Conditioning drills

"The title is "Explosive Uechi-ryu" and the moderator is Arthur Rabesa. Art will be exploring the power contained in Uechi-ryu that is not appreciated by the average practitioner. Make no mistake - this forum is for the serious martial artist and I wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone who really wants to tap his or her explosive power potential.

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trose
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Conditioning drills

Post by trose »

To all: any thoughts o. How to use conditioning drills
To developer explosive power? Share some drills?

Conditioning is a great tool for this! Where else can
You hit a person, not get into trouble and that person says
"Hit me harder"!

T
Art Rabesa
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Re: Conditioning drills

Post by Art Rabesa »

Real quick on this one Tracy. Prearranged kumites serve as a great conditioning drill when done tight. Arms and legs get a good workout when done this way. I would teach dan kumite for a dan test coming up. However, that is not the way we did it in my regular class. You can quess the way we really did it. ----- Art
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f.Channell
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Re: Conditioning drills

Post by f.Channell »

In my classes I always try to have a "hit stuff" sequence at the end.
Two students hold a heavy bag or pad and everyone else lines up and takes turns hitting things in either line. Having someone hold the pad is great because they can offer feedback on their power increase or decrease. I often take these from Kata. Last night was hammer strikes and palm heel strikes from kanshu. I used a small hand pad for hammer strikes and a breaking board for the palm heel.

Another drill I use is having every student have to knee strike a person holding a shield 7-10 feet across the room to leave at the end of class. They might have to knee the shield 10-30 times to get the big guy holding it to move back to the doorway. It takes them a few less strikes each class :lol:
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Re: Conditioning drills

Post by Art Rabesa »

From f.channell --------Your bag and pad drills at the end of class sound good. I'm not sure if you are using it as a conditioning drill. Try hitting the heavy bag with the shin. This will add to your leg conditioning part of the class. Watch them as they deliver their strikes. Try to have them fire from the power base of sanchin. It allows you to , once again, stress sanchin in the workout. They end the class with another reference to sanchin. Sounds good.------Happy Trails ------Art
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f.Channell
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Re: Conditioning drills

Post by f.Channell »

Yes I use the heavy bag on the ground and we drill shin kicks into it. We used that all the time in Van's class.
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Re: Conditioning drills

Post by f.Channell »

I would say that for my 12-15 year old students hitting the breaking board both conditions their mind and their hand for hitting. There is clearly something psychological that a young person has to cross through to know they can strike a target when they need to. Once they realize they can hit something hard with their palm or the bottom of the hammer fist it can become a valuable tool if they need it.
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Re: Conditioning drills

Post by Art Rabesa »

Working with 12 -15 year old students could be a good test for any teacher Fred. I taught this age group for thirty years in the public schools. It can be very rewarding, and at the same time very frustrating. I think holding their interest is a large part. Anything you can do to keep their awareness up, and yet strive to teach Uechi Ryu is great. Sounds like you have a good bunch of young people. It does bring a lot of joy to a teacher to see advancement in young students. Keep up the good work. ----happy Trails------Art
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Re: Conditioning drills

Post by Art Rabesa »

One of the more simple conditioning drills is to overload. This means to strike something much heavier and tougher than the human body. The heavy bag is what I like to use to overload. All dojo's have heavy bags. Line them up on the floor, with someone holding them up. Many see this just as a kicking drill. Actually, this is a great overload drill. It allows you to feel the resistance of the heavy bag. A resistance you will not get with the human body. Conditioning does not always mean to do something that will toughen up your limbs. This gives you conditioning because you are over loading your strikes. Use leg thrusts here. The stomp thrust, shin thrust, front thrust. This bag drill gives you lots of power, when you take it to the human body. I like the good old fashion heavy bag to practice my strikes. There are lots of new things on the martial arts market today. Some of them are pretty good. I'm just old school here. I like to feel the weight ,and resistance, of a 100lb bag. Sometimes the bag is much heavier. It makes hitting the human body much easier. ----Happy Trails -----Art
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Re: Conditioning drills -- Overload

Post by Art Rabesa »

To broaden the above post a little. To condition any part of your body means to "Overload it". Put upon it more than reality would. Here is a little heavy bag overload drill. You are going to swing the bag slightly at first, building up the arc as you get stronger with this drill. Set the bag at different heights for kicks or hand strikes. Take a strong fighting stance and have someone swing the bag slightly. Strike the bag with a punch or open hand as the bag comes at you. Make sure your foundation is solid or the bag will win this battle. You'll notice that you have to attack the bag as it comes down on you. That goes for the kicks as well. The leg thrusts, rather than kicks, will stop that bag easier. You can try all sorts of strikes with this drill. The goal is to overload all your strikes with the weight of that heavy bag coming down on you. Do not swing it any higher until you have good success with the beginning level. Once you feel you have a good strong base when you hit the swinging bag, begin swinging it higher. I hope you will notice the difference when you attack the bag as it comes at you. You will be knocked back if you simply wait for the bag. With a little forward torque, you can actually stop that bag in its tracks. There's your lesson in "Attacking The Attack". Have fun with this one. Don't let the bag win. ---Happy Trails ----Art
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Van Canna
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Re: Conditioning drills

Post by Van Canna »

