THE BURNHow do we prepare ourselves and our training partners or students for contact,
impact and the nature of real-world violence?Prepare for Impact
A
s an instructor of groups
learning martial arts
or self-defence, it is a
tough mission to prepare all
training sessions so they are
suitable for a trainees’ ages,
weights, physical conditions
and mental capabilities
without ‘dumbing’ it down,
making it too easy or giving
people false confidence. It is a
delicate balance to maintain.At the earliest phase in
training (depending on both
the instructor’s and students’
goals), we must emphasise the
preparation and building of
mental and physical abilities, to
prepare the spirit, the mindset
and the body to deal with the
nature of tough training and/
or violence in the real world.
There are several ways to
address this holistically:- WARM-UPS &
STRENGTH DRILLS
The ‘callousing’ process for the
body begins with warm-ups
with the emphasis of preparing
the body by improving joint
mobility and stretching (which
should be uncomfortable), to
prepare these areas for the
rigours of training. Overall body
strength must be emphasised
in the beginning, including
power exercises at a later
stage, especially around the
joints that tend to get injured.
As a straight-punch teaching
continuum, this may start with a
warm-up involving joint mobility
and flexibility to prepare the
chest, shoulders, elbows and
wrists. We could then move into
strength exercises like push-up
progressions, leading to knuckle
push-ups to build the joints,Pad work is vital for
preparing the body to
deliver and receive impact62 ƫđƫ333ċ (%06) #ċ*!0 | (^) ON THE MAT