TRAINING ALONE

[blood talon]

i wanted to know which way i should train myself(i moved to an area with no ma). to get

 

-balance

 

-speed

 

-agility

 

-awareness

[monkeygirl]

Get some books & videos on the style of your choice (also on general techniques, endurance & strength training, and self-defense) until maybe you find an underground dojo somewhere you didn't know about. Training in a good dojo (McDojo's never count) is really the best, but if you're only looking for those 4 benefits, training at-home can work well.

 

Balance - Practice standing on one foot and holding kicks out...this will also build leg strength, as well as allowing you to work on foot & hip positioning. Make sure you pick a point on the wall that isn't moving, at first. Then, after you get good, try looking at YOUR OWN FOOT. I find that if you're standing still to begin with, it begins a cycle. You don't lose your balance, because you have a steady focus point! Sounds silly, but it works and is impressive. After you get good at this, close your eyes! Much harder.

 

Another thing for balance: practice spinning kicks, many in a row while still focusing on good technique. These require you to stand on one foot for a bit while moving around, then trying to control your momentum and stop. This will also help you cope with dizziness!! Even harder: do spinning kicks in a row while NEVER SETTING YOUR FOOT DOWN!!!

 

Speed - First, practice jabbing (straight-in punch) at something hard like a doorjamb or wall corner. You don't want to hit it, just barely miss it. Do this as fast as you can. This will allow you to develop speed as well as get a feel for your punching range and accuracy. By hitting something hard, you have extra incentive not to hit it. Your own personal drive should be enough to make you venture closer and closer.

 

Do the same for kicks. If you've never had any training before, this is where books come in. They can show you a simple kick to practice so you can build speed and technique. However, without an experienced practitioner to help you and correct you, this is difficult.

 

Also for speed: try coming up with a series of hand & feet techniques. Start out simple at first (jab, reverse punch, front kick, spinning backfist, in that order). Practice these until you feel you can do it well without thinking about it. Have a friend with a stopwatch time you, and try to beat your time! Make sure they also give you the thumbs up/thumbs down sign for technique. Speed is nothing without technique! For a series of about 10 moves (hands & feet, straight in & spinning combined), 4 seconds is a good goal to shoot for at first.

 

After you feel you can go no faster, make the series more and more complicated. The hard part is finding a patient friend! If you let them try to beat your time, though, they might be a little more willing.

 

Agility - Sprint-running and sprint-biking will help develop your fast-twitch muscles (I think that's right)...these muscles allow you to react quickly, whereas slow-twitch muscles are better for endurance. Having good, strong fast-twitch muscles will keep you quick on your feet during a fight.

 

Shadow-boxing, as ridiculous as it may seem, is very good. Try to work on weaving and footwork as well as attacks. Make sure you stay up on the balls of your feet, rather than being flat-footed; you don't run quickly by stomping your feet flat, so why spar that way?

 

Awareness - This is a toughy. You can try telling your friends that you want to build your awareness. Tell them it's OK if they sneak up on you, as long as they don't grab you...you don't want your warrior instincts kicking in... and kicking your friends!

 

Also, just try to be street-smart. Go into crowded places and try to locate every person, and identify them in your mind (not by name, but like this: little girl in pink dress jumping rope, tall man in baseball cap listening to music, etc.). Look at dark areas and possible hiding places. Look at what people are doing and ask yourself how the situation at hand could turn bad. What would you do? As people walk by you, ask yourself what you would do if someone grabbed you from behind. From the front? From the side?

 

However, this is just an exercise to make your mind automatically do this on a smaller level. You'll start to single out the creepy-looking guys and subconsciously log them into your brain's "note to self" file.

 

Being an "aware" martial artist, you walk the fine line between being smart/savvy, and being paranoid/alarmist. Don't let it change your lifestyle completely; simply improve it and protect it.

 

I hope this helps you and anyone else that may read this, whether they train only at home or they have the benefit of the dojo. Otherwise, I've posted YET ANOTHER long post and it's gone unnoticed

[shaolinprincess]

I agree with her^

[monkeygirl]

nice

[inyctrotter]

hey monkey girl do u have any thing else on speed?

[monkeygirl]

Well, assuming you're not being sarcastic (because I'm extremely gullible and cannot determine sarcasm when typed ), it would really depend on what you want!

 

An interesting speed drill: have a friend stand behind your target. They should be able to reach over or around it. Standing in a doorway could work for this. Have them hold a rope/string. They should swing it in a circular motion at a steady speed in front of your target.

 

Now here comes your part: Try to punch the wall without getting hit by the string. This will improve your timing--a vital application of speed--as well as general speed. It also helps you learn that bringing your punch back quickly is just as important as throwing it out quickly.

 

Once you get good at a single punch, increase the speed.

 

Next, take the speed back down to normal, and try two punches. Make sure you try to pull it off in one pass of the string. Keep increasing speed of the string.

 

Finally, try sidekicks! These work well because they are a straight-in kick. I suggest sidekicks because they are relatively easy, but really any other straight in kick will do.

 

To make it YET harder, try using back kicks (sidekicks with a spin) or JUMP back kicks! Focusing on the timing, as I mentioned.

 

You can also try attaching joggers' weights to your wrists & ankles when you practice. That way, when you take them off, your technique feels much faster!! Practice mostly with the weights, then practice for a bit without them.

 

As I've said before, WHEN SEEKING THE AID OF A PARTNER, TAKE TURNS!!!! It's no fun helping someone when you don't get to try it too. Plus it gives you a nice break

 

Let me know if you need anything more...just PM me or whatever

[kickboxchick]

Monkeygirl,

 

I am new to this forum, but i am reading oldposts and this one seems to have some really good advice, thanks. Its always helpful to have new ideas for speed training, speedball gets boring

[KickChick]

kickboxchick ... Stop into Introductions and tell us a bit about the 1001 member! ...like your name btw

I hope this helps you and anyone else that may read this, whether they train only at home or they have the benefit of the dojo. Otherwise, I've posted YET ANOTHER long post and it's gone unnoticed

 

...I get that feeling here once in a while too monkeygirl -- I believe your advice is much appreciated and some very good advice I might add.

 

Your advice not only pertains to KB but might also be applied to other arts as well if solo training.

 

Your first movement ...at the very beginning ....should be at full speed.

 

From there, you should be relaxed, and accelerate from there. This will help your speed and power tremendously if you practice and most importantly apply it.

 

Most of us are unaware that when we start to move, we move (either consciously or unconsciously) at a slower speed, so that we can in turn

 

build up to max speed at full extension of a kick or punch. In doing this, your power reaches an apex at full extension. This causes telegraphing of movement ... many opponents can spot this and can sense this build up!He perceives this build-up, and makes it miss.

 

Most people start their kicks or punches at full speed, and then tend to peter out from there and then their technique lacks power. Once your kick/punch starts off at full speed, it must accelerate from there for power. Acceleration is a major key to power (and some forms of leverage), putting your body mass into the application.

 

More tips here in Health/Training/Fitness forum ...

 

http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=549&highlight=agility+balance

 

...actually put speed, balance, agility and awareness in our Search and choose Health forum and it turns up alot of informative threads (besides this one!)

 

Again another long post!