I am curious as to hearing what the biggest endurance test of JKD Forum members was whether it was increasing your mileage on a run, Taku's intervals/Scrapper's workout, a thai boxing match, sport jiu-jitsu match, your first MMA fight, a street fight, triathelon, long sexual session, etc., etc.
My biggest endurance test was at Rorion's first IGJJF tournament a few years ago in the blue belt division where I fought the winner of the division first round. Rorion had the bright idea of making it no time limit (until submission or 12 points are scored) so I fought 21 minutes straight. When my opponent passed my guard at the 16 minute mark I seriously was thinking about just offering him my arm to end the match I was feeling so sick but I'm glad I didn't take the pussy way out. I ended up losing on points (he reached 12 points and they automatically stop the match at 12 points) and I promptly went outside and threw up. Made me have a newfound respect for those that fought no time limit NHB in the old days and this was only sport jiu-jitsu! Also told me what I need to drastically work on - conditioning!
...or it could have been that time this pussy named Wong Jak something kept running away from me and I kept blasting him on the back of his head. I won the fight but it took too long. Later, after being flying sidekicked in the back by said TMA (or was it from lifting weights?) and temporarily paralizyed on an upside down contraption (at least my hot wife came to visit me) I put down my notes on my theories of martial arts and how conditioning is the most underemphasized attribute... Fatbuddha dozes in and out of sleep dreaming about getting off the couch and training while Dragon, the Bruce Lee story plays in the background
there are 2 for me. One was my first judo black belt test (no I wasn't testing, but everybody was going through the same stuff as those who were attempting to reach black belt). 2 1/2 hrs of continuous throws, chokes, armbars, randoir, etc etc. Was tired like a mofo after that one (and glad I wasn't the one being evaluated).
Second one was my brown belt test in kyokushin karate back in the day. 5hrs of nothing but pure endurance. Running, sparring, pushups, crunches, balance drills, you name it and I did it. All for the purpose of trying to break your will, and man did it come close.
Probably my biggest was the 25 mile cross country hump in recon school in full battle dress with a 70 pound rucksack and packing an M16 the entire way. 60% failure rate.
1) My Kenpo black belt test was 4 hours of horror....every endurance trial possible. THAT sucked. I got sick about two thirds of the way through, asked to be excused, went into the bathroom and threw up a bunch of times, and then came back out and resumed what I was doing.
2) My first Judo tourney was also a crazy endurance trial. I was the only one in my division, so they threw me in with 3 guys who were 6'2" and 185 (I weighed in at 160). My second match was a WAR that I lost on points and I was completely gassed going into my third. I only threw up a little afterwards :-)
Hmmm...mine are pretty sad since my endurance is just terrible.
But...one of my early Judo tournaments...I went out drinking the night before and when I woke up in the morning, I was still drunk. Somehow managed to drive to the tournament site but by then, drunkenness was drifting into hangover land.
One of my matches turned into a WAR on the ground which finally ended with me being pinned after several pin attempts by both of us - that pretty much did it - I ran into the bathroom and threw up as soon as I bowed off the mat and threw up a couple times more until my last match. Going into my last match, I realized that if I didn't win it within the first thirty seconds or so, I was going to get disqualified for puking on the mat. So I went in there like a bat out of Hell, ipponed the other guy and then had to fight back the urge to barf as the refs declared me the winner...and then, again, ran off the mat as soon as I bowed off and puked for one last, delicious time.
Important lesson learned - alcohol AFTER Judo, never before.
I heard the Kyokushinkai belt tests were total ass-kickers. I'd probably break down and start crying or something equally embarrassing.
I forgot to mention - my condition was worsened by the fact that, in a misguided attempt to induce sobriety before the tournament, I ate two Roy Rogers sausage egg biscuit sandwiches along with two hashbrown patties washed down with plenty of orange juice and coffee.
I think that "meal" (what was left of it, after all my puking) finally digested several hours after the tournament.
"Damn, did you make it the entire 25 miles? What was hurting the most when you were done?"
Oh yeah, I made it alright. It wasn't easy, to say the least. Very much a mental game of telling your body to keep going when it wants to collapse. I don't know what hurt the worst. Your feet, ankles, shins, knees, calves and thighs are killing you from the constant walking, especially across uneven terrain, but then your shoulders and back are dying from carrying that alice pack as well. That M16 is damn heavy after carrying it for 25 miles as well and your arms are just screaming. Basically, everything hurt!
"Very much a mental game of telling your body to keep going when it wants to collapse" - I bet you learned a lot about yourself after that. I guess the human mind (as well as body) is an incredible thing!
By the way, I need you to fly out to LA on August 13-15 and serve as my mental conditioning coach for the no time limit Rorion tournament this year. Every time I complain or look tired you can tell me to stop being a pussy and "remember what I did in recon!". I would be so embarrassed I would have to keep going!
"By the way, I need you to fly out to LA on August 13-15 and serve as my mental conditioning coach for the no time limit Rorion tournament this year. Every time I complain or look tired you can tell me to stop being a pussy and "remember what I did in recon!". I would be so embarrassed I would have to keep going!"
bailing out on Team Fatbuddha, huh, Scott? Oh well, if you are going to abandonn your mental toughness protege at least be sure to make another DVD covering what you did in the Master Chai seminar. Thanks for the wish of good luck, have a great seminar!
For me it was twenty years ago SAS test- 50 miles in under 22 hours, 50 pound pack, rifle. At points in the night in went down to minus twenty and things only improved when it snowed. Out of forty starters nine of us came in on time.
At points being totaly alone between check points, I felt like I was going mad (maybe I did). I remember being at one point thinking if I stop I will just die on this hill............
It hurt in every way.
After that I looked for other "tests" in boxing, rock climbing and thai boxing but that was the one where I realised I could push harder for longer than most of the people around me.