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Training

Because the martial arts require a practitioner to use his entire body as a weapon, the training that goes hand in hand with dojo instruction is designed to develop all parts of the body. Cross-training uses other sports such as running, biking and weightlifting to build strength and endurance. Recently, a bigger-picture view of cross-training has been adopted; it entails using complementary martial arts to hone specific attributes. For example, a kicker might cross-train in judo to fine-tune his grappling skills.

When it comes to art-specific training, martial artists may devote time to perfecting their kicks, punches, throws or submissions. In this case, the skills and training methods come from the art the student is learning, not from another sport or a different art. No matter the source, all martial arts training is performed with an eye toward developing every aspect of fitness and mental toughness.