Tag: high intensity

Martial Arts and Health

Posted on Last updated on by joeharman8 | 11 min read | 92 views

We can think of health as energy available to us to live an intense meaningful life, free from disease and debilitation. It is this state that we should reach in order to train properly in Martial Arts. And so we must cultivate and live in this state as much as possible, so that we can put this energy into everything we do. That is, of course, if we want to devote ourselves to this path. We don’t need to go looking for this energy outside ourselves by learning all sorts of complicated moves, hoping this will give us power. No, instead we should move naturally in ways which correlate with the intuitive rhythms of nature.

Now that science has given us complicated explanations and exact methods of technical performance, we exploit the resources of the body in order perform these techniques. And yet, many people find themselves more unhealthy than ever and plagued with injuries, not to mention lacking in energy. This is because people think about performing certain moves, like a punch, rather than strengthening the body which animates them. They do all sorts of robotic moves unthinkingly, which just causes wear and tear as the years go on. In truth, much of scientific advancement has made us lazy and unwilling to do work.

Whilst skilled people don’t wear out overnight, the abilities they have developed, often during youth, don’t last forever, and before too long they end up stagnating or in a sorry state. Many people put all their energy into the move instead of cultivating health through exercise. What they are forgetting is that the move is just a means of expressing the goal of perfection. Instead they get it the wrong way round, thinking that the move itself is the goal, and perfection of this will lead to truth. They think “I’ll perfect this move and one day I’ll become perfect”. But really, People are deluding themselves if they think they will make long term progress in this way, because once they are worn out and no longer able to animate themselves with zest, they lose the impetus to grow and develop. The real goal is keeping this zest, as this is the means of evolution.

Yes lots of people get big muscles first, but even a giant brick wall will develop cracks and fall down if the foundations and alignment are incorrect. And it is the same situation for Martial artists. Say, for instance, you are driving a stake into the ground. If you take the mallet and hit the stake off centre, it might bend. If you hit it dead centre it will drive into the floor creating a stable root. In the same way, if you direct pressure through the ground using gravity, aligned from head to toe, you will be much more structurally sound and dynamically stable (Steve Morris, the authority on the subject talks about alignment and whole body tension extensively on his website). On the other hand, if you contorts the body in all sorts of unnatural ways, without the means of stability stability, it’s only a matter of time before you damage your structure2.

How do we learn these “Fundamental” means of action? There is an imprint of how to move, breathe, and learn correctly inscribed within us. If we follow these intuitive pathways we can, with work, learn anything relatively easily to our own specifications. Think of the body as your instrument, you might be inspired by other peoples music, but you yourself produce the harmonies which resonate with your requirements and tastes. You might copy someone else at first, to create a stereotypical impression, but this is not the end of it. You continually develop. This will ensure you never lose interest and keep on growing, which itself is the only real indicator of success. When you train intuitively, all the knowledge is already in your possession you just need the inspiration and living examples around you to bring it out.

So what about adding our own flavour? After we have a fundamental knowledge of how to train and work, we can then add certain embellishments on top of this these forms we create. What Most Martial Arts practice involves is putting on the embellishments first, rather than making sure the basics are in order. It takes many years to learn to walk, so how do you suppose you can embody more complicated actions quickly? This just shows how much work needs to be done, and if the great fighters have to do this, how much more so for the rest of us?

In other words, many people go for the martial arts form without working on their body’s structural capabilities. Many of them go on about persevering through difficulty, and being patient, but in reality they are often looking for the easiest way to learn as many moves as possible to earn a certificate or belt. When you see a fighter in action, ask yourself “Does this form or style embrace universal principles of development and practice?” And, “Can I embody this practice so that it relates to everything else I do?” If not then it does not represent the truth3. There is no point is beating others up around you whilst your practice becomes devoid of meaning.

A true Martial Arts Master takes no interest in mechanical dead forms. There is no point because they do not relate to everyday matters of health and life. In fact they often ruin health because moving so violently without art or grace wears out the joints and causes fatigue. The temptation to stop developing, through pride, dogs the heals of even the best Martial artists until the end.

Routinised, meaningless practice has a terrible effect on health and energy. And then what weapons will you have when you are older and worn out? What will happen when your inner weapons of energy and enthusiasm has gone? You will have nothing. But if you learn to increase your health, training intensely for only short durations4, you will be able to have a profound effect on your abilities whilst not squandering your reserves on mindless work. Yes it is possible, through intelligent work, to remain healthy and vigorous even into old age. This is how you know you are following true Martial arts practice, you will increase your abilities, happiness, and senses.

