Combined martial arts team hits the road

Ainsley Walters, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica's combined martial arts team, more renowned for its success against the world's top martial arts teams, has this year incorporated the road-race circuit as part of its endurance training as well as a bid to attract potential sponsors.

Interestingly, the unit started on a winning note on January 8 when it landed the Corporate Team trophy at the 5K Training Camp Run. The team was again triumphant six days later when Sheckema Cunningham won the female division of the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains 5K.

Captain Jason McKay, who oversees the cardiovascular training of the male team, in addition to coaching the female squad, said the combined team had competed in road races before, as a sporting gesture, and had even won a segment of the Reggae Marathon 10k.

"We've always been in road races, running and winning while representing different corporate teams. This year, we believe running as the combined martial arts team is a good way to encourage sponsorship from corporate Jamaica, plus road races are also good cardio workouts," McKay explained.

He said the fitness and stamina required of martial artists should enable his team "to compete at any level in any sport".

"We're athletes and long-distance running is suited to people practising martial arts because of the required physical fitness," he said, adding that himself and fellow combined team members, Kenneth Edwards and Oshane Murray, had all represented Calabar High in track and field.

Cunningham said her junior high-school track experience, prior to martial arts, came in handy.

"I used to do distance running at Melrose Primary and Junior High before I went to Dunoon Technical," she said.

"I ran the 200 and 400m and was also on the 4x100 and 4x400 teams. I had also signed up for long jump but that didn't work for me," said the 5' 3" microweight fighter, adding, "I was about five feet tall then."

Cunningham said she knew from early that she would have been the first female to cross the finish line in the Rotary 5K.

"I went out with the aim to be the first female. I knew I couldn't beat the guys but I stayed with the early pace and quickly realised there were no other female around, so I just tried to keep up with a guy who was in a good position."

Endurance is key

Endurance training, Cunningham said, is key to developing stamina for two-minute bouts in the ring.

"It helps because when you go into the ring it's two minutes straight. The running helps you to last through the rounds, how to pace your fight.

"We not only do road runs but also treadmill. It actually helps a lot. In a fight, you've to know when to go hard and when to slow down," added the 26-year-old, Jamaica's first female medallist in sparring at the International Taekwondo Federation World Championships.

Cunningham won a bronze medal in New Zealand last year and will lead the female combined team in its first outing of the year when they travel to the Philadelphia Open in May.

Meanwhile, the male team will take the match two months earlier, competing at the Connecticut Open on March 31.