4 Simple Steps

There are 4 simple steps to getting better at any Martial Art. If you ignore or are lacking any of these steps your journey will be more difficult than it need be. It is your responsibility to be aware of your current status and your acquisition and development of the missing pieces.

Step 1 – Attitude
Step 2 – Knowledge
Step 3 – Practice
Step 4 – Skill

I will explain each one in turn. Look at the 4 Simple Steps picture as a brief summary.

Step 1 – Attitude

You need a positive attitude to your development, a ‘can do’ approach is vital. You can develop this with solid positive internal self talk, like; “I can do this drill” or “I will do this technique if I keep drilling it”. Not; “I told you I was crap at this”.

Have an open minded approach to training. Whenever you come across a new technique or different way of executing the same technique it can become confusing of which is best if you are too prescriptive or dogmatic in your approach.

If you are truly open minded you will realise that there are various ways to deliver a technique, endless ways of drilling it and even more ways to teach and coach it. None are are better or worse than another, just different. Try them all, honestly, decide which is best for you and accept it may not be the best for everyone. End of argument.

Set yourself goals, small enough to make them achievable yet challenging enough to keep your interest and enthusiasm. Don’t just have your sights set on your BJJ black belt as this is long term and needs considerable investment to achieve. Try something a little smaller to ultimately help you achieve it. For example; “Can I get a specific technique or submission on everyone at the gym?”

Help others out when you can. If someone is struggling and you can see why, let them know. Not only do you raise their game, which in turn will raise yours, but explaining a technique deepens your own understanding of it. Be careful and sensitive how you tell them. Don’t come across as derogatory or have a superior attitude, your doing this for their benefit not to stroke your own ego. Ego in the correct context can be positive but in the wrong one it makes people very ugly and hinders their growth.

Show everyone respect whether they are absolute beginners or seasoned veterans and senior grades. We all deserve respect as we are all trying to improve ourselves. This in itself is worthy of respect. No-one will respect you if you don’t respect others and yourself. Self respect comes hand in hand with humility. Take regular reality checks and stay humble as we need to remember who we really are. This takes absolute honesty, you cannot afford to lie to yourself  in this game.

Next time I will explain Step 2 – Knowledge

• Dave ‘Witch Doctor’ Kari – Head Coach / Manager
• Amanda Caudwell – Assistant Ladies Kick Boxing Coach / Conditioning / Diet and Nutrition
• Dave Thorneycroft – Kids Kick Boxing Coach
• Aggie Drozdzik – Kids Kick Boxing Coach
• Charlie Munsch – Assistant Kids Kick Boxing Coach

SAFE IN OUR HANDS

For your safety and peace of mind your coaches have an enhanced CRB check, hold a First Aid Certificate and are qualified in Safeguarding.

I started training at Voodoo Gym in August / September 2010, so just over a year ago.  It has been the single biggest achievement I have ever accomplished in my life.  Before staring at Voodoo Gym I weighed 20 stone 13 pounds at the age of 20 years old!  I was a lazy couch potato, to put it in the nicest way possible, and was always that kid that was last to be picked at sports, would always have a note from the parents or any excuse to get out of any physical exercise.

One day, enough was enough, and I inquired about classes at the gym.  That was one of the hardest parts about the whole experience.  A heavily over-weight guy with no experience in any Martial Arts or sports or even using a gym, going into an MMA gym.  I felt like I would be fed to the lions, chewed up and spit out!

The guys at Voodoo Gym did nothing but give help, support, advice and motivate me to keep progressing.  Dave the head coach at Voodoo Gym never gave up on me, even at times when I felt that I physically couldn’t carry on, he would be there, stood over me, giving me that motivation needed to take a deep breath and say “I CAN DO THIS”.

Voodoo Gym has changed my life completely!  My outlook on life has changed, my confidence has grown massively, not to mention my drive and determination.  So to sum up; one year later I now weigh 15 stone 2 pounds.  It has truly changed my life.  I would call the lads from the gym my extended family and the head coach a big inspiration and a father figure!

