The purpose of cardio-karate and similar programs is to provide participants with a cardiovascular workout and, supposedly, with an understanding of the basic techniques of martial arts. What these programs fail to do is provide adequate instruction on the details of the basics, thereby allowing the students to develop habitually poor martial arts technique.
Introduction
Cardio-karate has become big business, filling up gyms and taking over aerobics classes all over the country. Many people, bored with the usual workout routines, have turned to it as a way to cure their boredom and, they think, learn a bit about self-defense. Many karate and other martial arts schools have jumped on the bandwagon as well. These types of classes can supplement their student-base, take up floor time that might have otherwise been wasted, and serve as a “feeder” program to their regular, more lucrative, and longer-term martial arts programs.
One problem with this sort of arrangement is that many cardio-karate students are only in it for the exercise and don’t have any interest in the martial arts. Another problem is that students who begin taking the regular martial arts classes might be disappointed if the intensity of the class doesn’t keep pace with that of their cardiovascular workout. However, the most long-term problem is the likelihood that a student who learned to punch and kick while watching a video or taking a cardio-karate class didn’t learn how to punch or kick properly. By spending months, or sometimes years, practicing improper technique, the new martial arts student has developed bad habits that will either never get broken or will take a great deal of extra effort on the part of the student and the instructor.
This paper will focus on specific bad habits and practices that can be observed on Billy Blanks’ Advanced Tae-Bo Workout tape. The reasons this particular tape was chosen are two-fold. First, Tae-Bo has become very popular and is likely to be representative of the entire genre. Second, I have a copy of the tape and have been able to analyze it in depth. The following sections, followed by a conclusion, will compare different facets of martial arts training with the Tae-Bo workout, to support the premise of this paper as stated in the abstract.
This is not an argument against Tae-Bo or any other aerobic exercise. On the contrary, Tae-Bo is an excellent workout and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in increasing their stamina, strength, and endurance. The focus of this paper is to clarify what Tae-Bo is NOT. Tae-Bo is NOT martial arts training and when beginning students treat it as if it were then they are practicing bad habits that can be difficult to break if they do begin martial arts training.
Appearance
Enter any traditional martial arts dojo (training hall) and you will immediately notice that all of the students are wearing basically the same training uniform, a keikogi (euphemistically shortened to just “gi”). “The wearing of a keikogi is a physical way of establishing that this activity is not like any other. It’s true that beginners look awkward in a new keikogi, [but] they’d look nearly the same no matter what they wore because when they try the basic movements of an unfamiliar art they will always appear awkward. Part of any serious budo (warrior way) training is coming face-to-face with this awkwardness, acknowledging it and attempting to over come it.” (Lowry, 1999) By wearing Spandex and sneakers, and allowing the students to do the same, Billy Blanks is clearly not taking part in any serious budo training. He’s just working out.
Aside from clothing, there is also the issue of grooming. All of the martial arts schools in which I have trained have had rules concerning grooming, specifically stating that the length of toe and finger nails should be kept short. There are several reasons for this. The first and foremost is safety. If two students are working together on self-defense or sparring there is a possibility that long nails can cause injury. A second reason for keeping finger nails short is to allow the student to make a proper fist. The woman in the picture below has finger nails so long that it would be impossible for her to punch with proper technique since it would be impossible for her to make a proper fist. This clearly shows that her goal is not to execute proper technique.
Balance
One of the most important physical qualities that a martial artist strives to develop is balance while kicking. Balance is required for proper and controlled technique. Without balance, kicks seem flailing and awkward. Balance is developed by practicing kicks slowly and concentrating on the position of every part of the body throughout the entire kick. Having proper balance means that a proper defensive guard can be kept while kicking, otherwise the arms and hands must be used to maintain balance instead of fend off attack.
