(Newswire.net — June 24, 2021) —
Martial arts are becoming some of the most popular hobbies around the world. Not only are kids looking up to Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and then going to train, but also adults and even older people decide to take up some form of self-defense for the many health benefits and great experiences it provides.
In this article, I will go through some of the more important benefits of training martial arts, both in the physical realm and the mental one. Taking up martial arts or combat sports is one of the best things you can do for yourself, and after reading about all the health benefits it comes with, you will be even more convinced. If you are interested, read on!
Physical Benefits of Training Martial Arts
Most people, when thinking of martial arts, think of ripped, shredded, and fit people like Shaolin monks or Bruce Lee. This doesn’t come as a surprise, since almost all arts that were created for self-defense require a good physique so one can successfully perform the techniques and movements that are required of them in order to reach a level of expertise. Training at the UMF martial arts centre can help you improve your physical and mental well-being while learning valuable self-defense skills.
This is why first, I will talk about the physical benefits, and how one’s body physiology can change from training in martial arts regularly. Here are some of the top benefits.
Improved Coordination
One of the most amazing benefits that come from training martial arts, and also one that usually sticks with people for a lot longer than physical prowess does, is the improvement in coordination skills that can be achieved. Whichever martial art you decide to train, you will develop some coordination skills, spatial awareness, and body control. You will know how to move more efficiently and confidently.
For example, if you learn Taekwondo, you don’t only learn how to do epic kicks, but you also know how to not kick the other people or objects around you. You will carry yourself in your environment much more securely. You will have a better perception of the space around you, and you will also know how to control your body better to avoid injury or accidents. This can even translate into some skills like driving since you will be more used to being aware of your surroundings and paying attention to your peripheral vision.
Better Cardiovascular- and Lung Health
Everybody knows that you will have stronger, larger muscles from combat sports or that you will be more flexible, however, not many people focus on the fact that you can also actually get a lot healthier in terms of your heart and lung health.
Cardiovascular health is basically how efficiently and effortlessly your heart can pump your blood through all your veins and arteries. Since cardiovascular events and illnesses are the leading cause of death worldwide, it would be productive for all people to try to adopt heart-healthy hobbies. Training in martial arts will strengthen one’s cardiovascular system, lower blood pressure and thus increase longevity.
Lung health can also be improved by training since the many, deep breaths one takes when training can over time increase lung capacity, and also help it heal from previous damage more efficiently than it otherwise could.
Better Sleep
Most of the benefits of martial arts training can be noticed while going somewhere, doing some physical activity, or perhaps defending oneself in an altercation. However, martial arts can also affect our bodies when we are not conscious, i.e. asleep.
Sleep is more important than most people instinctively believe. It is one of the Holy Trinity of healthy living: exercise, diet, sleep. That is when not only your body but also your brain regenerates the most, and it is necessary for good physical development. However, to get all these benefits, you need to have high-quality, regular sleep, and that is where martial arts classes come into play.
Often, people do not exert the energy they have in a day, they don’t help their bodies burn off the cortisol (stress hormone) that it should, and they either cannot fall asleep in time or they cannot fall into a deep sleep as easily as it would be optimal. In these instances, one of the best ways to help your sleep routine is to do some exercise and also some flexibility/relaxation daily or every other day.
The reason martial arts are so amazing at improving sleep quality is that they provide an amazing workout, while at the same time also mentally draining you and increasing your flexibility. These together can improve your sleep quality, which in turn can improve your performance and your health.
Mental Health Benefits of Martial Arts Training
In today’s world, there are actually a number of different pandemics and epidemics. There is the obesity epidemic, the cardiovascular epidemic, the coronavirus pandemic, but also another one that is often forgotten, and that is the mental health epidemic we are facing. A rise in mental health issues, suicide rates, divorces, and many others shows that there is a serious problem that needs to be solved.
This mental health epidemic is caused by a bunch of different things. The low-quality food we eat, the low-quality air we breathe, the world we live in which is just too fast, all come together to bring the people down and increase their stress levels and mental health issues.
One of the best ways to combat this is actually by doing some form of physical exercise. However, not all physical exercise was made equal, and martial arts and combat sports are actually some of the best forms of physical exercise there are, and they have some specific, unique effects on one’s mental health which I will go through today.
Management of Anger and Aggression
When somebody hears that martial arts are great for managing anger and aggression, usually their first association will be a hyperactive child or perhaps an adult with anger problems. However, these aren’t the only people who need to find ways to channel their potentially harmful energy. Every person has some aggression and anger in them, though in different amounts. If a person doesn’t live out their need for intense physical stimuli, it will build up this anger and the people with a higher tendency to burst are going to be way more likely to do so.
For any person, martial arts training can be one of the best ways to burn some cortisol, get some adrenaline pumping and then relax at the end of a session, tired. In other words, it is one of the best ways to manage destructive emotions in a productive way. This leads to more mental calmness and maturity, amongst many other things like decreasing the chances for aggressive outbursts.
Increasing Self-Esteem
One of the most well-known side effects of training in some form or another of martial arts is the increase in confidence and self-esteem people experience when training. This does not come as a surprise, seeing as martial arts is all about learning how to defend yourself and basically become a brutal warrior, all while respecting your opponent and minimizing conflict. This type of mature stance, mixed with the practical elements of learning an art can all work together to mature a person and also increase their self-esteem.
Also, self-esteem often has something to do with looks, which are also improved by training. Martial arts can cause one to have a better physical image of themselves, which then turns into higher self-esteem, then more positive emotion, and then into more improvement. It is an upward spiral, and one of the best ones available.
More Feel-Good Hormones
Another, amazing effect martial arts can have on your thinking, emotional life, and brain, is allowing for the increased release of serotonin and dopamine, which are two key neurotransmitters in the brain which are responsible for positive emotion and motivation. Training anything is great for this, but training martial arts is one of the best things you can do, since it doesn’t only engage you physically, but also mentally by stimulating the release of these (and other) hormones.
Serotonin and dopamine are not only important for feeling good throughout the day (and also impacting your self-esteem), but also for the general sense of motivation or drive. This means that with training in martial arts, you develop your ability to want to train even more, and this can also spiral upwards like the previous benefit.
This is also the reason martial arts can become almost like an addiction over time, since after or during training, you will get a rush of dopamine and serotonin amongst many other chemicals, and you will connect those two things and form a strong habit that resembles addiction. However, this is a positive addiction, since it will encourage you to train more, to feel better about yourself, and to push yourself to your limits. It is almost like a self-propagating prophecy: the more you train, the more you will want to train.