I remember reading in a book call "A fighters Heart" a Muay Thai coach told the author 9 times out of 10, the fighter who is in the best shape wins the fight.
The second point is what most people do not understand. As a krav instructor myself I saw a lot of guys in good shape claiming they are fit. Only 4 months ago a gentleman walked in class saying that he is in good (cardio) condition bcause he plays tennis once or twice a week, is lifting weights and is jogging frequently... 25 minutes later he was throwing up in class. That is one point of sports specific condition. In my experience you have to practise under a moderate pace with little "breaks" for detailed technique explaination but you have to have phases with all out energy! Meaning exercises in which the student gives it all like in a sprint but with martial movements. It has a lot of benefits because it is a situation which often occurs in a self defence situation, you have a stress level in the practise that makes you able to "download" the techniques in real stress situation AND you know what it feels like to be exhaused so you do not freak out if it happens. You can also predict how much gas you have left in the tank. I know there are people/scientists who say "If you can do it slow you can do it fast" but here is an import co-factor which fucks up the idea... and that is stress! You are only able to perform an action you have learned under similar circumstances. So if you are not a fuckin' ZEN Master and have heart rate of 70 when facing death death... practise under stress!!!
So many brilliant points here - and you're right. They weren't points that I was expecting. Definitely interested in above comment - what kind of conditioning is best for different self defense styles? [Krav vs jiu-jitsu vs taekwondo etc]
