The Way of Strength
By Bill Fox
"I had begun to believe that it was the muscles - powerfully, statically, so well organized and so silent - that were the true source of the clarity of my consciousness. The occasional pain in the muscles of a blow that missed the shield gave rise instantly to a still tougher consciousness that suppressed the pain, and imminent shortage of breath gave rise to a frenzy that conquered it." - Yukio Mishima, "Sun and Steel"
People love to argue about what the "best" form of strength training is - kettlebells, power lifting, Olympic lifting, bodyweight exercises etc…Pavel has written what I consider to be one of the best comments ever on the subject. In " Lifting Iron vs. Bodyweight Exercises - What's Best for You?" he writes "The bottom line. The argument about whether iron or bodyweight rules is a waste of bad breath. What you need to do is identify the types of strength required in your style and then develop them with the types of resistance available to you."
When you first read a book like The Russian Kettlebell Challenge there is temptation to say, "That's it, I'm chucking everything and just doing KBs, they're the best. Just me and the iron ball." But what happens a few years later when "The Naked Warrior" comes out. The perceived purity of doing a body weight only routine is very alluring. The exercises are so hard it seems like if you could ever do them you would have to be a killer.
But kettlebells, body weight drills, and for that matter barbells, are just tools. The "purity" of a training program comes from the purity of one's intent when they train, of one's will. If instead of training for martial arts, you treated your training as a martial art, then you would be on to something. George Mattson, in his classic text on Uechi Ryu Karate, "The Way of Karate" wrote, "Karate means "empty hand" - the hand the instrument of the body; the body the instrument of the will. The aim is to develop a synergism of the will, the nerves, and the muscles which manifests itself in the maximum possible controlled release of energy."
Think of each session as a simply another day at the dojo, even if you're in your basement or back yard, wherein you will practice and develop your skills. It makes no difference whether or not you practice a martial art (but of course you should) because your strength training is now a martial art. What you're working on is not your triceps, so you can punch harder, but your ability to impose your will on your body: to harness your central nervous system, breath, and intent to connect your mind and body.
Each rep is a skill movement. If not performed with concentration and intent it's meaningless. As in the martial arts, progress, in terms of weight lifted, reps done, will not always be linier, but approached in this manner, there is no reason that something of value can't come out every session. A far more rewarding way to train in the long run.
Nishiyama states, " In many cases the psychologically stronger party wins even when he is outmatched physically". Is he talking about kumite or your next PR attempt? He goes on to state that focus or "kime" in karate consists of "the concentration of all the energy of the body". How often do you train with that kind of laser focus?
In his amazing book, "The Secrets of Okinawan Karate", Kiyoshi Arakaki constantly explores the necessity of understanding the principles behind the physical drills one is trying to perfect. He explains that until the mind is controlled the movements have no meaning; your ability will always be limited. He quotes the Zen master Takuan, "…Of the mind, do not be mindless." This ancient martial lesson is being appreciated more and more by sports psychologists today.
You wouldn't spar while thinking about something else, unless your looking to get your clock cleaned, so why strength train that way? I have found GTG [ed. - Grease The Groove] a great way of applying "kime" to strength training. Before each brief set go through a routine - abs flat and tight, muscles pulled into joints, shoulders packed, shallow power breaths. Over time you will be able to do this in an instant. This practice separates your strength training from the "white noise" of the rest of the day. Create the feeling of stepping into the dojo each set. Work on bringing everything together for these brief periods, then expand this practice your longer sessions.
Treat your next session with same concentration and intent you would when doing forms or sparring and see what happens. Impose your will on the tool your using that day, and it won't matter what it is, your training will be strong.