Running is something every able bodied person has done in their life.  It is something that people have been doing pretty much since they first learned to walk.  The basics of running are simple.  You put one foot in front of the other in rapid succession.  Martial arts, on the other hand, is fairly complex.  At a minimum there are blocks, kicks, and punches.  With weapons based martial arts like Arnis, there are even more significantly complex.

So what can running teach a martial artist?  Many students starting on their martial arts journey have unrealistic expectation of themselves and their training.  Just like with running, there are right ways to do things and wrong ways.  Just because we have been doing something for a long time, doesn’t mean we are doing it the most effective and efficient way.  While this article is focus more on students who are just starting on their path in martial arts, there are lessons for even seasoned practitioners.

Here is what running can teach us about martial arts training.

It takes patience.  Running seems pretty straight forward, yet there are a lot of subtleties to it that can make a huge difference in how successful you are.  Do things incorrectly and you run the risk of injuries, sprains and muscle fatigue. Do something wrong in martial arts and you not only risk significant injury.  It is going to take time to fully learn a technique.  Have patience, take time to learn a technique properly.

It takes practice.  With running, one of the first things you have to do is build a base. This is running, mile after mile, doing as much as you can to get your body used to running.  Here again many students feel that once they do a technique properly, they know it.  But there is a huge difference between doing a technique a few time and doing it many, many times, learning what works on different partners, in different ways.  It take months if not years to have it committed to muscle memory.  As my instructor used to tell me.  “You got it.  Now do it a few hundred more times.”

Save speed for last (except for on this list).  Any runner will tell you, focus on distance, breathing, pace and technique before focusing on speed.  The same is true for martial arts.  Speed will not do anything for you if your technique is wrong. Yet, I come across so many people in the martials arts world who think that speed and strength trump proper execution.  This is not just from new students but also instructors who focus on “faster” and “harder” without focusing on the movement.  If you focus on your art and train properly, speed will be a natural result.

It takes dedication.  Just like you can’t run once in a while and expect to successfully run a marathon, you can’t expect to train intermittently and get the full benefits of martial arts training.   There are times.  I hate getting up in the morning at time to run, yet, I know to reach my goals I have to.  More often than I would expect, I will have a student who trains just once a week and even that isn’t always consistent.  At that amount I feel the student is not really benefitting from their training.  Especially given the amount of material in Arnis, every week that is missed, I feel like the student takes a step backwards.  Consistent training is such an important aspect of getting movements committed to muscle memory and addressing all the little nuances that make the difference in the successfully execution against an opponent.

So as with running, take time to learn the right way to do things.  Have patience and don’t feel like you have to do everything right the first time.  Martial arts is about learning and growing.  Practice a technique over and over again until you not only know the movement, but you understand the mechanics and philosophy behind it.  Save speed for last.  To me it is the least important aspect to focus on.  It will come with training and time.  Finally, stay dedicated to the art.  It isn’t about one or two techniques.  It is a way of life.