Hi

I have been doing freestyle kickboxing for about 3 years (probably only 2 in total due to injuries).
I do a lot of sparring but haven't competed much and up until recently I only competed in semi contact.
I entered a light contiuous competition recently and made it to the final. The heats were 1 * 2 minute round, I was exhausted by the end of each round. The final was 2 * 2 minute rounds and by half way through the second round, I couldn't even keep a guard up.
I am reasonably fit, training twice a week with a lot of emphasis on fitness and at least 10 rounds of sparring (mixture of continuous and semi contact)each session.
Why do you think I was so exhausted after only 2 minutes (I did a 50 round marathon session before christmas).
What is the best type of fitness training for this type of competition? My guess is a mixture of aerobic and an-aerobic, but should I concentrate on 1 of them.
Maybe I am wasting too much energy during the fight, I am quite tense in the shoulders and I do move around on my toes a lot.
Any help apreciated.

Cheers

Paul

There are plenty of peeps on here that will give you some advice but I thought I would add my two pence.

Since ive started Taekwondo ive always been actively involved with the competition element. My instructor has always been geared towards that so I guess it was bound to happen that id follow that route!

Anyway, in 05' I had the opportunity to take part in the World Championships. Rounds were 2 x 2min with a 30 second break in between. So quite demanding physically.

You mention that you do put in the rounds, so my suspicion is that you have fallen into the trap of bouncing around for 2 minutes, throwing some techniques etc (hey, we all do that sometimes/and I stand corrected if ive made a guess there!). But if your doing ten rounds and not feeling the benefit in competition then there is something in your training that you need to examine.

A round should be physically demanding and if its training for a bout it should be intense to the point where you are struggling to breathe.

But thats just one of many factors you need to consider. Diet, fighting mentality all play a part in sparring.

You are correct in that I do bounce around a lot, in semi contact (points) it's pretty much necessary but in continuous, maybe it's a bit of a waste of effort.
Our sparring training is pretty full on but with a mixture of grades theres always opertunity to "rest" and prctice defence only for a round or 2 and some students are not overly competitive. I always push myself to my limits.
I usually compete in the heavy weight category (over 80 KG), I am about 81KG so I allways think I should be one of the quicker fighters, so I tend to move a lot, also just trading punches and kicks with the much bigger guys is not in my best interest. However, at 40 years old, my speed is not the same as an equivelent 20 year old. I need to learn some balance between keeping moving and not wasting energy. Relaxing a little more would possibly help save energy and speed up.

Any thoughts?

Paul

You are correct in that I do bounce around a lot, in semi contact (points) it's pretty much necessary but in continuous, maybe it's a bit of a waste of effort.


Yeah we are all guilty of that.

However, at 40 years old, my speed is not the same as an equivelent 20 year old.

This is true. So you need to be clever with what you have. Im 25 and I struggle with 17 year olds sometimes who seem to run on fresh air. Maybe, try some more explosive techniques. If your 80kg then I bet your a pretty solid guy. Sometimes in continuous you have to take one, to give three...

Relaxing a little more would possibly help save energy and speed up.


Yeah totally. I have this image of you in my head of this fired up guy who goes all out at the sound of the bell! My advice would be to seek out some of the more experienced fighters in your organisation and spar with them and as importantly watch how they spar.

Thanks for your advice. I'll take it all on board and try to put it in to practice.
It all sounds sensible to me.
Cheers

Paul

Paul,

My hat's off to you for putting in 10-round sessions in preparation for 1- and 2-round fights. Our gym's fighters consider that the secret to having more wind than their opponents.

This is the very subject for which I wrote Fighter's Mind/Fighter's Body: how to maximize your power and endurance during fights. In the book, I argue that round-format fighting is primarily anaerobic. Your aerobic system comes into play most importantly in the rests between rounds.

May I suggest running sprints? (Check with your doctor first.) It's great for building anaerobic endurance, and since you're pumping with your arms, it helps condition you to keep your shoulders relaxed (otherwise it's very hard to breathe). When you're used to running multiple sprints, it's easier to stay relaxed and keep your energy from tanking under the adrenaline dump of fighting.

Thanks for your advice. It sounds pretty much right on to me.
I looked up your book on Amazon in the UK. It's not available, or at any other bookseller I can find. Sounds like something i'd find useful.

Kind regards

Paul

More information on how to order Tony's book can be found here.
www.bushidopublishing.com


We have done a review on it in the book review section and I have to say its excellent.

Training for continuous sparring requires a balance of aerobic and anerobic training. Also make sure you are pushing yourself in training.

Remember the more you sweat in training the less you bleed in the street( aka ring).

I believe in the adage, "Train, train, train, and when you are done, train some more."

Thank you for the plug, Pete!

Paul - sorry, I don't have a UK distributor yet. But if you order from the website (or www.FightersMindFightersBody.com), please remind me that you heard about it on Martial Edge, and order just the book. I'll send you the Goal Journal/Workout Log and audio CD for free, since shipping is a bit high from the US.

Thanks, I've ordered the book only but there was nowhere to enter any information about where I heard of the book.
My receipt ID is: Receipt ID: 6CW12804705619711 if that helps identify the order.

Cheers

Paul

Paul, sorry, I'll look into the form. I kept an eye out for your order; it's already shipped.