Training to Failure, Martial Arts and Life

Martial arts and weight training go hand in hand. When done correctly, weight training, can strengthen, make faster and make more flexible the muscles used to become a better martial artist. Many weight training principles have been adopted by martial artists, including the cheat principle, negatives, running the rack etc, but I think none will benefit the martial artist as much as the Failure principle.

Imagine you are working biceps by curling a barbell. You carry out a few reps and find that you’re still feeling strong. After a few more you start getting tired in your arms and your grip feels weaker. After two more reps, you feel like dropping the bar and resting as your arms are very tired and weak. It’s at this point that the failure principle starts to “kick in”. You can either stop the set, or go through the pain for a couple more reps. If you decide to keep going, you know it will be hard, but your biceps will gain that little bit more strength. This is where the failure principle relates to martial artists. When you are sparring or fighting and you reach a certain point where you feel you can not continue you have to dig deep inside, and find that little bit more effort and spirit to carry on. If you give up, you will be overpowered by your opponent, but most importantly, if you carry on doing this, it will become a habit and could become part of your every day activities. By going that little bit more, carrying out them extra couple of reps, throwing them few more punches, eventually you will create a habit of NEVER GIVING UP. Although yes, your body will have to give up some time, your mind and spirit should always remain strong.

Marks

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