MarksTraining.com: competition

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Thursday, 10 April 2008

When to Start Competing for Martial Artists

More and more people today, start training in martial arts so as to fight or compete in competitions, and one of the most asked questions is when to start actually competing.

This is one of them questions where there really is not an answer. You could wait for a few months or years before beginning or you could start even before your first martial art class. If you start straight away, your fighting techniques will obviously be minimal but you shall soon gain the experience and adrenalin rush of competing in an event with other people, and this WILL benefit you. This type of experience can only be gained once you start competing, irrelevant of how many years you have been training.

What martial art style you train in could depend on when you start competing. There is less chance of injuries occurring at grappling tournaments than there would be at a Mauy Thai fight or Karate tournament. If you are caught in a joint lock or choke hold you can tap out, and leave the competition unharmed, where as in a ring/cage fight or striking competition, if you have no defence training, you could be easily hurt or knocked out. So maybe training for a while in striking arts may be a good idea before starting to compete

Also stamina is an issue. You can be a great fighter with lots of skills or an average Joe who has never done a days training, but when out of breath, it would be nearly impossible to tell which is which. For this reason, building cardiovascular endurance maybe should be achieved before stepping foot in the ring or on the mat. Having said that, you could compete, and win a fight within a few seconds, without needing to use up much energy.

As said, there is no time limit that should be passed before competing. It is always the decision of the individual wanting to compete. You shall always gain experience in fights and tournaments, regardless of your skill level, so it is up to you to make the decision.

Monday, 11 February 2008

What to Eat for a Competition or a Fight

The day of a tournament or fight is a time of excitement to some, fear to many or curiosity to others. To veterans of these types of events, who enjoy the thrill of competing they wake up buzzing, not being able to wait until the "opening bell". Others, mainly beginners are scared or curious, not knowing what awaits them and become very agitated. Whatever type of person described above, there will always be nerves, and going by my own experience, nerves can take up a lot of energy.

For this reason, good healthy meals are essential the day of competition. What youeat will depend on what type of competition and what time.

Night time events usually consist of "card bouts" where a fighter will fight once in the night against one opponent of similar weight, and for a certain number of rounds. For this type of situation a good hearty breakfast consisting of protein, carbs and healthy fats should be consumed. A couple of eggs, some fruit, wholemeal bread and milk would be good. Then every two hours up to a couple of hours before the event some energising snacks such as turkey sandwiches, oatmeal, tuna salads and fruit juice should be consumed to keep the fighter steadily fuelled and to give enough energy to keep him/her going through the fight later on.

Tournaments are usually events starting early morning and can in some cases go right up until early evening time. These types of fighters will fight many short round fights every so often, (normally every 20 minutes or so). For this type of situation, it is no point the fighter having a large slow digesting breakfast like a night time fighter. A quick, easy and small breakfast is needed. Something like a cereal and protein shake is realistic for early bird tournaments, and should be taken in at least an hour and a half before the tournament starts. Then I would suggest that after every time you finish a fight, as soon as you come off the mat, something quickly digestible like fruit or an energy beverage should be taken to keep energy levels up. It is very easy to forget to eat during tournaments and this can have drastic effects to your fighting.

Water is a must for every type of fighting situation. It should be sipped constantly throughout the day to keep you hydrated and to provide good cooling through sweat as your body gets hot. If you are on your own, always have some handy, if you have someone with you (your friend, trainer) get them to ask you to take a few sips often as chances are you shall forget.

Monday, 28 January 2008

Breaking in the Martial Arts

“Boards don’t hit back!”. One of the most famous sayings by Bruce Lee in the film Enter the Dragon. And of course what he was referring to, is that breaking boards does not automatically mean that a fighter is good. Time can be better spent by sparring with real men or perfecting passing the guard. But is breaking boards always a waste of time?

Some think not. Many things can be leant by breaking boards. First you learn which materials are the strongest and most suitable to put on your house. LOL. Also you learn that in order to break the board etc, you need a certain positive mental attitude. By believing in your own abilities you can sometimes be amazed with things you can do. If you think to yourself that the item being struck will not break then chances are it wont. You must try and block out all thoughts of failure and empty your mind, and when your mind is in this state, then you strike the item. This is the calmness and self belief that you also need in competitions, ring fights and on the streets. You must try and block out thoughts of losing in competition or getting hurt on the street to be successful. If you don’t, the consequences could mean you losing the competition or maybe worse in a self defence encounter, so in this sense breaking practise or Tamashiwara is useful.

Time should not be dedicated solely on this type of training, but every now and then it can sometimes benefit you as a martial artist.

Marks

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