Once i was 15, the televisions show called Eye on LA visited my house to do interviews with me on the martial arts for a spot these folks were producing on Ninjitsu. They also wanted to see my backyard as I had turned my 2000 square foot garden right into a fully fledged ninja training camp. This series of articles will tell you what I had in my backyard so you too can you could make your own martial arts backyard dojo too. Since there were a lot of developments in the arena of fitness and martial arts gear, you ought to be able to think of a more modern version of your training location.
Before I begin.
If you are just start to place some items into your yard, garage or large room - do not concern yourself too much about looks at first. Your first priority is performance and training. When you progress, you can focus on increasing the look and feel of the workout location. This means that you can start by throwing in certain used tires, old weights, or what you may can find at the dump which can be somehow converted into a training tool. Initially, get very creative.
I have not put the items (or tips and ideas) in a particular order and as this is article among the many, you will need to review the other articles for that full scope of things to include.
THE NINJA BALANCE BEAM
I started training on 4x4 wood (covered in duct tape) balance beams within the martial arts as part of a warm-up. They are great for improving balance as well as working on your kicks. Within my backyard I was lucky once we already had some long wooden poles about 12 feet each. These folks were being used as a sort of border prior to the fence that resulted in a schoolyard. These folks were similar in size to a 4x4 only they'd rounded edges. Because they were supposed to look rough, I needed to worry about getting splinters. However, they were a welcome addition to my obstacle course.
I have used everything from a fallen coconut tree with a simple block of wood (4x4) at home Depot. Anything you use, try to look for something that you can walk across in your bare feet. You are able to raise the beam for additional of a challenge or simply leave it on the floor as it is.
Here are some ways to use a balance beam:
Basic training
Simply practice walking throughout the beam or beams. Then try walking faster or even running over the beams. Finally, close your vision and try to walk in one end of the beam to the other. This can be a lot harder than it sounds.
Slow motion kicks
One simple exercise we use in our camps is for students to perform slow motion kicks (like front kicks) on the beams while they walk across the beam in one end towards the other. For example:
* Step-up onto one end with the beam * Focus first on having your balance * Perform front kick step-by-step in slow motion * Require a step forward and repeat the process with the other leg The above training is easy, but it will drastically improve your balance along with your kicks. Good kicks to work on are:
* The reduced sweep kick and front kick (easiest as you do not have to pivot the foot just as much). * Side kicks and round kicks (harder as you need to move many maintain balance) You should be familiar with the coil position, pivot, extension and recoil parts of any kick. The primary idea is always to perform the kicks slow. It is much harder to throw a kick slow (breaking it into 1 second parts as an example) than it is to throw a fast kick. You can even combine the training and perform one with a slow speed, another at medium speed and also the final kick at a fast pace. Kicking slow will develop the muscles and parts of the body that create the building blocks for powerful kicks. Kicking fast will help you advanced balance (adjusting and regaining balance after a fast movement) and teach you for the next exercise - sparring over a balance beam.
King from the beam - sparring
Another fun game with a balance beam (for those who have a partner), is always to play king from the balance beam and try to knock each other off of the beam. The rules are simple:
* Each person gets on one end (opposite the other person) of the balance beam * Students then salute or bow to one another officially praoclaiming that the match has begun * They then use hands or feet to knock each other off of the beam * The loser will be the first person to touch any part of these hand or foot down This is a popular and fun training drill that students in our long term training camps. We create basic rules and change them to offer really a challenge. For instance, only utilizing your feet or hands or limiting contact for the face.
We quite often strategically place safe zones (mats) near the beam that students can jump to in order to create more strategic options along with a safe landing zone if you are able to reach a padded area.
Also, keep in mind that you might also land around the beam therefore this exercise should only be done if you are used to falling and searching for a more difficult training game.
There are tons of ways to make fun usage of a balance beam. Keep in mind that safety is first and you ought to start off easy. If your beam is high up and running and slippery, you might end up with a couple of broken bones or worse. I have yet to be injured over a beam, however the risk with something that has height (like riding a horse) will there be. Nevertheless, there are some great ways to be safe and the following is my favorite:
Puzzle mats for safety
I favor puzzle / jigsaw style martial arts mats. These are the easiest mats to work with and provide great protection outdoors without taking up space or just being too soft. If a mat is too soft, you'll risk twisting your ankles etc. These mats may be used alone or together, because they are interlocking mats. You may also flip them over. Because we can just toss them where we'd like them, they create a great solution for obstacle course and outdoor training. You can walk to them with shoes too. Just make sure that the ground under the mats doesn't have any sharp rocks or sticks.
However you decide to implement a balance beam, you will have fun and addictive training tool that will add value to any property martial arts dojo or fitness training center.
Visit Pad-Up Martial Arts Equipment for a large variety of Martial Arts Equipment, Puzzle Mats and Punching Bags to your residence fitness or home dojo.
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