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Cardio - The Ultimate Martial Art? ...

and an unfortunate delay.

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I know that I promised to release a series of videos on the 'Human Weak Points' starting today, but as I sat down to edit yesterday, my son decided to do execute a swan dive several feet onto a concrete floor. 

He is totally fine... but I did spend most of yesterday in the ER just to be safe.

(Your telepathic expressions of empathy are appreciated... no need to exchange horror stories).

As a side note...

It's unbelievable to me that we managed to become the most dominant species on the planet, considering our offspring's unrelenting efforts to die stupidly.

Horses are literally running around moments after being squirted from the womb, but I have to remain constantly on high-alert... just to stop my son from snacking on a delicious handful of loose change.

I have no idea how we've survived this long.

Speaking of 'running around'...

There is an oft neglected element in a martial artists skill set that I'd like to discuss today, which might actually be 'the ultimate martial art'. 
 
Based on the subject line of my email, you already know that I'm talking about cardio.
Let's face it, all of the punches, kicks, and savvy techniques in the world won't help you win a fight if your HEART can't support throwing them for more than 60 seconds.


I have seen countless fights completely shift gears, the moment that one fighter becomes gassed... and when was the last time you saw a gassed fighter pull off a spectacular finish?

Most fights don't allow you to rest on a stool every three minutes to catch your breath... so being gassed is not an option.

You might know the feeling...

All movements become sluggish, emotions drain from your body, you desperately suck air into your lungs yet can't seem to recover (since the fight is still going on), and in many cases, fighters try to find a way to lose because they are just too tired to continue.

The sheer will to do damage even seems fleeting... in the words of Vince Lombardi, "Fatigue makes cowards of men." ...and I could not agree more with the statement.

In a bout between evenly skilled opponents, CARDIO will quite likely be the deciding factor, and in countless circumstances the better fighter falls to better cardio.

Examining current events:

Last week, Nate Diaz and Connor McGregor collided again in an epic match-up.  (I'll post a crappy highlight video below with a written play-by-play). 

Connor was clearly a far more skilled stand up fighter. 

His head movement was excellent, avoiding punches constantly, while stinging Nate with big strikes... FLOORING him several times. 

And yet... each time the last 30 seconds of the round crept up... Nate would rally... BIG TIME. 

Here's a telling image:

Here you see Connor literally jogging away to create some space, while Nate stalks forward, pointing and laughing through a mask of blood.

Ha!  

His sheer ability to push through the first 4:30 and have gas left in the tank allowed him to drive Connor to the breaking point... and with McGregor's movement hampered by fatigue, he landed a LOT of shots.  

While Connor won the fight, what would have happened if there was another round? 

However, by that same logic, I'm not sure that Nate would have survived the first round if it didn't end with an arbitrary *ding* of a bell. 

Who knows?

So... here's my question for you:

When was the last time you pushed yourself into a DEEP anaerobic state?

In other words, when was the last time that you drove yourself into a state of breathlessness that required you to bend over and huff air for 30 seconds just to recover?

If your answer is 'more than 60 days', you are probably not prepared to fight... but for the majority of people its more than a damn year!  Maybe even 5 years! 

If you think that you're just going to 'dig deep' and make it work when the time comes... you're probably mistaken. 

The last thing that your body needs to deal with in a high intensity situation, is a state of cellular shock.  Your cells need to be conditioned to draw, allocate, and burn the energy stores needed to exert this type of anaerobic physical activity. 

If you don't push yourself to a point of breathlessness regularly, how could they possibly be ready?   They've been on a damn vacation!

Your opponent might actually have three times the number of mitochondria (the 'power plant' of the cell), simply because he constantly reminds his body of the need to create them.

To build on that, not all mitochondria are created equal!  Some can supply double or even triple the energy that other can.  Who's mitochondria are in the best shape!?
 
Nate Diaz's... obviously.  The dude is a triathlete, with a heart the size of a basketball.
 
My point is simple... fighting is not just about fighting.  It's about cellular functionality...  and if you don't continue to 'earn' that functionality, you have no reason to expect it to be there for you when you need it.  
 
I, for one, will not accept that when all it takes is 60 seconds out of any given day. 
 
Go run a damn 400 meter dash.  I might feel like I'm going to soil myself after the first 200... but the second 200 is where you earn your 'functionality'. 
 
There you go... you're done, if you want to be.  It will actually take you longer to put your shoes on, than to work your heart and body into shape.
 
Remind your body of what you expect it to be able to do, and you will probably be glad that you did.  


Here's a fight video featuring a guy with a most unfortunate last name.


I'll have some really good stuff for you next week!

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