closed on the weekend then! Anyway, it took me months and months to even get to the top non-stop. Then eventually I could run the whole 5 miles non stop. When I got to this stage, I started timing myself and worked to get the times down. Then I started working on weights and anaerobic conditioning. Then after 12 months, I found my fitness far superior to those of my own grade (kyu) in the dojo. That was my goal. I even had my peers asking me to take it easy at the dojo and training camps. I followed the training programme of a undefeated Kumite Karate-Ka who was my Sensei at the time. Although he was not pro weights really. Back then weight training was not studied as it has been today. The key here is to build a programme and follow it. Its not an easy task finding out what works and is best for you. But thats the fun part experimenting. Dont always believe and follow everything you here as Gospel. Study and learn your own body. Everybodies body is different. Thats why some people are better suited to be maranthoners than sprinters. Its the same in Karate, your body may respond differently to different programmes than mine and others will. Study, plan, implement, execute, monitor, adjust and continue your programme. In time you will have bundles of energy that many would kill for, IF you are serious and committed. Thinik about this: How much do you want this goal? What are you prepared to give up to achieve it? What would it mean to you if you do achieve it? What would it mean if you dont achieve it? Does it worry you if you dont achieve it? If so, why? Can you describe your your full potential .. exactly? If your full potential equals 100%, what % would you give yourself now? Accepting the difference between the two scores, what are you going to do to make up the shortfall? And when? (Questions compliments of Zig Ziglar and Peter Daniels) Thats deep. Take your time thinking about these questions, it could change your whole life

I think you would be better to train in weights, running, plyometric and agility exercises to supplement your training. Build a strong base of aerobic work and develop anaerobic work. You need to make a programme designed specifically for you personally

Set realistic worthwhile exciting goals in your training. I am the other way, I have too much will power and often over train. I have to be very careful or I suffer badly. Balance is the key

Didnt you know the Armish practise a lethal martial art that is top secret? Why do you think they do so much barn-raising its part of their training

If you do go to Sydney make a point of going to Starling's school. I have seen him and he has an excellent reputation.

Eventually you get to the point of being able to pound the pulp out of 'any' street punk in a matter of a split second. With intense training it only takes about 2-3 years to get to that level (for the average person). After that the m/a becomes an art.

From a technical point of view the reason you are made to turn your foot is because it allows the hip to come into play to allow a great deal of power in the kick. There are two ways of doing the side kick. Either a snap kick or thrust kick. The snap kick in many schools allows little hip movement and the emphasis is on speed. The thrust kick uses the hip and is slower but more powerful. If you know these two kicks, try this. First snap your kick out with speed as you do with the snap kick, and just before the technique is completed suddenly turn and thrust your hips into it. This way you have a snap-thrust kick. Its not easy to do and takes years to get right. Its also not traditional and I never do it in the Dojo, unless sparring. I would suggest you practise your side kicks at least 200 times a day on each leg, but aim for 1000. That should sort your problem out eventually. Also practise the kick slowly. Break it down into components. Knee lift, put the leg out, turn the hip, bring the leg back to knee lift position and return to floor. Over and over and over. Pratise it holding onto something (in the beginning if need be) and learn to co-ordinate your body movements. The higher you left the knee in this kick the better off you will be. In our school, we train extremely hard, but even in Japan the side kick is taught as a "sandan technique". In other words your body will not have the capability of using this technique properly until at least 3rd Dan. Despite this all grades even beginners practise hard on it. Also use weights in performing the movement. You need to get at those muscles around the hip joints. Also stand next to a bed or chair and kick over it. This will ensure good knee lift. Remember their are some Karate-Ka that can drop a 2 inch board from head height and as the board drops to be able to break the board with a side kick before the board hits the ground. Some people cant even do this with a punch let alone a kick. Great power can be had from this technique with years of intense training

Whats more important having a belt or having a high degree of skill?

