Takamura's Beginning Boxing Routine

This is a request from a reader who wanted to see more training from secondary characters in Hajime no Ippo. So, I figured, let's start with Takamura Mamoru, arguably the strongest fighter in the series. The training we see here is from Takamura's pre-debut time. It is very simple, but is designed to do some very necessary things: give Takamura the speed to chase his opponent, the lead punch to set the pace and make way for his dynamite right punch. And if this seems a bit much, you do need to remember that this is Takamura we're talking about here, so feel free to tone it down a bit.

Here we go!

Takamura's Beginning Boxing Routine


Morning
Run 4.5 Miles

4-6 Hours Later

1. 1000 Jabs to Heavy Bag
2. "Scooter Pull"- 5 x 50 Yards
3. Run 4.5 Miles

Notes:

• The running might seem a bit excessive, but I put it at 4.5 miles, because it was listed that Takamura ran the course in less than 30 minutes and the gym crew seemed impressed with this, but not overly shocked, which lets me know it's probably more than 3 miles and less than 5, so I just went with this. Also, Coach Kamogawa had Takamura run the course in the morning and evening. 
• You can do the jabs all at once, in sets of 100, in rounds of 3 minutes, or however you want to do them. Just do 1000 and don't use your other hand. 
• For the "Scooter Pull," I imagine if might be difficult to find someone who will let you pull them up a hill while they sit on a scooter, but I'll give you some options. You can go authentic and have somebody (or two) sit on a scooter while your drag them up a steep hill or you can use one of these options: a grocery cart with someone in it (plus 45lbs to mimic the scooter's weight), a weight sled, a few smaller tires or one big tire. The point of it is, you want to have a difficult time pulling the weight up the hill. You don't want to be able to run it at all. 
• Like I said before, you are more than welcome to rein this back a little if needed. Perhaps cut the mileage and reps in half or do whatever you need to do to make it through. 
• This workout allowed Takamura to chase his opponent down and use his jab to set up his ultra-powerful right straight. Very simple workout, but it was simple for a reason. 

That's all for today. It's exceedingly good to be back writing again. I've missed it thoroughly. Until next time, good luck and train hard guys!

Training Update

Training is going pretty well. I've been experimenting with a few different training methods and what not for research. Looking to try to do a lot more in 2012, hopefully.

Have been studying some kung fu training for Avatar: The Last Airbender workouts (which should be a little bit later) and also a really great manga called Kenji. Gonna go back and rework some of the workouts with some better alternatives. Gonna try to start doing some regular videos, too. Gonna try to be a little bit more open with the content on this blog in order to make sure that you guys have a steady supply of of information and stuff to gawk at. :P

Mini-vacation and Moving

Been taking a little break this Holiday season and will be moving to Charleston, SC very soon, so that's the reason for my internet absence. I'm looking forward to the beginning of 2012.  Going to make some more workouts, write some more articles, and finally be consistent with videos.  Also trying to get a couple of side projects up for you guys.

Definitely would like to thank all of our long time readers and anyone who just happens to stumble across us here at Real Anime Training. The goal of this blog has met a fair amount of success and people seem to be more and more interested in both anime and fitness/martial arts and I'm excited to be a part of that movement.

Look forward to more in 2012! Until then, good luck and train hard!

Hell yes!

Watch "Dragon Ball Episode Of Bardock - FULL VERSION - HD" on YouTube

MMA in Anime and Manga

Unfortunately, mixed martial arts does not always receive the warmest of welcomes in anime or manga. There are plainly some biases against it, even to the point of contradiction. Mixed martial artists are often portrayed as mere sportsmen, just playing at real combat (which I will allow this argument to a degree, but I will qualify it) or that they are strong, but have horrible attitudes and are beaten out of principle it seems.
In History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi, there is a scene that shows Odin, right before he meets Ogata Isshinsai, where he had just won a martial arts match that looks very similar to an MMA competition. He appears to make light of the competition and you do not see him use any common MMA skills in his later fights. Ryouzanpaku itself is set up to be for pure non-sport Masters. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this, the problem lies in the fact that it dismisses the combat effectiveness of MMA or its components just because they are used in sport.

Even Judo and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu are made to seem less than other martial arts. Ukita is a judoka, but always seems to be the weakest fighter in the group. And during the D of D tournament, the BJJ team got slaughtered by the Ancient Pancration team... Which should include wrestling as part of its skill set, but is never showcased. This is challenged slightly by the Command Sambo users, but it is an exception to the rule.
In Karate Shoukoushi Kohinata Minoru, Minoru learns Karate and a little BJJ and does very well and then Mutou just does Karate and is ridiculously more powerful; however, a fighter from the MMA club is taken down by a single front kick (mind you, from a very strong karateka, but all the same). In general, if someone does MMA in manga or anime, expect to see them get slaughtered.

There are exceptions to this in Grappler Baki, Tough, Teppu, All-Rounder Meguru, and some others, but in general, MMA catches a bad rap in anime and manga. There's nothing wrong with just Karate or just a style of kung fu or just boxing or whatever, but the problem is when an author belittles the fact that MMA has fundamentally changed martial arts for the better (another article) and that mixed martial artists defeat traditional martial artists on a regular basis. I've said this before and I'll say it again, if you want to be a pure karateka or boxer or wrestler or whatever you have got to push the limits of your fitness and strength and find ways to deal with your style's shortcomings. Don't blame your art. Pick your path and charge full speed ahead, but prepare for the trials and tribulations and don't expect to win just because you train hard. Scissors always beat paper, no matter how much you don't want it to.

Shootfighter Tekken

So... had no idea, but apparently there is an anime version of Koko Tekken-den TOUGH. It's pretty awesome, too, since it tends to cut through all the fluff and get straight to the action.

Definitely worth a look and it will give you a closer look at some of the training described in the previous posts.

Kiichi's Iron Kiba Training B

Kiichi's prep for Iron Kiba also included endurance training-- super endurance training. This is absolutely ridiculous, but there are some people who run ULTRA-MARATHONS!  In short, an ultra-marathon is anything over a marathon, but generally go in increments like 30, 50 and 100 miles. You'll run slower during these types of events, but for longer periods of time. Kiichi went on a run that lasted more than 24 hours in order to both push his physical and mental endurance to their limits and reach a super runner's high. So, this training is not to be entered without a fair amount of prep work. Ultra-marathoning, like any elite sport has the potential to be very dangerous, so keep that in mind as you progress.


Kiichi's Iron Kiba Training B


The Goal:

• Run continuously (if possible) for 24 hours. 

The Progression:

• Stage 1: Alternate running and walking 30 minutes each for as many rounds as possible.
• Stage 2: Alternate running 1 hour and walking 30 minutes each for as many rounds as possible.
• Stage 3: Alternate running 1 and a half hours and walking 30 minutes each for as many rounds as possible.
• Stage 4: Alternate running 2 hours and walking 30 minutes each for as many rounds as possible.
• Stage 5: Alternate running for as long as possible and walking 30 minutes for as many rounds as possible.

Notes:

• There are no predefined terms for you to get to each level, however, in general you should have several rounds under your belt of each level before progressing to the next stage. 
• Your feet will take the brunt of this training. If possible run on grass or dirt for as much as possible to spare yourself the beating. The first stage will really give you the ability to rest in between the pounding of your feet against the ground and you'll be able to build it gradually. 
• You will need to eat. Sports drinks, carb gels, and protein-type bars are going to be essential to keep you going in the later rounds. 
• This training is not to be done all the time and is designed to be just another workout thrown into the mix of Real Anime Training workouts. 

That's all for today. Until next time, good luck and train hard!