If the point of the movement is merely exercise, then proper and controlled technique is not a concern. However, being able to “kick” is more than just the ability to throw your foot into the air. Radio City Music Hall’s Rockettes “kick,” but certainly not in the martial artist’s sense of the word. The women in the picture below clearly are not worried about their balance since they are leaning on the support leg with their back hand (something Billy Blanks does, too). This practice means that proper balance is not achieved and effective technique is not the goal.
Focus and Concentration
Focus and concentration are essential to effective martial arts practice. The ability to pick a target and execute a technique to strike that target is essential for a self-defense situation. The woman in the bottom left of the picture below is clearly not focusing on a target; she is just thrusting her foot behind her without any understanding of the technique or application of the technique. A proper back kick must include a turning of the head to put the target in sight. By allowing students to perform techniques this poorly, Billy Blanks is allowing them to develop bad habits that will be difficult to overcome in a traditional martial arts environment.
“Tae-Bo”, which I’ve read is an acronym that combines Taekwondo (the way of striking with the hands and feet) with boxing, also utilizes many hand techniques that are common to martial arts and boxing, which is not a martial art due to its pugilistic nature. One of these techniques is the upper-cut punch. The woman in the picture below is performing an upper-cut. Clearly, she is not concentrating on what she is doing and is not focused on her target or her head would be turned in the direction of her fist. Furthermore, since the power in an upper-cut, like most martial arts techniques, comes from the hips; she is clearly not executing the technique with any significant degree of power. In order to properly execute a left upper-cut, she would have to twist her hips and pivot on her left foot and use her leg and hip strength to supply the power; as opposed to her arm. She would also need to keep her hand closer to her body since an upper-cut is an “inside” technique, meaning it is used only when one is close to their opponent.
A practice often engaged in by boxers and sometimes martial artists is the use of a speed bag. The purpose of a speed bag, as I understand it, is to help the user develop concentration, focus, and stamina. I have used a speed bag in my muay Thai training and it certainly requires concentration and focus. One wrong hit will result in chaos. As for stamina, I could never keep it going long enough to test my stamina since proficiency requires a lot of practice. The picture below is of a woman engaged in Tae-Bo’s “speed bag” exercise. Apart from the fact that she is not even making a proper fist, is that she is clearly not concentrating and is obviously not focused on what she is doing. Using a speed bag is much more than just rolling your arms to music like a 70’s disco dancer, but Billy Blanks doesn’t make that clear.
Self-Defense
Probably the most disturbing aspect of the cardio-karate fad is that many of the participants are falsely led to believe that they are learning self-defense. “In his infomercials, some of Blank’s female students claim that their [Tae-Bo] training makes them feel safer on the street. That’s misleading. Tae-Bo students are only throwing punches and kicks to music; they are not learning self-defense. They have no idea what the techniques are for.” (Wallace, 1999) On his Advanced Tae-Bo Workout tape, Billy Blanks states before one particular exercise, “focus on somebody grabbing you, and you have to protect yourself.” This type of focus, is not something that can easily be visualized. Learning self-defense requires four things: a patient and knowledgeable instructor, practice, practice, and more practice. Effective self-defense is learned with a partner and an instructor over a long period of time. It is not something that can be “picked up” from a video or during a fast-paced cardiovascular workout.
Clearly there could be disastrous results if one is falsely led to believe they have the ability to defend themselves. One of the easiest ways to prevent yourself from getting hurt is to avoid possible confrontations in the first place. Many martial arts instructors, especially in regards to women, are very adamant about this issue. However, people who confident in their ability are more likely to allow themselves to be in a situation in which they might need to use it. If this confidence is not supported by knowledge and experience then it could lead to people getting seriously hurt, or worse, when they get engaged in a confrontation and are unable to successfully defend themselves.
