Mas Oyama said, “The only secret is sweat.” It’s a simple statement, but one I feel goes right to the heart of what Kyokushin is about. It’s a quote my friend Shihan Cameron Quinn mentions from time to time on his YouTube channel.
I thought about this last week while I was working with my student Claudio. He’s been working hard in preparation for the 33rd American International Karate Championships being held in New York this weekend. By the end of training, his uniform was soaked, the heavy bag was slick, and the mat was wet with puddles of evidence. If sweat is the visible proof of effort, then Claudio’s effort was undeniable.
Most competitors, especially in the advanced divisions, arrive ready to fight. They will fight strong to the very end or until they get hurt or knocked out. It’s in the beginner divisions that we most often see a lack of preparation. That’s where fighters learn just how important conditioning really is. Sometimes it can be almost painful to watch, not because they lack heart, but because they didn’t prepare enough.
This touches on something I’ve written about before: we train hard to win, but ultimately tournaments are also training. They’re an opportunity to discover things about ourselves, lessons that are hard to replicate anywhere else.
My teacher used to tell us that pain is a great teacher, one of the lessons I reflected on in Lessons From My Sensei. He didn’t mean that in a sadistic way; he was simply pointing out that getting your butt kicked can be very motivating. His advice really boiled down to one thing: train harder than your opponent. That was the key. Training hard, pushing yourself, those were things you had within your control.
Hard training should be a given for anyone stepping into a tournament. For me, sweat is a symbol. It’s not just about being drenched; it’s about showing up, working with intent, and knowing you’re better prepared because you’ve earned it the hard way.
Here’s a question to carry into your next training session:
Is the person you’re going to face in your next tournament leaving a bigger puddle of sweat on the mat than you are?
I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts on this.
How do you work on conditioning in your own training? Share your approach in the comments… I always like seeing how others tackle this part of preparation.
Osu!
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