Conditioning is an important aspect of ngo cho kun training it help develop control, balance and confidence. Conditioning is not only physical but mental and spiritual as well. As a form of combat self defense it is important that our body, mind and spirit are well prepared to face external threat and react to it without hesitation, it is a life and death situation not only to ourselves but to people around us, family, and friends.

Physical conditioning start internally with our internal organs, proper oxygen & blood circulation, breathing control, internal muscle groups, the nervous system and our skeletal structure are the main primary target. The development of our internal system will significantly make it easier to develop our external physical condition.

Physical conditioning comprises the following:

1. Cardio respiratory endurance is stamina it is the ability to maintain and controls our energy level; involves the circulation of oxygen, blood and nutrients to our body that will allow us to outlast our opponents.

2. Muscular power and strength is the ability to convert energy to force. Delivering strikes to our opponents such as punches, elbow, knees and kicks as well as the ability to withstand impact, blocking and deflecting opposing force. Muscle tensioning-training is important in developing proper power and muscle control.

3. Flexibility is mobility it is the ability to move joint and muscle groups through their full range of motion. As well as reacting naturally and instinctively against any threatening action by an opposing body.

Physical conditioning is the ability to take punishment, absorb hits or impacts and have the capacity to generate enough energy force to strike down your opponent. Some physical areas that are targeted for conditioning are: neck, upper arms, forearms, abs, chest, shin, and fist.

Because society has evolved to become more civilized with better peace and order and with the introduction of more lethal weapons such as guns and bombs, physical conditioning is no longer that extreme. Training is now targeted more on physical fitness, a little bit on self defense and in large part the ability to compete in sport sparring where training has been simplified to concentrate on techniques that are govern under the sparring rules, such techniques as punches, use of elbows, knees, kicks and grappling. Restricted targets are also imposed.

Neck, forearm, fist and shin conditioning is consider less relevant and have been regarded by some to be only good for public exhibition in breaking objects. But is this so? No absolutely not. The conditioning of the neck will help prevent concussion, an iron forearm will allow us the ability with confidence to block, deflect and withstand strikes from blunt instruments and use it as a counter attack in breaking the attackers striking arm. It also improves sensitivity allowing the arm to react quickly and naturally against attacks.

In sport sparring the fist is protected with hand wraps and gloves but in actual street self defense combat it is not. The chance of hitting something solid like human bone is very high and if the fist is not condition properly chances are high that we will break our own fist rendering it useless and thus exposing ourselves to greater harm without the ability to fight back or defend properly.

The same goes with the shin, a well condition shin will give us great confidence in executing kicks that will surely penetrate and break through our attacker’s defenses.

What we must remember that the first natural line of defense that our mind will use in defending the body will be the use of the arms. The arms will involuntarily and naturally try to cover our head and body, the arms will swing out trying to fend off, the arms will strike out and the arms will grab, punch, and hold.

This being the case, in ngo cho kun the forearm is given preference, conditioning is concentrated 50% on the forearm this will also improve the punching power. The other 50% is on neck, abs, shin and fist.