Saturday 23 August 2014

Training When Tired - Why?

In Krav Maga, they are the kings of making you work when tired.  It is a simple test, which sometimes I think is done too often and can detract from your training and often doesn't really get the best from the student. If done correctly, however, it can yield great results and get an understanding of how far you can go when things don't go your way. So in class we want you on the back foot, breathing hard, being overwhelmed and seeing how you cope.  Your anaerobic system under stress will hopefully have you breathing hard and a tremor in your hands similar to an adrenaline dump.  The best thing though is the mental toughness aspect.  You get attacked over and over and there are exercises thrown in and you are often being shouted at which can be stressful. This shows how you pick up and retain information when under stress.  In class I am looking for you not only to keep going but when things don't go your way to never give up, to never stop until the job is done whatever we may have agreed on that training session.  It's not everyone's cup of tea but if you want to become proficient at self defence then you need this. If you want to get a cultural experience, wear a uniform and learn to count to ten in a foreign language then perhaps a traditional martial art is more suited.  Safety is paramount in these sessions, and this is something that I think can be overlooked, and if you train like this too often things deteriorate and you can place the student in harms way and my job is too keep everyone safe. When I think about how we used to train back in the day when we were located in the Judo Club I sometimes cringe and wonder how nobody actually ended up dead.  We had some crazy sessions back then with lights off and blank firings pistols being discharged to disorientate as part of drills.  Maybe I have gone soft in my old age but I think there are better ways to get the best from the guys who are training. 

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