We all know that exercise is good for us and that when it comes to improving in any martial arts discipline that practice, practice, practice is a great mantra to help progress your technique.
However, there’s a balance to be drawn between the desire to stay in shape, improve your skill level and but not over training your body.
Fighters are a competitive breed and the subject of over training can sometimes lead to concerns about appearing weak or not pushing yourself hard enough, but the key here is to learn about training smart as well as hard.
Whether you are training on your own or with a club, there are few pointers that can help you train more efficiently and reduce the chance of fatigue and injury. We’ve put together a list of six points as that you can research further in more detail to help you get the knowledge to train smarter.
1 – Create a schedule
Having a detailed weekly schedule of what kind of training you are set to do on particular days as well as your goals for the kind of training you are undertaking is a great way of helping you sticking to a pre-thought out plan.
Pre-planning your routines will help you to even out the different kinds of training that you will take part in during the week to make sure that you get a good all round work out.
2 – Having high quality training partners
Making sure that your training partners are technically sound and in shape means that they are more likely to push you harder and improve your game and are less likely to fatigue so easily and make mistakes or be unpredictable. We all know that unpredictability and mistakes are the friends of injuries, so the more you can do to eliminate this the better.
3 – Staying hydrated
The fact that dehydration leads to muscle fatigue and can have a negative impact on your performance are good enough reasons to make sure you’re drinking enough water.
Whilst the majority of your require fluid intake should be in the hours leading up to exercising, it is still important to take in water during and after exercising. How much depends on the intensity of your exercise and for how long you are working yourself for.
4 – Eating right
For those who have a regular and full training regime, for the most part, food is fuel. Eating right is essential to help you perform at your peak and to aid in effective recovery.
If you are serious about your training we advise that you work with your coach or personal trainer to identify your own specific goals and needs so that a personal diet and nutrition plan can be drawn up for you.
5 – Recovery time
It’s also essential to factor in some recovery time in to your weekly plan, to give your body a chance to rest and recuperate. If you’re training most days of the week, we advise that you schedule in a full day of R & R to enable you train at your best.
6 – Getting enough sleep
The importance of sleep can not be overestimated, not only does it give your mind and body some much needed downtime at the end of the day, it also helps to make sure that you’re concentration and focus level are at their best when you’re awake. As we mentioned above a tired mind that lacks concentration can lead to injury, which could have been prevented if only you got a good 8 hours rest in the night before!
We hope our list gives you some food for thought and helps you to devise a smarter plan, don’t forget that having top quality equipment and apparel is also a sure fire way to make sure that you’re giving yourself the best chance to perform at your peak!