What about “Stamina?” “Endurance?”

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Tairyoku [体力] stamina; endurance; physical strength; resilience.

Nintai [忍耐] endurance; perseverance; patience.

We all talk about strength in training and we ask ourselves, “what type of strength?” What type as to muscle strength as it applies to say heavy lifting or to muscle stamina and endurance along with speed for fast-twitch muscular ability. We talk about strength as it may be perceived by larger, stronger muscles as found on body builders and we talk about the lean type of strength that is found in faster lean stabilizing type of muscular ability. In short, we may be failing to recognize the needs of the muscular and skeletal systems to do what our intent in practice and training would indicate. 

Strength does NOT mean endurance and stamina and strength DOES include endurance and stamina. How can I say that, I can because building one’s strength will develop endurance and stamina. It develops a certain level of endurance and stamina and maybe not the type you need as in self-protection. 

When a person has to go physical, assuming all else failed or they made some questionable decisions, that strength, stamina and endurance can deplete itself as to available energy, power and force way to fast for the situation leaving one vulnerable. Strength, stamina and endurance has to be at such a level that when in the protection-defense physical manifestation of a situation, assuming all else failed or they made some questionable decisions, the levels must be such that depletions you experience are much slower than that of your attacker or opponent. Seldom, in self-protection does a person have the time found in sport oriented competitive situations as an attack is fast, a surprise and overwhelming of mind, body and spirit. 

Ask yourself:

• What type of strength do you NEED? Fast-twitch; slow-twitch, etc.
• What type and level of endurance?
• What type and level of stamina?
• What level of perseverance and how you achieve that with the choices made?
• How can you balance out appropriate to intent stamina, endurance, physical strength, mental strength and resilience?

Asking these and other questions involve some really deep understanding as to the overall, primary, intent of your training, practice and applicable experiences. 

If you are not considering such things, evaluating the choices to fit your primary objective and intent of your efforts and focusing your syllabus toward achieving those milestones and objectives are you fulfilling your needs for the intent such as self-protection? 

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