To the extent that a form of martial arts is useful, you should integrate this with your everyday behaviours and gestures which underpin movements in all domains. Obviously, this works by degrees. Then martial arts simply becomes another way of moving more generally. You simply take the forms in homeopathic doses, letting them colour your existing movement repertoire, and receive a new expression of the same intuitive movements you already posses. Yes, because we already have within us the means to learn, intuitive movement, enthusiasm, and intelligence, combine all three and you will learn anything naturally.

All movements share intuitive gestures and actions with which we should mindfully engage in order to connect the dots between seemingly different activities. In this way throwing a ball, swinging a bat, etc., is fundamentally the same as throwing a punch or kick. They are different expressions of the same truth. It is up to us to become aware of these connections. To divide is to destroy, what you must do is unify everything. You divide up simply to analyse, and then it becomes part of the whole again. Otherwise it becomes dead and disconnected. This is why once analysed, it must come back into our being adapted to the wisdom of the body. We want to work on this wisdom of the body, in other words, to embody knowledge, but what we often end up doing is practicing nonsense. The form is merely the model to aim towards within a discipline, but the greater form, the true form, encompasses everything.

We practice according to a perfect model, that is a representation of the higher self. This mental model, and physical representation, is always better than we ourselves are. It assimilates what is useful, in other words the essentials, and discards what isn’t. These are the fundamentals, and the intuitive movements we all posses like walking and grabbing are used as building blocks. I have no objection to practcing a specific style, they are good as far as the go, but the problem of inner evolution and and progress cannot be solved by an existing physical forms. But back to fundamental building blocks.

A baby can learn to crawl, and then walk, and then run.But adults often have difficult applying the concept to even more advanced movements as they grow in intelligence and power. Because they fail to capitalise ion this, they stagnate and go backwards. Martial arts is just an extension, and evolution, of these basic fundamental actions. Once they are tapped into, these basic movements stimulate and trigger the development of more advanced skills such as punches and kicks. They are not simply new movements disconnected from previous learning.

The flowers of one plant spreads and multiplies new plants which then blossom into new flowers. In the same way humans learn one skill and then cultivate it until it is ready to spread into new domains. The whole thing then goes on and on again, even into later eras after the death of the practitioner. These ideas are then passed onto someone else and then come back to where they began, inside the individual. That individual is then in possession of certain knowledge that he must then pour out onto others. If the flowers are uninspired, dull, and disfigured no one looks at them and it is as if they never existed.

By helping other develop, you will find solutions to your own questions due to this effort applied to the process of “blossoming”. Others around you will be attracted to your flowers as a bee is around nectar. Naturally, this is how ideas spread. In this way your own practice will develop, fuelling your optimism and abilities. There is no escaping this process. I know that this may seem naive and childish, and it may not be taken seriously, because as everybody knows that you need to flatter people and quote recognised authorities, otherwise you don’t get anywhere. This just proves that despite of the hostility and hazards around you, you must keep fighting, and it is these trials if you like which oblige you to develop will power and evolve. I will go further to say that this is a blessing in disguise.

People tend to be happy one minute, unmotivated the next, always changing theirs moods and ideas. The least little problem knocks them off balance. This is why we need a high ideal, or if you like a perfect model to orientate ourselves towards. Compared to this ideal we are weak and ignorant. We keep failing, making mistakes, making enemies… We then think this weakness represents truth, and we bring everything down to this level. And then progress stops because we have focused on our lower nature and its insecurities rather than treating the high self as a living being. So many people have received so called wisdom in this form, and became disillusioned by it. They think “That’s just the way it is, I’ve invested so much time is this big lie, and since my livelihood depends on it I’ll just be the one to lie to others as I have been lied to”.

But perfection does not have an enemy, nor does it make mistakes or errors. Perfection, of course will never be achieved, it just orientates us in the right direction. That is why it is without form, and greater than form.

Like the earth around the sun, we must become “Centred” around the high ideal5 which inspires us and keeps us in motion, keeps us revolving. All people posses this faculty, but they often spend their whole life not knowing how to use it. Some people think that they must resemble exactly the perfect form, other believe that having an ideal is a waste of time because it can never be attained. But really it is something for our will power to strive towards, representing essential truths symbolised by martial arts practice. All the forms are merely different representations of the same truth.

