Aikido and Fitness

[Mister]

Mileage sure does vary on this. I trained aikido for a season and hardly broke a sweat. Everything was done very easily and there was a lot of listening to instruction.

To the OP: I don't normally recommend any of the martial arts as the most direct path to fitness, and aikido is certainly not one of the top ones that will help you get fit. If you want to stick with aikido and improve your fitness, you're going to have to buck up and start cross-training. Hit the gym, hit the road, hit the pool, something.

I understand.

A little off topic: I enjoy sprinting, is that a good workout? I ask because it's usually not for very long, like 2 minutes, or 4 with some breaks in between and some people tell me it's better to run for much longer durations.

Aikido training has been some of the most vigorous I've done outside of JJJ/BJJ randori. Your teachers should not be letting you get complacent or be comfortable in your training. If you aren't pushing your limits in aikido, what is the point of practicing it? It certainly isn't to be a badass street warrior. Practicing aikido, or any modern martial art, is meant to better oneself, promot discipline, and one's ability to deal with real life outside of the dojo. Not play lip service to such ideas, but actually work on them. This is done by making students overcome difficulties. One of the easiest ways for teachers to do this is physically. Exhaust students physically to the point where their "spirit" is tested....in Japanese its like "tanren"-something...in American its called a "gut check." Aikido techniques are hard to pull off correctly, even with cooperative opponents. Its theese difficulties, and testing of students, that makes the training worthwhile. If you are not even physically spent after a class, i would invite you to increase the physical tempo, and mental concentration, of your training. Hell, you are getting up off the ground and being thrown back down again...that is about as exhausting an exercise as you can hope for without adding weight resistence. Increase the serisousness, severity, and tempo of your training and see if that helps you. You should feel physically and spiritually/mentally challenged every class....meaning, you should very much not want to finish the class, but have to force yourself to mentally overcome that.

Warning - I have no working spell check, which is my crutch.

Thank you very much this was very helpful.

[Kouch]

or do your aikido throws with a big ass sandbag?

[Mister]

or do your aikido throws with a big ass sandbag?

Yeah I'm sure. What else?

[Aikironin21]

I understand.

A little off topic: I enjoy sprinting, is that a good workout? I ask because it's usually not for very long, like 2 minutes, or 4 with some breaks in between and some people tell me it's better to run for much longer duration.

It depends on what you are looking for. To burn fat, jogging for about 45 minutes to an hour is best as long as you aren't pacing to slow. You want your heart rate up enough to burn that fat. For me, if I jog 3and a quarter miles in 45minutes or less that seems to be a good pace.

If you want to become faster, yes sprints are the way to go, along with the interval training. I found, for me, the best way to make good use of my time was to run a three mile route with hills around my house. You could do this on a flat track too, but getting some hill work in there is best. I start out on the first day at a quick jog to hit the whole three miles at a pace where I am working pretty hard but not killing myself. My pace is not a leisurely jog but a slow run. The goal is three miles thirty minutes. If you are slower than thirty minutes keep running till you complete the three miles. If you are faster than Thirty minutes, keep running till you have run for thirty minutes.

The second day, I run the three miles, but run the first mile as fast as I can, then continue on to finish the three miles or thirty minutes; whichever comes last. It helps to use a phone app so you can remember your times and track progress.

The third day, I run the first two miles as fast as I can and finish out the three miles or thirty minutes whichever comes last. You should always be pushing hard on these runs. Just because you finished running the second mile you don't just jog out the rest at a leisurely pace, you are still pushing hard. You just ease up a little to keep running and not jogging.

The fourth day, you run the three miles as fast as you can, and then finish out whatever time you have left for the thirty minutes.

The fifth day I run slow again the three miles or thirty minutes. I usually have to work that day so I don't push too hard at anything that morning.

I have found that each week my times improve running in this manner. So I gain both speed and endurance at the same time. I don't gain all the speed I should if I was running a sprinter's workout, and not all the endurance of a cross country runner, but for what I do, it seems a good in between. I found when responding to alarms on the other side of the institution, I wasn't gassed and had plenty of wind to interact with the incident once I was there. That was with running above the recommended 70% pace the department suggests.

