Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Do you vary your martial arts training seasons?

For instance, summer and fall have tended to be the “camp and seminar” seasons. You pick up what you learn at these sessions and integrate it into your repertoire. “Oh! That’s a fantastic technique! Let’s work on it!”

On the other hand, I have tended to cut back on the training during the winter months. Instead, I would focus on strength training and the foundational skills of the art.

Many martial arts schools and groups have an annual spring or summer test. Therefore, I have trained specifically for upcoming gradings (whenever I was eligible).

Training the same way all year round is not optimal and can lead to burnout.

Let’s take each season in turn.

Spring Training Season

Many martial arts organizations/schools hold annual gradings in the springtime. This was true during my time at Notre Dame and for years after that. So, I usually started intense preparation for any upcoming grading in January, focusing on promotion material. Even if I was not grading, I usually trained as if I were grading. So what was the point of showing up for grading in less-than-stellar shape?

If you are not able to view the video, click here.

Yes, that’s me on the right in the spring of 1987. I was just 22 years old. Damn! That day, I was promoted to 2nd-degree black belt along with my dojo mate, Jim Hoff. The badass dude in the middle was our instructor, Prof G. Rogers Cooper. A phenomenal martial artist and a great human being.

Anyway, training for grading focuses the mind. You are training specific material that ideally will be razor-sharp by grading day like I was in 1987.

Summer Training Season

Late spring and summer are usually the camp and seminar season. This is a nice change-up from training for grading. We are talking about FUN TIMES! Exploration is the theme of the season. The best thing about camps and seminars is that you can take what you learned and play with it. Along the way, you learn or discover variations of techniques. You might learn new counters from the seminar/camp instructor or find them “by accident” with a training partner.

I’ve often stayed up all night training and experimenting with new techniques with my buddies in hotel rooms. We would often shoot videos to capture the new material. Let’s face it; my note-taking ability sucks big time. So, video it is!

Fall Training Season

The seminar and camp season tends to wind down during fall. At the same time, students come back from their summer break and resume training. For instructors, this means teaching basics to a new group of students. Teaching the basics is an excellent opportunity as this reinforces your own. At the same time, other students need a refresher on the material they were training before the summer break.

If you are not able to view this video, click here.

The above clip is from the “Best of the West” Camp that took place in Dortmund, Germany in September 2012. It is one of the best camps that I’ve ever attended. Each instructor was given a 10-minute slot to demonstrate their version of Modern Arnis. As you can see, I assisted Master of Tapi Tapi Chuck Gauss with his demo. Man, that was fun!

Winter Training Season

I have always taken the last two weeks of December off. No private lessons or classes during this period. I need this time to recharge my batteries and enjoy being with family.

That said, I have devoted January and February to the fundamentals. Either pay attention to the foundational aspects of your art or your skillset starts to degrade. The all-time greats all had a phenomenal foundation. Everything else springs from a solid base. Weak base = weak performance. The most important element to focus on is body structure.

Once I’m satisfied with my body structure, I branch out to the advanced material, depending on whether I am grading. Either way, I follow the same plan every January and February.

Summary

The benefit of having different training seasons is obvious. If you train the same way year-round, burnout is inevitable. Changing things up during the year prevents stagnation and keeps you motivated!

What do you think? Do you change things up during the year? Let me hear from you!

One more thing, I’m glad to be teaching and training again. The first live private lesson was with Troy. I’m looking forward to a year of teaching without any interruptions!

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