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this!  Hope to see some new faces in the gym!

David Thorneycroft
Voodoo Brother

Dave ‘Witch Dr’ Kari – Head Coach and Manager – Voodoo Gym.

Details:

Dave Kari

DOB:

Country: England

Martial Arts:

• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
• Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
• Muay Thai
• Submission Wrestling

Awards:

Contact:

Email: Dave Kari

Website: Voodoo Gym – Macclesfield Cheshire ]]> http://www.voodoogym.co.uk/gym-portfolio/dave-kari/feed/ 0 http://www.voodoogym.co.uk/gym-portfolio/range-of-movement-flexibility/ http://www.voodoogym.co.uk/gym-portfolio/range-of-movement-flexibility/#comments Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:19:10 +0000 dave http://www.voodoogym.co.uk/?p=1156 I have previously written two articles on flexibility training, Range of Movement – Part 1 and Part 2. They explain in great detail all you need to know about Range of Movement (ROM) training, including explanations of specific techniques and how to carry them out which are not covered here.

Repeating them is completely redundant so what I have done is taken an extract from these articles to give you a useful overview and starting point. But I seriously recommend you read and understand the previous two blogs.

Technique V Purpose
Here I have listed the stretching techniques I would recommend for different purposes taking into account the balance between safety and development goals.

Tech: Personal Stretching / Short Hold
Purp: Warm ups / preparation stretches

Tech: Personal Stretching / Long Hold
Purp: Cool downs / recovery / developing ROM

Tech: Partner Stretching / Long Hold
Purp: Advanced recovery / developing ROM

Tech: Personal or Partner / CR Method
Purp: Advanced development of ROM

Frequency
How often you stretch will obviously have an effect on the results you get. Too much can also have an adverse effect, so don’t over do it. You must stretch when you exercise within every warm up and cool down. It just makes good sense to prevent injuries rather than having to repair them. This is normally enough for most people particularly if you exercise several times a week and you apply the correct stretching techniques.

Additional stretching is normally only required if you need to improve you ROM significantly. Even then only twice a week over and above your warm up and cool downs should be plenty. Try to leave a whole day between heavy stretching sessions to allow your body to recover. If you are unsure don’t do it until you get reliable advice. Ask your coach for specific advice on your individual requirements.

Top Ten Tips
1. Seek competent coaching and partners
2. Warm up properly before stretching
3. Clarify what you aim to achieve
4. Understand the stretch you are doing
5. Breathe out while applying the stretch
6. Never bounce into or during a stretch
7. Stretching after a warm bath can help
8. Control the release of all stretches
9. Cool downs should reflect warm ups
10. Never ignore pain in stretching, stop!

Summary
We all need to stretch as part of a fitness routine whether we are reasonably sedentary or elite athletes, not just to develop ROM and prevent injury in sports, but to stay healthy and develop longevity for a fuller life. Understand what you are trying to achieve and the methods you are using to get there.

We need sleep to rest and recover, and is the peak time for growth and development. Therefore, to gain the maximum benefit from your training you need to be getting the right amount of high quality sleep.

It is generally accepted that most people require approximately 8 hours of sleep per night, but people vary quite a bit. Also, as we get older we require less sleep, yet the harder we train, more sleep is needed. Here is a step by step programme to find out what is you ideal amount of sleep.

Step 1. Waking Times
Decide what is the ideal time for you to wake. It may need to accommodate working hours or other personal circumstances. Be sensible, don’t start adding in an extra training hour before work when you have never done this before. Don’t make things harder than they need to be. Once you have your waking time start getting up at this time straight away, no preparation is necessary. Stick to this time every day, yes, including weekends. It will take only a very short time for your body clock to register this routine and will become natural to wake at this time.

