Well Last week we had our first snowfall here in Fergus, and this morning there is a little bit on the ground as well. Even though the snow quickly melted, it is a reminder that winter is almost here to stay.
Which brings up issues as too winter training. Personally I don't like having to train indoors all the time or constantly be in the gym. But with it being darker earlier and getting cold, like really cold in Fergus. Most people don't want to be training outdoors, me included!
So this winter I strive to figure out the best possible way to stay in shape without having to be the gym all of the time. Now I know there are plenty of outdoor winter activities that are very good for staying fit, cross country skiing for example. But unfortunately that is just not my thing, and would not enjoy it. So the key to winter training is finding something fun to do to stay in shape. Myself, I am going to try snowboarding, hockey and ice climbing this year, and moving my Ski Doo around this winter won't hurt either. As well as continue to spend at least an hour or so at the gym a day. I think that will work out nicely.
I choose those 3 Sports because A) I am horrible at them B)Not much else to do in Winter but these 2 things and C) Because I think cross training in these 3 winter sports will be the most beneficial to my Martial Arts training.
Multi-Sport Cross Training can provide an athlete with a whole new way to train, For Example. By playing Hockey, your hand and eye co ordination improves, as well as cardio endurance, fast twitch muscles reflexes, as developing incrediable foot speed and ankle strengh provided by the skating portion, and the hitting toughens you up too! Now I don't know about you, but most of those things seem key to any martial arts training program. Snowboarding However provides a different set of benefits, such as improved independant lower body control, better balance, a higher jumping, reflexes and improved core muscle development. And not to mention falling only helps to toughen you up or practice going limp for falling technique!
During the summer the possibilities are endless as far as multi-sport cross training goes, soccer, swimming, volleyball, cycling, mountain biking, rock climbing. All of these can improve your Martial Arts Abilities. But the winter it is much harder, so try not to hibernate and get out and find something new you like, or try a different version of something you already like, Indoor soccer, or intermural Dodge-Ball.
So stay tuned during the winter for progress reports on my learning each new sport and then seeing how those winter activities improve my Martial Art Skills
SO I think the key to keeping you winter traing program fun and not boring is too more or less get outdoors and have fun with some physical activites that will leave you fit and with fond memories. But even though you are doing new things, never neglect your M.A. Basics, and by that remember to still continuously practice your patterns, your punching, your kicking, whatever the basics of you art are, becasue your basics can never be too good. I have never heard any teacher say, ok your punch is perfect, you don't need to practice it ever again, yet this is how some students view their training, learn it, test it, forget it. These peole are practioners of the Martial Arts, they are NOT Martial Artisits.
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