Training Mistakes

To become a real black belt, not just one in name only, you must train in your martial art continuously but you must also train properly. Here are some common mistakes martial artists make in their training.

Overtraining. Some martial artists train hard EVERY day. I am guilty of having done this. When you love to do something, you want to do it every day. However, for your body to learn complex skills and develop speed, strength, and endurance, it must have some time off to absorb the training and recover from any damage the training may have done to it. In addition, if you are cross training, extensive strength training or cardio training will limit your body’s ability to perfect intricate martial art techniques. Overtraining may cause you to develop poor muscle memory and learn bad habits. Remember, you do not build muscle during training sessions; you build muscle during the days between training sessions while you are eating, sleeping, and resting. While training, muscles develop microscopic tears. During the recovery periods between training sessions, the muscles heal and grow bigger and stronger. If you never let your muscles rest, then you never give them an opportunity to grow.

When you train too long each session or for too many sessions, your body starts to adapt to just completing the workout session, rather than committing itself to perfecting technical skills and building muscle memory. Rather than trying to do everything during a workout, concentrate each workout on perfecting a specific technique or movement.