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quickclips
Dec 5, 2002, 12:11 AM
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Has/does anyone use martial arts as a training for climbing. I thought it might be a good idea to improve balance, small muscle strength, and focus. Any comments? And if so what style do you recomment?
Thanks,
Chris
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wv5ten
Dec 5, 2002, 12:19 AM
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I haven't, but it sounds reasonable to me.
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nadroj
Dec 5, 2002, 12:20 AM
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I've found that it can be very useful. Martial arts improves your fitness and coordination. But the biggest benefit i've got from martial arts is the mind set. I don't know how many times i've been stuck at the crux of a climb with my belayer geting bored because I just keep trying until I get it. It is very important that you know your actual limits. (not the point where your mind just says its too hard i'm going to quit, but the point where your body is actual at its limit) The mind will always give up well before the body will.
[ This Message was edited by: nadroj on 2002-12-04 16:25 ]
[ This Message was edited by: nadroj on 2002-12-11 04:36 ]
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xcel360
Dec 5, 2002, 12:20 AM
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I think it would be a great idea. I did many years of a few martial arts when I was a kid, including a few months of kung-fu. I think that would be the best style to learn if you want to cross train it in with your climbing. You'll learn greater flexibility and balance sooner than most of the other arts. Plus most kung-fu schools also have tai-chi and yoga classes to help with focusing and developing a sort of inner strength as well which is beneficial to climbing. When I move back home in a few weeks I planned on doing just that, so I'll see what it does for me. But I won't go just to cross train for climbing, it's a lot of fun.
Just make sure you find a genuine school that teaches real wushu kungfu, and not some knockoff. You'll know the difference when you see it. Good luck and let me know how it works out for you!
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high_times
Dec 10, 2002, 2:02 AM
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I've taken martial arts for about 15 years and I don't think it has helped any for my rock climbing except maybe on flexibility...but then again you don't need to take martial arts to become flexible. However, if I were to recommend any martial art it would be Tai Chi.
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climb4life
Dec 10, 2002, 2:44 AM
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i have done a few years of tae kwon do. it doesn't help me improve my climbing ability nor does it make me stronger. different strenght for different use. however, i did find one thing very usefull is the mind and the "soul". tae kwon do helped me developed mental strenght and souls as to keep my positive thoughs in saying like i can do this i can do this....but be vrey careful of your limitations. that is all i have to say
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wv5ten
Dec 10, 2002, 3:00 AM
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hmm maybe i should consider this...
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knuckles
Dec 10, 2002, 3:03 AM
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I find climbing is better for my martial arts than the other way around. Any art that lets you actually spar hard with an opponent (boxing, muay thai, shootfighting, brazilian jujitsu...) will teach a calm under pressure that can be valuable in riskier types of climbing. More precision arts (tai chi, wing chun, wushu, fencing...) will make you very aware of what all your limbs are doing at any given moment, great for bouldering and hard sport. Just be forewarned: no one art is the best, just as no one style of climbing is the best... they all have their virtues grasshopper...if you think climbers b!tch at each other too much you haven't seen anything yet... and climbing with busted up ribs and especially hands sucks.
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meataxe
Dec 10, 2002, 11:53 PM
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I think martial arts helps. You will get stronger legs for sure. Also, the type of muscular development in most martial arts favours smaller, faster, more flexible muscles--a good match for climbing. Giant arms are no use if you are too slow to hit anything.
As already mentioned, you can also benefit from balance and focus. Also, very important is falling and protecting yourself.
I'm not a style bigot, but I like Tai Chi Chuan.
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bloodyknuckles
Dec 11, 2002, 12:27 AM
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I practiced Martial Arts for many years, and you can never go wrong as far as the health and excercise benefits are concerned. Warning though, Injuries in the ring are sure to put a dampener on your climbing career, and vice-versa. The more dangerous activities you engage in the more you up your chances of injury. But hey, I did just fine so kick away.
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grandwall
Dec 11, 2002, 12:30 AM
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You do not need strong legs to climb. If you are strong enough to climb a ladder then your legs are strong enough. Adding muscle mass to your legs will hinder your climbing performance (because you are adding body weight), not help it. Unless your climbing muscles are particularly weak (you can't do many 2-arm pullups) I believe you will not see much strength transfer from martial arts to climbing. That being said, practicing martial arts can have merits (as already indicated by others). For example, being strong mentally is very important for climbing.
