stomach conditioning

[skr1111]

Hi, I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I took karate a couple years ago in college, and in one of the training sessions, our instructor had us lie down and he walked on our stomachs. Has anyone else experienced this type of training in their martial arts class? If so, do you know what purpose it serves? I thought it was to condition our stomachs and truly I don't think it is a bad exercise if the instructor is careful. One thing I will mention is that it seems like female instructors would be more effective in this type of training because they tend to be lighter and are less likely to cause injury. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.

[WolverineGuy]

Eh, I don't know about walking on the stomachs...but I've seen someone get a partner, lay down, and have said partner drop something of weight onto their stomach before...teaches you to tense up those muscles, helps you from getting the wind knocked out of you, etc. Never personally done it.

[KarateEd]

I have had an instructor do this on occasion. As Wolverine guy said, and as I understand it, it is to practice tensing up the muscles in order to absorb a blow with minimal negative effect.

Ed

[Montana]

We do that. The object is to have someone...not the heaviest in class, but not the lightest either, stand on your stomach as you recite the alphabet or something else. It has to do with learning muscle control combined with continued breathing.

[ps1]

It forces you to contract your muscles while still breathing. It's a very important thing to know for just about every martial art. In Karate, you may be getting hit as you counter. If you stop breathing or get the wind knocked out of you, your counter will be ineffective. In Jiujitsu it's not uncommon to have the opponent put alot of weight on you. If you can't take the uncomfortable feeling, you will not be able to react correctly.

[bushido_man96]

I have heard of the exercise before, and as some of the others have mentioned, there are other exercises done to get some of the same results. As long as the person doing the walking is careful about where they step, I don't see it as a bad exercise. Unconventional, unorthodox training exercises like these are good for feeling something different other than the same old feeling you get from traditional exercises like crunches or sit-ups.

What ps1 and Montana mention about the use of muscle control under various situations are good points. These types of exercises would be great for those situations. With the interaction of many physical activities, it is important to experience that kind of resistance when training, so it doesn't take you by surprise when it does happen in actuality.

[WolverineGuy]

It forces you to contract your muscles while still breathing. It's a very important thing to know for just about every martial art. In Karate, you may be getting hit as you counter. If you stop breathing or get the wind knocked out of you, your counter will be ineffective. In Jiujitsu it's not uncommon to have the opponent put alot of weight on you. If you can't take the uncomfortable feeling, you will not be able to react correctly.

Good post. More elaborate than mine.

[Hwa Rang Warrior]

I too have had a few instructors do this. It was basically to train us to tighten our stomach muscles. Usually the instructor just walks across but on one occassion I had an instructor give me a sharp heel strike before stepping down and walking over.