Plyometrics

[HanshiClayton]

A famous American philosopher once said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

I know nothing about piyometrics except that Tom Frobel gets excited when he talks about them. It. Whatever.

However, after reading the Wikipedia article about plyometrics, I find my self wondering about the pushups we used to do where you clap your hands on the "up" count and then catch yourself as you are falling. I wonder if that is an example.

[PLopresti]

Sensei Clayton

That is the exact type of exercise that is plyometric in nature. Box jumping is another great example. In fact jumping in general is plyometric in nature. Also a great cardio vascular workout. I use this type of exercise for all of my cage fighters to develop power and speed. In karate we must be careful where we place out focus and on which group. Nowadays I see see real different types of learners all of which cannot be placed in the same box. Children love these types of exercises and I use them for games and to break up the monotony of marching up and down the floor. My cage fighters NEED these activities as do my grapplers for strength and power. Older karate students may do some of these as an adjunct to the cardio portion of class but minimally due to the tendency for injury especially with beginners. The one thing most of us aren't are trained, personal trainers, so injury risks must be at the forefront of your mind should you decide to implement these exercises in the dojo. But they are an invaluable tool in the right persons hands. Just as much as yoga can be for the same reasons. As my two ACL replacements and double hernia surgeries start to catch up to me, I find the low impact yoga workouts to give me a great heart spike and muscular control that I need. Last night I rolled non stop for over 80 minutes with no break and I submitted every partner I faced. Some multiple times. So I can't say what I'm doing isn't working for me. Again I have some theories on the yoga as a defensive art form preceding jujutsu. More on my hypothesis later.