Random Craziest Training Methods in Martial Arts (8 items)

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  (#1) Shaolin Monk Training

  When one thinks of a monk, they likely imagine men clad in robes, sitting cross-legged in a temple in a state of prayer. But to achieve a life of constant meditation, monks must to put themselves through both physical and mental training in order to prove nothing keeps them from their goal of searching for enlightenment. Some of the most harrowing forms of monk training include smashing their heads against a log and learning to break a bowl with one finger. If you don't want to fly to middle of nowhere in Asia to become a monk you can always read the 72 Arts of Shaolin and give it a shot on your lonesome. 
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  (#6) Tactical Breathing

  Tactical breathing, or more simply put, slowing your breathe and heartbeat to a deadly level, is practiced by multiple variations of martial artists. But these kinds of modern "centering techniques" stem from Aikido, a Japanese martial art based around breath pacing and creating an internal body rhythm to maintain composure and control fatigue. Modern practitioners of tactical breathing believe this method allows someone to stay in control of their body in the middle of a harrowing situation. 
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  (#7) Ninja Training

  Modern ninja training gears itself mostly towards people who tire of their everyday parkour routine. What do you do after you tire of leaping from the tops of buildings and bouncing off trash cans? As Los Angeles Times reporter Libby Hill learned, you jump up increasingly steep steps that sit over a pool of water that's just waiting to drown you. In order to even be ready to train as a ninja you must be in peak physical shape; such physical shape requires much dedication to both the gym and your training. 
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  (#8) Tameshiwari

  You're probably asking yourself, "What the heck is Tameshiwari?" It's a form of karate simply focused on breaking stuff with your body. Practitioners of Tameshiwari smash bricks, ice, wood, you name it, in order to get stronger. A lot of people practice a sort of halfway Tameshiwari that's mostly for show, but the actual version of this practice gets nuts. Practitioners believe by focusing their mental energy and combining it with their strength, they can smash anything in their way, and they usually break every bone in their body while trying to accomplish their goal of smashing the world to pieces. 
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  (#4) Shotokan Altitude Training

  Anyone who goes rock climbing, or even on long hikes, will tell you the higher you go the less oxygen there is, making it hard to breathe. Many experienced climbers die or succumb to fatigue in these situations and have to be escorted back down whatever they’re climbing with an oxygen mask. With that in mind, imagine trying to prepare for a fight while in those conditions. Fighters have been known to use altitude training to prepare their bodies for a particularly intense fight. Practitioners of altitude training believe depriving their bodies of oxygen while going through their normal routines puts their bodies in peak shape. In their opinion, no matter how tough the fight gets, it never gets as intense as any high-altitude workout.
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  (#5) Samurai Training

  The history of Feudal Japan largely involved guys roaming the countryside wielding swords and fighting each other to the death almost constantly. Life as a samurai was intense, and to prepare yourself for a day of constant warfare, you subjected your body to brutal treatment while also becoming familiar with poetry and Zen Buddhism. Things like sleep deprivation or braving the elements in the nude were not unheard of training techniques for the samurai. On top of that, children were prepped from a young age to become samurai, which included the tenet that if you ended your own life with ritual suicide rather than suffering defeat, you met a valiant death. Can you imagine the effect that has on a child? Naturally, there was a lot of drinking involved too. 

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