What about problems in our own training? A very common concern is, “I need to get in better shape.” Let’s take sparring as an example: The first time someone spars - and for many, many times after - they will probably be shocked at how tired they get, even if they do well in Krav classes and fitness classes. So the first thing they think is, “I need to get in better shape.” But rarely is that the case. If we’re looking at light to medium sparring, it’s not physically much different from shadowboxing or hitting a heavy bag. In fact it can be a lot less strenuous because you aren’t throwing your punches and kicks as hard. And most practitioners can do a few rounds of shadowboxing or bag work at high intensity without thinking they are out of shape. So what’s the problem? As with most things in life, it’s stress. Sparring can be very stressful, especially when you’re starting out with it, and it doesn’t matter how good your conditioning is if you’re freaking out internally for three minutes. That stress also induces a particular type of fatigue called, “I’m going to die.” It hits you emotionally, not just physically. It’s very shocking, and can be very discouraging when you first encounter it. You think you’ve been training hard and getting strong, and then one or two rounds puts you nearly in the fetal position. But the solution is not, “more conditioning.” It’s learning to relax while sparring. That skill can be built up many different ways, through drills, progressive sparring scenarios, focusing on your breathing, etc. The specific way you solve that problem is secondary to recognizing it in the first place. Because no matter how hard you work, if you’re solving the wrong problem, you’ll never find the answer.
