Sport specific training for karate

[rob]

yeah ur very right in the fact the if you havent personally done strength training lower weights are where to start at, but u can argue with me all u want i mean just becoz im studying sport doesnt mean i know it all! thats why i posted this subject! and fair enough when u said ok i must be physically stronger only becoz i have done it before and my muscles will have a memory of it, but not training for over four months does have an effect, i mean what i am trying to get at is i am not as strong as when i was training in june, before the last grading, i did change my weights routine for power lifts and benched marked my strength at being able to bench, squat and deadlift my own weight!

[Emma]

As a matter of interest ,you said that you aren't as strong as when you were training in June,I take it that you're saying that because you can't lift as much weight in the gym but has the fact that you're not as strong changed you're performance in the dojo,i.e when you're against an opponent?

[Dave J]

I have been receiving sports therapy for my numerous aches and pains lately and have received some advice from my therapist about complimentary exercises and techniques. The nature of our karate training is very dynamic and hard and we need to balance this with the right amount of stretching and core training / flexibility. While in karate lessons we do more than the average sports person would in terms of warm ups / stretching , to achieve fewer injuries and a greater range you should be doing more stretching and relaxed karate training at home.

My problems are common to karateka , stiff hamstrings , sore back muscles and tight core muscles and hip flexors. I have been advised to spend MUCH more time than we do in the dojo stretching and relaxing these areas. Think about it, you may train for over 2 hours using these areas ( if you are applying the techniques correctly ) but only 10-15 mins warming them up and even less time warming down / stretching after training. This results in us carrying our soreness from one session to the next. This will inevitably have the effect of reducing your muscle range and abilty to relax and contract these muscles as effectively as you would like over a period of time.

With regard to power I think that if you are seeking to be stronger in your karate training then enabling your body to apply the techniques properly by preparing for training correctly is the best way to attain power , because as can be seen in Kawasoe sensei you do not need bulk / huge muscles to generate kime / big power.I think many people think that you can improve karate power by pumping iron , but my personal opinion is that this could be counter productive as you will compensate your techniques with your perceived power from improved weight training performance. But when you get someone who is naturally strong facing someone with superior karate skills , in the dojo it is the karate skills which win the argument.I have always thought that if I train hard enough in my karate I do not need any gym work , and if I have an area of weakness I try to solve this in my karate training as ultimately that is the aim of training, in my opinion.

Generally get fit to do kartate and do not do karate to get fit. Make sure that whatever additional training you do is complimentary to your karate if the goal is to improve your karate. It is really important that you don't allow your additional training to negatively affect your karate progress and that you look out for symptoms of this having influence such as using your shoulders too much in your punching for example.

[rob]

Fair enough!

strangly enough all that made sense!

and i totally agree with everything, no better way to improve and develop karate is to do karate!

maybe i am going about training thinking too much about improving myself, then improve what is right in front of me, which is establishing the best understanding of the basics in karate?

[JimmyTheHoover]

Well you actually learn a skill by "doing" and not reading about it (for example) and you improve that skill by repeating the "doing" and analysing your performance - often with the help of others.

So whilst a certain amount of overall/core strength will help speed up the acquisition of initial/basic skills and help with balance etc. I think that "skill-centric" training is where the real benefits and improvemnets will come.

Flexibility is of course important for any MA - at least any one with a kicking component - but in practice unless you're mainly competition oriented then Chudan level kicks are fine for most people so I feel that flexibility training is of most benefit in preventing injury while training at "realistic" heights/levels as opposed to training for that devastating jodan mawashi-geri.

Out and out strength training in much more important - as is body mass - in MA's with a regular grappling or throwing component.

Jim

[Captain Morgan]

spot on dave and you too jimmy - Its all about the neural respirators, slow, relaxed movements tensing at the end - hundreds of times with near perfect technique.

cardio - important.

(i do body weight exercises because i feel it benefits through strengthening the body to its own limits as in I'm not pressing weights , I'm moving my body around which which develops basic strength which is all you need).