I felt like this last night at kendo. The heat in the gym was stifling with the outside temperature outside still around 85 degrees Fahrenheit at 7:00 PM. As soon as I donned my helmet I started sweating buckets.
We had two visitors, both very strong and athletic players who participated in our workout of high-intensity kakari-geiko and shinsa training. This type of practice has been a new initiative for us as we looked at what other successful clubs had been doing in terms of training and preparing for competition as well as improving standards.
The entire session was very intense and I could not keep up, even though I was receiving as motodachi for most of the time. The heat was too much for me.
I felt bad, as if I let myself and my club down and, in a sense, I had as I was not able to participate in the later part of class. It was a chastening experience as I had been very excited about upping my game and being a contender.
Taking this as a defeat, I went home and showered up and cleaned my gear before going to sleep soon after. The next morning, as I prepared for work, I went through what I needed to make sure that I don’t fall short:
1. Not just running but running with equipment or some weight on and in assorted weather patterns. I still feel that sprints are necessary for kendo and, frankly, I hate running. It bores me even if I have good music.
2. Focus on quality kendo and not degrading my efforts just in order to keep up a fast pace. Going full speed doing kirikaeshi but doing so without full big swings and good footwork is just a waste of time. It is better to start slower but correct and then build up from there.
3. Drink water more consistently throughout the day, not just an hour or so before working out. Water and performance are linked together.
4. Don’t eat a large meal, even earlier in the day. When you eat, especially in hot weather, eat smaller meals.
5. Stretch and get acclimated to the heat before class starts. You know there’ll be a “hump” so get over it before class starts.
So now I look forward to the next high-temperature class!
Mondo 