#93: Cross-Training Tips for Martial Arts [Video + Podcast]

Welcome to Episode #93 of the Fight for a Happy Life podcast, “Cross-training Tips for Martial Arts.”

Actually, a better title for this episode would be, “My First Ballet Class!”

That’s right! I started taking online ballet classes a few weeks ago. No, not to become a better dancer, to become a better fighter!

That’s what cross-training is all about, right? Looking outside your normal routine to find new ways to approach your old goals.

But be warned–not all cross-training is created equal!

In this episode, I will break down four different cross-training methodologies in the martial arts and give you my recommendation for the approach I find to be the most beneficial.

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Cross-Training Tips for Martial Arts

Here’s the video! If it won’t play, click this direct link.

As always, if you’d like to keep the conversation going, feel free to leave a comment here or through my Contact Page.

Summary

There are four approaches to cross-training in the martial arts.

#1: Unrelated activities with no goal. Maybe you practice Karate and play a little basketball on the weekend. Or maybe you like to swim, bike, or go for a run. Great!

Obviously, improving your cardio or strength any way you can is worth doing, but those extra activities do not directly lead to skill development in Karate.

#2: Related activities with no goal. Maybe you take a regular boxing class and occasionally work out with a friend who practices Wing Chun. Or maybe you went to a Judo seminar once. Great!

Again, all worth doing, but these activities don’t necessarily lead to skill development. It’s just a little of this and a little of that… which leads to being a master of nothing.

#3: Related activities with a martial arts goal. Maybe you’re a Kickboxing student who also takes a BJJ class. You chose this extra activity with the specific goal of filling a gap in your technical skills. Great!

MMA has made it clear that relying on just one range of fighting is a risky strategy. Outside of combat sports, if you’re interested in self-defense, you must also consider cross-training to address weapons and multiple attackers. But so long as you’re designing your training routine around specific goals, you’re cross-training effectively.

That said, to this point, all three methodologies have focused mainly on technical issues–how to be an effective martial artist. The fourth methodology takes training one step farther…

#4: Related activities with a LIFE goal. This approach seeks to cure imbalances not just in technique, but in personality, behavior, and lifestyle. You choose specific activities that will benefit you as an overall human being, which will then make you a better martial artist as a result.

In that spirit, ballet is offering me a range of physical, psychological, and even spiritual benefits, including:

• Posture and balance. Not just for fighting, but for everyday life. Moving with confidence is not the same as moving with grace.
• Leg conditioning. They say we get older starting with the feet. Spending time focused simply on how the feet interact with the ground is self-defense from falling.
• Opening the head and torso. Fighting requires shelling up with the chin down. Ballet teaches the complete opposite! Lifting your chin and leading with the chest welcomes vulnerability, which requires a different kind of courage.
• Opening the hips. Are you familiar with the turnout? Ballet demands opening the groin and hip area constantly. Exposing the groin is even scarier than lifting your chin!
• Fluidity in movement. Yes, martial arts seeks smooth movement, too, but flowing from posture to posture without worrying about being cut or punched allows you to focus more deeply on movement just for the sake of movement. There’s freedom in that!
• Ego check. I’m a terrible dancer… being yelled at for it is quite humbling! Of course, I also face challenges in the martial arts, but my ego can always fall back on other skills to make me feel better. Not so in ballet!
• Challenging self-beliefs. Like I said, I’m a terrible dancer. That belief is burned into my identity. But should it be? Maybe if I can change one core belief about myself, I can change others.
• Exercising courage. As a teacher who yells at everyone to step out of their comfort zone, I need to lead by example… and remember how difficult it can be to try something new!

So, how can you make the most of YOUR cross-training? Ask yourself three questions:

#1: What do you want? Why are you training? If you don’t have a goal, you can’t measure your progress. If you don’t know when you’re improving, you won’t know how to modify your training routine.

#2: What are you doing? It’s critical to analyze your training to figure out which activities are getting you the results you want. By removing activities that are NOT helping you, you will free up time to experiment with something else.

#3: What are you NOT doing? The goal of cross-training should be to fill gaps in your skill set and correct imbalances in your life. Like a doctor, you must prescribe activities that will cure the habits and behaviors that are working against you.

Physically, when I did too much pushing and not enough pulling, I tore my shoulder. Emotionally, when I lost my temper too often, I tore relationships apart. Enlightenment as a human being should not steer you into a behavioral rut… it should offer you choices.

Be warned–if you don’t seek balance, you will be vulnerable to injury. Not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually, financially–in every way possible.

So, don’t just cross-train to be a better martial artist, cross-train to be a better human being.