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Relaxation Kickboxing is the art of being lazy!
When you step inside the ring, you hit without being hit, knock your opponent
out with the first punch so you don’t even do a full round, and have been so
thorough in your preparation that you have no injuries and fitness and
conditioning are not a problem. Ok, and then there’s the real world… The above is unfortunately rarely the
reality. But there are things we can do to make our life easier. Although
touched on elsewhere in this book, relaxation deserves a bit more detail. Next time you train look around at the
other students. People tend to try too hard and therefore detract from their own
potential. If you try too hard then you use more energy, your techniques become
slower, and lack power. Power equals mass times acceleration.
Basic physics. So the quicker we move the more power. It doesn’t say that
‘power is mass times acceleration but by tensing and pushing you can get a bit
more’. I often see people throw a punch like a bench press – all tension and
effort. This is just wasted effort; you’ll lose power, and just push at your
opponent. Tension in a technique slows the freedom
of movement and therefore reduces power. If a technique is slower you may miss
your target or be countered. If your technique is relaxed you can react quicker.
If you are tense whilst moving then you’ll have to relax and then tense again
to change direction. If you are already relaxed you can just tense – the time
saving here is critical to success. More importantly by being relaxed you
burn less energy. The result of this is more fitness and stamina, and you’ll
blow a lot less! You can have a greater workrate, or definitely feel less tired
at the end of a round. If a kick is executed with tension you
will lose height, power, and accuracy. Tension will cause your hips to tighten
and inhibit the necessary movement for the kick. This can also create problems
as repetitive strain injuries can occur. One problem faced by many kickboxing
students is maintaining an adequate guard. As our shoulders and arms tire the
guard starts to sink lower and lower. Raising the guard can also give tension to
the shoulders, again inhibiting movement. A way of maintaining a guard that is
tight, high, and without excessive tension is to rest your elbows on your chest.
With your chin tucked down and one leg forward of the other, using this will
help maintain a high guard. All with no effort – the guard is propped up! Take a good hard look at how you train. Are you using too much tension, throwing unnecessary techniques, pushing rather than punching? Then relax. Don’t use too much effort. Less can be so much more. |