Good stuff Art. :wink:
Van
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Re: Conditioning drills - Shins

Post by Art Rabesa »

Here's a little something from my "Kumite" book on shin conditioning. -----The shins are without a doubt the most tender section of the leg. They can cause a great deal of discomfort when struck. There is no magic cure for anything in your training except hard work. The shins require a little more than hard work.They take years of dedicated conditioning done very slowly. Use your toes to condition your partners shins. Make no mistake, it is the whole shin area that must be worked. The muscle surrounding the tibia must be massaged with the toes. Once again, move this tapping of the toes up and down. This also gives you some toe conditioning as well. You'll never get your shins to be rock hard, but they will get stronger through the years. Don't wear shin pads unless you have an injury. When you receive a hard blow to the shin during your workout, rub it right away. Use the fingertips to get in deep. This will not be very comfortable but it will help minimize any contusion. ----In 1974, Jim Maloney and I spent some time training on Okinawa. We spent some of that time with Yonamine Sensei, who impressed us. Jim and I do not impress easily. While driving one morning with Sensei Yonamine, we noticed him doing something quite odd. He would tap his shins with a club while stopped in the ever present Okinawan traffic jam. He did this every time he stopped the car. At his dojo he showed us the results of the conditioning. He swung his leg upward while a student brought down , what looked like, a 2"x2" pole. The pole shattered over his shin. This is not why you are doing the conditioning drills. I do not know if any of us will ever reach Sensei Yonamine's level of shin conditioning, but it certainly shows what constant conditioning brings. If everyone were like Sensei Yonamine, safety gear would not exsist. -----Happy Trails ----Art
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Re: Conditioning drills--Ulna & Radius

Post by Art Rabesa »

The shin is tough to condition and can be painful when struck. The ulna and radius bones of the forearm can also be difficult to condition, and also is painful when struck. These two parts of the forearm tend to be the main bones involved in blocking and striking. Striking the leg with either the ulna or radius can bring a lot of damage to that leg. It can also bring damage to the forearm. Using these two bones in blocking ( striking ) must be administered properly. Striking with these bones can be very powerful, bringing great results for you when done correctly. If not done correctly, it can result in much discomfort. That is for another post. Here, we will go over the conditioning of the ulna and radius. Ulna on the small finger side --radius on the thumb side. In Uechi Ryu, we have the rubbing and pounding conditioning that is a regular part of the class. Here we can get at these two bones. However, we must position the arm in a way that exposes these bones. It is the under side of these bones that is missed in the regular rubbing and pounding. When you strike that kick, especially the front kick, it is the under side of these bones that receives the blow. This is what is not getting any conditioning. OK! Now take your arm when doing the rubbing and turn the small finger out and up. This will expose the ulna. Push this way with your elbow coming out slightly with your partner. You are now rubbing the entire underside of the ulna. Now, turn the thumb up and out moving the elbow deep inside. From here, you pull. Lean slightly toward your partner when pulling. This will expose the radius.Continue this way giving these bones a good workout. Check your arm when done. That red line should be on the under side of the forearm, not along the side. Using both of these bones in your striking blocks ,or your infighting strikes is a must. The ulna and radius are my main weapons when working close. I like to strike incoming legs with them as well. Shins, ulna, radius, are difficult to toughen up. They are ultra important in your overall package of weapons. Work them. ----Happy Trails ----Art
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Re: Conditioning drills - For Seniors

Post by Art Rabesa »

Do not condition the same as yesteryear. I conditioned very hard when I was competing and training almost every day. Those days are far behind me now. I have modified my level of conditioning for my arms and legs. I like to use the heavy bag to work the shin, foot, hands, arms. The heavy bag allows for the overload I need in striking. It does not cause any damage to my limbs and conditions them. Use the heavy bag to work all the infighting strikes involving the ulna and radius. Keep the shin strong by working the shin thrust. Work the front thrust, and stomp thrust, to keep the foot conditioned. I stay away from gloves when striking the heavy bag. I feel this aids in conditioning the hands. Use the open hand and backhand , as well as the closed hand, on the bag. This also helps condition the wrist. Those arm pounding contests we once did are long gone. I remember them very well . When we get older, some adjustments must be made to help us in continuing our training. For we must continue. Whatever helps us get along baby. -----Happy Trails -----Art
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Van Canna
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Re: Conditioning drills

Post by Van Canna »

Excellent advise, Art. I also believe and practice everyday the not 'so hard' tapping of the shins and arms with the 'iron arm' that Igor sells here: http://uechiryu-karate.com/products_ironarm.htm

I keep it on a table next to my cellar stairs where I keep all my shoes and where I have a workbench...so I must go there every day and I have disciplined myself for years not to come the stairs unless I have done couple hundred 'taps'...

It is a great implement.
Van
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Re: Conditioning drills

Post by Art Rabesa »

That is what we all must do Van. No one actually likes conditioning, but it should be done on a regular basis. It doesn't have to be hard or uncomfortable. Find something that fits you and stick with it. It becomes your norm. I'm not about to do anymore breaking demo's. Been there - done that. I think as we go along in the martial arts, we owe it to ourselves , and those we teach, to stay somewhat conditioned. I just want to be able to fire my strikes with confidence. -----Happy Trails ----Art
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