(Lack of) Speed Kills?

[parishd]

Eight weeks in, four days/week, and I’m still hanging in there. After every session I feel stronger, like I’ve learned something new, and like I’ve progressed towards reducing something else to practice. So I should feel pretty good, right?

Well for the most part I do, but what is worrying me now is how slow I am; not so much for the off-chance I might actually be attacked some day, but for the more realistic, contact-intensive defense drills that will come if/when I actually advance a level. I know I can get faster, but I also know I’m limited by my genetics and will never really be fast in any real sense. Does this doom me from the start?

[stevetuna]

Re: (Lack of) Speed Kills?

Parishd –

I think that you’re focused in the wrong direction. Try thinking about what you have for skills and what skills you can enhance with your training. For example, have you considered the fact that your training has helped you develop your situational awareness? You are much less likely to find yourself in a bad situation if you see it coming before you’re stuck in the trap. Furthermore, the Krav Maga training that you’re doing is done under stressful conditions and from positions of maximum disadvantage. You’ve trained to respond quickly in such circumstances. This is a HUGE advantage!

Speed will come as your technique develops (at least that’s what I keep telling myself…). Stick with it! Talk with your instructor about doing drills to enhance your speed. Work on your footwork. Jump rope. You’ll be pleased with the progress, I bet.

[satilan]

Re: (Lack of) Speed Kills?

quote parishd:

Well for the most part I do, but what is worrying me now is how slow I am;

How big are you?

[parishd]

Re: (Lack of) Speed Kills?

quote stevetuna:

Parishd –

I think that you’re focused in the wrong direction. <snip>

Speed will come as your technique develops (at least that’s what I keep telling myself…). Stick with it! Talk with your instructor about doing drills to enhance your speed. Work on your footwork. Jump rope. You’ll be pleased with the progress, I bet.

Thanks stevetuna. I did talk with an instructor and also a couple of the more advanced students. They said more or less the same thing I think you are saying, which is that speed is only part of the overall self defense package and that it will improve with training. The instructor also gives us drills that are supposed to make us faster.

quote Satilan:

How big are you?

I’m 6′, ~173 lbs; not big or small, kind of in the middle.

[jester1492]

Re: (Lack of) Speed Kills?

I hear ya. Work to your strengths and acknowledge your weakness. I run; poorly. I’m 6ft and weigh about 230. My body doesn’t run, it lumbers. If I ever have to use KM, I’m going to have to slow up my opponent as I probably won’t be able to out run them.
We recently did a drill where you held a pad behind your head/neck and the attacker was using hammer fist to pound the pad. As the attacker it was a drill to teach aggression, attack, and persistence. The pad holder was to evade and to get used to impact. Guy that worked with me pounded the tar out of me I just couldn’t get away; when it was my turn to hit the pad I found out why. The guy I was working with must have been a relative of Flash Gordon, I hit the pad once and he was across the room. I don’t think I got within 20ft of him but once for the rest of the drill. I looked at the bright side, when he was that far away, he wasn’t much of a threat.

[leejam99]

Re: (Lack of) Speed Kills?

you can always work on your agility outside of Krav. if you search the web or youtube for agility workout, you’ll see a lot of good stuff you can do on your own.

[paragon]

Re: (Lack of) Speed Kills?

There’s a saying: “smooth is fast and fast is smooth”.

Practice your techniques so that you are smooth. Go only as fast as you can do the technique perfectly/correctly. Speed will come if you keep at it.

[chriseggy]

Re: (Lack of) Speed Kills?

I would suggest doing some fast and hard bag workouts, if you’re really worried about it.
I agree with everyone else though, the speed will come with time and practice and technical refinement.

[kmman]

Re: (Lack of) Speed Kills?

Punching speed: Keep hands loose, make fist as you hit target. I tight fist from the start slows you up. Focus on bringing your hands back twice as fast as you threw the punch.

My .02

[lcash]

Re: (Lack of) Speed Kills?

Maybe the amount of training has something to do with this. If you wear out your muslces and don’t give enough time for recovery which means, eat right and get plenty of sleep and time between workouts then you will tear down the muscle fibers without giving them a chance to rebuild before you tear at them again. In weight lifting training 2 days strait on the same body part would be suicide to success.

Lcash

[nixxon]

Re: (Lack of) Speed Kills?

Explosive strength/conditioning is also useful here for speed. Box jumps, clapping pushups etc. Anything where you explode will be useful, it will give you that quick reaction with force (re: ambush) that Krav is known for.

Also as Steve said, footwork is key. The body follows the feet, if you tangle from the bottom the top will be screwed.

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