Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Kung-Fit

"Martial arts classes don't make you fit or get you in shape. It's a martial arts myth, says Mike Wittig who studied kung fu for 16 years but joined a gymnastics class to get the conditioning he wanted."

Source: Canada.com

You know what? To a large extent I tend to agree. Many martial arts classes that I've observed are more like a "walk in the park" than a serious work-out.

Still, this "lack of fitness" largely depends upon A. The art/style itself, and B. How the various classes are run.

Let us not forget either that the concept of "fitness" is a very broad team. It is something that is measured in relevance to something else; you are more or less fit compared to someone or something.

But yes - if you are after, say a specific sort of cardiovascular endurance, then other activities - like running - are absolutely better suited to the purpose than kung fu, karate or jujutsu.

Finally, make no mistake about it, any fighter worthy of the name must be in great shape to succeed.

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