# How can I increase my stamina



## ozm8ey (Feb 27, 2016)

While sparing in karate class, after about 30 seconds I'm completely exhausted. I even quit smoking about a year ago because it used to make me throw up and cough my guts up for hours, but still have a difficult time sparing. So my question is how do I increase my stamina? I smoked for about 5 years so maybe damage already done?


----------



## Gnarlie (Feb 27, 2016)

20 minutes of HIIT daily for 3 months. Measure and mark your progress. 

Because sparring tends to be in rounds with recovery breaks.


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 27, 2016)

You have to do cardio vascular exercises and drilling.  You can do a martial art's version of "shadow boxing" where you punch and kick using the techniques in your systems and you do it at medium speed for 30 seconds to a  1 minute.  You don't want to stand in one place when you do this.  You could move in one large circle or you can move from one end to the room and back to the other end.  At my school we'll punch and kick moving from one end of the room to the other end. We continue this until we have done a minute of continuous punching or kicking. You can then increase or decrease the intensity as you see fit.  For starters you should first go at a slightly uncomfortable pace and do the drills for 30 seconds.  As you get better you can either go faster at 30 seconds or increase the time.  The goal is to keep the same pace and when you are gassed out, you have to still try to keep the pace even thought realistically you won't have the energy to do so.  Also take a 30 second break between your rounds.  

I usually do 6 one minute rounds with 10 -15 seconds of rest..  When I first started I did six 30 second rounds with 20 seconds of rest.  Just make sure you bring a lot of water and pay attention to your body so you don't pass out.


----------



## drop bear (Feb 27, 2016)

Find a hill.

Run up it.

Repeat.


----------



## Bill Mattocks (Feb 27, 2016)

Jump rope.  Do it religiously and you will increase your stamina.


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 27, 2016)

drop bear said:


> Find a hill.
> 
> Run up it.
> 
> Repeat.


That stamina is different from what's required for punching, kicking, and grabbing.  You'll get the cardio endurance but your arms and legs won't get the muscle stamina. Unless you punch and kick.   I only say this because I ran Track sprints and Cross Country Running "5K through woods" competitively and I thought, I would have enough stamina to deal with sparring.  I had the cardio vascular endurance but my arms and legs would get tired from punching and kicking.


----------



## drop bear (Feb 27, 2016)

JowGaWolf said:


> That stamina is different from what's required for punching, kicking, and grabbing.  You'll get the cardio endurance but your arms and legs won't get the muscle stamina. Unless you punch and kick.   I only say this because I ran Track sprints and Cross Country Running "5K through woods" competitively and I thought, I would have enough stamina to deal with sparring.  I had the cardio vascular endurance but my arms and legs would get tired from punching and kicking.



Fine. Find a hill. Bear crawl up the thing.


----------



## JowGaWolf (Feb 27, 2016)

drop bear said:


> Fine. Find a hill. Bear crawl up the thing.


yeah that will do it lol  Judging from that video 1 was enough lol.


----------



## ozm8ey (Feb 27, 2016)

drop bear said:


> Fine. Find a hill. Bear crawl up the thing.



Sorry but it would look weird, people would be like wtf


----------



## drop bear (Feb 27, 2016)

JowGaWolf said:


> yeah that will do it lol  Judging from that video 1 was enough lol.




That would have sucked.

We sprawl up. Lunge down.jump backwards up. All sorts of fun stuff.

Alternatively those battle ropes mentioned in the other thread gets the heavy arms going.


----------



## drop bear (Feb 27, 2016)

ozm8ey said:


> Sorry but it would look weird, people would be like wtf



Yes they would.


----------



## Bill Mattocks (Feb 27, 2016)

...and off to the ignore list we go.  People trying to help you, son.  Grow up.


----------



## Tgace (Feb 27, 2016)

Burpees.


----------



## ozm8ey (Feb 27, 2016)

Bill Mattocks said:


> ...and off to the ignore list we go.  People trying to help you, son.  Grow up.


I appreciate the help im just saying that would look weird lol


----------



## drop bear (Feb 27, 2016)

An easy one. work harder in training you spar.  Dont sit out sparring rounds.  Finish your pad work rounds exhausted. Thst kind of thing.