Step 2. Sleep Times
Most people have a good idea of how much sleep you need to feel refreshed the next day, but if you have no idea I suggest you start with 8 hours. Count backwards your required amount of hours from your waking time and go to sleep at that time whenever you can. If it takes some time for you to fall asleep take that into account. Some discipline is needed here to make sure we don’t have too many late nights. Give this routine several days to settle in before you move to Step 3.

Step 3. Adjustments
Ask yourself how refreshed you feel, if you still feel very tired in the morning then you need to adjust the time you go to sleep, not the time you wake. Remember that too much sleep can make us feel very sluggish and even ill in some cases. Humans cycle through various deep and lite sleep phases about every 45 minutes, this also varies for each person. If you wake during a deep sleep phase you will feel far worse than waking at a lite phase. So you may need to decrease or increase your sleeping hours. When adjusting the times you go to sleep do this in 15 minute blocks, and give the change several days to embed and for you to feel the benefit before you change it again.

Step 4. Maintenance
Now you have your waking times and the time you go to sleep to get the rest you need, stick to it as much as you can. Remember that you may need to change this with your lifestyle changes. You can not ‘catch up’ on your sleep, it doesn’t work that way, so don’t try. If you have a late night don’t decide you need a ‘lie in’, get up normally, but if you feel very tired that day go to bed an hour early and get up on time again. You will feel far better for it.

Power Naps
If you feel very tired during the day for whatever reason, a power nap can often be very beneficial. Some people don’t feel any better for them so they are not for everyone. All they are is a 15 or 20 minute nap sat or lay comfortably somewhere quiet. This often recharges your batteries enough to keep you going. Having several hours sleep on the sofa in the afternoon is not a power nap because you have put yourself into a phased sleep pattern and won’t make you feel much better. Plus this will disrupt your night time sleep, making it tougher to go to sleep and gives you a low quality rest. Don’t do it unless you are genuinely ill.

Other Tips
Do not train within 2 hours minimum of going to bed, you need time to wind down to sleep well.
If you have a bad nights sleep, note what you ate before you went to bed, or if you were hungry.
Don’t eat high levels of sugar or caffeine just before you sleep, sounds obvious but is often ignored, sweet hot chocolate is not such a good idea.
Watch how much caffeine you consume each day, try to stay off it, at least late at night.
If you are often woken to use the toilet, reduce your fluid intake within 2 hours of sleeping.
Don’t watch TV in bed or even read if it keeps you awake, your mental association with bed will be a stimulus rather than sleep.

Sleep is a key part to good health and training, don’t underestimate its importance.
Sleep well…

Diet is an absolutely massive and sometimes controversial subject which I am not even going to attempt to address in any detail. I am going to give you a ‘quick hit’ list of do’s and don’ts for the martial arts athlete. However, it is advisable you research the subject. On this blog there is a series of short articles on diet by Michelle Bishop, read them, this is a great first step.

These are the 7 main elements of diet required for human survival and performance that you should research and understand. Make sure you know what they do, where you get them and how much you need.
1. Water / other fluids
2. Carbohydrates
3. Protein
4. Fat
5. Fibre
6. Vitamins
7. Minerals

Here are my dietary top tips in roughly priority order. Try to carry out each of these suggestions one at a time in the order they appear here. You will start to feel and perform better almost immediately. If you do all these things you will be able to maximise your training.

1. Drink water constantly, all day. If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated so you are too late, try never to feel thirsty. Keep hydrated while training. Try to drink 1 ounce of water for every pound you weigh each day, not easy, but you will feel the difference. Your urine should be quite clear, not yellow, if it is any other colour you should see your doctor!

2. Avoid drinking fizzy pop, and high sugar juice, too much coffee or tea (caffeine). Again, check the colour of your urine.

3. Eat a quality high protein meal straight after training heavily, a protein drink is perfect. This will aid the repair process and you will re-energise quickly. If you do this after a light workout, your weight will probably increase.

