How to Avoid Bad Martial Arts Training Habits

A sprained wrist, broken foot or dislocated elbow or knee are dangers present in martial arts training when a practitioner has poor training habits. Observation of good martial arts training habits can mostly eliminate the possibility of self-injury. In a previous article, I spoke of how it's possible to practice alone. If you go this route, the importance of proper martial arts training habits can't be stressed enough. This also applies when learning with a teacher, but a competent teacher will be able to correct your flaws as they occur. Good martial arts training habits are safer and they allow more efficient use of the body's power. Here are some common errors beginners make, the proper methods and the reasoning behind them.

Bad Martial Arts Training Habit 1: The practitioner holds his or her breath during a punch or a kick.
Proper Method: Always exhale or perform a kiai as you execute the technique.
Reasoning: For one thing, it's a good training habit because it's a release of energy. When you do a kiai (a sharp exhalation from the diaphragm) it puts more power into the strike. In an actual fight, if you're holding your breath and your opponent happens to get a sharp hit into the solar plexus, that puts you out of commission. Plus if you're not breathing, oxygen's not getting to the brain. Overall a bad thing. Whereas if you're relaxed, the diaphragm is able to give, so a blow wouldn't be as abrupt and debilitating.

Bad Martial Arts Training Habit 2:The wrist is at an angle during a punch.
Proper Method: The fist should be at an exact parallel with the rest of the forearm.
Reasoning: Very simple - in martial arts training, if you strike a hard surface with your fist misaligned, it's very possible to break your hand. This is part of why you need a solid surface when training - otherwise there's no sense of how your hand will behave upon hitting something.

Bad Martial Arts Training Habit 3: Strikes are done with the fingers or all four knuckles.
Proper Method: The first knuckles of the index and middle fingers are the part of the hand used during a punch.
Reasoning: The four fingers aren't naturally aligned in such a way as to allow them all to connect unless your hand is twisted accordingly. That falls under improper alignment. When done correctly, the entire pressure of the punch is exerted through a smaller area - namely those first two knuckles.

Bad Martial Arts Training Habit 4: The body is always tense.
Proper Method: The body should be relaxed except when connecting with a blow.
Reasoning: Holding your fists or body in rigor mortis serves only to tire you out because of constantly tensed muscles. Also you can't move as quickly or fluidly.

Bad Martial Arts Training Habit 5: During a kick, the upper body is leaned back.
Proper Method: Keep the upper body as upright as possible during a kick.
Reasoning: Leaning back only takes the force out of a kick. This applies to any strike - put the entire body into it.

Bad Martial Arts Training 6: During a punch or kick, the guard is dropped.
Proper Method: Keep one hand up to block the face, the other to block the midsection or groin.
Reasoning: If your guard isn't always up, you're vulnerable to a quick follow-up strike.