I would definately like to see government regulation to control this. Here in New Zealand we have no such control. The amount of time training is not the only factor that determines skill. Its also the type of training and the intensity of training. Our school requires you to have been training about 3 years for Shodan grade. The training is intense and hard and the grading standards are tough. I have seen whole gradings fail. What I mean is I have seen 40 people all fail at once. This is a tough stance to take, but down here the school I am in is very concerned abouts its reputation. To Nidan grade is 3 years after Shodan. To Sandan grade is 4 years after Nidan. Then another 4 years to Yondan Then a further 4 or 5 to Godan. So getting to 5th Dan takes about 20 years. We have a policy that no one under Sandan can teach. In other words they must have been training at least 10 years. They must also hold a medical/first aid cert. They also must have received advanced training in Japan. Getting to teach in our school is no easy task. The rules are strict and training intense as it should be. Our country also has its fair share of charlatans. When I started some 27 odd years ago, there were very few schools and one had little choice. Today, sadly, martial art schools are dime a dozen. There are hundreds of them. I still say there are only 4 decent schools. Shotokan, Chidokan, Shorin-Ryu and Gojuryu. The rest have poor standards, poorly trained and incompetant teachers. I know a young man that was recently given Sandan by his school and he is 17. His technique is only as good as our 1st Kyu's at best. Some schools have weird policies. They say you must have been training for at least 5 years. But ... if you have Shodan from another school and are up to standard they will allow you to resit Shodan immediately. So you can go to one school and get Shodan in 3 years and change schools and circumvent waiting 5 years.

It is said there are over 1500 different martial arts in China so that narrows it down doesnt it? hehe Karate did descend from Chinese forms of boxing/martial arts, however its very very different. Okinawa originally had its own form of fighting called 'te' or 'to te' which was mixed with Chinese arts somewhere around and after the 1600's when the Satsuma clan invaded Okinawa and banned all weapons. The Chinese have a different philosophy in training methods, the Okinanawans have a different philosophy and the Japanese a different philosophy again. Many schools in mainland Japan are different from Okinawa. I think modernization is a word some call it. There are great similarities between Karate and Chinese arts and many differences. In many cases you would have to go technique by technique to examine this. Soft? Some one mentioned soft. If Karate has a soft element its soft like a whip. And the hard is hard like a brick. The Chinese have this too. Its a hard question because some Chinese schools have long straight punches and linear movements like Karate. If you can call it linear for they are really circular if you examine everything closely. The forms or Kata a very different. Although one can see similar movements, the order of the movements and emphasis is different. Some Chinese schools use light, flowery but quick movements. Karate, traditional Karate, emphasises power, speed and focus. However some Chinese schools also do this. One could go on and on. In the end it comes down to the personal preference of the school/teacher. Getting a definitive difference from 1500 Chinese arts and 100's on Karate Schools would not be an easy task. In every martial art, there are certain basic elements that must be maintained. A good stance, good timing, great speed, good endurance and so on. If you are going to compare I think you need to compare exact schools rather than countries.

Oh I forgot to give you my web page. Here it is, its still under construction http://ourname.50megs.com

Personally I place no emphasis on belts or gradings, it does not tell of ones ability at all. Eventually your black belt will fade, then turn white and turn into tatters and needs to be replaced. Sure I am proud of the rank I hold but I dont make a lot of noise about it because telling someone your rank simply cannot explain to them your level of skill or even lack of skill. If someone asks me about Karate I show them technique not a belt. As even Bruce Lee said "A belt is only for holding your pants up"

This system cannot work in a class environment. This is for one on one or self training. You need to work to your own exact -minus Steady State Phaze. That needs to be accurately measured. Read the post again and you may see what I mean The point is this. No two people have the exact same capabilities, so therefore a class environment is not a place to implement such a programme, it simply cannot be done. One needs to accurately work to their level by accurately measuring and monitoring that level. In a class environment someone will be either holding back others back or ahead of the others. This is a precision fine tuning programme. As for a aerobic kick boxing class thats fine for most people in the development stage of fitness. A high ranking Karate-Ka would find it too easy and thus limiting. And yes I have seen many many of them. I have also attended many Karate Gasshuku (weekend or week long training camps) that go way way beyond all said aerobic classes. I think these aerobic classes are wonderful things for people, but I have never ever seen one make the students work as hard as a traditional Japanese Karate Dojo. Thats a good thing, the general public dont have the motivation to suffer that degree of discipline. [ This Message was edited by: AnonymousOne on 2002-01-30 12:24 ]

