Do 1,000 Kicks at Day they Say - Technique vs Conditioning

When I was a younger martial artist, though I am not so old yet, I had many training ideas that in hindsight were not so good.  I used to think doing 1,000 kicks or 2,000 punches in a night was how you trained. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition right?

Fast forward to 2013 and my ideas are a bit different. After having trained so many years now, I have come to understand some nuances of better training.

One thing a teacher or a student has to determine before the workout is what they will be working on; technique or conditioning. What is the goal for the day, and what is your goal for that session of training?

TECHNIQUE

Working on technique is exactly that. If you are trying to throw a harder roundhouse kick then it is much better to go high power with low repetitions than thrown 1,000 roundhouse kicks with 900 of them being completely weak and with bad form because you are tired.

As a trainer and instructor you have to notice when people are veering from the course and goal of the workout. If people are tired when they are trying to work on form and technique, then tell them to take a break. Once they recover, get back to work. Typically you will find that many of the sports injuries that occur simply come from over training. So, the last 900 of 1,000 roundhouse kicks were with bad form, that means that a person is spending 90% of their training time (exerting 100% of the energy they have left) into building bad habits. This equates to inflamed hips, strained muscles, broken toes, etc. In other words you may end up with a student with horrible technique or lose them due to injuries and reoccurring injuries.

So, watch your students carefully. When they start to lose their form, let them take a slight break and get back to it. The payoff will be far greater than students trying to will their way to a better technique and form when their energy is at a low point.

CONDITIONING

So, how does conditioning training differ from technique training you ask? Well conditioning has a different focus. You are still concentrating on technique but you should be focused on building strength, speed, agility, rotational power, etc. through full and several planes of motion. This could be through high intensity or explosive power drills or partner drtills, etc.  It could also be longer, more aerobic drills or some type of endurance training. The drills are important, but the drills should be driven by the goal.

Tailor your conditioning to what you are preparing for. If you are just conditioning to stay in shape, then the session may be a bit longer and a little slower paced to burn more calories. However, if we are preparing for a competition, fight or BJJ tourney then you also need short circuits filled with explosive power working in a way that builds muscle memory related to martial movements.

Thank you for taking the time to read this short blog about Technique vs Conditioning. Train Hard, Train Often, No Excuses.


Benjamin Moriniere "Foguete"
www.capoeira-okinawa.com
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