Becoming a Life Champion by Instructor Ma

Becoming a Life Champion by Instructor Ma
My early years of training in Beijing, China were tough. Every class I could feel my legs were like noodles. My lungs burned and I thought that if I had to do this much longer, I was going to throw up. It was a feeling I’ve never felt before in my entire life.

 I was literally praying that my coach would call "stop" and let me just catch my breath.  I didn't care who was winning in this sparring session, I just wanted it all to end.  

 Have you ever been this exhausted in a tournament or in training?

Let me tell you, it’s an awful feeling. I’ve played sports my whole life, and I’ve learned, when you’re playing a team sport, it’s easy to take a breather. But in Taekwondo you must persevere!

 When you're in the ring with someone who is trying to dominate you with kicks and punches, it's hard to hide behind a teammate.  Martial art competition is one of the most amazing sports.  The moment you step into the ring, it's just you, 3 judges and a ref that know you as a match number and can careless who you are.  Then there's the person across the ring who is going to stop at nothing to win this martial art dual.

 Conditioning is incredibly important!  I don't care if you're a competitor or not.  I was totally spent in that training session.  The only reason my coach pushed me that hard was because he knew if he could get me to that breaking point, I'd never break again and that's precisely what he wanted.

  What about self-defense?  Are you able to take yourself all the way to that breaking point in training so you could fend off any attacker for any amount of time?  

  What about competition?  Are you able to fight 4 matches in a

row 110% That’s what champions are made of!

  Here's your Success Tip to maximize energy-

1. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. You should drink your
   weight in ounces divided by 2. If you’re 200 lbs., you should drink 100 ounces of water a day.
2. Avoid carbonated drinks before training and forget energy drinks. Seriously, some taste good and all, but it’s all marketing. True athletes drink water.
3. Build endurance by training in an explosive fashion. For example,
   plyo tuck jumps, or wind sprints. Set a goal for how many you’re going to do instead of going until you’re tired. If it were too easy one day, now you know to increase the intensity.

About the Author: Instructor Ma is a certified Taekwondo and Hapkido Instructor. She is the Language, Culture and Leadership Development teacher for the American Dragon Korean Martial Arts Academies. You can learn more at https://americandragonkoreanmartialarts.com or follow us on social media at https://www.facebook.com/AmericanDragonKoreanMartialArts