Exercise: How Should A Martial Artist Train?

The question of how to physically prepare oneself for combat is a complex issue with much to consider.  First, answer the following: what kind of fighting style is being considered?  What are the demands of the art?  What are the weaknesses this training will correct?

With these considerations, specific methods can be derived.  To select a method, look at the champions of that method of conditioning.  The physical build of world champions will reveal the bodily adaptations common to a particular form of exercise.

However, even knowing the best exercises is not sufficient to know which ones to use.

To begin to consider what physical qualities are necessary to achieve greatness in the martial arts, let's consider three body types characteristic of the best fighters in the world, regardless of race or age:

SMALL 160 pounds and less

This build is well suited to quickness and agility of technique in striking.  It is a disadvantageous build for clinching and grappling though superior technique can compensate.  Small fighters are well advised to focus their efforts on fire, water, and wind arts as well as combinations of these three, such as lightning.  All of these styles are discussed in my writings on Tenryukudo Bujutsu.  Below are 2 world class small fighters.



Bruce Lee



Manny Pacquiao

MEDIUM 160-200 pounds

This is the size range of the average American male.  This size is useable for striking, clinching, grappling, and every other range of combat.  This size can focus on fire, water, wind, or earth arts with moderate success.  Below is an example of medium sized world class fighters.



Georges St Pierre



Chris Weidman

LARGE 200+ pounds

This weight range is characterized by either excessive muscle mass or excessive fat deposits.  This style is greatly advantaged in clinching, grappling, and brute force techniques but is disadvantaged in speed.  This body type is almost exclusively advantaged in earth styles due to the ability to rely on sheer size alone as a means of defense, though this body type can excel in water arts as well, so long as strength does not dominate technique.  Wood is another suitable art element for this build, expressed in self defense karate, catch wrestling, and other hybrid styles.


Brock Lesnar


Taiho

Knowing one's size range enables a martial artist to better select physical exercise to suit their body type, to compensate for physical shortcomings, or to partially develop traits of an incompatible body type, such as superior strength in a small fighter, or superior agility in a large fighter.

With the exception of sumo and other unique sports, the ideal martial artist should possess minimal bodyfat, a high level of cardiovascular fitness, and great muscular strength of the entire body with special emphasis on the core, shoulders, and legs.

Future posts will explore different conditioning exercises and ways of customizing these exercises to suit the three body types.  This blog endorses the use of calisthenics and full body cardiovascular training as a primary method of physical conditioning with weight lifting as a supplemental aid for muscle maintenance.

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The Enemy Within

Some externalize conflict without considering the source of greatest acrimony: the self.  One's own body, personality, preferences, and fears all constitute enemies that must be beaten and submitted to one's will.  One builds a strong body through exercise, a strong personality through austerity, and a strong character through challenge.  One should look upon outside pressures, attacks, and condemnations as opportunities to demonstrate and develop strength.  In this way, one should be thankful for strife.

The development of a strong will surpasses physical power in its importance.  In the words of Ed Parker, "Mastery of the Art is when the Tiger is seen but the Dragon prevails." The Tiger refers to brute physical force while the Dragon refers to force of will and wise discernment of proper action.  Particularly with respect to punishment, the strongest may be capable of inflicting the most damage, but will often cause the LEAST damage to others when their force of will is commensurate with their physical prowess.  Building this strength of will, or developing the dragon in one's art, requires defeating the enemy within which drives a person to be callous, impulsive, lazy, and harmful to others.

When the enemy within is dominant over one's actions, hesitation, self destruction, insecurity, addiction, avoidance, and fear will dominate one's decisions leading to great suffering for oneself and others.  To live a desired life will require the submission of one's own will to principle.  One who walks the martial way acts in closest accordance with efficiency, respect, restraint, and fairness.  Only by attacking and submitting one's own weaknesses and desires can this way become clear.  As one becomes accustomed to living life in balance and learning how to regain balance when pushed out of alignment by an external enemy, the proper path of the martial way becomes easier and easier to find and maintain.  Eventually, what was once a great effort of self control becomes a way of life.  While the nascent martial artist is easy to push out of balance, or kuzushi, the master has learned to regain the proper path through intuition.

To easily test the martial strength of others, try telling them NO when they greatly desire something from you.  Their response will determine their balance and their likelihood to throw others out of balance.  One can also use this test on themselves.  Attempting to refrain or postpone an impulse will be most painful to the weak and easiest for the strong.

The capacity to weather austerity with grace is a skill that requires perpetual refinement.  In this way, strength, happiness, and success are not possessions to be seized.  One cannot have them; one can only DO them every day of their life, or fail to act.

Arachnophobia and Other Weaknesses

Strength as a martial capacity becomes harder to conceal as it grows.  As such, those dedicated to the martial way are immediately apparent to the weak.  This can prove to be a great liability for the martial artist who walks among schneevies lacking sufficient strength or discipline to seek the martial way.

Such individuals will regard the martial artist as something fearful, as they fear retribution for their weak, harmful actions toward others and do not trust themselves to act honorably enough to avoid painful justice at the hands of a warrior.  They will see the martial artist, standing peacefully, and respond to them as though they were a great spider sitting in a web.

Just as even the largest spider is only harmful to those who stray into its web, the martial artist is no threat to those of good intent.  And just as the schneevie will fearfully swat a large spider on sight, or enlist a stronger friend to help in the effort, they will also attempt to undermine a person of great strength simply out of fear.  Merely by existing in the presence of weak people, a martial artist therefore invites unjustifiable attack.  This explains why the greatest warriors walk alone.

The next time the reader spies a gigantic spider peacefully hunting in its web, they would do well to consider whether it deserves to die merely because it has the POTENTIAL for harm.  There is greater strength in respecting the boundaries of the web or compelling the spider to relocate out of one's own territory than in taking a life to ease one's fears.  This simple act of respect serves as a fable for proper martial conduct in the presence of a fearsome person who means no harm.

Your Stance Determines Your Peace

In a broad sense, conflict is an exception to the universal norm of absolute peace.  Chaos, uncertainty, and entropy will inevitably resolve into stillness and concordance.

The very fact of life constitutes a great struggle against the universal norms of silence, stillness, and harmony.  One's life is a state of dissonance seeking resolution.  Those who live most chaotically will die most painfully and suddenly while those who are closer to a state of peace will die softly and gradually, fading comfortably into the clutch of eternity.  Their chaos is less, so they resolve more simply.

As such, in all conflicts, one can determine how much pain they endure by their response to entropy and chaos.  Wherever one doubts their next move, the correct response is to find a stance of absolute silence, balance, and stillness.  Ultimate peace will not need to be won through combat, but accepted as the conflict at hand inevitably resolves.  One should only fight when it will speed along the natural progression towards resolution and prevent further conflict.

Those individuals who profit from the suffering of others will attempt to prolong conflict for short term gain, but such gains will crumble like elaborate palaces built on shifting sands.  The better strategy for a long, happy life is to build a humble dwelling on solid ground.  By fostering contentment with reasonable aspirations, death will appear to be a comfortable release rather than a dreaded fall.

The proper attitude to any conflict is one of detached duty.  Conflict, like a wildfire, will always burn out.  Getting consumed in its resolution is a foolish waste of one's potential.