Even if you\u2019re part of a vibrant school or club and have lots of training partners to practice with, keeping a daily rhythm is an essential part of the path of mastery. That means you\u2019re going to have a lot of solo training occasions to fill. Most partner drills don\u2019t effectively translate into a solitary analog, so here\u2019s some guidance to help you make the most of your alone time.<\/p>\n

Focus On Mechanics<\/b><\/h2>\n

Human bodies are amazingly adaptable organisms. The more that you perform a given movement, the more that your body develops the specific strength to be able to do that movement efficiently and reliably. Home practice can be an excellent place to work on fine tuning your postures and movements. A few types of exercises to work on:
\nHolding postures.\u00a0<\/b>Take a guard and hold it for 1-2 minutes (and more as you become stronger). Focus on staying relaxed and in alignment. Holding a posture can help you develop both the endurance required to maintain the posture as well as increase your range of motion. Consider practicing postures that are both at the beginning and end of attacking movements.
\nAttacking movements.\u00a0<\/b>Cuts, thrusts, and other striking movements can be effectively trained alone. Focus on the correct order and alignment of the movement. There is absolutely room to practice at high speeds (great for getting some cardio and a plyometric workout), but also consider practicing incredibly slowly. This will allow you to develop your stabilizer muscles and your balance\u2014both essential for healthy and powerful performance. I personally enjoy training cutting patterns to develop conditioning and dexterity.
\nFootwork.\u00a0<\/b>Being able to move powerfully and with agility is essential to all combat arts. I practice advancing and retreating footwork by moving two steps forward and one back until I reach the edge of my practice space, then I reverse. Another exercise is to practice specific footwork patterns that are important to your art with a timer. Consider spending time in front of a mirror while moving to give yourself an external eye on your body\u2019s alignment while you move. Are you staying low and balanced? Do you hold your upper body correctly while you move your feet? Are you centred and balanced?
\nSymmetrical Development.<\/strong> Practice both right and left hands equally. This has huge benefits as far as strength, endurance and balance goes. It can also prevent one side of your body from getting too strong, pulling the other side out of alignment. I love the mental challenge of working my non-dominant side, and two useful hands to fence with is a good thing. It also has the bonus of potentially doubling your training time: now it’s easy to create a longer workout without adding more drills. One minute left, one minute right; or ten cuts left, ten cuts right, and so on.
\nWhat Not to Do.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Don\u2019t spend time practicing defenses or other types of tactical movements (i.e., those that alter significantly based on stimuli from an opponent) solo. Yes, you can build some strength and endurance. However, without having the feeling of an opponent and the complexity of their cue, you\u2019re doing little to increase your combat effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Develop Power and Stability<\/b><\/h2>\n

Cross-training in another athletic activity has been shown to have a lesser effect in improving performance in your main sport than simply\u00a0focusing on your main sport\u2019s training<\/a>. That said,\u00a0developing core strength and stability are a benefit to general physical activity and will help you with preventing injury.
\nIndian Clubs and Kettlebells.\u00a0<\/b>These two old-school exercise tools have seen a renaissance across the fitness sphere and we\u2019ve found them to be a highly effective addition to a martial arts training regimen. Both activities are relatively low impact and can be effective for developing core strength, flexibility, and health in joints and connective tissue. I highly recommend seeking out a certified trainer to learn the core movements and how to integrate these into your training practice.
\nWeight Lifting and Power Lifting.\u00a0<\/b>A large part of effective martial movement is about power generation. Lifting is a discipline that is highly focused on this aspect of strength. A good starting point for learning more is the book\u00a0Starting Strength<\/a>\u00a0by Mark Rippetoe.
\nWhat Not to Do.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Rush. Connective tissue develops at a significantly slower rate than larger muscle groups. If you develop power faster than you develop connective stability, you\u2019re going to tear tendons and worse. Take it slow. Developing a powerful body is a multi-year process, not something you\u2019re going to accomplish over the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mobilize<\/b><\/h2>\n

Christopher Sommer, Head Coach of the US Jr. Gymnastics team, recommends that adults who have not been highly athletic throughout their lives spend as much as 50% of their workouts on developing range of motion and strength in connective tissue. This means half of their time should be spent on low impact exercises designed to promote stability in joints as well as lengthen shortened muscles and other tissues.
\nIt may not be sexy or exciting, but increasing your range of motion will open up martial possibilities for you and make it possible for you train in a healthy and effective fashion for a long time. Check out Christopher Sommer\u2019s\u00a0Gymnastic Bodies<\/a>\u00a0or Kelly Starret\u2019s\u00a0MobilityWOD<\/a>\u00a0for excellent mobilization-based programs.
\nWhat Not to Do.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Get bored by making training boring. There are many strategies you can use to keep on top of the less-sexy side of health. Put on good music, find a solo-training buddy, listen to a podcast, or use the time as part of a mindfulness practice. Schedule mobilization into your days\u201420 minutes can go a long way toward your long-term ability.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some Inspiration<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are lots of great solo-training drills posted by practitioners from around the world online. We recently ran a “30 minutes per day” training challenge and as part of that, I posted a drill onto\u00a0Duello.TV<\/a>\u00a0every day, specifically aimed at solo training. Check out the 30-for-30 playlist<\/a> for some new inspiration for your at-home training. Enjoy!
\nAnd please take a moment to tell us about your ideas on Solo Training in the comments<\/a>.
\nDevon<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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