Resistance training is essential for developing real combative and self-protective skill.
Eddie Camden has more than 30 years of martial arts experience. He holds black belts in wing chun, muay Thai and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. His new online Web site is virtualmartialartsacacemy.com
“Adapt your techniques in a flowing non-static manner while someone resists you.”
Students and martial arts associates often ask me about my particular training methods, especially my philosophy on sparring. To be honest, I don’t even like to use the term sparring, I prefer to say resistance training. I believe the word “sparring” generally denotes playing back and forth or fighting; it is not either.
The term “resistance training” denotes the real purpose of this activity, which is to learn to adapt your techniques in a flowing non-static manner while someone is fully resisting you. Resistance training then becomes essential for developing real combative and self-protective skill.
Preparing for Combat
Let's imagine a martial arts system with no resistance training method. You would have single movements designed for self-defense in a variety of situations. However, the problem is as soon as one of those techniques didn't work the way you planned, you have nothing on which to fall back. What if you slip; if you’re on a stairwell; if you are in a car; if the person doesn't respond the way you predicted; if he has a tremendous pain threshold; or if you just are having a bad day. There are a lot of variables and time for things to not go the way you planned. One would obviously end up with a huge deficit for self-defense—if this were the way you trained.
\Now let’s imagine a system that has a mechanism for resistance training. This system would have the same single movements for a variety of scenarios. The difference is that the individual would be able to react spontaneously if things did not work out as planned. If a particular movement ended up with you on the ground unintentionally, you could still defend yourself if you have been taking part in sparring/resistance training of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Similarly, if you are striking and the opponent moves his head out of range, or launches a flurry before you can be offensive, you could still defend yourself if you had been doing sparring/resistance training in Thai boxing.
Avoiding Injuries
Resistance training has the potential to lead toward injuries if done in an improper manner. One way to avoid this is to make sure you do not spar until you have a solid grasp on the basics. If you spar too early with no techniques, you miss the whole point of the drill; you are either just brawling or only using what you may have learned in another system. Either way it takes away from developing muay Thai and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu—the two most proven martial arts in the world. Another way to ensure safety is to emphasis technique over power. On the ground, try to relax and use what you have learned standing try to work on distance and timing—save the power on the Thai Pads.
Finally, remember that resistance training is one way to develop the techniques you have learned in a live manner. It is not a way to condition yourself to take punishment. Obviously, when you spar with muay Thai, you will take shots and get hit. This is important to learn to react and continue after you have been hit. However, the objective remains to get hit less than your opponent. You cannot condition the head and body to absorb punishment. Anybody who thinks they can needs to think about physics.
Imagine two cars—one has been wrecked and repaired three times and the other is brand new. Which car would then protect you the most if you were in an accident? Obvious choice! The human body is the same way; keep it strong so that you could defend yourself and absorb some punishment, if you had to. If you don’t train hard enough to make it realistic, you won’t have any skill. However, if you train too hard and get injured, you might not be able to defend yourself with the skills you have learned because of your injuries. Use your head, train hard, and have fun.
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