STRENGTH OR NOT? By Phillip Starr For generations now, there has been an ongoing argument between two camps of martial arts devotees. Members of one camp insist that the acquisition of strength will make one a better martial artist, and the other group insists that the acquisition of strength is not only unnecessary; it can actually be detrimental to ones progress. So, which one is right? Are they both wrong? Its an old argument and Id like to take time to toss in my five yuan. To complicate matters right off the bat, I believe that both arguments have some valid points. Each one also has some flawed ideas, too. Lets take a look: On the pro-strength side, many practitioners regularly engage in weight training of some kind. This isnt necessarily a bad thing; regular weight training is an excellent way to get fit and stay that way. But will it help develop a thunderbolt reverse punch or a crushing side thrust kick? Well, it depends on the TYPE of weight training you utilize and HOW you perform the exercises. I have met many internal stylists who insist that weight training is detrimental to progress in their particular martial arts (such as taijiquan, baguazhang, and even aikido). I will take this opportunity to make a slew of new friends by saying that they are dead wrong. In fact, without some form of weight training its simply not possible to acquire a measure of real skill in any martial art. Period. Bear in mind that what I call “weight lifting” applies to any kind of “resistance training”, which necessarily includes many exercises that dont require the use of weights. Push-ups, crunches, leg lifts, and other familiar exercises are actually forms of resistance training (aka., “weight lifting”). Special routines such as horse-riding stance training and stake standing are also forms of resistance training. In fact, practicing a taijiquan form (or any form, for that matter) in slow-motion is a very powerful form of resistance training. You cant rely on momentum to begin begin a given movement; each one is performed deliberately and you can readily FEEL different muscle groups being stressed, right? Believe me, someone who can execute a beautiful taijiquan form slowly and with proper depth in the stances, is very, very strong! Moreover, many, perhaps even most, martial arts employ various types of special equipment to help develop certain aspects of the practitioners overall skill. The chiishi (a stick with a weight attached to one end), nigiri-gamae (weighted jars), iron rings (worn around the wrists to act as wrist weights), and numerous other devices have been employed in both the so-called “internal” arts as well as the “external.” The ancestors of the modern kettlebells were also used by martial arts enthusiasts of the past. Although my knowledge of this resistance-training device is pretty limited, it seems to me that it focuses on strengthening the whole body rather than isolated muscles. Moreover, it appears that proper kettlebell training also strengthens and toughens the tendons (as well as other connective tissues), which is essential for the development of coiling power. Certain weight-lifting exercises are recommended. However, most martial arts disdain what we call “power lifting.” The reason for this has to do with establishing proper muscle “tone” (or “tune” as it might also be called). A dear friend of mine who is a highly respected practitioner of Okinawan karate refers to what he terms, “dojo fitness.” He maintains, as I do, that theres a considerable difference between certain types of fitness and simply lifting weights wont necessarily improve your martial arts ability. The muscles have to be “tuned” to performing martial arts movements rather than powerful lifting actions. My teacher, Master W. C. Chen, compared it to tuning musical instruments. For instance, a guitar is tuned differently than a piano and so on. Attempting to do so will only ruin (or break) the strings. A professional tennis players muscles are “tuned” differently from those of a pro football player, a marathon runner, or a boxer. Many years ago, a book entitled “Maximum Performance” was written by Laurence Morehouse and Leonard Gross who also established and wrote about the modern notion of aerobics training. Their idea was/is that athletes should train specifically for what their activity requires. To do otherwise is not only pointless; it can prove harmful to their performance. For instance, a marathon runner doesnt require a great amount of upper-body strength. He needs to be able to run for long periods of time and to be able to quickly sprint as well. He needs to develop a great deal of endurance. On the other hand, a boxer requires a good deal of upper-body strength. He doesnt need to train to expend energy over long periods of time; he needs to be able to explode suddenly and with all of his strength...but only for a few seconds at a time. And so on. Consider what you, as a martial arts practitioner, need in terms of physical conditioning. Do you need to be able to expend energy for long periods of time like a cross-country runner, or do you need to be able to suddenly explode into a short burst of power with maximum energy? I realize that there are those who believe that all they need is to develop “qi” - that esoteric life-energy that pulses through all things – and theyll be fine. Foo. The “Star Wars” approach to this subject was created IN THE WEST, primarily by some early martial arts publications, for purposes of selling more of their magazines. It caught on like wildfire and many, many students flocked to various schools of internal martial arts, believing that they had, at last, found the “silver bullet”; a method of hand-to-hand fighting that required NO STRENGTH whatsoever! One had only to lightly slap the opponent in order to airmail him into the next zip code. After several years of continuing with their training and, of course, shelling out countless piles of money, many of them realized that they were wasting their time and money. This isnt to say that the whole notion of qi is a sham but many of their teachers clearly had no idea about how to apply it effectively (fajin) and in any event, the students had no clue as to the concept of qi as it existed in China. Most of them still dont. But thats a subject for another time... The fact is that some measure of strength is necessary for the application of any martial art technique. But Westerners being what we are, often get caught up in the “more is better” mindset. “Well, if some strength is required”, one student says, “then Ill develop as much strength is possible!” And he misses the point altogether. It isnt so much how much strength you possess; its how you apply it. After all, if you look at some old photos of many of the karate masters of Okinawa or the kung-fu experts of China, youll notice that most of them share a common trait; they dont sport large musculature like the Hulk. In fact, quite a number of them would be considered rather raw-boned by todays standards. So, how were they able to strike with such tremendous force? The answer is that theyd learned how to strike with the force of their entire bodies; they made maximum use of what strength they had and they didnt use unnecessary muscular effort. Dr. Jigaro Kano, the founder of judo, put it very succinctly when he laid out one of judos maxims, “Maximum effectiveness with minimal effort.” These methods are laid out in my second book, “Martial Mechanics.” If you dont already have a copy, save up your pizza allowance and get one! And speaking of pizza, it is interesting to note that the diets of the early martial arts practitioners were severely protein and calcium deficient. This is still true in most Asian countries even today. Protein is essential for building strong muscles. So, what does this tell us? Well, among other things, it indicates that our martial arts forefathers were far from from possessing physiques that would enable them to be contenders for the “Mr. Universe” title... Most of them were of a rather slight build BUT their muscles (and connective tissues) were extremely strong. This was largely due to their constant training and maintaining good muscle tone (for their chosen martial arts). Dont buy into the notion that “no strength is necessary” for the effective application of your martial art. Likewise, dont be fooled into thinking that you need to devote a great deal of time to the development of large muscles. I recall the words of my friend, Master Seiyu Oyata (10th dan in a form of Okinawan karate), “For karate you need to be strong. But any martial art that relies on strength isnt really a martial art.”
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 10:56:45 +0000
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