Martial Arts Fitness and Cross-Training and Hojo Undo
by Jason Armstrong
Old (Hojo Undo) and New (sports conditioning) ways to increase ones fitness in Karate and the Martial Arts
by Jason Armstrong PhD
I have always been an advocate of cross training and fitness to optimize ones karate ability and strength. In my competition days in particular (but still today) I always included weights, hojo undo, hill sprints, swimmming and other activities. The below video of Dimitris Triantafyllis (European and World Games Champion) is an inspriration in terms of someone who is ensuring he has fitness, impact power, grappling/throwing and sports karate tool sets. Although this video shows a modern approach, hojo undo was the traditional karate form of conditioning which include resistance exercises, impact, arm (ude tanren) and leg conditioning and is well reviewed in the book hojo Undo (Clarke, 2009). The modern controversy around the possible damage ude tanren does to one hands/arms/legs is discussed from a medical perspective in the book Karate technique selection & Street Fighting Statistics & Medical Outcomes.
Additionally, research has revealed emerging tensions in the difference between fitness and health in exercise where decades of multi-hour daily training leads to premature joint wear, inflammation and reduced lifesapn. Something that has been documented against many of the world's passed karate masters in the textbook Karate - Surprising Effects Effects on Lifespan
Muay Thai is an extreme fitness and conditioning impact fighting art which is also famous for its bone/tissue conditioning. The LaPlante sensei karate video shows a hard "old school" version of conditioning using a tree as a "makiwara".
Four videos on plyometrics for speed & power are below. For the physiology and more detail about Plyometric training see the article. The below cover: Plyometrics For The Upper Body Speed/Power 1; Plyometrics For Leg Speed & Power 2; Plyometrics For Upper Body Speed/Power 2; Round House Kick - Mawashi Geri Learning And Stregthening.
A Tournament Conditioning Class - not using equipment
This 1 to 1.5 hour class list is aimed at those about 2 months out from tournament in the fitness/strength build stage of a karate-ka's training cycle leading up to an event. Seminar delivered in Adelaide in Feb 2020 by Jason Armstrong.
- Why train for exhaustion/high reps for Ippon shobu?
- Warm-up laps
- 4 Kick partner drill stretch
- Achilles stretch
- Tenshin happo
- loose and compression
- With gyakuzuki
- Stance push work - option as replacement to tube training
- Movement & maai drill - plyometric emphasis
- Mae-kenzuki speed work - hikite emphasis
- Tori: Maegeri, gyaku - uke: gyaku counter - tori: gyakuzuki
- 3 person - gyakuzuki drill
- 3 person - mawashi-geri, gayakuzuki drill
- Mawashi-geri front foot speed drill in pairs
- Clapping push-ups
- Block/punch sit-ups
- Shikodachi punches - aimed at fatigue to relax arms (but with tight fists)
- Forearm/deltoid drill - fist clench
- Warm down: Close quarter combat drill
- Partnered -> solo (work hip/body rotation) - > partnered