----------



## Tames D (Feb 27, 2016)

Buy a good mountain bike and hit the trails. More hills the better. Best cardio I've ever had.


----------



## Monkey Turned Wolf (Feb 29, 2016)

ozm8ey said:


> I appreciate the help im just saying that would look weird lol


To very obvious solutions to this.
1: Don't care how it looks
2: Do it in a place where people cant see


----------



## Human Makiwara (Feb 29, 2016)

Sparring Drills: where you stay in and the partner changes out. 1min/2min Spar, 20second rest, fresh partner, another round. 5 rounds or until you can't go anymore. 

Footwork drills: set up cones in a cross, start in the center of the cross, move forward, back, left and right without stopping. Feet always moving. you can add in a bag holder at the top/forward cone position so when you arrive there they can have a strike shield, thai pads or focus kits for you to hit and then keep moving. 10 sets, no stops, changing stance and work different strikes. 

Bag Drills: throw everything you have at the hanging heavy bag or 1-3min. rest and repeat.

Run: Find a good path, hill, treadmill or elliptical and do work.


----------



## Tez3 (Feb 29, 2016)

ozm8ey said:


> I smoked for about 5 years so maybe damage already done?



Smokefree | What happens when you quit?

*After 2-12 weeks*
Your circulation improves.

*After 3-9 months*
Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function increases by up to 10%.

*After 1 year*
Risk of heart disease is about half compared with a person who is still smoking.

*After 10 years*
Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.

*After 15 years*
Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.


----------



## CDR_Glock (Nov 12, 2016)

ozm8ey said:


> While sparing in karate class, after about 30 seconds I'm completely exhausted. I even quit smoking about a year ago because it used to make me throw up and cough my guts up for hours, but still have a difficult time sparing. So my question is how do I increase my stamina? I smoked for about 5 years so maybe damage already done?



Your body will adapt and the effects of smoking will dissipate over time.

Work on doing basic cardio with intervals (bike, run, mountain bike, whatever).  High intensity followed by a lower intensity break, then repeat.  You can look up HIIT, which is difficult, at first, but you will gain stamina.

You didn't mention your weight.  If you're a bit heavy, shedding 5-10 pounds will also be a great start.

I had recently lost 30 pounds, and it felt a lot different sparring.  I had developed stamina through intense cardio, while practicing sparring with full gear against one or two of my many punching/kicking bags.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Monkey Turned Wolf (Nov 13, 2016)

Random question, but does anyone have a specific HIIT that they suggest to new students?

I personally have my own program that I do, but I'm aware that most new students wouldn't be able to complete it, so when another student asks me, I dont know how to respond,


----------



## Kung Fu Wang (Nov 14, 2016)

ozm8ey said:


> how do I increase my stamina?


Old saying said, "If you can repeat your MA form 20 times non-stop daily, the heat and cold will no longer bother you." It's great for "stamina" as well.


----------



## JowGaWolf (Nov 14, 2016)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> Old saying said, "If you can repeat your MA form 20 times non-stop daily, the heat and cold will no longer bother you." It's great for "stamina" as well.


lol.. then you die from exhaustion.


----------



## Kung Fu Wang (Nov 14, 2016)

JowGaWolf said:


> lol.. then you die from exhaustion.


Assume your form has 50 moves. 50 x 20 = 1,000 moves.

I have drills 20 different 3 moves combos 20 times each non-stop. 20 x 3 x 20 = 1,200 moves. I'm still alive.

It may be difficult (or impossible) to do 1,000 tornado kicks, or 1,000 hip throws non-stop. But to do just non-jumping kicks and basic punches with average speed while your body is relax most of the time should not be that hard. I had done XingYi Beng Chuan on the beach non-stop for 2 miles. I'm pretty sure that was more than 1,000 punches.


----------



## maryf (Nov 14, 2016)

I had the same situation so I tried hard to re gain my stamina by hiking and running. This damaged me more so my advice is to not worry. Just do light exercise and a run early in the day. Martial arts uses different types of energy and stamina is one of them. Keep your body flexible and it will use less stamina. Only one condition. Just keep it regular on daily basis.


