Conditioning Drills

Running There is so much material written on running that I am not going to rewrite all of it. Running is great for stamina and endurance and in my opinion absolutely necessary to a good conditioning program. I have found several ways to keep running interesting.

1. You can pace out a certain distance(3 miles for example) and run it at different speeds, gradually increasing the speed a little each week or so.
2. You can run for a certain length of time each day. For example 40 minutes. 20 minutes out and 20 back. As you get faster, the distance which you run will increase.
3. You can map out increasingly challenging routes to run. Starting on flat level ground and working your way to hills and uneven surfaces. This is an excellent way to increase the dexterity in your legs.

You should set a minimum distance and time for yourself, for those days when you really don't want to run but know you need to. Make sure to do a good cool down walk when you are through and stretch again. Also try sprinting the last part of the run.(You decide what the last part is, 100 yards, 100 feet etc.)

Jumping rope is another excellent exercise for endurance and wind. Start out with one minute sets. The key is constant motion. Work up to five minute sets and increase the speed.

Sit-ups. Don't neglect the abs! There are tons of good ab exercises; crunchies, V-ups, inclined board, hanging vertical, flutter kicks, scissors, and more. 100 sit-ups of some type for each workout. Sets of 25 usually work well to begin with.

Push-ups. Push-ups are an excellent way to build upper body strength and give you an opportunity to increase strength in other areas at the same time. Try finger tip push-ups, knuckle push-ups, and putting your feet up on something a couple of feet or so off the ground. 100 push-ups per session.

1) Hold your leg in a good sidekick position over the back of a chair for 1 minute each leg working up to about 5 minutes on each leg. Correct leg and foot positioning is crucial to this exercise.

1. Beginners - use a wall or another chair to hold on to for balance.
2. Intermediate - No wall or chair, maintain balance and go as high as you can.
3. Advanced - Hang a string from the ceiling with a noose or hoop of some sort at the end. Make it so it hangs at or above your head level. Slowly bring your foot up and place it inside the ring, without touching the sides. When the time is up, bring it out and down slowly without touching the ring.

2) Get one of those giant rubber bands like they use for aerobics classes and fasten one end to something that is secure and won't move. Slip your foot in the other end and assume a good fighting stance. Slowly bring your leg up and execute 25 slow controlled roundhouse kicks. Be sure to go slowly both forward and back and don't let your foot touch the ground once you have picked it up.

1. Beginners - Use a Chair to hold on to, to help keep your balance.
2. Intermediate - No chair, higher angel of kick, and step away from where the band is anchored a bit.
3. Advanced - Same as intermediate but hold kick at full extension for the count of 3-5.

If you plan to do more than one set, don't be afraid to reduce the number of repetitions. This exercise can also be done with the axe kick, side kick, back kick, and front kick.

3) Get down on all fours, then lift your knee, keeping the leg bent, execute side kicks from this position. Start with about 25 reps on each leg and work your way up to 50, or more if you like. You should kick up at a high angel and be sure to fully extend your legs and bring them all the way back each time.

4) Four way kick. Assume a good fighting stance, execute a front kick, followed by a back kick (with the same leg), turn 1/4 turn as you execute the next front kick followed by a back kick. Continue this pattern until you have made a complete circle. Next the other leg. Once you pick up your foot don't put it down. For a more challenging workout, try doing two or three of each before turning. Example; right leg front kick, back kick, front kick, back kick, turn etc… Also try adding more than one circle per set.

5) Assume a good horse stance. Next execute 50 middle punches on each hand, quickly and with good snap to each punch, as if each punch were breaking a board. Next relax for a moment and resume the horse stance. This time execute double middle punches, 50 on each hand. There should be a slight pause between each set of two punches as opposed to a constant stream as with the single punches. Relax for a moment and resume the horse stance. Finally execute triple punches (50 sets); high, middle, and low. *Each punch should reach the full correct extension. Also remember to breathe properly throughout the entire exercise. This same exercise can be done with ridge hand strikes, chops, and spear hand.

You can throw your arm out by over extending a punch. When executed correctly, the elbow should be bent a tiny bit at the end of the punch, not completely locked out.

6) Assume a good fighting stance. Execute a down block and middle punch at the same time, lead hand block rear hand punch. Return the hands to the ready position after each block/punch. Next reverse the hands; rear hand block, lead hand punch. Do 25 reps and change feet, 25 on the other side. Do the same with middle blocks, and high blocks. Also try the same exercise with taking a step to the side each time and returning to the start position. For even more, throw a roundhouse or kick of your choice after the punch.