Our feature ASK THE EXPERT covers a key self defence topic you’ve asked us about.
QUESTION: ‘WHAT ARE GREAT EXERCISES TO IMPROVE YOUR SELF DEFENCE SKILLS?’
Being stronger, fitter and faster isn’t just good for your general well-being and all-round fitness, it’s also very helpful to your self defence or martial arts skills, too.
Where you use weights in your training, the general rule is that heavier loads and lower reps build power and strength, whereas lower weights and higher reps aid conditioning and endurance.
A mix can be helpful for both, but don’t go heavier than you can do the exercise with good form and control, to avoid injury or undue stress on your joints.
Here’s a list of 10 easy-to-do exercises to help you develop overall strength and conditioning.
#1 Pull-ups
These build upper body strength across your back and arms, essential for close quarter contact fights where grabs or holds are involved. Do these in a controlled way and with a slow downward motion to engage the muscles better.
#2 Push-ups
These support strength and speed across your chest and shoulders, and can be done in many different variations. Just make sure your arms are tucked in, with hands beneath your shoulders, with the elbows gliding next to the rib cage as you perform the exercise. Again helpful for both close up holds and grabs, as well as power and speed in hand strikes.
#3 Kettlebell swings
If you have a kettlebell, use it for this basic movement where your quads, hamstrings, gluteal, core and shoulder muscles all get an overall strength workout. Your movement and conditioning will also improving vastly. Strengthening across these essential muscle groups will aid your balance, power and strikes in self defence.
#4 Overhead press
This exercise, with a barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell will strengthen your shoulders, helping your grabs and holds, as well as your power in hand strikes.
#5 Deadlifts
These build up your leg strength, as well as your glutes, lower back, core and grip strength. Make sure you conduct this exercise properly and with exquisite form as with any heavy weight applied it can damage your back if done incorrectly. Get informed instruction first. This exercise can build the strength you need for good balance, a powerful base to strike and move from and solid kicks.
#6 Squats
As with deadlifts above, this exercise aids the same muscle groups (except the wrist strength). With variations on the front and back, you can learn several motions - but proper form is again absolutely necessary to avoid injuries. It’s easier (safer) to use with a dumbbell or a kettlebell, so keep this in mind if you are a beginner or don’t have access to a squat rack.
#7 Burpees
These are designed to work legs, calves and the upper body and is a superb (albeit notorious for its lack of enjoyability) cardiovascular exercise to get fit - fast. The constant movement and mental endurance involved in doing these for time or when competing with others make them a great exercise for self defence fortitude.
#8 Jumping squats
Don’t have any weights? Don’t worry, fast and high jumping squats, or even jumping squats on alternating and a single leg, moving in different directions, are excellent exercises to build leg strength and speed, essentials for solid kicks, balance and a good base.
#9 Sprints
Self defence can often be to evade a situation. Not being able to run very fast or for very long isn’t helpful. Build up your short to medium distance speed and endurance by good old fashioned sprint training, explosively working your legs and glutes in the process. No gym membership needed. Getting instruction on your running form could be helpful, though.
#10 Flexible kicking and shadow fighting, including with a bag
Applying your actual fighting skills in your conditioning programme gives you a win-win situation. Help your flexibility as well as conditioning by executing straight legs kicks to reach an outstretched arm or just a high as possible, to the front and circularly to the side. You’ll be surprised how quickly your range of motion and fitness improve. Also, if you’re advanced enough to continuously invent imaginary attacks on you, conduct repeated striking, kicking, techniques, floor rolls and ground fighting. Looking possibly strange to the untrained eye observing you, it is one of the best conditioning, movement and execution exercises of self defence there is. If you have a bag, incorporate it.
Most of these can be done without a gym or with a small investment in some equipment at home. There’s nothing stopping you preparing your body for your self defence conditioning and strength. Except yourself.