4. Eat a meal about 1 or 2 hours before you train. A snack of around 50 carbohydrates (an apple) immediately before training also helps.

5. Try to eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day. One of these should be eaten within 2 hours after a training session, this does not include your post workout protein meal.

6. “If you can’t hunt it down, fish it out of the sea, pick it off a tree or dig it out of the ground, then do not eat it” (Martin Rooney – Training for Warriors).

7. Make sure you eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. A portion is 80 grammes, a piece of fruit or a bowl of salad. Note that dark green vegetables high in iron will help oxidise your blood and increase performance.

8. As a guide the rough proportions of each meal are; 1/3rd fruit, vegetables – 1/3rd bread, cereals, potatoes – 1/3rd Meat, fish, dairy, fats and everything else.

9. Try to balance carbohydrate, protein and fat in every meal if you can:
Carbohydrate 50%.
Protein 15% (RNI 45g for women, 55.5g for men, or 0.75g of protein per kilogram body weight per day).
Fat 35% (RNI 76g for women, 100g for men per day).

10. Ensure you consume enough fibre in your diet, around 18g per day, or a good bowl of high fibre cereals, minimum.

11. Avoid high fructose, sugar, salt and fat content in your food, or anything that is heavily processed or synthetic.

12. Calories are a measured unit of energy equivalent to just over 4 joules.
If you eat more calories than you burn you will put on weight.
If you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight.
It is that simple, no exceptions.

13. To calculate how many calories you need each day, monitor what exercise you do and what you eat (don’t go mad, a rough list will do) and weigh yourself weekly. Adjust caloric intake and / or exercise levels accordingly, easy. If you like calculations here is a simple formula; for none training days, multiply your body weight in pounds by 11 to 14. If you have a very physically demanding job (don’t lie to yourself) increase this by up to 30%. Estimate how many calories you use while training and add this to your total. To fine tune, adjust your intake by 100 calories each time to find your ideal. Still monitor your weight weekly.

14. Learn how to read and understand food labels and contents.

15. Get yourself an education in basic physiology.

I have deliberately not touched on supplements here as diet if far more important. Too many times we jump straight to supplements before we have sorted out our diet. Without a good diet there is little point in looking at most supplements.

Maintaining a suitable and appropriate diet is a great challenge, but it is probably one of the most important things to consider for serious fighters. Remember that you are a high performance machine and require the fuel to match. Turbo charge your body.

In Martial Arts, particularly in the MMA environment, you will come across the term ‘game’ or someone ‘having game’. This is simply a positive term used to describe the level of someones ability as a fighter in a specific area.

For example, if I said you have ‘game’ in clinch, I would mean you have the ability to compete on a level playing field in clinch. Or that I think you are good enough to hang with me in clinch. This term is essentially used as a compliment. You get the idea.

‘Gameness’ on the other hand refers to the spirit of the fighter, not their physical ability. This word finds its roots in dog fighting. A dog that has ‘gameness’ has plenty of heart or fighting spirit. It is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of fight in the dog, to quote a well known saying.

You can understand how this term has evolved into ‘game’.

As a footnote; Don’t confuse the terms fighting spirit or heart with violence. Violence in a person is very negative and will lose the fight. Where as ‘gameness’ in focused and determined aggression, tempered with self control, maturity and direction. Violence is none of these things.

It is the intention behind the act that determines if it is focused aggression or unbridled violence.

So ‘game’ and ‘gameness’ may now mean different things but both are needed to become a successful fighter no matter what the style.

Supplements are just that – they are used to supplement a diet. They are not intended to be used to replace foods or to be used as you would medication prescribed from a doctor i.e. I will take this medication/supplement and the problem will be fixed. Supplements are ways for us to access larger amounts of vitamins and minerals that we may not be able to get in our daily lives. Food quality these days is compromised, so unless you are eating organic, freshly picked vegetable everyday, then supplementation is something to consider. We live busy, hectic lives, we don’t always eat the right foods and we generally deal with a high amount of stress. This does take a toll on our nutrient assimilation and stores, so by taking supplements we can offer extra support and care to our bodies.