[ This Message was edited by: grandwall on 2002-12-10 16:31 ]
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knuckles
Dec 11, 2002, 1:54 AM
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Au contrere mon frere! Strong legs are very important, just not big legs. Legs are your motor. The better a climbers technique is the more he is using his legs, generally speaking. Highsteps take muscle, pulling on heelhooks takes muscle, dragging a human carcass up a cliff takes muscle and your legs are better at it than the arms. Some of the strongest legs I have ever seen are on thai boxers and indonesian silat guys. They didn't have big legs, just muscle like twisted cable. Americans in general have pretty weak legs, ever see those guys on national geographic squatting down instead of sitting while they eat? Try it sometime. Most MA's are concerned with strength to weight ratios just like climbing, bulk is counter-productive in both disciplines. Climbing is the best workout for climbing, but if you need some variety without resorting to the mental wasteland that is lifting weights then the MA's are a great way to go. In fact, filipino stickfighting arts (kali, escrima, arnis) are some of the best hand and forearm workouts around for increasing strength and bloodflow... just don't get whacked in the hands, there's a reason I use the name knuckles.
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climbingmusician
Dec 11, 2002, 2:50 AM
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i haven't used martial arts for training for climbing but i do practice aikido and i can see it helping your focusing and i'm sure you could probably use other parts of it to help climbing.
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moeman
Dec 11, 2002, 2:55 AM
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Nadroj, I have but 1 question for you
Crucks???
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dirko
Dec 11, 2002, 3:57 AM
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I was a student of the Budokai school of Karate for four months in order to train for climbing. It was a good thing--it taught me better body movement, discipline, flexibility. And Karate is a beautiful thing to watch, not unlike climbing. However, I found that Karate is a lifestyle in it's own right, and to succeed at it you must devote time and effort to it.
So let's sum it all up: I wanted to climb harder so I took karate. To get good at karate, I had to devote more time to it. To devote more time to karate, I had to climb less.
I think that cross-training can be a rewarding experience. Just don't pick up the sport to improve your redpoints and expect to become a black belt.
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danielb
Dec 11, 2002, 9:59 AM
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I do ti Kawn do as well as climbing and I find it helps me enhance my co-oordination and help me to know where my limbs/body is better.
Danielb
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rrrADAM
Dec 11, 2002, 11:08 AM
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I was a private JKD (Jett Kune Do) Instructor prior to climbing, and I find that it keeps my head right, and the flexibility is a definate plus.
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overlord
Dec 11, 2002, 8:53 PM
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theyll improve your flexibility, reflexes, coordination, stamina ans psyche.
CLIMB ON
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hroldan
Dec 11, 2002, 9:08 PM
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martial arts sounds fine, if you loose a comp you can still kick ass
Now seriusly, i think mental stuff can help better, tai chi, meditation, and so on...
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climbingfoo
Dec 11, 2002, 9:35 PM
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All very good points. I would also point out that martial arts also allows you to copy and understand movement better. In most arts, you consistently copy movements and how force is applied by watching and listening to advanced students and instructors. This can be easily applied to climbing: when you are watching better climbers working routes and then attempt to copy their sequence and how force was applied... or receiving beta on proper movement.
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brianthew
Dec 11, 2002, 9:42 PM
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I find that the stretches and warmups I learned from aikido are key in the prevention of joint/tendon injury, especially in the hands and wrists.
The techniques, of course (aikido is similar to judo) are useless in climbing.
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knuckles
Dec 11, 2002, 10:43 PM
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If you do decide to devote the time to the arts, Jeet (not jett) Kune Do is a good place to start. Basically an idea instead of art, and founded by Bruce Lee, JKD looks to many styles of martial arts to find what is useful to the individual practitioner and is in a constant state of evolution. Everyone sort of builds their individual JKD according to how they move and it tends not to get caught up in the whole "my style is the best" argument because you wind up training so many different styles. The downsides are that every instructor has his own interpretation so picking the right guy is crucial and that the art can be overly "practical" in the western sense, if you are after spirituality, discipline, or medititation there are better ways to go. Whatever you do, stay away from the ninja climbing claws and grappling hooks or we'll have to take this over to the aid forum.
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baza_arrampicare
Dec 13, 2002, 9:00 AM
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I've been doing martial arts for 5 years...helps me tons. Go for it!!!
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rrrADAM
Dec 13, 2002, 10:52 AM
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knuckles... I see you live in RB, Ca... Have you been to the Feal Contact Stick Fights (Kali) put on by the Dog Brothers in Redondo/Manhattan Beach ???
I used to fight there twice per year before I started going on the road.
Mark Denny, Eric Knaus, Lester Griffen (my sifu), etc...
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zorg
Dec 13, 2002, 11:23 AM
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I took lessons from a wushu-master. Now I can run up boulders and crags using my kung-fu skills.
Zai Jian
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