Be Like Water - A Philosophy of Martial Arts

I still consider myself relatively new to martial arts. I started, as many do, with karate when I was a child. It wasn't until I was 19 that I took up Muay Thai. After a spell of injury I started to take things more seriously. When I was 22 I started training in multiple disciplines, to work on my fitness and, because martial arts fascinated me. That was 6 years ago. Since then I have trained in many gyms around the word, picking up multiple disciplines and testing myself in some competitive events.

I found that some schools were more accepting than others. I've trained with some great coaches, but I never really understood the mindset of those who thought their discipline was superior to others. In my experience, most disciplines overlap. Modern disciplines borrow from the traditional, adapted for practical use. New training equipment has made some methods appear, to me, outdated.  Traditional martial arts still have their place, there's a reason some of them have been around for so long. One of the main selling points of traditional martial arts for me is, it's a glimpse into history. Martial arts is part of being human, the ability to fight and defend ones-self has long been an integral part of life, through the ages. It's evolution is as important as its source.

Modern martial arts are developed for the modern lifestyle. They are designed to be practical, easy to use. They are developed around modern thought, modern weapons and to work against multiple disciplines. Weapons like staffs, swords and nunchaku fighting has become a less imminent threat, whereas most traditional disciplines don't cover firearms etc. Modern martial arts can often be underdeveloped. They are simplified to make them easier and quicker to pick up. To develop them further requires looking into their origin.

Sporting martial arts have also changed the way in which martial arts develop. Introducing competition and a rule-set take out some weapons. I'll use boxing as an example. Boxing is a great sport, and most other full contact sports borrow from it heavily. However, a professional boxer taking part in mixed martial arts is usually a disaster. You can't box off of your back (with any real significance). As a method of self defence, boxing isn't great. Most street fights end up in a grapple, As both parties try to avoid getting hit. That being said, boxing is a tool used in most full contact sports. Generating power with your hands is, in itself, an art-form. It's also a really tough sport, you get hit in the head lots!

Mixed martial arts has helped to develop martial arts exponentially. It brings together multiple disciplines and has helped the evolution of martial arts. It shows which martial arts work well, and which don't, under (one of) the most realistic sporting rule sets. It brings together fighters from various disciplines and shows how the styles work against each other. It also emphasises the importance of grappling arts. In the early stages of the UFC most disciplines were rendered useless against Brazilian Ju Jitsu.  As a martial artist I often get asked if I train in MMA, which technically I do and technically I don't. I don't (usually) train in the sporting aspects of it, though I do train in multiple disciplines.

The reason I train where I do, and teach where I do is because I train with somebody with a similar philosophy to me. Neil Walton of Pro Defence (where I train and teach) is a master of multiple disciplines. He's always exploring different methods, and inventing training methods. I have learnt a lot off him and I apply this, not only to martial arts, but to fitness training in general. With his background, Neil looks at the reality aspect of martial arts. From warning signs, defusing a situation, legality and escaping, to body mechanics, nerve points, and the science behind martial arts.

We all have different strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. There is a martial art to suit everyone. A well rounded martial artist should have good grasp on both the traditional, and the modern. Once you have developed an understanding of your art, you should look at expanding your knowledge. There's more to martial arts than fighting, you can learn important aspects of movement, body mechanics, balance and discipline. Arts, especially modern ones, should look to constantly develop with new techniques to avoid becoming stagnant or obsolete.

Weight Loss. Trick or Treat?.... Trick

It's a little late for a Halloween-themed article. But, that's when I thought it up so I'm just going to run with it.

With my clients I find myself regularly saying that we are using a certain exercise (or series of exercises) to 'trick' the body. The same thing happens when I talk about diet, there's little 'tricks' you can use to confuse your body, make it do what you want it to do. In the fitness industry this is usually to 'lose weight and tone up'.

This is quite easily achievable with a little knowledge of nutrition. That's why there's always so many fad diets about. These companies use one of the tricks and re-brand it to make some quick cash. The problem is, it is unsustainable. They are usually bad for you if you stick with them. You also don't learn anything by using them so you're at the mercy of the next fad diet to achieve your goals.

The problem now isn't that there isn't enough information online. I've spend days reading up on things. The problem is that there is too much information, and too much misinformation.

If you're keen on trying out a new diet then, when reading up on it, just think of the following points:

• Is it healthy? Low carb diets are the main one I'm targeting here. Low carb diets are effective, but they can effect things like mood, energy levels and injuries. Which leads to the next point. 
• Is it sustainable? Again, low carb will be my example, it will work perfectly at first, but if used for a long period of time any deviation from the diet and your body will try to replenish its fat stores quickly. 
• Is it cost effective? Dieting on a budget is possible, you don't need to buy Weight Watcher meals or anything like that, just be aware of what you're putting into your body.
• Can I do it? A diet has to be suited to you. When looking for the most effective dieting methods for myself, I've tried lots of different ways, I look at the information, see if it complies with what I know to be true about nutrition and design a plan around that for myself, based on my likes, access and budget.

Tricking your body is the quickest way to see results but it's not always sustainable. In this, as in everything fitness, we must find balance. Borrowing from the tricks that we find, mixing it in with a balanced and healthy diet. Making sure we find what works best for ourselves. 

The same goes for training. There's an ever increasing number of interval-based classes. Things like insanity, metafit, boxercise, circuits etc. They all borrow from the same school of High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T). There was a time when I would have said that, if you want to lose weight, do 6 HIIT sessions a week and eat low carbs. Now I understand things a little better I'd suggest that was a bad idea. 

HIIT tricks your body into thinking it's working harder than it is (even though it's working pretty hard), you get your heart rate right up with high intensity exercises with short rests in between. Metafit claims to work for several hours after you complete it and I believe that completely. It certainly makes you sweat for some time after. For weight loss I'd recommend HIIT sessions twice a week and endurance cardio as well. This way you introduce balance into your training.

Just to conclude, to make quick changes to your body composition, tricking is the way to go. But, you must balance it with a healthier lifestyle. When reading things on the internet or when taking advice off of somebody, just question weather it complies with your understanding of health and fitness.

If you ever require any advice then please get in touch with me. Advice is free. I'd rather everybody achieve their fitness goals safely, and in good health.

www.MattRichPT.com