I believe greatr strides can be made by self training. But I think first you have to have a very good understanding of the techniques and you have to work really hard. Look at this article: Training Strategy for Evander Holyfield The time-honoured -- but unfortunately ill-conceived -- practice of long, slow distance work as a conditioning regimen for boxers is what Evander learned from the training dinosaurs of his youth, and had continued with for years. When I was brought aboard his team, prior to his fight against Buster Douglas in 1990, Evander was in sad physical condition considering the specific demands of his sport. I immediately tested Evander's responses to three minutes of boxing specific total body work (see the 3-minute drill description below), which brought his heart rate above 180 bpm. He needed a full 7 or 8 minutes to recover back to 120 bpm after this single bout, analogous to one hard boxing round. What was worse, after doing five of the 3-minute drills with a one minute rest between, his heart rate remained above 150 between bouts. In short, he did not have the capacity to sustain a high performance level for even half of the duration of a professional fight. My responsibilities were limited to the physical conditioning component of Evander's training, which had to be integrated into his skills and sparring training. Boxers require not only agility, speed and strength in short, explosive bursts, but also a high level of anaerobic strength endurance in order to perform these bursts over and over for ten rounds or more. I designed Evander's training regimen and nutritional protocol to reflect these all-important elements. The road work ended promptly and completely. After the 12 week cycle described below, Evander recovered quickly from intense activity, even after a series of ten, 3-minute drills. His agility and limit strength levels increased, and his lean Baudot increased from 208 to 218. The conditioning program described below was the program I personally supervised Evander through prior to the Buster Douglas fight. He also used the same training cycle in preparation for his most recent fights against Mike Tyson, but I was not there personally to oversee his training. This preparation was supervised by a friend of mine in the strength coaching profession who assures me the Evander followed the prescribed program precisely. General Points of Conditioning for Boxers There are several general concepts which helped to shape the specific program that I designed for Evander. First, the work profile of boxing is repeated 3-minute rounds of activity, often with very high intensity bursts within a round. The rounds are separated by one minute rest intervals. Thus, the relative contribution of anaerobic energy release pathways is considered extremely important, with aerobic capacity playing an important role in terms of facilitating rapid recovery. Extreme conditioning is required to fight effectively for ten intense, 3-minute rounds and anaerobic endurance is a key aspect that cannot be overlooked. Short of an early round knockout, boxers cannot afford to win only the early rounds of a fight. They must maintain an intense, but measured pace throughout a long and competitive bout. So conditioning counts almost as much as skill for boxing success. Optimal physical conditioning provides the platform from which the skills can be used. The best way to simulate the demands of boxing is to use conditioning methods which mimic the work/rest ratio and integrated bursts of power that typify boxing. Boxing is a highly individual sport. Fighters possess unique styles that create specific physical demands. Some rely on explosive strength ("power"), for others it's starting strength ("speed"), and for most a combination of the two ("speed-strength"). True champions alter their style in a way that will make them more able to attack the weaknesses of any given opponent. Improvements in specific capacities can be made, but they are only helpful if integrated into the fighter's style. For example, extensive footwork exercises may not benefit the power puncher who fights stationary and looks to deliver a blow that starts with the legs and drives right through the opponent (and wins that way). Similarly, a fighter who relies on punching speed and fast footwork should not put all his training hours into heavy bag work and muscle mass development. So, the program designed must not only be specific to boxing, but also specific to the boxer. Ideally, the boxing punch consists of a synchronization between arm, leg, and trunk actions. The punching movement of a boxer consists of leg extension, trunk rotation, and arm extension, in succession. The more effective the coordination between arm, leg and trunk movements, the greater the impact force of a punch. The leg muscles play a vital role in the power developed in this sequence. Increasing leg force development and coordinating it with trunk and arm action is probably the most effective way to increase punching power. Because boxing is an explosive sport, ballistic training methods are especially effective during weight