"How to Increase Stamina"

Action 1

Set some goals for yourself. Do you want to increase your energy, build muscle or increase your strength and endurance?

Action 2

Develop a training plan that is reasonable and achievable. To increase your stamina, you have to start small and gradually move up to the level you desire.

Action 3

Begin your plan with walking. Walking can improve the efficiency of your heart and lungs, increase your energy level, strengthen the muscles in your legs and help promote a good night's rest.

Action 4

Build on your walking or by running if this is something you want to do. Some people can't tolerate running as it is harder on your knees and joints than walking.

Action 5

Try riding a bicycle. It is important to find a form of exercise that you enjoy. If you enjoy what you are doing, you increase your chances of success and building on that success.

Action 6

Give swimming a chance as it is a great form of exercise that may surprise you. It is a low-impact form of exercise that tones your entire body and provides a great cardiovascular workout.

Action 7

Push yourself past your limits. Once you begin an activity, you will begin to notice it becomes easier and you feel better both mentally and physically. This is an important key to increasing your stamina.

Action 8

Walk longer distances, walk at a more brisk pace, run or ride your bike a mile farther than last week, swim more laps or increase the weight and/or reps in a strength building workout. Whatever your task, continue to build on it. You will see and feel the results.

Read more: How to Increase Stamina

eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2042713_increase-stamina.html#ixzz0rjtPayLY

"How to Develop Stamina"

Action 1

Practice Bikram yoga. Bikram yoga is a specific type of yoga that is demanding to the cardiovascular system. This type of yoga is done in a room that is heated to about 110 degrees F. The sessions last about 1 hour or more. During one of these yoga sessions, the people in the session go through a series of postures and stretches that push the limits of endurance because of the heat and the pain.

Action 2

Start a weightlifting routine. Even though people tend to think about aerobic activities when they think about gaining stamina, the right kinds of weightlifting workouts can improve a person's muscle tone as well as his stamina. To increase stamina, free weights, fitness equipment, and your own body weight can be used. Your own body weight is used when doing exercises like push-ups and pull-ups.

Action 3

Take a hike. Although a hike can be an enjoyable experience, it also can do quite a bit to improve your stamina. Because the hike occurs in the outdoors and is often in an area that is surrounded by trees and plants that give oxygen, your lungs will be able to expand thanks to the large amount of oxygen in the air. Oxygen is healthy for the alveoli that help you breathe.

Action 4

Do Pilates. Pilates is an exercise that focuses on strengthening the core parts of the body, such as the stomach and the lower part of the back. Pilates is designed to help a person's body be more aligned. Pilates is similar to Bikram yoga in that it can be difficult, but very beneficial in increasing stamina.

Action 5

Relax. Although this seems counter-intuitive to developing stamina, the fact is that breathing deeply and taking small naps can help recharge a brain and a body enough so that it will be able to improve stamina. A person who sleeps regularly and well has a higher capacity for gaining stamina than those who do not sleep well.

Read more: How to Develop Stamina

eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5130471_develop-stamina.html#ixzz0rjsJUA00

Need for Stamina!!

After a tiring day at work on Wednesday (23 June 2010), that evening I was planning to have a slow and easy TKD session with my usual training partner. To my surperise - my TKD master Mr. Lim mentioned that he wanted to have a sparring and conditioning training instead of the usual "all level" training.

We warm-up by playing football and then we started wearing our sparring gear. I cracked jokes with the Senior Instructor that both she and me should take a photo together as we look like a great couple in sparring gear. So cool and macho!!

I was a bit playful when the sparring practice start. My first training partner was Dawn ... it was okay ... I can take it. Then the 2nd partner ... a young Korean lady ... still can take it .... then with my TKD Master Lim ... all hell broke-out ... he was kicking and chasing me all over the training area. I was totally out of stamina and sweating like a broken water tap! Then we change partner again ... this time with Stephanie (a small size lady) - I think her maximun heigh was around my shoulder level (I am standing at about 176 - 177cm). We started sparring and counter each kick - I felt like I was negative -110% out of stamina ... then change partner again ... this time it was a guy - I "tot" I am done for it this time but surprisingly he told Master Lim that he injured his leg while training with his previous sparring partner. Happily I sat down on the mat and rest. After the sparring session - Dawn came over to me and asked why all my training partners were all female while her training partners were all male? Deep inside my heart tell me that I was very lucky ... cos' it has been almost 1 year since I stop jogging or join any conditioning training ... I just focus on wieght training and lossing weight.

The next day at work - I plug into the Internet and search to article on "stamina" ... to my surprise I come across 2 articles ... (i) How to develop stamina? and another (ii) How to increase your stamina?

I will post the above article in the coming blog!

Lesson learn from this experience ... no only I need to go for weight training, control my diet, and TKD - I also need to train on my stamina and reflex!!

Stop Working “IN” Your Martial Arts School

Here is another great tips from an "online" article about people interested in opening their own martial arts schools .... I censor some of the "sell talk" ... enjoy reading ....

Stop Working “IN” Your Martial Arts School (01 June, 2010)

 

When you started your martial arts school you were already an expert in your art. But you probably knew very little about actually running a business.

So you had to learn to do everything – the filing, bookkeeping, data entry, setting appointments, computer maintenance, etc.

You took everything on and soon found that not only were you not spending time on growing your school, you felt like you didn’t want to give up control of any part of your business to someone else.

But it is important for the growth of your school that you stop spending time on things you should not be doing – even if you are good at them and enjoy doing them!

You need to understand the importance of letting an expert handle those things that you should not be doing so you can focus more on growing your school.