[Aikironin21]

Time is the issue. I once had a sensei stop a class, because he timed how long it took from when he finished demonstrating a technique and broke for us to train it, and when he heard the first uke hit the mat. It was almost a full minute. Now many of the class were new, so it took us time to walk around find a partner then some people had to go through their own little tutorial, and so on. I was uke for a 2nd kyu who was very lazy and ended up "attacking" three times before he was ready to actually do the technique. Sensei said it should only be maybe ten of fifteen seconds at most before he hears the first slap on the mat. So tempo as a previous poster has said has a lot to do with what you get out of a class.
How do increase tempo without rushing a technique though?
For one, don't ever stop. If you get stifled in a technique, the technique is not over. You don't just laugh at each other and reset and start over. You keep the energy and flow of the practice going and keep moving till either you get the current technique, or in some dojo and practice you take the next available technique, but you have to be in a dojo that allows this and be mindful that uke is paying attention and also recognizes the change. Some sensei don't allow this. You have to practice the demonstrated technique only. in that case keep the energy and flow of the technique going and let uke out of the technique once you have effectively entered and connected with his center. Step back and prepare to "attack" your partner. Your partner should immediately attain his correct hamni to be attacked, with out any talking or excessive walking around. As soon as you are released and in some places given the ok to get up, return to proper hamni to keep the [practice going. Too many time too much training time is squandered by excessive talking and walking around.

It's like those people who go to the gym and talk for twenty minutes between sets and can't figure out why they don't see results.

[Tom Kagan]

A little off topic: I enjoy sprinting, is that a good workout? I ask because it's usually not for very long, like 2 minutes, or 4 with some breaks in between and some people tell me it's better to run for much longer durations.

You are not sprinting.

[Aikironin21]

I checked out an ad for Combat Conditioning. It is just some old school calisthenics you do in about three minutes to start with. It doesn't sound like much, but if you aren't getting any improvement in your Aikido rhythm, try doing burpees, for a minute straight, as fast as you can but keeping good form. Pick two other exercises and hit them the same way. Get a count for how many you do in a minute and never ever do less than that. You won't be world's greatest athlete, but your fitness level should improve in just a matter of weeks. I mean it's three minutes a day. You can knock them out while you wait for your shower to warm up in the morning and or evening.

[Aikironin21]

More so you should watch your flexibility. When trained in Kaj, I was rather flexible. I stopped and played football for a while, where due to injuries and neglect, my flexibility deteriorated. I just recently returned to Kaj and found out how out of shape I really am. I have had easier times at MMA conditioning classes. I even pulled a hamstring last week.

The point here is, too many Aikidoka do Aikido standing straight up. Get some bend in your knees and really sink your center bending your knees during techniques. Even as Uke, exaggerate the deepness of your stances and you will find Aikido just got a little more difficult. Even in your Aiki taiso and warm ups. Exaggerate this in training and you should be in a proper position when not thinking about it. If you ever get to a point you may be able to utilize a technique, your tendency will be to rise rather than sink; so if you exagerate the sinking in training, it should even out in application.

[Gezere]

Hello, I've been training in Aikido for about two years now, I am told I am very dedicated and I practice regularly in the dojo at least four times a week and sometimes on my own free time with weapons, my technique has definitely gotten better over the years due to this but...my general fitness...let's just say is not improving as much.

I don't like exercises and reps too much, I also hate weight lifting, I'm not overweight or anything I'm 185 Centimeters tall and I weigh about 74 Kilograms, but I feel I get tired too easily during randori or Jiu waza as an attacker (uke).

Does anyone else have this kind of problem? Am I doing something wrong with my training? Is Aikido alone not enough to maintain good fitness? If so any suggestions that would help?

Sorry if this isn't the right place to post this is my first post. I know there is not much respect for Aikido in the Martial Arts world but this is my choice and I hope you respect that.

Example of weak people picking weak MA and wondering why they are still weak.

"Hey guys I don't know why I'm not getting fit but I don't like doing anything that would make me better."

And no one has to respect the bad choices people make in life.

[Mister]

Thank you for all the advice Aikironin21, I'm rather flexible I perform the warm ups very seriously I can just almost do the splits, I basically take everything about the art very seriously and perform it with as much dedication as I can, I also sink my weight and bend my knees and have correct posture as I have been training for two years now.

I have a similar problem to yours; beginners, we have many beginners and I have to explain and answer questions all the time that I don't always get the opportunity to train but when I chase a black belt down and cling to him like I do to my own life it's nonstop training and very rigorous. I'm in this intermediate zone, not a beginner and not advanced either and my dojo let's just say isn't too high on the black belt attendance, sometimes after the instructor I'm the highest rank there.

The problem is the beginners can't really perform techniques together because at these first few months they need a lot of guidance so my instructor pairs a beginner with an intermediate or advanced all the time and my progress is sometimes neglected as I never get to practice with any advanced Aikidoka.

Do you have any insight as to how I can train effectively with beginners?

You are not sprinting.

I don't understand why the condescending attitude? If you truly wanted to help you would at least elaborate, these short statements that really offer nothing isn't what I need, I do what are called Tabata sprints 20s sprint 10s rest in intervals for 4 minutes, my friend tells me they're a good workout but I have been wondering if 4 minutes of exercise are enough.

I really don't understand people like you. If you don't want to help why are you here?