Our will power must desire perfection, because it has an infinite scope which can reach far beyond physical limitations. Only the best satisfies it and will empower you towards real success, and by success I mean reach your full potential6. It does not matter if you achieve the ideal, but the important thing is to keep trying.

1 Steve Morris http://morrisnoholdsbarred.com/

2 Alignment and Tension exercises https://harmanater.com/2020/03/22/alignment-and-tension-exercises/

3 Which Moves? https://harmanater.com/2020/04/30/which-moves/

4 High Intensity Work and Balance https://harmanater.com/2020/07/05/high-intensity-work-and-balance/

5 The High Ideal https://harmanater.com/2020/07/26/the-high-ideal/

6 Will power https://harmanater.com/2020/05/10/will-power/

The High Ideal

Posted on by joeharman8 | 12 min read | 109 views

A lot of people argue about which the best Martial art is, but the truth must always be looked at above form, in a high ideal. Of course, it is possible to practice a system and to bring it to life with years of dedication and sacrifice, but if you do this it is always thanks to the work you put in which reaches above and beyond mere form. Because the form is just an empty shell, a representation of truth, and a weak one at that. It is the inspiration behind the form that counts.

Whilst it may be possible to smash someones head in with a few moves, it is hardly a way to inspire the greatest dedication to an important cause. Work of this kind is completely unimportant when weighed against self development and longevity. It is only possible to relate to the greatest goals by channelling our own immediate desires and instinctive tendencies towards something greater. But that all depends on what you want. We can substitute immediate gratification for long term satisfaction, which on balance is a good trade off. This is true humility, which involves identifying with a self in the future. But this future work starts now in the present and in fact is inseparably linked to it 1.

Through ideas and forward thinking it is possible to transcend present limitations. That is why it is a mistake to put so much stock in dead mechanical forms, or even what can be achieved under present conditions. Much has been said about living in the moment, but most of the time people mistake this for living recklessly on borrowed time. Instead you should view ‘the moment’ as a part of the future which begins here and now. Even with all the progress that has been made in psychology and mindfulness, people often overlook this simple fact. Controlling your thoughts in the present so that the future perspective is represented in reality is the real work. This is the perspective of the true self. By adopting this attitude this you will be able to tread any path in life unwaveringly – Martial Arts or otherwise.

Present limitations are an aspect only of the past, so leave them there. Try and imagine yourself, to feel even, this ideal self in action, understanding that it is only possible to relate to this self by your own unceasing efforts. Many people say they lose inspiration and give up, but in fact it was them who abandoned the future perspective in the present. Yes, because we are inseparable from inspiring ideal thoughts, which represent our higher or true self, and what we will become. To the extend that this faculty is not exercised and practiced, it can be said to not exist. In that case, it is as if there were no imagination at all.

There is simply no point in bemoaning and living in the past, since it was you who chose to relate to it now instead of detaching yourself from it and living now. Instead you must think of all the gifts, talents and abilities that you posses in your mind through your ideas, so that they one day materialise. You of course then physically practice these. It all starts with a seed, an idea. Be awake to this reality, this is what the Buddha Symbolised, the meaning of the Name Buddha is “Awakened”. When you live the high ideal, everything begins to work, the chakras, chi, the energies, motivation, however you wish to view it.

By living in that moment ceaselessly, we may identify with our own progressive evolution as it unfolds and contribute to it actively. We are otherwise at the mercy of events and definitions made by others. This is why it is so important to watch your every move. Of course this is exhausting and even the best struggle at this and lose contact with this ideal, so don’t delude yourself. But the key is to notice when this starts to happen and take action. So it is not a problem to make mistakes, provided you are aware of them and seek to rectify them. In any case, even a brief encounter with this state of mind can have a lasting impression and can even enhance your motivation to go about the more mundane activities in your life.

What will protect you is the state of mind imprinted within you following years of dedication to a high ideal of perfection and the conviction that this can be achieved. This is true self defence. This work does not demand that you actually reach perfection, only that you never stop reaching. So develop a taste for the work of achieving this high ideal, day after day, night after night. Learn to rest and sleep properly, so that you emerge the next morning revitalised a new individual3.

Nothing is more important than identifying with this high ideal through our words, thoughts, gestures, actions, and behaviours, as this is how we relate it to ourselves. Every one of these has repercussions which contribute towards enriching or impoverishing our motivation, and therefore our abilities. Because it is always lofty ideas that precede meaningful results, not mindless activity.

