weak karate students?????

[longarm25]

I feel that being in shape improves ones skill, however it is not necessarially an indication of the skill one posses. example I know

 

A couple highly skilled karate kas that are topping the 300lb mark

 

they are extreamly strong but their quickness and endurance would

 

improve if their fitness level improved.

[RockSOLLIDD]

Well, these days mcdonalds is to blame for people being unfit. But actually, my dojo is very strict about students being physically fit. when i first signed up, i could only do 15 pushups. now, 6 months later i can do 120. being a yellow belt, that gives me a physical advantage over other yellow belts, but that doesn't mean i will win in a fight. skill is the most important part of the "karate wellness triangle"(physical, mental, skill). Many of those students who are "weak" may still be better martial artists than you. it is easy to be physically fit, but not so easy to change reaction time, learning speed, memory,etc. (sorry for long response)

[foreveryoung001]

A common theme I see in these posts that physical fitness of a martial artist seems very much related to one's dedication to his training.

 

I received my 1st dan at 18. I weighed 185, and was in, IMHO, great shape. Not long after that I took ten years off from my training. Over those ten years, I gained almost 75 pounds, and could not have punched my way out of a paper bag.

 

Within a year of rededicating myself to my training, I dropped 60 of those 75 pounds, and am now feeling confident again about my abilities to protect myself and my family.

 

If I was not dedicated to my training , once again, I have no doubt that I would still be rather round in the middle.

[RockSOLLIDD]

but you do agree that because your skill as at such a high level, you have knowledge of at least basic fitness and thats why you "recovered"so quickly. if your skill level was low, the intensity of your trainingh would also be low, and therefore yur physical component would not be as improved as you described. ok, i guess physical component does play a similar part to skill level.

[jarrettmeyer]

There are many factors that will help the Karate-ka.

 

1.) Physical talent - Some people are just good at everything they do, whether MA, football, soccer, baseball, etc. They are exceptionally coordinated. This is not me.

 

2.) Mental talent - (attempting to be humble) I have excellent memorization skills. Not quite a photographic memory, but close. I rarely get hit with the same thing twice. And I excel at memorization of what a technique *should* look like. That doesn't mean I can do it, but I know if I'm right or not without someone telling me.

 

3.) Physical fitness - This usually goes along with #1, but it doesn't have to. I've seen some very lean people who couldn't catch a ball.

 

4.) Training & practice - This one can supercede all others. You might not be fit, have good muscle memory, or have perfect recall, but with enough training, you can overcome all of these things!

 

As for me, I started 3 weeks ago. I weighed 252 pounds, and I am down to 247 as of this morning. I am starting to mind what I eat, and I've only missed one day of exercise in that time. I hope to get down to 200. At 200, will I have a six pack and chiseled shoulders? Probably not. (That would be closer to 175.) But, 200 would be healthy, and that's where I want to be.

 

My $0.02. -- Jarrett

[Sasori_Te]

I have another post in the general section about this. Here's my view.

 

I'm 6' tall and weigh right at 235 pounds. Something about getting married and hitting 30 that did it to me. Anyway, I can still do a flying side kick and hit someone my height in the head. I can do 50 push-ups to military standards (this is the standard that I choose to use) and about 60 sit-ups in one burst with no breaks, also to military standards.

 

I know that I'm over-weight, but I also know that I still maintain a high level of fitness. Don't get me wrong, I'm working not to stay this weight but it hasn't hindered my martial arts training at all.

 

On that note, how many of your schools have physical standards that have to be met to obtain your shodan? I know that when I got my original Shodan that I had to do 70 push-ups and 80 sit-ups, as well as 10 chin-ups. I will admit that I couldn't do the chin-ups now, but if pressed I might be able to do the rest. I can usually work circles around the younger folks in the classes that I go to. I'm appalled at the fitness level of younger people today. They don't get outside and exercise enough. I'm not talking about being fat or thin. I'm talking about the ability to get through a not-very -intese workout even after several weeks of training.

 

I think part of it is lack of exercise and the rest is very much mental attitude. I know how to push myself to do more. A lot of people just aren't willing to put out that little extra effort.

 

Sorry I'm rambling again. I'll add more or address specifics as I need to.

[superleeds]

The people that do karate are just as diverse as people in general. Fitness (or the lack there of )seems to be a problem both in the US and western Europe.There are a few things, people can do to remedy this: dont drive your car to work. Jogging, or cycling to work, is one of the best things you can do for your body. Dont drink to much Coke,pepsi etc (is softdrinks the general term here?) The WHO (World Health Organization) has identified that type of drinks as the number one health problem in the western world. Get regular exercise. (thats really not a problem for the members on this forum )

[Drunken Monkey]

"Dont drink to much Coke,pepsi etc "

 

exactly.

 

someone earlier blamed unfit/unhealthy/overweight people on mcdonalds.

 

that's utter cack.

 

the only person you can blame if you eat too much junk food, is yourself.

 

by the same token, if you want to get fit and lose weight and be healthier,

 

YOU have to put the work in.

 

stop finding things other than yourself to put blame on.....

[foreveryoung001]

stop finding things other than yourself to put blame on.....

 

I think that is one of the prime characteristics of a population that is generally becoming more narcissistic. I see it more and more, that "nothing is my fault", let's find someone else to blame for all of my problems.

[jarrettmeyer]

I think that is one of the prime characteristics of a population that is generally becoming more narcissistic. I see it more and more, that "nothing is my fault", let's find someone else to blame for all of my problems.

 

This goes way beyond just weight loss and fitness. I am completely responsible for my decisions. Whether it is time/family/work/etc., I made the decision to eat that extra piece of cake and then go take a nap.