Over compinsating lack of skill with strength

[ginosifu]

Recently I have been trying to get back into shape and doing a lot of Pull ups / Push Ups and strength building exercises. I was just wondering in this modern world we have a lot more technical information about muscle / strength building and better ways to get stronger that people did years ago. We have more information about diet and building bigger and stronger muscle thru proper eating etc etc.

Have we traded skill for strength? What I mean is: Instead of sparring / drilling 5 or 6 days a week maybe we have cut that down to 2 or 3 and the others days strength building. When I was in high school wrestling I remember hearing one of the coaches say: "If you wanna be good at Running.... then Run, If you wanna be good at Lifting.... then Lift, If you wanna be good at wrestling.... then wrestle."

As Gene and I discussed, 30 years ago kung fu was still at least about fighting

I remember Kung Fu class was always about fighting and some Lin Gung (strength training) but we always fought more.

Have we started on a path of "If I am bigger and stronger than him I can just pound him more instead of becoming more skillful than he is?

ginosifu

[Kansuke]

Did your coach also tell you that all other things being equal, the guy who put in more time on the road and on the weights - in addition to time on the mat - was likely to come out ahead?

[TenTigers]

lien kuen without lien gung is just an empty shell.
I know practitioners who did a lot of lien gung-developmental training before learning technique. Their skill is unmatched.

[JamesC]

If you have two opponents that are equal in skill, the stronger will usually win.

Old school guys have known this forever too. For instance:

Mas Oyama


Chiu Chi Ling


The Great Gama

[lkfmdc]

Proper Preparation Precludes Poor Performance - wrestling saying

Conditioning is the best submission - Karl Gotch

The more you sweat the less you bleed - boxing saying

There is a reason every single professional sports team has a strength and conditioning squad. pro fighters included

[ginosifu]

Did your coach also tell you that all other things being equal, the guy who put in more time on the road and on the weights - in addition to time on the mat - was likely to come out ahead?

I always have cross trained but more on the lines of 70% Fighting and Fighting drills and the other 30% split between Strength building / Running / Stretching etc etc.

Have we changed the 70% rule to:

30% Fighting and Fighting drills
70% Strength / Conditioning

ginosifu

[lkfmdc]

an hour of pure conditioning

two hours of technique work

one hour of technique based conditioning

do the math

[sanjuro_ronin]

All the skill in the world can't help you if you can't apply that skill and application comes from you body being ABLE to do your skillset.
Strength is crucial for EVERYTHING we do, even everyday activities, it make sense that it would be crucial for MA.
HOW crucial is another matter.
You need a balance of 1/3 skill, 1/3 strength and 1/3 speed, all together that egual correct conditoning for your chosen activity.

[Kansuke]

Calculating percentages and such will just lead to hair-splitting and pointless speculation, but it is particularly the case in wrestling that the importance of conditioning cannot be overstated. Money in the bank.

[TenTigers]

there was an expression in Fukien Bak Hok, later used in Okinawan Goju;
"Three years saamjien (sanchin)"
These guys did nothing but Sanchin, Hojo Undo (jars, rings, weights, stones, makiwara, etc) for the first three years of training before learning other techniques.
And they were beasts.
I have a book of boxing workouts of top fighters. I would say at least 70% was conditioning.

That being said, do people compensate for lack of technique with strength? Beginners certainly do.
That is why the expression, "Beginners should not use strength" exists.
Funny-half the people overcompensate with strength, the other half doesn't want to put in the time for developmental training and just want to hit.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Calculating percentages and such will just lead to hair-splitting and pointless speculation, but it is particularly the case in wrestling that the importance of conditioning cannot be overstated. Money in the bank.

It's about equal prioritization.

[ginosifu]

an hour of pure conditioning

two hours of technique work

one hour of technique based conditioning

Is this per day? or Per week?

This is something like how we use to practice everyday.

ginosifu

[sanjuro_ronin]

there was an expression in Fukien Bak Hok, later used in Okinawan Goju;
"Three years saamjien (sanchin)"
These guys did nothing but Sanchin, Hojo Undo (jars, rings, weights, stones, makiwara, etc) for the first three years of training before learning other techniques.
And they were beasts.
I have a book of boxing workouts of top fighters. I would say at least 70% was conditioning.

That being said, do people compensate for lack of technique with strength? Beginners certainly do.
That is why the expression, "Beginners should not use strength" exists.
Funny-half the people overcompensate with strength, the other half doesn't want to put in the time for developmental training and just want to hit.

You always tend to compensate with strength, its only natural.
Thing is that, at times, it may FEEL that way to the other person but isn't always the case.
EX:
When I started adding ST to mu judo, I got stronger and my partners woudl say that I was "muscling" the moves, I didn't see it that way, why?
Because I felt I was using even LESS strength than I used to!
Why? Because it was stronger it felt that way to ME and my partners were also correct in what they felt too.

[lkfmdc]

Is this per day? or Per week?

per DAY

that is if you want to fight

many don't

[ginosifu]

per DAY

that is if you want to fight

many don't

I agree with this... everyday. Your training regime is good.

ginosifu