Proper Technique
The fast-paced nature of cardio-karate does not allow the instructor to take the time to demonstrate proper technique and correct improper technique. This problem is the primary reason that these programs do not prepare students for regular martial arts classes. “Students should be taught how to do the techniques correctly. For example, throwing a kick out and just letting the leg drop instead of snapping it back is bad for the joints, cartilage and ligaments. Blanks should take a few minutes before the workout to show his students how to properly execute the hand and foot techniques. It is very possible that the students would enjoy learning the meaning behind the kicks and punches they’re throwing.” (Wallace, 1999) However, this is not enough if the students still perform then incorrectly even after being shown. Just demonstrating or explaining a technique is oftentimes not enough for students who may need the physical contact of kinesthetic instruction.
Aside from the physical danger of executing techniques improperly is the practical danger of allowing them to be practiced improperly. The women in the picture below are clearly not executing proper open-hand blocking technique. The woman in the front has her wrist bent, her arm nearly straight and her thumb sticking out. In addition to that, the woman in the back clearly does not have her fingers tight enough to prevent injury or her back hand in a proper fist. The reason that it is necessary to keep one’s fingers tight, or hand in a proper fist, is that the strength in the hand, or fist, is greater than the sum of its parts. A blow that may break one finger would probably not break all five, and a proper fist can strike with a much greater force than could normally be withstood by a single bone. Locking out one’s arm is a recipe for elbow and shoulder injury, and bending the wrist takes away the support that the arm provides when keeping it straight.
The picture below is during “double-time punches” and it is clear that speed and not proper technique is the goal of the exercise. Experienced and effective martial arts instructors always stress that proper technique, not speed, is of primary concern even when speed is a secondary goal. Since the power from punches mostly comes from twisting the hips and abdominal muscles, not just the arms, these “flurry” punches are anything but effective technique.
Again, these practices are likely to cause bad habits to be developed. Bad habits that would be difficult to break if serious budo training were to begin. Students who would like to train to be faster must first train to do the technique correctly. Improper technique is doomed to be ineffective regardless of speed.
Recommendations
“Blanks should take a few minutes before the workout to show his students how to properly execute the hand and foot techniques. It is very possible that the students would enjoy learning the meaning behind the kicks and punches they’re throwing.” (Wallace, 1999) Those who are interested would be more likely to enroll in regular martial arts classes when they experience the techniques for what they really are. These few minutes of instruction on a video could easily be skipped by people who have already had it, and in live classes those who do not need the extra help could just plan on starting a bit later. In the Tae-Bo videos, it would definitely be a better example if the participants were chosen based on the ability to properly execute the techniques and not just how they look in a leotard.
Joe Lewis’s Kickbox Fitness system include resistance training, which provides a more realistic experience. Just punching or kicking into the air does not give the participant any indication as to whether their technique is effective. Without any resistance, poor technique and perfect technique can look and feel very much the same. The use of resistance training can help the instructor evaluate the students’ technique in order to improve it. Clearly, the use of heavy and speed bags, pads, and gloves would not be practical all the time, due to space constraints and cost of equipment; but enough of it to help the student understand the difference between effective and ineffective technique would better prepare the student for actual martial arts training.
Conclusion
Cardio-karate can provide a valuable workout for those who desire just that. As for a stepping stone to martial arts training, it can be a step in the wrong direction. As a martial artist with enough experience to be able to properly execute the techniques, most of the time, I was able to get an excellent workout using Advanced Tae-Bo. I have also taken several cardio-karate classes and, apart from the annoying music, found them to be quite helpful. As a result, I would highly recommend these types of programs to accomplished martial artists who are already confident in their technique and are looking for an additional cardiovascular workout. However, our of fear of forming habitually bad technique, I do not recommend them to beginners or as feeder programs for traditional martial arts schools.
The biggest and only danger with these types of programs is that the participants are often led to believe that what they are doing is a martial art when it is not. Martial arts training must have intellectual and spiritual components that transcend the physical. In learning, studying, and practicing kata (forms), bunkai (interpretation), and self-defense, karateka (practitioners) also learn about themselves. It is the whole package that is necessary to constitute a martial art, anything less is merely exercise, or street fighting.
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