training for boxing. This kind of training method requires the athlete to perform each repetition explosively, with maximal intended velocity. Finally, in my view, the best way to weight train for competitive boxing is via a cycled training schedule. This type of training schedule integrates workouts and exercises that will meet all the basic performance demands of boxing, strength, power, speed, agility, and strength endurance. Evander's Conditioning Plan The twelve week macro cycle was broken down into four mesocycles of three weeks duration. Each 3-week period had specific goals, and each subsequent 3-week period built upon what was established in the preceding periods. The conditioning goals for each mesocycle were as follows: Weeks One, Two and Three 1. Maximize muscle mass -- Evander needed to increase his body mass from under 210 to 220 pounds. 2. Minimize fat accumulation during hypertrophy phase (dietary strategies including "zig-zag" diet were employed). 3. Improve general strength and fitness foundation, including moderate aerobic threshold intensity training. 4. Begin training to increase anaerobic threshold. 5. Introduce light plyometrics. Weeks Four, Five and Six 1. Maximize limit strength of muscles/movement used in boxing (emphasis on legs). 2. Increase anaerobic strength endurance (maximum force output time after time). 3. Begin training specific skills (weaknesses) in earnest. 4. Concentrate on between-workout recovery. 5. Introduce explosive strength and starting strength with moderate plyometrics. Weeks Seven, Eight and Nine 1. Maximize explosive strength. 2. Specific event skills must predominate all skills training sessions. 3. Continue anaerobic threshold training. 4. Maximize between-workout recovery. 5. Incorporate weighted plyometrics and hill/stairs running. Weeks Ten, Eleven and Twelve 1. Maximize ballistic strength (starting strength) using "shock" plyometrics (built on a 9-week base of plyometrics progression). 2. Heavy emphasis on anaerobic threshold. 3. Maximize between-workout recovery ability. 4. Heavy emphasis on skills. 5. Emphasize speed, agility, ballistic movements. 6. "Overspend" drills in final preparatory period. 7. Begin "complex training" (description below) as a replacement for normal weight training. Evander's Training Techniques and Sequences (abbreviated terms are described after the table) Mesocycle One Session Training Mode Frequency Morning workouts Boxing Skills Daily LBE Mon, Wed, Fri UBE Tues, Thurs, Sat Versaball Mon, Wed, Fri Noon workouts 3 Minute Drill (4-6 sets) Mon, Wed, Fri Plyometrics Tues, Thurs, Sat Evening workouts Weight Training Mon-Fri Mesocycle Two Session Training Mode Frequency Morning workouts Sparring/IE Daily/twice weekly LBE Mon, Wed, Fri UBE Tues, Thurs, Sat Versaball Mon, Wed, Fri Noon workouts 3 Minute Drill (7-9 sets) Mon, Wed, Fri Weighted plyometrics Tues, Thurs, Sat Evening workouts Explosive weight training Mon-Fri Mesocycle Three Session Training Mode Frequency Morning workouts Sparring Daily LBE Mon, Wed, Fri UBE Tues, Thurs, Sat Versaball Mon, Wed, Fri Noon workouts 3 Minute Drill (10-12 sets) Mon, Wed, Fri Shock plyometrics Tues, Thurs Evening workouts complex training Mon-Fri Explanation of Training Terms and Details Boxing Skills & Sparring Evander's personal boxing skills regimen is up to him and his coach. However, Evander's coach and I communicated to establish precisely what physical and mental capabilities this form of periodized conditioning would provide Evander. In this way, Evander's boxing skills were in perfect sync with his fight strategy and his conditioning efforts right up to the fight. Use of the heavy bag early in the 12 week macro cycle was carefully monitored due to the severe ballistic nature of this training medium. IE Impulse/Inertial Machine. This machine is used to develop starting strength in jabs, uppercuts, hooks. It is tough and requires total body coordination. Evander's problem was that he did not use good total body coordinations in his punches. He tended to be an "arm-puncher." This training apparatus was employed to help Evander develop this motor sequence and use his legs more when punching. UBE Cybex Upper Body Exerciser (upper body exercycle) UBE load setting/intensity Work Duration Rest Duration Repetitions Mesocycle One max 1 minute 1 minute 5 Mesocycle Two max 90 seconds 1 minute 8 Mesocycle Three max 2 minutes 1 minute 12 LBE Lower Body Exerciser (exercycle) UBE load setting/intensity Work Duration Rest Duration Repetitions Mesocycle One max 1 minute 1 minute 5 Mesocycle Two max 90 seconds 1 minute 8 Mesocycle Three max 2 minutes 1 minute 12 VersaBall This is a more comfortable variation of the old medicine ball. Upper body plyometrics teaches explosive and starting strength in all punches and requires total body coordination. VersaBall throws were made from the following positions. · right and left jab positions (single arm) · between legs (double arm, for back) · overhead (double arm, for midsection) · chest pass (double arm) Weight Training Initially (during mesocycle one), Evander followed a modified bodybuilding and basic