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In my years as a martial arts instructor I have had the opportunity to meet students and practitioners of many different disciplines and backgrounds. Some with several years of training, and many without any previous experience at all. Yet one of the common questions I hear when working with them is this in how to train more efficiently.
The answer that I have come to and in turn teach to my own students is based upon “view and practice”. Before one begins practice one first needs to have the “view”. Or in other words an individual needs to determine what their goal of practice is. For example if one is interested in MMA or competitive fighting in the ring, then they would need to engage in practices that would allow them to meet that goal, such as weight training, cardio, body weight training, plyometrics, circuit training, ground grappling training i.e Brazilian jujitsu or wrestling, stand up fighting; such as kickboxing and boxing, nutrition, sparring and much more. All of which are good practices in of themselves and will prepare a person for that.
On the other hand if one is interested in training for self defense on the street then some of the practices would include the training mentioned above but not be limited to such, and might also incorporate forms training, multiple attacker scenarios, environmental awareness, emotional stress conditioning, and weapons training as statistics have shown that 90% of attacks that take place on the street involve a weapon of some sort. Also one would learn about which vital targets are best to strike; this is important because on the street there are no referees and no rules if and when the potential threat escalates. If one is training for self defense then one has more protection options available.
Both views presented here are equally good and have their respective place. Many individuals have become confused when considering the two, thinking that martial arts schools teaching karate, Filipino and Indonesian martial arts, judo, and other disciplines are less realistic because they are not solely focusing on creating fighters but rather on teaching self-defense for street situations. What people often overlook for example is that arts such as Filipino kali or eskrima are some of the oldest forms of MMA in existence, or as I like to say ,”the original form of MMA”. Martial art forms from Southeast Asia have been adapting and borrowing concepts from every culture that have migrated to those parts of the world, and have used these arts in protection of life. Whenever something useful was found from another culture they added it to their existing practice after “field testing” these concepts for effectiveness. When warranted they modified the techniques until it fit. Much like todays younger art of MMA.
In closing, when looking for a school to train or when considering the next step to further your own existing practice it is important to establish your view and then build subsequent practices to support your “view” or training goals. This will not only accelerate your progress but also make your continued practice over the years far more enjoyable and healthy. The concept of view and practice isn’t limited to just martial arts. One can apply this to just about anything of consideration. What is your view and practice?
Professor Brandon Jordan
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Training Considerations
In my years as a martial arts instructor I have had the opportunity to meet students and practitioners of many different disciplines and backgrounds. Some with several years of training, and many without any previous experience at all. Yet one of the common questions I hear when working with them is this in how to train more efficiently.
The answer that I have come to and in turn teach to my own students is based upon “view and practice”. Before one begins practice one first needs to have the “view”. Or in other words an individual needs to determine what their goal of practice is. For example if one is interested in MMA or competitive fighting in the ring, then they would need to engage in practices that would allow them to meet that goal, such as weight training, cardio, body weight training, plyometrics, circuit training, ground grappling training i.e Brazilian jujitsu or wrestling, stand up fighting; such as kickboxing and boxing, nutrition, sparring and much more. All of which are good practices in of themselves and will prepare a person for that.
On the other hand if one is interested in training for self defense on the street then some of the practices would include the training mentioned above but not be limited to such, and might also incorporate forms training, multiple attacker scenarios, environmental awareness, emotional stress conditioning, and weapons training as statistics have shown that 90% of attacks that take place on the street involve a weapon of some sort. Also one would learn about which vital targets are best to strike; this is important because on the street there are no referees and no rules if and when the potential threat escalates. If one is training for self defense then one has more protection options available.
Both views presented here are equally good and have their respective place. Many individuals have become confused when considering the two, thinking that martial arts schools teaching karate, Filipino and Indonesian martial arts, judo, and other disciplines are less realistic because they are not solely focusing on creating fighters but rather on teaching self-defense for street situations. What people often overlook for example is that arts such as Filipino kali or eskrima are some of the oldest forms of MMA in existence, or as I like to say ,”the original form of MMA”. Martial art forms from Southeast Asia have been adapting and borrowing concepts from every culture that have migrated to those parts of the world, and have used these arts in protection of life. Whenever something useful was found from another culture they added it to their existing practice after “field testing” these concepts for effectiveness. When warranted they modified the techniques until it fit. Much like todays younger art of MMA.
In closing, when looking for a school to train or when considering the next step to further your own existing practice it is important to establish your view and then build subsequent practices to support your “view” or training goals. This will not only accelerate your progress but also make your continued practice over the years far more enjoyable and healthy. The concept of view and practice isn’t limited to just martial arts. One can apply this to just about anything of consideration. What is your view and practice?
Professor Brandon Jordan