The true meaning of Martial Arts is to strive towards the highest of all goals2. It is the intensity of this effort, not the time it takes to reach that counts4. Very few who practice martial arts or anything else manage to reach this summit. And only the greatest among them manage to dedicate all their energy across their whole life to get there. This is what the “Martial Spirit” is all about.

It is said that the famous Swordsman Itto Ryu had his entire style revealed to him after meditating for 7 days and nights at the Grand shrine at Mishima. Not twenty or fifty years of repetitive mindless work. And the process is the same for everyone. This is an incredibly important subject, which is well worth reflecting on. During seclusions of this kind, avoid all negative influences which may sap you of your vitality and willpower, so that you dont lose self confidence. You will then feel like making grand hopeful plans.

When someones whole concentration and will power is absorbed in one high ideal, closed to other influences, he is capable of almost supernatural abilities. He must serve this one ideal. However, suppose you give up most of your time to aimless activity with people whose attitude is flat and uninspiring, offensive even, you have the impression of being soiled and left unfocused. Just think of how powerful a suspicious glance can be! On the outside nothing has changed but inside there has been a weakening of energy. It is occasions of this sort which, which although unavoidable, you should guard against. It is the mental equivalent of being punched in the gut. You think I am being overly sensitive. No, I am just highlighting how every action has a powerful consequence on the road to true success. You must be constantly vigilant. Analyse these feelings and you will see that the real meaning of martial arts is to guard against these assaults as you would a physical attack.

From now on, I highly recommend you have nothing to do with a system of fighting which emphasises beating others, winning titles, or strutting about arrogantly. Why bother with this kind of life? The methods I recommend on this sight will never lead to a mindset of that sort. However, you shouldn’t believe that people who do any of that go about it consciously or deliberately. Far from it, it’s often just that they never received proper guidance from a higher ideal. To them, impressing others and personal ambition is the goal.

Think of all the people out there who take drugs and socialises with people that they know are bad for them. We see that same thing with many martial arts organisations, symbolically speaking. Their practices, which emphasises mechanical routines, end up destroying joints and even cause burnout amongst athletes. They were told that if they just give themselves over that a particular system, it holds the truth and will supply them with all the knowledge and skills they need. However, the methods advocated by many organisations are too short term. The work towards high ideal of perfection goes hand in hand with long term development, an idea we must ceaselessly work on, day and night.

Admittedly, this idea of long term work seems very far fetched, particularly if one is accustomed to hearing about all the promises of quick results, and perfect systems. It is much easier to supposes that with modern advancements there is no point struggling to find meaning in our training when all the technical aspects have been worked out for us in advance. However, the worst thing that can happen is to adopt this attitude. Instead, you must look at the situation as it is, saying “The temptation to believe in a system outside of myself is just a manifestation of my inner laziness, which I must work at subduing. It is absurd to suppose I can be good without constant work. It is the spirit that must take first place, not a mechanical system”. In this way you will develop your inner convictions and confidence.

Unfortunately, the situation we have in the market place of ideas is pretty dire. You see many so called masters out their stubbornly determined to keep their positions in the food chain, a position which they are quite unfit to represent. And what’s worse is they are quite proud of this stubbornness, thinking that it shows toughness, and that nothing and nobody can move them aside. However, with such a low aim in life, and such an uncompromising attitude, they are likely to bring about their own fall sooner or later. And who can blame them? One sees examples of this everywhere, so they say “Well, if you can’t beat them, join them!”. To overcome weaknesses of this kind is the sort of work I’m talking about when striving towards a high ideal. For work of this kind can go on every moment of the day. As you can see the temptation to succumb to this mentality is everywhere!

Picture now a great master such as Miyamoto Musashi, or outside of martial arts someone like Pythagoras, or Buddha. Obviously there are many others, but not amongst the living. It is even preferable to find inspiration from fictional characters, than any of the living examples one sees in the media. In fact many fictional stories, particularly centring around an incorruptible hero, correspond to a profound reality that you can grasp if you are in contact with inspiring ideas and notions. Use this reality as a model then, as you would build a car with an instruction manual. In this way, by relating to an ideal representation of perfection, and holding on to it, you gradually come to resemble it. It is entirely up to us whether we are able to extract this kind of inspiration from ideas represented in art.This is often a superior method than following a flawed character, particularly those represented in so called modern art which are full of imperfections and weaknesses.

