Quickness and MA ( not sure where to post this)

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by tonyv107, Jul 12, 2010.

  1. tonyv107

    tonyv107 Valued Member

    Hey guys, i have a question about quickness and martial arts. I am unsure of what forum to post this in. I am interested in Judo, but i think my question might apply to all training and martial arts in general.

    Here's some background. I have pretty much no MA experience. As a kid i did some karate classes for a few months but i don't really remember anything. In high school i did boxing for a couple months but had to stop because i couldn't afford the classes.

    As a youngster i have always been a chubby.I played shortstop in baseball ( requires alot of quickness ). I have always been a very fast sprinter and fairly quick on my feet. In highschool i played Defensive end and weighed in at 195lbs (6' tall) yet i could keep up with the fitter, more slender and agile running backs and wide receivers, in a sprint.

    Fast forward to last year. I put on some weight since high school. I weighed about 265. Obviously i was very overweight and finally took initiative to lose that weight. Right now i weigh 203 and hope to reach 185 by the end of the year. Anyways, i just recently went to a Judo class. First off i have to say break falling isn't a joke!!! I went through the basic introduction and they showed me some basic throws after having spent about 30-45 minutes on break falling. I must say i am SLOW. Not in learning the technique but in actually executing it. I don't expect to be a pro, but i felt that my executions were VERY slow and my body simply felt cumbersome. I just feel that if i ever get into competition ( which i am interested in ), my movements would be so slow that my opponent would be able to dodge and counter before i can get a throw in.

    Am i simply to slow? Do i need to get into better shape? I know that with practice i can execute the techniques more quickly but i almost feel as though i am physically limited ( or it may be in my head ). What would be some of your suggestions in improving my quickness on my feet.

    Sorry for the long post

    TL.DR

    I'm slow on my feet, need to quicken up for Judo, what can i do?
     
  2. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    First, being a large size doesnt always equate to being slow. I have come to know a few football players who can back-pedal/run faster than I can run forward.

    No matter the size statue, small, medium, or large, if one is out of shape, then they are out of tune what their body is going to be able to perform.

    Simply, you can't expect a high performace car to run at its prime using low performance parts, fuel, and etc.

    If you realize you are ought of shape as it maybe affecting your performance, you need to address this with your Judo coach to aid in what may have to be done to increase perfomance
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2010
  3. tonyv107

    tonyv107 Valued Member

    Thank you MM. It sucks knowing i was so quick back in the day i really hope i haven't lost all that quickness LOL. I really do need to work on my core strength among other things, would that help with quickness aswell?
    I will talk to the Judo instructors about it. Willie Cahill owns the place so hopefully i can get some very useful advice :cool:
     
  4. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    Your welcome. Sometimes the best answer and consultation is with your teacher or someone in person with knowledge.



    Wishing you the best-
     
  5. Gripfighter

    Gripfighter Sub Seeker

    don't worry about it I'm pretty light and lanky I have a very quick turn when doing judo techniques but you probably have better balance than me. everyone has different attributes its just a matter of training to use them effectively. it sounds like this is more mental than anything its only your first class you will probably get past it in a few weeks, if it is physical all you can do is train through dedication you will get past it. you wont be competing for what will feel like a very long time so I wouldn't worry about speed at this point it will come.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2010
  6. Fullmachiato

    Fullmachiato Valued Member

    It was your first class. You'll get much faster once you've practiced your techniques more. My suggestion to improve your speed is practice. Keep going to class. If You feel you need the extra work, practice the movements by yourself at home.

    Low kyu competition would be a great way to assess yourself. Honestly everyone is slow at the start. In the meantime keep practicing and use your size and strength in randori until you don't need to
     
  7. Gripfighter

    Gripfighter Sub Seeker

    have you done the thing when you face someone place both of your hands on there hands and you both turn simultaneously like your dancing yet (anyone no what that's called) if you have been shown how to do this properly I recommend doing it against a wall. it really helped me develop a good turn with speed and balance.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2010
  8. tonyv107

    tonyv107 Valued Member

    I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that but i am willing to give it a shot!

    Thanks for the responses guys. I guess i was expecting too much out of myself for the first class, it really surprised me how much quickness i lost when i was in better shape. Hopefully with more training and instruction my speed will improve
     
  9. Gripfighter

    Gripfighter Sub Seeker

    haha if you don't know what I mean you probably shouldn't bother its just an exercise technique my club does semi regularly its good for practising the movement of throwing and would help improve speed you never know you might come across it at training one day.
     
