Martial Arts at Home

Home training only sounds innocent on the surface. In fact, training at home is in many ways more difficult than going to a training room or gym.

First of all, we are often limited by the lack of appropriate equipment – either we don’t have it at all, or our whole arsenal is very basic equipment, usually in the form of old dumbbells and a stick, sometimes jumping. The problem is also often the lack of sufficient space to be able to fully go crazy.

Secondly, training in a martial arts club gives us much more than easy access to equipment – the club is, above all, the whole environment that works for our development; the coach, friends from the mat, the right music, the atmosphere of the place and the cult of effort felt in it. In such conditions it is easier to spread our wings and really “get into training” – at the same time not worrying about hitting a vase with flowers while jumping.

We don’t have such limitations on the club’s mat, and the club mates and the coach will always motivate us to do their best. What’s more, martial arts training is primarily “working on a living organism”, i.e. training with a partner, while the fitness and strength elements are only a supplement.

Thirdly, home conditions and home-like comfort are not always synonymous; if we exercise alone, it is already a great success. Achieving concentration in such conditions often borders on the miracle of patience and composure.

However, let us remember that in the brutal world of nature, the key to survival is adaptation and the ability to find yourself in unfavorable conditions. And also that the strongest individuals treat difficulties as challenges. And of course: let’s not be discouraged by wiping out the dance floor or thinking too much about lasagna. Let’s be real tough guys, unbreakable pragmatists and use our four corners to do the best training we can do in such conditions.

NOT ONLY PUMPS AND TUMMIES

Since you’ve come all the way here, it means that you’re determined and tenacious – that’s good; with this attitude you have a good chance to train effectively at home.

It would seem that the lack of equipment and space are serious limitations, and our ability to train martial arts at home is very modest due to the lack of a companion. Let me refer to the quote from the beginning of the article – some training is always better than none. What’s more, a rest from working in pairs will allow us to tidy up our suit of techniques and regenerate from the “rumble in the hall”.

Thus, the “contactless” form of martial arts practice not only makes sense, but can also pay off in the long run – we will return to the room stronger, rested and without injury. If temporarily the lack of a training partner does not allow us to pair, train techniques or practice hitting combinations.

Let’s focus on building strength and stamina, adding “loose” martial arts elements such as: shadow fighting, boxing run, dodging, as well as first floor drills with body weight and individual combinations. We should also remember to stretch and roll the muscles to speed up regeneration and reduce the risk of injury.

HOW TO TRAIN COMBAT SPORTS AT HOME WITHOUT EQUIPMENT?

Let’s just say you’ve come to terms with a forced leave from strong sparrings and decided to focus on building strength and endurance… but you lack ideas for intensifying your training.

Minor modifications are enough to not only make it more varied but also more difficult, which translates into a greater stimulus for the nervous system. Let immortal pumps be an example.

Can you make 20 pumps in a series? Experiment with hand positioning – narrow / wide, at different angles – to engage more triceps or the center of the cage, as well as with the angle of inclination. If you’re feeling strong, lean on your ankles – at first, the unpleasant release of the pumps will strengthen your wrists and hands even more; boxers or competitors in other hitting disciplines will particularly benefit.

STICK AND DUMBBELLS

With such a set, you already have a practically complete set, not only to train your whole body, but also to train for various uses.

The stick is not only for pulling up in different grips, which you can progressively hinder according to the same principles as pumps and other exercises. The difficulty level can be graded not only by adding repetitions but also by technical progression – slower eccentric movement, shorter breaks, combined series or cluster sets (series with pause).

It will also be a great idea to use such an instrument as a 20 kg load vest or for the less demanding ones, 10 kg. The possibilities are endless, and the basic criterion of effectiveness should be sweat on the forehead and smoking in the muscles. If, in addition, you have racks and a bench, then congratulate your home gym – you have virtually unlimited room for experimentation.

ELASTIC EXERCISE RUBBERS

Working with resistance rubbers for exercise can be both an element of warm-up and activation of selected muscle groups that we want to engage in training, and the main course of our training.

During strength training, the rubbers will allow us to increase the tension in the concentric phase, which will translate into greater involvement of muscle fibres – that is, it will be harder, that is, better. Rubbers can be used both for strength training and typical fighter training.

NOT BY FORCE ALONE, MAN LIVES

Homely conditions allow to work not only on the strength and motor aspect, but also on more characteristic elements of combat sports, such as speed, power or fitness. Actually every element of combat sports training – drills with own body weight under wrestling, shadow fighting, boxing jumping, boxing run – can be adapted for fitness training.

Intervals, such as a reliable tabata, are a great way to increase the intensity of training, and seemingly simple exercises with own body weight gain a new dimension when performed as a station/interval. Short intervals (10-15 seconds) will allow us to generate maximum speed, longer intervals (over 30 seconds) will have a positive effect on building endurance.