----------



## Mouzalina Mahfud (Nov 14, 2016)

try afterburneffect workout, interval workout is effective for your stamina and endurance level


----------



## HammockRider (Jan 4, 2017)

I like hill sprinting. Find yourself a big hill and run up it as fast as you can. Walk down at a slower pace to catch your breath and repeat. That's the bare bones of it. I do it twice a week although on weeks when i'm feeling really frisky I might up that to 3. It's intense but you get the bulk of your cardio done in 20 minutes or so. I also like the rowing machine and go for a few "rows" a few times a week. I don't like to go as intense as the hill sprinting but I work up a decent sweat.

There are also some good kettle bell drills you can try that will do wonders for your stamina. I learned a few from a trainer at the local Y and now I do them on my own.  Recuperating with proper rest and nutrition is important too. Good luck!

 One more thing. Start out slow. It's good to push yourself but don't be a mad man about it. I injured my knee once and it set me back over a year.Be patient and consistent and work hard and you should see some great improvements!


----------



## HammockRider (Jan 4, 2017)

drop bear said:


> Fine. Find a hill. Bear crawl up the thing.



That looks like a killer workout


----------



## drop bear (Jan 4, 2017)

HammockRider said:


> That looks like a killer workout



Yeah. Pretty tough.

By the way If people are into tabata. You can now get timed music on you tube which is pretty cool interval training.


----------



## PhotonGuy (Jan 5, 2017)

You might want to cross train in a grappling art such as BJJ. From my experience it definitely will increase your stamina. I started BJJ and I've lost weight and developed stamina as a result. I find that rolling can be better for stamina and weight loss than most Karate drills. Also, in general if you train in the martial arts its good to be well rounded and to have a background in both grappling and striking, especially in this day and age.


----------



## Transk53 (Jan 5, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> Smokefree | What happens when you quit?
> 
> *After 2-12 weeks*
> Your circulation improves.
> ...



Tez. Being the font of all knowledge. Is vaping any better? Heard about the carsergenics (no idea if I have spelt that right) scare tactics, or just going cold turkey  is the way?


----------



## Transk53 (Jan 5, 2017)

Mouzalina Mahfud said:


> try afterburneffect workout, interval workout is effective for your stamina and endurance level



That's just general like Insanity. Does not meet individual needs.


----------



## Tez3 (Jan 5, 2017)

Transk53 said:


> Tez. Being the font of all knowledge. Is vaping any better? Heard about the carsergenics (no idea if I have spelt that right) scare tactics, or just going cold turkey  is the way?



Seems the jury is out on that, common sense says putting anything into your lungs that they are designed to deal with has got to be bad but the NHS seem to think vaping is safer but who actually knows at the moment?
Electronic cigarettes: the facts - SmokeFree Islington


----------



## Rabbitthekitten (Jan 19, 2017)

Gnarlie said:


> 20 minutes of HIIT daily for 3 months. Measure and mark your progress.
> 
> Because sparring tends to be in rounds with recovery breaks.




I agree with this. Go to the gym and do circuits. I used to be fat and weak and I started doing this and became less fat and less weak. When I first started I used to exhausted doing the warm up. Now my stamina is so much better.


----------



## KangTsai (Jan 20, 2017)

Do something.
No? Do it.
Yes? Good.

After it be piss-tired and hyperventilating.
No? Do something else.
Yes? Good job, keep doing that.


----------



## AaronP (Jan 28, 2017)

I do High intensity with 24kg  kettlebell swings. I bend my knees into a half squat on the swing. This hits my legs, core and arms. I do 45sec on and 45 seconds rest for 6 sets. I'm aiming for 1 min on, 30 sec rest for 10 sets. The research indicates high-intensity intervals are great for cv fitness.

I started with a 12kg kettle doing 15 secons on and 45 seconds off and slowly increased.

I like it because it's quite quick and hits the anterior chain, core and legs. I can also workout quickly when I dont have time for a full training session

Aaron


----------