strengthening program using a "variable split" format. A, B and C specify whether the workout is to be a very easy one (A), a moderately difficult one (B), or a high intensity one ©. This part of Evander's program was monitored by Lee Haney, multiple "Mr. Olympia" bodybuilding champion, and a former student of mine. Evander's Variable Split Exercise Listing The precise schedule of when to do an A, B or C workout was matched to Evander's recuperative abilities. Chest A workout bench press B workout add dumbbell bench press C workout add incline dumbbell bench press Shoulders A workout seated dumbbell presses B workout add frontal dumbbell raises C workout add lateral raises Back A workout bent rows, back extensions B workout add modified pull-ups C workout add pull-downs Arms A workout EZ curls, pushdowns B workout add hi, moderate and low rep system C workout add dumbbell curls, dips Legs A workout safety squats, keystone deadlifts B workout add lunge walking, glute-ham raises C workout add twisting squats, leg curls Midsection A workout Russian twists B workout add pre-stretched crunches C workout add sidebends In mesocycle two, Evander switched to a sports-specific weight training program. In mesocycle three Evander switched to "complex training." This form of training targets limit strength, explosive strength and starting strength/amortization in one "set" of exercises. The exercises are performed back to back and include jumps, bar exercises, and depth jumps--in that order. The function of the complex method is to peak the athlete. My experience has been that it is a better peaking program than simple bar exercises or plyometric exercises alone. 3-Minute Drill: 3-minutes of combinations of forward and backward sprints, skipping, hopping, jumping and "carioca" (football) drills for both upper and lower body. Start out with only three, 3-minute drills with one minute rest between each gradually (over the first mesocycle) work up to six 3-minute drills with one minute rest between Take pulse after each drill (target: 180 bpm), and again after one minute rest (target: 110 bpm). Below are the instructions given to the trainer responsible for monitoring Evander's 3-minute drill training and plyometrics sequences. Bear in mind that this drill is NONSTOP -- pushing him to the absolute limits of his anaerobic tolerance. Keep pounding it into him "CHECKMARK! CHECKMARK!" on all of his movements, including every step he takes, every jump, hop, skip and start/stop. "Checkmark" is a phrase known to all of the athletes I work with. It reminds them to keep the amortization phase (transition from down to up or backward to forward) of each movement pinpoint sharp, the way a "checkmark" looks. The 3-Minute Drill Sequence: Jog or step-ups to warm up, then · sprint 40 yards · stop and sprint backwards · stop and sprint backwards · jump in place high ten times · get in a pushup position and give me your legs · run forward on your hands · run backward on your hands · run left · run right · jump up and down on your hands 10 times · stop... get up... carioca left 40 yards · carioca right back to me · skip 40 yards · skip backwards back to me Each 3-minute drill is performed on verbal commands from the trainer. Evander must go for a solid 3 minutes at a heart rate of 180 beats per minute (minimum). After a one minute rest (getting his heart rate back to 110-120) repeat, rest, and repeat again. Notice that jumps, hops and skips should be performed with "checkmark" intensity, as should every single move Evander makes -- POUND that thought into his head every minute of these drills. Always tape Evander's wrists and wear gloves (protection from debris and potholes)! Plyometrics This is a way of improving starting strength, explosive strength and amortization (the "checkmark") through total concentrated force output in every move Evander makes. On days where the midday workout is limited to plyometrics, they should be relaxed, with much rest between bouts, with each bout only lasting 10-20 seconds. The Plyometrics Sequence 1. jog or do stepups to warm up 2. easy (not "all-out") jumps, hops, skips, and then 3. do 20 yards of skips 4. again 5. hops like a kangaroo 6. again 7. repeat 3, 4, 5, and 6 backwards 8. one-legged hops 30 yards (both feet) 9. hops on hands 10 yards 10. repeat 9 backwards 11. repeat 9 left and right In second mesocycle, do all of the above with a weighted vest. In third mesocycle, incorporate bench hops, 10 reps. In third mesocycle, incorporate twisting skips 40 yards, and twisting the other way back 40 yards. I cant remember who the guy was that wrote it

All I know is Starling is in NSW somewhere, maybe Sydney

Tiring of training is not an uncommon thing. Funakoshi the great Karate master spoke of it in his books. First of all do you have specific goals in your training? If not think about it and write them down, yes write! When you are excited about a goal the tasks to complete it are easier to do. Also vary the training. If you get sick of one thing do something else. A good school will make you work hard and repetitively but they should make it interesting also.