At present in the world of martial arts there is a tendency
for unified approach to study martial arts& In its turn this is
expressed in holding of various tournaments in the "combats
without rules" (like "pancratium" or "Ultimate Fighter") and
similar martial arts, where maximum of technical actions is
allowed under minimum of limitations; so such combats are
appoached to the realities of an actual fight.
In a hand-to-hand fight at the cjmpetitions or indeed the
fighter must be trained maximally and be in the highest form. You
can talk about issues of technical training, advantages of these
and those techniques, styles or separate fighting methods
intinitely, but it is hardly possible to reach a sole opinion. As
for fighter's physical characteristics it is possible to try to
create a portrait of the absolute fighter, applying to
statistical and physiological data.
Who is this "absolute fighter"? What physical characteristics
must he have? We shall try to get some form for the sportsman,
who wants to participate successfully in the competitions in
martial arts, where there are allowed fullcontact strikes,
throwing techniques, struggling on the knees using the strangling
and painful methods of fighing. Furthermore we'll do it without
considering of weight categories (in the absolute weight
category).
The most important demand on such sportsman is his ability to
train with such intensity when the frequency of heartbeats is 130
- 190 beats per minute, as only in this case the most training
effect is achieved. Training efforts under which the pulse
doesn't exceed 130 beats per minute are low-effective for the
training of as aerobic as anaerobic abilities. Aerobic reactions
are the basis of bases of the biological energetics. Source of
the biological energetics under muscle work is ATP (adenozin
triphosphoric acid). It is impossible to change ATP by any other
sources of energy. The more a sportsman consumes oxygen per time
unit, the more quantity of ATP is produced in muscles. By this
reason maximal oxygen consumption (MOC) is the most informative
index of sportsman's aerobic abilities level. MOC value depends
directly on sportsman's age andweight. Maximal MOC values are
characteristic for age of 18 - 35 years. Absolute MOC values
increase with sportsman's weight growing, but up to the known
limits. Sportsman of 75 - 95 kg. weight have the highest absolute
MOC values. Researches weight data of 41 heavy-weight champions
in boxing among professionals will help to confirm these
theoretical sequences. It follows from them that 15 men had
weight below 90 kg. The same number of sportsman had weight up to
100 kg. 10 sportsman weighed over a hundredweight. Only one
person weighed below 80 kg. Finally, an average weight was 95
kg., that confirmed the theoretical data.
Researches for height of the same sportsman give the
following results: only 4 men had height below 180 cm., 23 men -
below 190 cm., 13 men - below 200 cm. and only one person was
over 200 cm. in height. An average height is 187 cm.
But differing from boxing, where there is only striking
technique (but only by hands), we say about those kinds of
martial arts where fighing technique is also involved. It takes
more muscle efforts with predominance of strategic efforts of
conformable muscles groups during the holds.
In consequencce of this, "the absolute fighter" must have
some definite rapid, rapid-power-ful and simply powerful
characteristics. To con clude approximately what physical form
out "absolute fighter" has, we shall take the norms of physical
training for candidates to the Olympic team of Russia in sambo
and the norms for the black belts in Kudo.
Our "absolute fighter" has already had real "autlines" - 180
- 190 cm. height, 80 95 kg. weight, age of 18 - 35 years.
Physical norms are usually connected with the sportsman's weight,
so here there are shown the demands on powerful, rapid-powerful
form and on endurance for the sportsman of 80 - 90 kg. weight
(i.e. the opimal weight of fighter we have got before).
So, this sportsman must pull-up at the cross-bar at least 25
times. Lift up to the chest a weight of 115 - 130 kg. (or 140 per
cent of his weight). Squat with a weight 35 - 40 times or with a
partner of equivalent weight on the shoulders. Squat one time
with a weight of 160 kg. He must push by two hands a weight being
30 kg. heavier than his own weight, and lying on the bench push a
weight of 100 kg. Besides that, he must be able to run 30 metres
in 4,1 seconds, to jump from the still position to the lenght
about 280 centimetres, to run 3 kilometres in 11 - 11,5 minutes,
to stay in the hanging position "an angle at the prop", to climb
vertically dy 5 metres' rope 3 times without a rest. The fighter
must be able to have got 5 - 10 combats againts strong opponents
each of 10 - 15 minutes duration in high tempo and at the
excellent technical level.
Of course, all above mentioned numbers mustn't be considered
as firm regulations and obligatory criteria. History of all kinds
of martial arts knows cases when fighters of absolutely
"non-standard" characteristics became winners (champions). The
fighter whose are only exceptions from the rules. The fighter
whose physical and age characteristics are maximally close to the
above mentioned will have more chances to win.
It will be possible to confirm or to reject this after having
collected and processed of data for some years of different
championships winners in pancratium, daido-juku and similar
martial arts.
And, of course, it isn't necessary for readers to rush to fit
themselves into "the standard". In the combat (either a
hand-to-hand fight or some other) a decisive role isn't played by
muscles.
Here is what Ghima Makoto, karate master, said about that:
"Hard trainings and accurate studying allow to reach some
technical level, but it is impossible to fight for your own life
without having reached of spiritual perfection. Everything is
originated in a soul."
You can't say better.
Alexander Sashko,
Lesozavodsk, Primorsky Territory, RUSSIA