A Good Beat

There is a lot to be said, in my opinion, for ambiance. Changing the enviroment can change how people act/react, with one of the most readily manipulated factors being music. You will never hear Dethklok when the Microsoft puts you on hold and you won't be seeing Jason Statham fighting to Alvin and The Chipmunks.

Proper choice of music can also be useful in martial arts training. Personally, my favorite training music is Disturbed, the Indestructible album in particular. Music is a good way to take your mind off the pain in your muscles of the boredom of Horse Stance marathons. Moving to a beat is also a useful way of pacing yourself and when running seems preferable to simply trying to will myself to go faster. When running I'd suggest tracks like Rammstein's Links 2, 3, 4 ( Left 2, 3, 4) which has a well paced beat for running in time with. In fact, Rammstein has made a large amount of great training music such as Tier (Animal), Mann Gegen Mann (Man Against Man) and Sonne ( The Sun). Sonne in particular is quite poetic, and being about a boxer, quite appropriate.

When selecting a soundtrack for my gleeful misery, I generally look for music with the following things in mind:

1. Obviously, it must be music in which I can lose myself and that I can stand listening to on repeat when I want a nice, stable tempo. The tempo and mood should also fit with the style I'm practicing. Crazy Frog and Thai Chi do not mix.

2. It should be something with an inspiring sound, for example Europa by Globus, which makes excellent use of a choir and symphony. Good lyrics are a must, as there is little worse than hearing anything involving gats and hoes while trying to throw a scissor kick.



Poetry of any kind can be useful, since that is all good lyrics are. I've lost count of how many times I've sung Lady in Black, Unsterblich (Undying), Eisbar ( Polar Bear), or Ejnoy The Silence quietly to myself while training.

Ben Davies
www.silentriverkungfu.com