We only need to observe how many iconic Martial arts teachers are when they interact with others – they talk to them like subjects in a captive audience. Claiming to be the only enlightened ones in the room, they represent a limited a warped truth. A true master should radiate the very enthusiasm and inspiration he feels. But instead, they usually kill off the enthusiasm in those they teach and inspire a kind of god like servitude towards themselves. This might be acceptable if they were living examples of perfection, but it is usually the case that they are simply putting on a show. There you have the sad truth. Personally, I’m disillusioned with them, and because of all their inconsistencies and errors, I no longer waste my time bothering with them. But who can blame them, people come to them asking for instructions and easy methods, and that’s what they get.

As an exercise, try identifying with a hero who inspires you. In the same way as if we think about a waterfall5, or certain other natural phenomena to relax, we can contemplate inspiring figures so that we might resemble them and enter into their state of mind. By identifying with these symbolic figures, you will come to resemble the high ideal that they stand for. This is an unbelievably powerful exercise. However, don’t suppose that you must try to resemble some average individual who is slightly gifted, and possibly troubled. This is a waste of time as you will only take on their limitations. There is too much important work to do. As it is individuals who are the cause of their own limitations, you must not focus on their weaknesses but their strengths, or if you like their ideal aspects. In this way you turn them into symbols of brilliance.

References

1 Fight in Chaos, Live in Harmony https://harmanater.com/2020/07/12/fight-chaos-live-in-harmony/

2 The True Meaning of Martial arts https://harmanater.com/2020/05/18/the-true-meaning-of-martial-arts/

3 Methods for Sleep https://harmanater.com/2020/04/28/methods-for-sleep/

4 High Intensity Work and Balance https://harmanater.com/2020/07/05/high-intensity-work-and-balance/

5 Active Relaxation https://harmanater.com/2020/04/27/active-relaxation/

High Intensity Work and Balance

Posted on by joeharman8 | 9 min read | 134 views

One of the reasons for training is to develop strength and power through high intensity work. However it is often the case that those engaged in high intensity work completely over do it. High intensity work, by which I mean 100% effort, is actually a kind of stress on the body. But it does you good if it is performed in short bursts over a small time period. For example, a one hundred metre sprint takes an athlete just over, say ten seconds. However they would not do this over and over again or for much longer than ten seconds. And for good reason – it is hugely taxing on the body.

Now the most important aspect of fitness is health, or harmony within the body. In other words your strength, endurance, energy levels, and all other aspects of health should all be in accord. This is all achieved by living sensibly and actively. High intensity work improves your capacity to do this. Unfortunately, many people are completely out of tune with health, and have instead bolstered some aspects of fitness at the expense of overall health. This lack of balance eventually leads to wear and tear and a decline in capabilities. And therefore health. It is therefore wise to take care of all this before injury occurs and health declines.

What I do is, whenever I train I try to reach my highest intensity of work by doing no more than a few minutes on the heavy bag. I go for intensity over duration, and in short bursts. For example, I might do a minute or so and then rest, and then go for it again. Of course I warm up a bit and practice a few concepts and skills before getting to work. I then do all sorts of things like walking, everyday activities like gardening, and breathing exercises, sport, etc., to fill the day. Once again, high intensity work, or a short duration, improves my capacity to do everything else. You might say “Only a minute? That’s nothing, professionals do twelve 3 minute rounds!”.

Yes, I admit I’m nowhere near the fitness levels of some athletes, and I tell myself the same thing daily, as I am just as concerned as anyone of still not attaining my goals This forces me to work twice, or three times as hard within a small time frame, because I have other things to do. To do huge quantities of low level work is easy, to condense this down is another matter. All those people who want to be champions of this or that are obliged to push themselves towards performing huge amounts of intense work that can’t be maintained. They may get away with it for a while, but not for long. Of course they limit themselves and stagnate eventually, by getting worn out. And yet these are the people who everyone looks to for advice!

Many people talk of having survived life threatening situations, but I wonder how many of them have any idea of how to train for the urgency required. Having been in these situations myself, I can tell you that the experience is so intense and only lasts a few seconds before things get life threatening and you are killed. So I train to condense everything down to this time frame. Yes, you must condense it all down to a smaller time frame to increase the demand for quick decisive action. However nobody does this, or thinks its beneficial. Instead they go about doing whatever every other Tom, Dick, or Harry are doing.

It is situations of extreme urgency which give you the intense desire to change and improve the mundane training practices adopted by the many. Perhaps quite a few experience this, perhaps without analysing it much, but they often abandon their new found motivation after a day or two.

