Newbie questions (lots of them)

[helvedsrike]

Ok, first of all, I'm very green when it comes to martial arts practice. I've been training for two weeks on this small Lima-Lama school, and two years before that, I trained on a Karatedo school for about two months. So, I'm not that experienced when it comes to training. Basically, I'm training for the workout it implies, you know, the conditioning part (I sweat like a pig everyday) and the discipline and technique are also good. Now, after this brief intro, I'd like to share some of my doubts with you guys...

Well, first of all, there are times in which I have lots of energy and sometimes I'm worn out. Does this have to do with eating at a certain time? I usually have lunch at 1:00 PM and training begins at 6:00 PM. I don't eat anything else in between.

This next question goes towards the experienced members: I'm pretty much of a wimp when it comes to sparring. How can I get over it?

Is it really necessary to go to tournaments? I know they are good to gain experience, but, what if I'm not interested?

Now, about injuries. How common are they in martial arts? are any of you practicing injured? Have injuries ever stopped you from practicing? Have you ever been injured so badly that you even thought of quitting?

I hope it's not too much of an annoyance to reply. Thanks for your attention!

P.S. Lima-Lama is a very popular martial art here in Mexico. Maybe it doesn't ring any bells for some of you.

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Carlos Flores

[SRK85]

Yea I use to hate sparrring becuase I was somewhat whimpish. But I just said to myself I'm the best and I like training hard so I got over it. I think you just need to work more at sparring. Eventually/hopefully you will like it. Also eat like 3-4hrs before training. Tournaments are fun but if you don't like to comepete then you should not go to tournamnets. And tournaments are good for gaining experince if you want to continue to compete otherwise tournaments don't help to much with training. Injuires are quite common I get bruised up a lot but it never has stopped me from training. By the way I'm a quick healer.

[a student 1st]

Welcome, I'm glad you have found an art you like.

I would suggets that you eat some fruit about an hour and a half to two hours before your workout (watch what you eat at lunch). Also make sure you are properly hydrated, drink a couple of glasses of water about an hour before class and during class. Sport drinks are ok but a lot have suger in them.

As for tournaments, I personaly have no use for them, but you must decied that your self.

In sparring everyone has fear at sometime in their martial lives, take it slow and work over your fear. This is one of the many things MA's teach us.
With injuries If you can't train in one aspect of your art train in another untill you heal. Don't rush an injury.
Good luck with your training.

[tkdcanada]

First of all, it's not an annoyance at all to answer genuine questions. It's actually a pleasure.

Energy levels.....everyone's different. You know your body and with trial and error you will be able to figure out why you sometimes feel less energetic. Personally, I get very sluggish when it's hot and humid. I would say if you ate at 1:00 and you train at 6:00, you would probably feel better if you gave your body a little something in between, but that's not the only thing it could be. As I said, heat and humidity, maybe it's just your "tired" time of day (mine's around 3:00 PM). Just watch your routines and how you are affected when you do something different.

Sparring....Psychologically, you have to get right into it, go into a zone. Think less about how the other person will hurt you and more about what your goals are in your match (what you will do to your opponent). Do drills for conditioning - that will get you used to being hit and eventually it won't phase you as much. Remind yourself that you will heal - the body is an amazing machine and heals itself beautifully (the most you'll probably get are a few bruises and sore muscles). Pretend it's a real situation and let your adrenaline take over - you won't feel a thing, lol.

Tournaments.....as mentioned above, if you aren't interested, you shouldn't go, but before you decide, you should try one. However, if you don't even like sparring, don't bother - it won't benefit you if your heart isn't into it. Our school has a competitive team who competes regularly and then there are the students who just do sparring in class once in a while. Do it to the extent that you feel comfortable.

Injuries......I haven't been around as long as a lot of people on here, but in the two and a half years since I've been training, I haven't seen one very serious injury. I personally haven't been injured except for minor things like a pulled muscle (from stretching too hard), a charlie horse (sparring match - took a knee in the thigh - pain was gone in a few days), some bruises on shins and forearms (which eventually go away). I have heard of some worse injuries like broken noses, cheekbones, twisted knees, broken toes, but as with any physical activity, it's a risk you take - the injuries are generally far and few between (in my experience) - and again you'll heal! I'll do just about anything and I'm right in there like a dirty shirt and nothing has ever stopped me.

My advice would be to decide in your heart what you really want out of your training. Then, don't worry about anything else, just go for it. If your heart and spirit are into it, you will likely do better. If you are doing anything out of feeling like you have to then you will be apprehensive and nervous and more likely to get injured.

Good luck.

[nosh276]

Well, first of all, there are times in which I have lots of energy and sometimes I'm worn out. Does this have to do with eating at a certain time? I usually have lunch at 1:00 PM and training begins at 6:00 PM. I don't eat anything else in between.

Like they said, take a fruit snack and eat about an hour before hand. I've had that same problem as well actually.


This next question goes towards the experienced members: I'm pretty much of a wimp when it comes to sparring. How can I get over it?

I don't really remember where it was but someone was giving advice on how to conquer this fear. Their main advice was to volunteer to be the instructors assistant and force youself to not flinch when they punch or kick at you.


Is it really necessary to go to tournaments? I know they are good to gain experience, but, what if I'm not interested?

No, but they can give you a more accurate view of how your training is going.

Now, about injuries. How common are they in martial arts? are any of you practicing injured? Have injuries ever stopped you from practicing? Have you ever been injured so badly that you even thought of quitting?

____________

Carlos Flores

Injuries are something you expect, try to prevent, and treat when they occur. They will happen, but that's part of learning.

[helvedsrike]

Alright, thanks a lot for answering my questions. Your advice is valuable to me. On the energy issue, I got tired so quickly yesterday I couldn't do my best for the rest of the training session. I mean, it felt as if it was the first day I attended! I don't know what happened, but like Michleine said, I will find out what's wrong by trial and error.

Good luck to all of you, too. And thanks again.

______________

Carlos Flores