You might have one or two people helping out at the dojo, but do you continue that policy consistently through out your business? Take a quick assessment:

• Do you keep your own books?
• Do you answer the phones, read your own email and mail?
• Do you handle customer service calls yourself?
• Are you the web master for your school website?
• Do you maintain your student database yourself?

 

There are many other, similar questions I could ask but I think you see my point. If you answered yes to any of these then you are still working IN your school.

 

Working IN your school is doing anything that is the day to day operations of your business.

 

Working ON your business is doing those creative things such as marketing and sales strategies, finding ways to increase student retention – anything that grows your martial arts school.

 

Most people get this – in theory. But they can’t get past it in practice. You feel stuck in that place, bogged down with day to day stuff and fires that continually need to be put out – not knowing how to get out. Not knowing where to start.

 

An example: ... You can repair your own car or computer or remodel your own kitchen but first you will have to learn which tools to use, how to use them, make mistakes, go through the whole trial and error thing – or you can hire someone to do it for you.

 

..... censor x 2 ... "just sell talk" ....

Alternative Training Focus while Recovering from Injuries

When we were young - our tend to recover from our injury faster but as we aged - our body work slower and the body recovery processs period take longer time.

Since early of April 2010, I have been forcing myself to go for my Taekwondo training session but after each training session - my knee condition became worst until, I cannot even do a simple turning kick or side kick as the pain was unbearable.

I consulting my TKD instructor and she recommended I stop from regular training session. My other team-mate also supported her recommendation .... mentioning that I should take care of my knee. I totally agreed with them because of the pain!! But then I started to think about other alternative training that does not require me to do any kicks ...

I remember my 1st TKD instructor (in 1986) always told me that TKD is about using both your hand and leg in self-defense and during that time punching to the body was allow in competition. I decided that I will focus on my upper-body training and weight training.

Since then my regular training focus was: -

• Tue & Thu : conditioning my hands and knuckles; speed punching; blocking; and striking.
• Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun: 30 minutes of gym work-out (focus on upper body and mid section).

After 4 weeks of going tru' the "focus training" - I started to see the benefits of "alternative training focus" and giving time for our body to heal and recover from injuries.

Five Mistakes Made By Martial Arts Masters

Today, I received an email from the President of IMAMS (International Martial Arts Management System). After reading his email, it re-enforce my believe ... that most MASTERs, they like to do things own their own and avoid "networking" with other martial arts school. They tend to market their school as teaching self defense technique rather than fitness, health, descipline etc.

Here is the article which I would like to share with ....  entitled "Five Martial Arts Management Mistakes Made By Dojo Masters" ... by IMAMS

Based on his finding - the 5 common mistakes committed by the owners of martial arts schools are .....

1) Not Being Yourself

If you are opening a martial arts school, most of your credibility and reputation will rest with who YOU are and what defines your martial arts philosophy. Without a clear vision or mission, potential students will be unclear about what you represent or what they will learn. Even more troubling, if you misrepresent yourself while trying to be who you think potential students want you to be, your students will become disenchanted and leave.

2) Chasing Customers

You can target customers with marketing. You can make offers to potential students. But chasing customers can make you seem desperate. You want people to come to you but the trick is to go to the customer without looking like you are grabbing at them. Marketing and contact with potential customers should always be done with confidence and constraint.

3) Deriding “Business”

You want to be a “teacher”, a “mentor”, but you think you are debasing yourself or your art by actually earning an income on your art. However, look at it from this perspective: shouldn’t a responsible and ethical dojo master provide a thriving and reliable school?

The students need to be secure about the fact that their dojo isn’t going to fold and disappear next month. They need the reassurance that their school is stable and they can then share in the pride of becoming part of something successful.

Further, how many of the world’s top masters – the ones that are heads of giant organizations – actually teach for free? None.

4) Not Networking

Some martial arts masters like to see themselves as the “go it alone” kind of person, solitary and able to handle everything on their own. But when it comes to running a successful dojo, you must let everyone in your community know about you.

The people running the local gym should know your name and your school. The local schools should be familiar with your program. The local business community should recognize you as a sound businessperson.

To sit in your school and never become a member of the community is a big mistake.

5) Starting Too Big

Many Black Belts who want to open their own school think they have to, or even can, open a big school and students will instantly thrive to the dojo just because it is this big, open, fancy place. The reality is that no one will ever see the inside of your school unless you manage to properly market to them and get them there.

Even if you do, you can go broke in the first year paying the huge rent and loan you may have taken out to open the school.

Between Coaching and Learning

When I started learning Taekwondo (TKD) at the age of 14 years old, I always thought that when I obtain my black belt - I will be able to train others like my Taekwondo coach but I was dead wrong.

Being a black belt in Taekwando does not earn you the skills and knowledge in coaching others. Even if you attended a Taekwondo Coaching course, it won't prepare you for a career or part-time career in "training" people in Taekwondo. Coaching is a totally x 2 different game and require a different mindset, skills and knowledge. You need a lot of energy and motivation when facing your students.

During one of my six (6) month "break" from the corporate HR life - my Taekwondo coach (a lady) - offered me the opportunity to work as a part-time "assistant instructor". I took the $11 per hour offer immediately.

it was a very different experience, the transition of being a TKD black belt student to an assistant TKD instructor.

As an instructor: -

• you need to know "who" is your student (either adults or children) and apply different training methodology;
• you need to be able to transfer your knowledge to your student;
• you need to motivate them and most important of all - give them the confident to perform a movement or a kick;
• for children - getting their attention and focus is a priority;
• for adults - focus on the techniques is the main priority and it is always good to find-out their past injury or health problem - don't push them too much!

I hope by sharing this experiences, those who want to be a TKD / martial arts  coach or instructor will be more prepared!

p/s - the pay is not that great but the satisfaction is some thing that no body can take away from you.