Shotokan karate: Need some advice on building endurance

KatanaDV20

KatanaDV20

KatanaDV20

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Hey guys :D

To get my ass in shape Ive taken up Shotokan karate. Been doin it for about 10 weeks now. Really enjoyin it but I got a real serious problem..Im hopin all you lot on here who do martial arts (or for that matter any kinda exercise) can gimme some advice as this is really bugging me and Im scared it will hold me back :(

Basically I suck at endurance. My techniques are good, strength is good for punches & kicks....but man do I have pathetic endurance.

Ask me to take up a stance.....and in just 15 secs im knackered :(

Specially this stance (horse-riding stance)...hurts :eek:
Kiba-Dachi_markus_sarah_foto_01_160306.jpg


While others around me stay still like rocks....WTH!

My thigh muscles burn...they BURN with crazy pain after just 10-15 secs so I have to relax them which of course looks pathetic and results in intructors hollerin' "GET BACK INTO STANCE! See THROUGH the pain...it will make you stronger!"...of course they are right but as hard as I try I just cant :confused:

Umm what kinda exercises can I do to get strong thigh & leg muscles so I can hold a stance and do karate without getting out of breath so soon?!!!!

Im lookin at gettin a bike, hopefully that will help. But if any of u martial arts people or regular gymn-people have some tips....?!!
 
and don't hate the burn, love the burn.
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I cant wait to get to that stage! I need to feel the burn...and then *keep* goin..right now I cant do that will my jelly thighs! I admire the others who feel pain...and then make their stances DEEPER! "Pain...what pain?" they say....

I think they're cyborgs :eek:
 
some sort of psychological reward system.


Get into stance, wait for burn to become almost unbearable... snort some coke.

Repeat until your body reacts positively to the burn :p
 
Just practice the stances, drop in, hold for ten seconds and release, rinse and repeat adding time of hold as you go.
 
Practice, practice, practice.

Hold the stance until it aches then relax. Next day make yourself do it for say 5secs longer than you feel comfortable for. Do that for a week. After that move up another level and practice that one for a week. Best way
 
Hello KatanaDV20,

Can you do split ups? do high kicks such as Mavashi geri?

Don't panic, 10 weeks is just a beginning, will see what you say in couple years of training :p

Horse raiding stance is my favorite, could stand hours without pain!
but It became in practice and in weeks of training session!
 
Horse Stance takes TIME!

After a couple of years I can sit in it for a fair while but then I was doing a fair bit of cycling before that so had a head start.

PS the guy in the picture is doing it wrong... that's high horse stance. Parallel thighs is where it's at!

A good way to train is to do wall sit... both with knees together and in stance position. That way the wall is taking a bit of your weight. Other than that it is just practice mate, you got to do reps... oh and of course either love the pain or meditate through it...
 
i can only mirror what everyones told you but just practice practice practice.

fourtunatly these are things you can work on at home.

when you wake in the morning a lot some time to do some real stretching and work on your stances then in the evening do the same it wont take long for you to build up your endurance.
 
Shotokan Karate is used in the style of Kushindo that I do (along with Jujitsu and Aikido) most of which dates back to Kenshiro Abbe in this country. Horseriding stance (Kibadachi) is aweful for most people starting because its holding your body in a position and with strain that its not used to. Practice is the only way get better, If you have access to any small weights (10k or something) then id try holding the weight whilst in the stance, when it becomes to much then stand up for a while then try and drop back into the stance. These may help but to be honest you will get better at it purely through training in time.

Just wait till you are doing punches in Zenkutsudach whith someone stood on you rear leg.
 
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Practice, practice and more practice. The reason your teacher is pushing you is he know's full well you won't improve if you don't keep trying.

Anyway, as someone else mentioned, wall sits will probably help.
 
As above practice. I bet it hurts like hell mind you. Our PTI's used to get us in positions, if any one moved they would add more and more time onto it. Got easier at the end.

Plus squat!
 
Thanks loads for al the great tips, I hear ya all on the practice. Ive pushed the furniture aside in the living room even hee hee.

Can you do split ups? do high kicks such as Mavashi geri?
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I cant do 100% splits I can take it up to about 60% to be honest! I can kick resonably high on mawashi geri - I can kick at ear-height on right leg and shoulder height on left leg!

Horse Stance takes TIME!
After a couple of years I can sit in it for a fair while but then I was doing a fair bit of cycling before that so had a head start.
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Hmmm lots of support for cycling, I will have to look for a good bike!

Horseriding stance (Kibadachi) is aweful for most people starting because its holding your body in a position and with strain that its not used to. Practice is the only way get better, If you have access to any small weights (10k or something) then id try holding the weight whilst in the stance, when it becomes to much then stand up for a while then try and drop back into the stance. These may help but to be honest you will get better at it purely through training in time.
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Thats a good idea dude I shall try that out. I actually got some weights , will start using them. I was thinkin about using small handheld weights to speed up punch speed as well. Youre right about kiba-dachi being difficult...pain like none other!! I really envy the endurance of the high grades but I know it will just take practice!

The reason your teacher is pushing you is he know's full well you won't improve if you don't keep trying.
Anyway, as someone else mentioned, wall sits will probably help.
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Yea he is a really good instructor and i enjoy being pushed TBH. I tried the wall sit! Im such a wuss...could only hold it for 20secs! Will keep trying to increase the time!
 
KatanaDV20 said:
Yea he is a really good instructor and i enjoy being pushed TBH. I tried the wall sit! Im such a wuss...could only hold it for 20secs! Will keep trying to increase the time!
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You're not a wuss, wall sits are no walk in the park, 20-30 seconds is probably all could muster aswell, but then they are not part of my regime.

Keep it up though! :)
 
Perform horseriding position and hold for 5 seconds, raise, then lower again for five seconds. Complete this 12 times.

Perform 12 squats, holding for 5 seconds each time.

This is a total hold of 2 minutes, 1 minute squat, one in horse riding.

Practice until you can complete this. When you can, hold for ten seconds and repeat. Within a short space of time, horse-riding stance will be a doddle.

For endurance generally, perform simple cardiovascular work to start with; brisk walking/jogging, cycling, rowing, x-trainer et. Aim for 30 minutes at a a heart rate of 60-70%. Take your resting pulse, and post it here along with your age and ill give you the target HR.
 
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