  10. Ranzan

    Ranzan Valued Member

    Explosiveness over quickness in my opinion.
     
  11. Mitlov

    Mitlov Shiny

    A lot of slowness is just unfamiliarity with the art. That will come in time.

    Another thing to remember is that well-developed fast-twitch muscles matter more than your overall weight. To cultivate fast-twitch muscle response, do explosive conditioning like box jumps and medicine ball throws.

    Brock Lesnar is HUGE, but he's also one of the fastest people I've seen in MMA. Watch how he trains, and how much of the training is with explosive movements:

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tWm_CANid0"]YouTube[/ame]
     
  12. Moosey

    Moosey invariably, a moose Supporter

    Judo is quite awkward to start off with - it's much more technical than it looks! I found, having done a couple of beginner lessons once, that having to move leg-x to position-y while puling a collar in one direction and pushing the other arm the other way takes quite a bit of brain power - it certainly doesn't become natural and quick in the small number of lessons I (and I guess you too) have had.
     
  13. Hyper_Shadow

    Hyper_Shadow Valued Member

    Repetition, repetition, repetition! Just keep going and training bud. Repetition builds familiarity with technique. In turn, that extra familiarity will enable you to do your techniques faster, without you even realising it most of the time.

    My Sensei is big, compared to me. He's very well muscled and is about 6"stupid height. Most people look at him and expect him to be slow. BIG mistake. The guy is more balanced, stronger, faster, more coordinated and (it goes without saying) technically more competent than I am and at the mo I'm in myphysical prime.

    The reason?

    Practice. It's the only difference between a beginner and a non beginner.

    Happy training mate, good luck following your path.
     
  14. Johnno

    Johnno Valued Member

    Don't judge yourself after one class - or even after ten. Give yourself time to really get the feel for what you are doing. Things that seem incredibly difficult to grasp at first can seem like 'second nature' remarkably quickly.

    Stick at it, and try to relax and enjoy yourself. :cool:
     
  15. BuddhaPalm

    BuddhaPalm Valued Member

    I'll like to add that you can do basic athletic training to gain sttrength and thus speed. I have recently been working on my theory of only doing isolations but my background is wing chun si it may be suited better for me than other people. Either way i'll start posting my own htread on my progress in the martial arts. Should be an interesting one.
     
  16. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    I dont know. Each time I had sparred any of my teachers, they seemed faster. Each time I watched them, they seemed slower against someone else. What actually, is speed?
     
  17. Shiho-Nage

    Shiho-Nage I'm okay to go.

    Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

    As others have said, don't expect to be an expert the first day and forget about doing things quickly.

    Focus on your ukemi, its the most important aspect, especially in the beginning. It never stops being important.

    Then focus on how best to take your opponent's balance (kuzushi) from a variety of positions, but do it slowly. Entries, foot position, hips/leg position, hand position, leverage, push/pull. There's a lot to it.

    Then focus on how to fit yourself in after taking their balance. Get close, wear them like a coat, space is the enemy.

    Then focus on loading them up over and over again. Until its second nature. Until you can do it in your sleep.

    Once you've got all that down then work on your speed and timing.

    Most importantly have fun with it and be safe. Trying to go 0 to 100 early on will only get you and your partner injured and you frustrated.

    Good luck.
     
  18. tonyv107

    tonyv107 Valued Member

    Thank you all for the responses. I guess I was expecting too much early on. Judo has been fun so far so I will definitely be sticking to it!
     
  19. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Quality post this one Mitlov! Nice to see someone not hate on Lesnar and just look at how stupidly fast he is given his size. It's scary. Easily dispelling the myth that big guys with lots of muscle are slow... as if all the other pro sports players who a huge dudes with tons of muscles (Shaq, Lebron James etc. etc. etc.) hadn't already buried that myth deep in the ground long, long ago.
     
  20. Mitlov

    Mitlov Shiny

    I hate on Lesnar as an individual. He's a homophobe and a loudmouth who can't control himself when handed a microphone. But I have nothing but respect for him as a martial artist. The man is AMAZING to watch. "Stupidly fast" is right. He moves faster than most competitors half his size. His integration of striking and grappling is amazing too. Every punch is setting up a takedown, and every move grappling is setting up a flurry of strikes. He's not like many where he has a "striking mode" and a "grappling mode" and you can see him mentally switching between the two; the two are perfectly integrated.
     

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