Supplements vary in many ways: in the way they are made, the cost and quality. The form in which they are produced affects the way our body uses and assimilates the vitamin, so supplements are one area where quality counts and paying that bit extra can really make a difference. There are a lot of cheap supplements on the market and they are just that – cheap. Cheap to make and produce, cheap to buy, and in a form that is not easily accessible to the body, thereby creating internal stress. With supplements it does pay off to do some research into the supplements to check the standard and ethics of the company producing the supplements and the quality of the product.

Remember that everyone is individual, and everyone’s requirements vary depending on age (child, teenager, adult, elderly), gender, diet (vegetarian, coeliacs), activity level, health level (e.g. pregnancy, recovering from illness or operation) so you can see there are many varying factors that come into account. For individual supplementation prescriptions it is best to seek advice. Keeping this in mind, here is a run down on some standard supplements to consider, although there are many more available depending on your needs:

Multi vitamin: often sold in capsule form, although powder form is better as it is easier for the body to digest and assimilate, a multi vitamin will contain a good range of vitamins and minerals and makes supplementation easy. It should contain vitamin C, A, E, D, B vitamins and a range of trace minerals like zinc, iron, selenium, magnesium, calcium etc. This provides good all round support to the body.

Anti-oxidant: An antioxidant supplement can be very beneficial, especially to smokers, to people who do a lot of exercise or are exposed to any toxic environment where free radicals are created in the body. Free radicals cause damage to cells and anti oxidants may provide protective benefits by diffusing and removing the free radical from the body. Anti oxidants work synergistically, so it is beneficial to take them together in one supplement. It may include vitamin C, E, vitamin A in the form of beta carotene, Co-enzyme Q10 and other phyto- nutrients.

Essential fatty acid – fish oil or flax oil (also known as linseed oil) provides the essential fats omega 3 and 6 that we cannot produce within our bodies. These oils should always be in a dark bottle and kept in the fridge as the delicate oils are fragile and are destroyed by light, air and heat. If choosing fish oil, go for a whole body fish oil (not liver oil) and take note that the supplement gives a guarantee that the fish is free from any heavy metal.

The above has given you a brief overview of what is a very in depth subject. Depending on what you are wanting to get from your supplements, depends on what you choose to take. Although a B complex will include a range of B vitamins, if you are feeling particularly stressed then taking an extra supplement of vitamin B5 will help to support exhausted adrenal glands. If you have pain and cramps in the body following training, then taking a magnesium supplement may help to have a soothing, calming effect on muscles. Doing your own research and getting some tailored advice will help you to get the most from your supplements.

Physical stress
exercise or hard labour
Chemical stress
environmental pollution, exposure to pesticides, drugs, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine
Mental stress
high responsibility, long work hours, perfectionism, worry, low self esteem
Emotional stress
anger, fear, frustration, sadness, embarrassment, guilt, resentment
Nutritional stress
vitamin and mineral deficiencies, protein, fat or carb excesses/deficiencies or food allergies
Traumatic stress
extreme temperatures, injuries, burns or infections
Psycho-spiritual
stress relationship, financial or career pressure, spiritual alignment, life goals and general state of happiness

I am sure you can relate to a few of these stresses and you can see that stress is not just a single element, but can affect our lives in many ways and on many levels. What is important to remember is that stress is something that can be managed and reduced: by choosing to recognise stress, respond rather then react to the stress and make small changes that can make a big difference to your quality of life.

