Training

As some of you know, I’m a writer, and there’s something we hear a lot of in the writer community—you’re not a writer if you don’t write. It’s not enough to visit writing forums, or attend weekly writer’s workshops, or call yourself a writer in your facebook profile. Well, the same is true in martial arts. You're not a martial artist if you don't train.

Everyone should, ideally, practice for half an hour to an hour a day at least three times a week, not including class on Saturdays. All of you have the space, time and equipment to practice, whether you know it or not. A few weeks ago I brought a fish griller into class as an example of what to use in a cramped space. You can also use it in place of a weight bar—put something heavy in the grill and tape it with duct tape.

You need a pell. If you don’t have a pell, make one. Those of you who live in private homes can dig a hole, fill it with cement and stick in a treated 4x4. If you rent, or live in an apartment, get a small car tire and make a ceiling mount with a chain so you can take it off when you’re not using it. If neither of those things work, buy an inflatable karate target, or one with a water filled base. Where there is a will, there is away.

Everyone should be doing the drills, both guard transition and striking drill, repeatedly, every time you practice. In addition to that, do twenty or more of each cut from each side—all the meisterhau, unterhau and mittlehau. Then do twenty or more thrusts from each side from Pflug, Ochs, with and without steps. Novices should practice solo drill forms of each item in their curriculums that they have been taught. Remember, never cut air, never counter air. Always see an opponent in front of you. Half of your workout should be pell work. Use a waster for this, steel will break (as recently proven). They are called wasters for a reason.

Strength/endurance training is great, but it doesn’t count as practice, or we would be going to marathon runners to learn how to use a sword. That said, you should definitely do it, and the more the better. Running and weight lifting are the easiest and least useful, which is not to say not useful. Speed rope is fantastic (and does count as part of practice), as it makes you lively on your feet and enhances your hand/foot coordination which is crucial in swordsmanship. I highly recommend everyone get a speed rope. I’ve previously asked everyone to buy a 6lb weight bar and use it as a sword for a portion of your workout. This is a great way to not only build strength but to teach you to use your body instead of your arms.

One aspect of intense training people often forget is endorphin release. Training hard feels good. Really, really good. Aside from that, don’t hesitate to use music or anything else that gets you motivated. Remember, if you want to be a martial artist, you have to train. There is no way around that.