It’s always baffles me when people tell me they do martial arts for fitness reasons. When people say they do martial arts for fitness reasons it usually means they have no real understanding of what the martial arts are actually about. Yes martial arts fitness is a by- product of training but it is by no means its raison d’être.
I have had people come through my dojo in the past who, when asked why they did martial arts, would reply that it keeps them fit. I just shake my head when I hear this and wonder why they don’t just join a gym or aerobics class or start jogging or something because there are easier and better ways to get fit than by training in martial arts.
You train in martial arts because you want to learn street self-defense, or because you want to fight in competition or because you just want to learn an art form. You don’t train in martial arts to work on your six pack or up your cardio levels.
I am not of course saying that you can’t get fit by doing martial arts. You can. It’s just the type of fitness you get from doing martial arts is a different type of fitness altogether to the type of fitness that many gym goers seek. Martial arts fitness is about conditioning the body, toughing up the sinew to withstand high impacts. A martial arts physique is lean and wiry, not buffed and over-muscled, despite what many MMA practitioners would have you believe. Just compare the amazing body of Bruce Lee with that of your average MMA fighter. Which one is more suited to martial arts? Which one would you rather have?
How Fit?
So I got to wondering just how fit you need to be to train in martial arts. Is there an acceptable level of martial arts fitness that you have to have or can you still train even though you have the fitness levels of a geriatric hamster on crack?
To begin, every activity requires its participants to have a type of fitness that pertains very specifically to that activity. So a footballer’s fitness profile will be different to a sprinters fitness profile and a javelin throwers fitness will be different to a boxers fitness profile. Depending on which area of activity your engaging in you will use different muscle groups in different ways and for different periods of time. Footballers obviously need good cardiovascular fitness so they can last over the course of a game. They also need a lot of muscle to generate enough power in their plays.
A shot-putter on the other hand does not need so much cardio fitness but instead they need a lot of explosive power that requires them to have big and powerful physiques so they can send that shot sailing through the air over a great distance.
In the martial arts the principle remains the same. Different styles of martial art require different types of fitness. Let’s take a look at the main styles and see what type of fitness is required for each.
Grappling Arts
This will include such styles as wrestling, Sambo and BJJ. Grappling is very hard work, especially if you’re not used it. Just a few minutes of flat-out grappling can be really draining so your cardio fitness has to be quite high, as does your over-all strength, which you need for all the pulling and twisting movements you have to do.
Striking Arts
Striking arts would include all the traditional karate styles like Shotokan and Goju-Ryu as well as Kung Fu and Taekwondo, basically any art were you’re predominantly kicking, punching and striking. The cardio levels don’t have to be just as high here, but your overall endurance, especially muscular endurance, has to be good to cope with all the stance work and repetitive striking.
Throwing Arts
In this category I would put all the Ju Jitsu styles, Aikido and self-defence based arts. Cardio fitness isn’t as important here as good overall conditioning and flexibility as most of the techniques involve locking the joints in awkward positions and being thrown in every direction. A tough and flexible exterior is therefore desirable when training in these arts.
Overlap
That was just a brief overview of the type of fitness you will need for certain styles. Obviously there will be some overlap in certain cases. MMA for instance, will require you to have a superior all round fitness level because MMA encompasses a lot of different styles and techniques that include grappling, striking, locking and throwing. Similarly, some of the Ju Jitsu styles will be the same. The style of Ju Jitsu I practice takes in all of the above so my fitness profile has to be quite rounded to cope with it all.
Competition is another factor to consider here. If you intend to fight competitively, be it in kickboxing, sport Ju Jitsu or MMA, then you will need a higher level of fitness. Your cardio fitness especially has be excellent if you are stand any chance of winning fights that sometimes can be long, drawn out affairs.
In general though, the fitter you are the more of an edge you are obviously going to have when it comes to your training. I would say though, that a well conditioned and tight physique is the ideal way to go in any style and this you will develop naturally over time anyway. Your body will adapt to the demands your style of training makes on it and you will physically come to represent whatever style you are training in. (If you would like to know what other attributes you will need to train in martial arts beside fitness, then read my article Five Attributes Every Martial Artist Should Have.)
The fitness you need will come naturally also, so never worry that you are not fit enough to participate in martial arts. Martial artists are able to keep training well into their old age because they can adapt their training to suit whatever physical condition they are in at the time. Generally your training will soften up a good deal as you get older. So no matter what age you are now or what condition you are in, it doesn’t matter. There is a style out there to suit your needs and capabilities.
Martial arts fitness is not a major concern. It helps if you have it, but you won’t be hindered that much if you don’t have it.
