It’s called combat fitness for a reason

Last year, without the fighting classes, getting in shape through the combat fitness class had the purpose of improving my conditioning, improving my cardio, improving my strength. But after several months of doing it, I started to question myself: Am I doing this just to look better, to feel better? It was as if I was training just to be better at training and at times this didn’t provide enough motivation to push myself to the max. But now, with the addition of the boxing, kickboxing and Haganah classes, combat fitness is a means to an end. The end is fighting. Physical conditioning now has the clear purpose of enabling me to fight.

The exercises have a purpose

There are some exercises we perform in combat fitness that had me scratching my head. I didn’t understand what good they did.

Example 1: the woodchopper. You hold a medicine ball over your head with both hands and pivot one foot and bend at the waist to bring the ball to the outside of the ankle opposite the foot that is pivoted.

Now I get it. It helps simulate a move in a Haganah where you force your attacker to the ground when you have control of an arm.

Example 2: Hip-ups. Lay on your back with the heels of your feet close to your butt. Push your hips to the ceiling while keeping your shoulders and feet flat on the ground. It’s part of our warm-up and it helps stretch your hips but I never felt like it did much.

Now I get it. The hip-up isn’t just a warm-up, it simulates a move you do to escape from your attacker when they have you pinned to the ground with their body on top of yours. By doing a fast and powerful hip-up you can bump the attacker off of your body.

I'm starting to see the bigger picture.

P.S.: Last night was combat fitness and an extended Haganah class that went 90 minutes. I can't eat enough this morning. Tonight I'll have my second kickboxing class.