If you cannot devote as much time to training as a professional athlete, or you think you’re not any good, you must try to achieve the same intensity of work. And then you will be able to achieve the same output as someone else who has more time to devote to one thing at the expense of everything else. Yes, you might not have the same capacity for repetitive work in one narrow discipline, but you will be able to work at the same intensity. Intensity is what counts. This is important because you will gain the same benefits of strength, and power.

The health benefits that come from high intensity work are numerous. Increased defence against disease, more vitality, higher energy levels, etc., but don’t over do it, because it will wear you down. It’s not enough to “leave it all in the gym” and then flop in front of the sofa. No, that just means you have stripped yourself of energy and probably lowered your immune systems defences. Instead go for quality over quantity. That way the high intensity work will increase the body’s demand for energy, which sets the ground for increased health. There will therefore be an increased supply of beneficial forces acting on the body’s capabilities, preparing it for greater work. It’s an inescapable cause and effect process.

As soon as you go beyond your limits in an attempt to go do what you’re not capable of doing, things fall apart. You pay the price, in injury or burnout. What else can be expected? Many people try to “push through” when they “hit a wall”, and at this point they’re not even interested really. Sapped of energy they lose motivation, which carries on to the next session, and the one after that. They then come to associate hard work with depletion of reserves and boredom. In that case walk away and come back to it another time revitalised. The only reason Martial arts becomes boring is because people lose motivation in this way. They practice for hours on end when they should have looked after their health and developed themselves before even attempting high intensity work. Instead they jump straight in!

And things often go from bad to worse. Training is increasingly moving away from a more balanced approach, and people are become more driven to overdo everything, whilst achieving nothing. Wherever you look people are mimicking some guru who insists they go beyond their limits. What usually happens of course is that people work at a very low intensity, because they have run out of energy. And then no amount of work can replace the energy which is not given time to replenish. They are forced to work at a slovenly pace because they haven’t put in the real work of maintaining health and balance. They are then congratulated for at least giving it a good go.

Don’t bother focusing on some magic exercise programme to do the work for you. There is no secret technique or wise sage to do this work for you. Focus on intensity, and then in one stroke you will have achieved health benefits as well as power and fitness. Sure you won’t be as big as some people in the gym, who, in any case are usually fatter than they are muscular, but you will be on the right track. And don’t bother learning loads of combinations in the hope that you can then perform them quickly with no effort. It can’t be done, and takes much too long, a whole lifetime would not be enough time to learn everything bit bit bit. You would have to pick one discipline, learn all the moves, and the other indispensable techniques would be neglected.

This is what I do: I don’t bother increasing my fitness by doing boxing combinations, and then Muay Thai drills, etc., it would be a waste of time. I’m interested only in intensity. I perform the basic skills, and sometimes I go over them more slowly and deliberately, but if my only goal is to work at one hundred percent effort, this forces me to put together any number of combinations within a very small time frame seamlessly. It happens naturally if the desire is there. This forces me to pick out the most important skills because every second counts. Just try being fast and powerful if you are exhausted and fatigued, you won’t succeed. And for no other reason than because you tried to push beyond your limits for too long.

I would leave all skills practice more or less alone. Don’t bother with the drills anymore, at least when doing high intensity work. “How can you give such bad advice”. Whilst no martial arts expert would advise this, I am a generalist, and therefore we aren’t singing from the same hymn sheet. Take a few moves here and there by all means, but son’t suppose you will perform them well without intent to work at one hundred percent effort. I cannot stress this enough, you must be intent on supply maximum effort. The technique will then take care of itself. Obviously there are people who don’t do this and still do well, but they could do better.

People often say to me “I used to do boxing”, or “I used to be good at such and such a martial art, but today I’m injured and don’t have the time”. The reason is that you devoted too much time to the wrong thing. I remember reading that Steve Morris, who is in a league of his own when it comes to martial arts, said that he thinks “intensity intensity intensity”. And that he trains for a few minutes at a time at maximum intensity. There you have it. Instead people get addicted to drudge work, which eventually erodes away their abilities, because it’s not intelligent work.

Instead you should accept that intensity boosts your bodies defences and increases its durability. This is self defence against the greater enemies of overwork, burnout and stagnation. So what I recommend is to do all the exercises you want but focus on intensity within a short time frame. High intensity effort and work is the force that will boost all your capabilities to do all the other exercises. It is as if your body collective system says “We need to up our game!”. And then the adaptation to greater challenge takes places as time goes on. That is provided it is given proper rest afterwards and isn’t pushed beyond its capabilities too far or for too long.

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