Some stress is necessary – we need to be motivated to get out of bed in the morning! Some stress can be a survival instinct, giving us a huge surge of energy to be able to react quickly to a situation. This state of being has been called ‘fight or flight’ and relates again to our ancestors – and their ability to be able to fight for survival or flee an oncoming threat. This is a physical state change – our adrenal glands produce hormones like adrenaline and cortisol which charge around our system so that our body reacts to this heightened state of alertness. Our breathing rapidly increases and becomes shallow, our heart rate increases, blood flow is diverted to where it is needed i.e. muscles and brain and restricted to the digestive tract and internal organs, our blood sugar levels rise as we release stored glucose for energy and so our metabolism increases.

This state of being means we are well prepared for whatever stress we are facing, but in our modern lives we find that our body still has this ‘fight or flight’ reaction, although it is not to a charging sabre tooth tiger but to work deadlines, traffic jams, relationship issues, financial problems etc. This leaves us in a chronic state of high stress that uses up vast amounts of nutrients and leaves us depleted and ill. We start to suffer from a variety of illnesses including headaches and fatigue, dehydration, muscle tension, constipation, irritability and depression, weight changes, skin problems, high blood pressure, insomnia, reduced immunity etc. I believe that stress could be the main contributing cause to disease as we know it today.

The cell biologist Bruce Lipton, in his book ‘Biology of Belief’ shows us that the cell can only be in one state at anyone time i.e. a state of maintenance and repair OR a state of defence. It cannot do both at the same time. This means that if we are in a state of chronic, long term stress, how can our cells repair, rebuild and replicate to keep us healthy?

The good news is that we have a choice in our reactions to stress and we have the ability to make the simple changes required that will make a big difference. Here are some guidelines to consider, again remember to make 1 change at a time and keep things simple so that long term habits are created:

1 – Learn some self awareness and recognise how you react to stress. What are the physical signs – do you shallow breath, do you tense your muscles? When you recognise these signs, consciously do the opposite i.e. take a long breath in for the count of 5 and exhale for the count of 7 and relax the muscles. Get into the habit of practising conscious breathing every day for a few minutes and see if it makes a difference.

2 – Respond rather then react to the stress. To respond means to take in the issue, process it and react appropriately. Ask yourself ‘is this ‘stress’ within my control or influence?’ If there is one small thing you can do that will help the ease the stress e.g. make a phone call, then that is something you can do. If the stress is entirely outside your influence, then acknowledge this and let it go.

3 – When you are stressed your digestion is ‘switched off’ – you don’t want to be digesting a big meal whilst being chased by a wild beast! As our body still react the same way, then if you eat lunch on-the-go, this is one area to really focus on. Make sure you TAKE A BREAK to eat your meal, eat away from your desk or work environment. Relax and breath, take the time to chew and taste your food, try not to immediately start rushing around again. This change, of all suggestions, will make a HUGE difference, as it will ease your digestive system and allow greater assimilation of your food.

4 – A healthy exercise regime that incorporates rest is a fantastic form of stress relief and should be practised regularly. It is important to do something that you really enjoy and have fun, with no competitive pressure, where you can get the most from your ‘physical meditation’

5 – Eating a good whole food diet high in colourful vegetables and fruits, lean meats and good fats, with lots of water will do wonders to reduce stress, as well as getting good quality sleep. Avoiding or reducing foods that will stress the body is also a step in the right direction e.g. caffeine, alcohol, sugar, processed foods, chemicals, drugs etc

6 – practising regular meditation, even a few minutes a day, incorporating conscious breathing, will help you to ‘tune in’ to your emotions and responses, you will heighten your awareness of patterns of behaviour and deepen your connection to self and others. This is a crucial time for some ‘silence’ for our over-stimulated brains and a chance to allow us to get in touch with our true self. Be grateful everyday and give thanks for the good in your life and be mindful of yourself and others.

If you are a person who is currently feeling ‘stressed’ then the above information will most likely feel overwhelming and ‘too much to take in’. So – take a big deep breath. There you go – point number 1 has just been completed! That wasn’t too hard now was it? Go on – try it again!