Hawkeye

Hi, white lily. A match is both an aerobic and an anaerobic event. I have read that a good way to train is to sprint for a distance then slow down for a distance, repeating over and over again. This will train your body to be able to handle the high energy portion of the match while getting your heart rate down again during the down time. I am just starting to work on improving my stamina as well so I can't vouch for this method but it sounded reasonable.

As much fun as burpees, weighted lunges and wind sprints are, the exercises I like least are V-ups (a version of sit-ups where your legs are straight up in the air and you do a crunch) and hands-free leg-ins (where you have to balance on your butt - no hands on the floor). Fun, fun, fun.

Welcome to KF! It never hurts to get a jump on conditioning. The Saint had some good suggestions for getting started. Here are some other ideas: jumping jacks, arm rotations, squats, lunges, leg lifts, side sit-ups, jumping straight up while bring your knees up as high as they can, and anything else you can dream up that gets you moving. Ask a Phys. Ed. teacher for suggestions. All of these things don't require any special equipment and can be done inside or out. Just remember to take the time to warm up before you stretch and exercise (so as to reduce the chance of injuring yourself!) and stretching at the end of a workout goes a long way. Good luck!

Hi, HanSword. I'm quite new to this forum as well but have already found several categories that I enjoy checking out regularly. See you on the boards!

Add weight to whatever type of pushup you are doing. You add weight to the bar (or stack) for greater resistance when you bench press so if you can come up with a way to safely add weight to yourself when you do pushups, you will see the same benefits. It works with a wide variety of different exercises (such as squats, lunges, crunches, etc.) as well.

Fortunately, my list isn't too long. I've stretched a tendon in my foot, hurt my wrist by doing a bad punch, hyperextended a knee, pulled a groin muscle, pulled a hamstring, really bruised an elbow on a bad breakfall, blocked a kick with my jaw and gotten a steady stream of blisters and bruises. Nothing too terribly fatal so far - just little reminders to warm up properly, do the moves correctly and keep my hands up!

I recently put a nail through my foot and does it ever put a dent in your training when you can't put much weight on a foot! I'm mostly healed now but while I was convalescing, I concentrated on doing more upper body workouts with dumbbells (etc.) and various exercises that I could do sitting or laying down. It helped me not lose too much conditioning as I have a tournament (my first!!) to train for. Good luck with your recovery.

Congratulations!! I don't think that I had my yellow belt for more than 5 minutes before I was asking sempai to show me my first yellow belt kata so I could start practising. Good luck with your training.

I originally joined a cardio/kickboxing class at my local dojo to combat the dreaded 'you are not 18 anymore' middle-age (almost!!) spread. After watching the Karate classes, I decided that it looked like something I could get into. I was surprised how engrossing Karate becomes.

There is a fake plant in my office that gets a bashing almost every day. I will also do things like make myself run through a kata before I can fill up my coffee cup at break. My coworkers just roll their eyes and start talking about golf when I start with the karate moves.

Hi, Knifehand. I can empathize with you. Even though I am one of the bigger students, when sparring, my opponents never hesitate to 'remind me' when my defense is less than rock solid. Remember, a bigger opponent means a bigger potential target. Use your speed to put yourself in a favourable position to attack; use all of the ring to avoid his linear attacks; develop a solid defense to deflect his attack when it is on target and practice your defensive kicks so your leg length will help even out the advantage of his longer reach while still being in a defensive stance. Developing some good, quick inside counters wouldn't hurt either. I'm sure that all of this has already occured to you but I find that it never hurts me to be reminded. One other thing. When you are training to meet an opponent in a point sparring match, keep in mind that you are training to win a match. That means that it will be one-on-one and that you both have to stay there until a victor is decided. It is for fun. A fight 'in the street' is an entirely different matter. There are no rules. It is not for fun and it is entirely possible that people are going to get very hurt. Your goal is to survive long enough to get out of danger. I would suggest your training for that kind of situation would differ some than the training you do to win a point sparring match. I know mine does. Best regards and good luck.

SevenStar, your summary is right on. I find it does help, but in a different manner. As the focus of performing kata (in a competive environment) is to strive for an ideal in form, I approach it in a manner that would not provide a great benefit to me in a sparring environment. When performing a kata, I am 'performing' in a deliberate, prescribed, exacting way that doesn't translate as effectively in the ring. My simulated opponents that I face in my kata are far more predictable than the oponents I face in the ring. The focus I bring to bear in the ring is no less intense, but far more reactive. The point being, however, is that both require the conditioning of your focus and of your body. If your training involves varied methods of developing these important factors, then you are (I am) less likely to get 'bored' and stay excited about my training. And good and diligent training will pay dividends when it is crunch time. Best regards and good luck.

Personally, I think that performing kata does help my fighting skill, as does all the stretching and conditioning that are part of my training. The exercise allows me to physically do my kata better and it helps me do better when sparring. Doing kata also improves my physical condition (I'm certainly sweating at the end of a kata if I've done it correctly and with intensity!) and it improves my concentration, especially when I am doing one alone in front of my fellow karateka. I believe the ability to concentrate and focus is key to being a better fighter so in that way, my doing kata also has a direct effect on my fighting ability. The more I spar, the better I visualize my opponents when performing my kata, making my kata better. So for me, all these aspects blend together to make me a better and more effective karateka. Best of luck in your training!

I find that stretching and steady, controlled purposeful breathing help with controlling the effects of adrenaline. What I get when I'm squaring off with an opponent is tunnel vision. I guess that it isn't so bad in a controlled arena (like a dojo or tournament) but I'm hoping that more experience will take care of it so it doesn't become a liability in an uncontrolled environment or with multiple opponents. Good luck!

In our dojo, the lower belts dedicate one class a week to conditioning and point sparring, one class a week to conditioning and kata, and one afternoon class where all the belts come together for conditioning and self defense techniques. It's a nice mix and it gives you a lot to work on at home.

Congratulations!!! I was so excited when I earned my yellow belt. It felt great knowing that I was progressing and I couldn't wait to start learning new things. Best of luck in the future!

Hi, Everyone. I have recently discovered this forum and have been consistently impressed with the ideas and experiences that are shared. I am curious to read peoples' opinions on this. I have recently earned my orange belt in Karate and have limited experience in point sparring. In the small amount of sparring experiences I have had, I have found that going on the offensive early on in the bout reaps greater rewards than slipping into a defensive mode and relying on my ability (of which I apparently have very little) to anticipate, block and counter. Do others notice this as well or is this a common observation of someone who is still in the early days of their training. Thank you in advance for your comments.