Western(American) or Eastern(Asian) training?

[Kajukenbopr]

Western training is the normal kind of excercise everyone knows: push-ups,abs workouts. weight training,running.These excersises require extra weight and can cause the person doing them to tire out rather fast.

 

Eastern training would be excercises like Tai chi, Chi Kung, meditation, Ba Dua Jin....etc-Some styles from Japan only required for the student to train with a sword and meditate to achieve their physical condition. These kind of excercises do not necessarily need extra weight and can be practiced for longer periods without tiring too much.

 

Which do you practice and why?

 

Do you feel it is effective for your martial arts training or do you wish you could achieve more?

[fangshi]

Are you talking about eastern as being more of an internal and western being more of an external practise ? I think no matter the geograpic location Internal and External training are practised . Personnally I see great value in both . And enjoy mixing things up as often as possible . To me the more variety the better so long as the personal goals that I set for myself are relentlessly being pursued .

[isshinryu5toforever]

As far as eastern and western training methods go I would think that the eastern style of training would be geared more toward nature. Hardening the body through natural means. pushups, situps, being hit with stuff, doing knuckle pushups on hard concrete, hitting makiwara, etc. The western method would be more mechanical. Supplements, lifting weights, using sophisticated training machines, etc, etc. That would be the way I would define the two. As far as that goes, I like the eastern way.

[CapitalKarate]

I believe isshinryu is right on this. But, then again, we won't truly know unless someone experienced in both and knows the history of both comes and explains.

If you're asking which to train in, the answer is always both. You don't want to do only body weight exercises, you don't want to do only weight lifting stuff. You want to cross train as much as possible, specifically working on the areas you suck at or hate the most.

[Sam]

Remember western training has the advantage of being made almost solely through science - so long as you can work out who is right and who to believe.

Eastern training i would say is great, but sometimes tradition should be re worked slightly to take advantage of more efficient trianing regimes.

[Kajukenbopr]

actually, I've trained in both:

American Training when I started in Kajukenbo which allowed me to get muscles and lose excess weight. But I had to keep training to keep it up.

Chinese Training- Chi Kung. I was able to get my body in far better shape and keep it that way. my reflexes are better and I dont stiffen up after training.

Chinese training worked best for me but I'd like to know what other people have to say about their training.

[Hudson]

In the way you express them they would create a balance.

And what is the use to the martial artist?

Honestly, practicing only martial arts will make you good at what you do.

Adding in science and advanced weighted training will make you superior.

But you need both, they are codependant.

And never forget your meditation, a strong mind is equally important as a strong body.

[Bleeding Lion]

why not both? i dont think they're incompatible.

[Kajukenbopr]

actually, if you try both at the same time, you will see how your training slows down- one makes the other inneffective.

But dont take my word for it, you try it yourself and tell me what happens to your training.

[Hudson]

I'm gonna disagree on this one.

Why would they be conflicting?