Nowadays, training alone in the martial arts is a must… but are you making a big home training mistake? Here’s how to fix it!
Click the video below or scroll down for a summary. Then get back to training! 🙂
Home Training Mistake
Bruce Lee said, “Boards don’t hit back.” Well, either do punching bags, grappling dummies, or the ghosts you chase around in your basement.
That’s why the biggest home training mistake is focusing on winning and forgetting about losing. If you’re not careful, you might put all of your focus on hitting the bad guy while forgetting that the bad guy can hit you, too!
That might be okay if you’re just working out for fun and fitness, but for self-defense? That’s a bad habit! That’s why it’s crucial to use your imagination when you train alone.
If you don’t imagine that your imaginary bad guy is at least as smart and tough as you are, then you’ll find yourself dropping your hands, standing still, and taking breaks in the “danger zone”. Which is a recipe for disaster!
So, starting immediately, always add an exit plan to your techniques!
Here’s the rule — add one move to everything you do. Whether you’re striking or grappling, add at least one extra movement that will help you escape safely. You can…
STEP OUT. Finish your technique, then create distance and get out of the bad guy’s striking range by either stepping backward, forwards, or to the side with a pivot. If you always stand in the same spot, you’ll eventually be countered, so hit and move!
BLOCK OUT. Even if you can’t step out, never stand in front of a punching bag with your guard down. That is not a safe place for daydreaming!
Finish every flurry with your hands up. Protect yourself at all times!
HIT OUT. We all like to finish our favorite combo with a big bang, right? But that’s not good enough!
Try throwing one extra strike to keep your bad guy distracted as you exit the situation. It can be a simple jab or kick to the groin, but do something to stop them from countering or chasing you.
Of course, all three of these ideas work best TOGETHER. So, practice your exit with a step, block, and hit all in one move.
Practice losing!
Once you’ve accepted the possibility of taking a hit, try practicing how to deal with that pain. How?
Pretend! (It’s fun!)
Before you throw your favorite combo, pretend you get punched in the face. While you’re smacking the bag around, pretend to suddenly take a knee to the groin. In short, practice getting beat up!
That might sound crazy, but don’t forget — practicing alone is not the same as practicing with a partner. If you had a training partner, you wouldn’t have to imagine anything… they would just hit you! That’s why training alone takes discipline.
For another tip on training alone, check out this video!
The big point: When you train alone, you MUST use your imagination to make your imaginary attacker as real as possible. Do that and you will be building powerful self-defense habits — physically and emotionally.
Remember this — if you only practicing winning, there’s a good chance you’re going to end up losing! So, don’t make the home training mistake of thinking you’re a superhero… practice losing, too!
