AboutIgor Klibanov Expertise I will answer questions about competitions, tournaments, physical fitness for martial arts, and preparing for tournaments. I specialize in sparring and traditional forms (though I will answer about freestyle forms as well).
Experience I have been training in martial arts for 10 years. I trained in traditional karate for a year, and then took up Shaolin Kempo Karate. I have achieved my black belt in Kempo, and later, I took up Sikaran - a Filipino art, very similar to Tae Kwon Do. To date, I have 5 years of experience in Sikaran.
Expert: Igor Klibanov Date: 4/30/2008 Subject: Solo training
Question I am not going to have a martial arts teacher for the next 4 to 6 months. I am not confident in my foundation, so I am wondering what I should do about my training over the next 6 months. I live in cottage country and there are no teachers of any style in my area. I just don't know how to deal with this road block. Right now solo training is my only option and I don't know what to focus on in that respect.
Answer Hey Andrew,
There's a few things I would recommend for solo training.
First, work your basics. The foundation is extremely important, and you want it to be really solid. Once it is in fact solid (hopefully when you go back to training), your progress will come much faster.
Second, visualize. Visualize yourself practicing the basics, and class drills that you worked on. See yourself doing everything perfectly. Refine any major or minor mistakes. You would be surprised that you can actually improve without any partners.
Third, work on your conditioning. Make sure that you don't run out of gas before you are finished your training. Also, good conditioning allows you to train longer, and train more frequently.
