Cross Training

Gray Patterson, V dan
Instructor, Khandallah

Many people begin Taekwon-Do “to get fi tter”, and certainly regular Taekwon-Do training can help you increase or maintain a reasonable level of fi tness. In fact, Taekwon-Do training is superbly well rounded – it incorporates elements of aerobic and anaerobic training, fl exibility and strengthening, all with the added benefi t of learning practical self defence skills as well. However, a couple of hours twice a week is not enough to allow you to comfortably achieve a successful black belt grading, or a place on the podium at a major tournament – one or both of these being major goals in most people’s Taekwon-Do careers.

If you are serious about achieving your black belt or taking away a gold medal from a National or World Champs, you need to commit to getting yourself suitably fi t. The physical and mental stresses of high level performance and competition over multiple days can be overwhelming if you’re not prepared. You need to invest time and effort in yourself to make sure you can meet the demands of your chosen goal, and going along to club a couple more times a week simply isn’t going to cut it.

The physical requirements of a black belt grading are comparable to any endurance event.

You wouldn’t expect to perform well at (or even complete) the “Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge” (160km road cycle around the perimeter of Lake Taupo) or the “Kepler Challenge” (a 60km mountain run in Te Anau) without serious training, so why would you expect to perform well at a black belt grading without putting in some hard yards? The amount of time you’re required to physically perform is comparable for all three events! In fact, a black belt grading could be considered more demanding as it is a multi day ordeal where peak performance on the second day is crucial.

But how do you prepare for such an event? A high level of aerobic fi tness and conditioning of your body to withstand sustained exercise is essential to be able to give your best at a black belt grading, or over multiple rounds and multiple days at a tournament. One way to achieve this would be to ensure that regular training sessions last several hours (at least three to four). However, the trouble is, it can be diffi cult to fi nd the motivation and means to regularly do long Taekwon-Do sessions. Therefore a good method to help you meet your fitness requirements is cross training.

Cross training simply means incorporating more than one type of physical activity into your fitness routine. Having variety in your training program will help to prevent boredom, and also aid with injury prevention as you’re not using the same muscles in the same way all of the time, or if you are injured you can maintain a level of fi tness training without aggravating your injury.

I have had some degree of success with cross training, so I know it is an effective training method. To give you an idea of what you may like to consider introducing into your training, here’s a run down of the activities I enjoy.

Running

I prefer running off-road (as I’m no lightweight). I find dirt tracks are kinder on my joints and muscles than tarmac, and I fi nd the scenery more interesting. Off-road running also improves your co-ordination, balance, and ankle strength, as you often have to avoid or compensate your stride for roots and bumps on the trail. Running up and down hills is brilliant strengthening for the lower body too.

Make sure you have a good pair of shoes if you run regularly – what you spend on shoes, you’ll save on physio bills – your old Bata Bullets will just end up wrecking you!

Cycling

I really enjoy both road cycling and mountain biking. Cycling can be a great cardiovascular workout, whilst also being low impact, so this is ideal if you suffer from impact related injuries such as shin splints or stress fractures. Cycling will also improve your co-ordination and balance, and leg strength. New Zealand has some awesome mountain bike tracks and rides, and it’s easy to get variety on any ride – just go in another direction!

Kayaking

Multisport, white water, or sea kayaking all offer similar benefits. Kayaking will improve your upper body strength, particularly your ‘core’ torso muscles which are used in every Taekwon-Do technique. It’s also low impact, and if you paddle a skinny boat or go out in rougher water you’ll also improve your balance and co-ordination.

Altitude Simulation

You may have heard about athletes basing themselves at altitude for periods of their training the reason being that there are proven beneficial effects to breathing ‘thinner’ air. In order to cope with reduced oxygen at altitude, the human body naturally reacts and produces a higher proportion of red blood cells, and the more red blood cells you have, the more effi cient your body becomes at transporting and utilising oxygen.

I’ve been using an Altitude Simulation programme at ‘io’ for the last 18 months, and I’ve been impressed with the benefi ts I’ve experienced. The io programme delivers ‘thinner’ air, via a mask, inducing the same benefi cial stress experienced at altitude. The reaction is caused by the body having to adjust to alternatively breathing high altitude (hypoxic) air and sea level (normal) air via your own mask every fi ve minutes for an hour a day over a set number of days. It doesn’t really seem like you’re ‘training’, because you’re relaxing in a chair and reading, or watching a movie, or listening to music, but I’ve personally found that my resting heart rate drops by up to ten beats over the course of a week, and I have a feeling of more ‘fuel’ in the tank when I’m physically pushing myself. The benefi ts, including increased energy levels, faster recovery and greater endurance usually last for around two months, and a scheduled booster programme can top this up every fi ve to eight weeks.

There are many other activities that you could use to complement your Taekwon-Do training, and fi nding something that challenges you and you enjoy doing, will help you maintain the motivation required to keep at it for sustained periods as you train hard towards your important event.

Taekwon-Do is essentially an individual pursuit, so you can’t rely on others to carry you through if you’re not properly prepared. It’s entirely up to you take responsibility for achieving your goals, so get out there and go for it!