Can someone give me a rough percent? I have heard athletic ability is more important, but then again some people say skill. I want to know, because if it is athletic ability, then I want to train a while before I go into martial arts.
If it is more athletic ability, what are some good exercises (probably gonna do BJJ or Judo)? Currently I run, do crunches, pushups, and pullups. Any diet tips?
Actually beginners do not need any athletic ability at all. You will gain that from training in martial arts, but it does help somewhat. Skill is not required either since you will gain that as well.
I have had many students come in that had neither athletic or skill ability and the funny thing is many of them trained harder and longer than those that had athletic ability. Out of our 33 black belts 19 of them had not ability in either area at all when they began.
Now, if you are talking about the sport side or competitive martial arts yes you have to have both. Athletic ability is important if you want to win a lot. If an out shape fighter faces an in shape fighter typically the one in shape will win…but not always. This is where skill comes in to play. I have seen young, athletic black belts face off out of shape masters at tournaments only to be beaten because the masters had more knowledge, tactical ability and skill…but the same is true of young black belts beating masters as well.
For a good routine make sure you have good cardio training, work all the muscle groups and stretch daily. You will want to alternate your training days with hard work out days and light days. Depending on what you are training for you can create a routine that focuses on building what is needed for your goals. Good luck.