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Strength, Flexibility and Power in Martial Arts |
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Written by Peter Nisbet
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Wednesday, 04 April 2007 |
Were I to state three major attributes possessed by an exponent
of any martial art, they would be these three: strength,
flexibility and power. These, combined with the extreme fitness
and rapid reflexes of any athlete, are essential components in
one who would profess to possess the skills required of a master
of any martial art.
Let us discuss each of these individually. First strength.
Strength is the body's potential to exert force, and is gained
by conditioning the muscles of the body by imposing increasingly
higher demands upon them by an opposing force. To put it in
simple terms, this can be achieved by lifting weights, where the
muscles are extended when overcoming the force of gravity on an
object, or by isometric exercises where the muscles are not
moved but exerted against an immovable object such as a wall or
another equal set of muscles.
An example of an isometric exercise is pressing the palms of the
hands against each other. Neither will force the other back, but
constant pressure will increase the blood flow in the muscle and
increase the size and hence the strength of the muscular fibers.
The old Charles Atlas method.
The Russian Special Forces train by the former method using
Russian kettlebells. Kettlebells are weights with a ring and
handle so that they can be lifted. Using kettlebells every part
of your body can be worked, building the supreme strength
required of a master of his or her art.
Flexibility is essential and is attained through continual
practice of dynamic relaxation techniques. Flexibility is
supreme relaxation of the muscles and joints of the body. It was
said by the  Karate master George Matson that "Achieving complete
control over your muscles is perfection." The Russian Cossacks
achieved this by continually cutting into water with their
sabres, keeping the muscles totally relaxed and tensing only at
the moment of strike.
This build up so much strength and flexibility that they could
slice an opponent from the shoulder to the hip with a light
sabre. Gruesome though this may seem, the same techniques are
used to this day, only the sabres and water have been replaced
with axes and logs by Russian Boxing coaches.
Finally power. Power differs from strength in that it is the
body's ability to exert force in any one direction. Size and
strength are nothing if the big guy can't exert a punch in the
exact direction it should be exerted. Power depends on the use
of strength and the levers of the body to exert maximum force in
exactly the right direction. That is what makes the difference
between a student and a master of martial arts.
The master understands the reflexes and use of the central
nervous system to use the levers of the body to direct the
maximum power possibly from the strength of the muscles to a
single point. The student aims the fist at the same point with
possibly more strength, but with only a fraction of the power.
Extreme fitness training and teaching in the combination of the
levers of the body and the power of the muscles to produce
supreme martial arts ability is essential to anyone who wants to
become a master of his martial art.
American John Du Cane professes that through the teaching of the
Chinese art of qigong you can attain the degree of vitality
required to attain complete martial flexibility. Russian Pavel
Tsatsouline, on the other hand, teaches the secrets of Russian
kettlebell training as provided to the Russian special forces,
and how the combination of the supreme strength developed by the
kettlebells combines with the flexibility of qigong to provide
true supreme martial arts power.
About the author:
Find out more information on the teachings of John Du Cane and
Pavel Tsatsouline on Peter's webpage
http://www.welshhealth.com/russian.html where you are given the
opportunity to access the secrets of true martial arts
flexibility, strength and power.
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