Guest post by Kaden Smith from Smart MMA
We train martial arts for various reasons. Some people go into it for the thrill; some for the amazing skills they’ve seen on their televisions.
For some it’s all about discipline and cultivating a philosophy capable of seeing them through the difficult challenges of life.
And then, of course, there are those who hope to become masters and champions through it.
Either way, martial arts is a beautiful discipline with immeasurable advantages, and no matter what reasons bring you to it, you’re sure to experience the full package of its benefits.
Before we get started, you might be wondering just how you can learn martial arts so that you can reap the benefits that this sport provides.
Well our recommendation for any beginner out wanting to learn how to become a martial artist is to learn from a true martial artist. Kaden, the founder of SmartMMA, is a true martial artist and is one that you could learn vast amounts of knowledge as a beginner in the sport of martial arts.
Learn from him, learn from a trainer, whoever and however you learn the sport of martial arts is up to you. But once you do you will reap the benefits that training martial arts can provide you.
Here are those benefits that you yourself can reap if you jump into the intense world of MMA.
Physical Benefits of Training Martial Arts
Improved Strength
Some of the most obvious benefits of learning martial arts can be found in its effect on the more physical side of things; for instance in its ability to help improve our strength.
Some of the core tenets of martial arts are strength, courage, and perseverance.
Training martial arts helps you hone each and everyone of these skills, so that by the time you’re done, it becomes obvious to you and everyone who’s watching that you’re definitely stronger than you used to be.
Improved Coordination and Flexibility
Martial arts doesn’t just focus on strength alone, though.
Of course strength is important, but to become truly proficient, and to reap the full benefits of what martial arts really have to offer, you have to work not only on strength alone, but also on your coordination and flexibility.
In your journey to become a true martial artist, you’ll need to master great coordination to ensure you not only launch brunch attacks, but well-calculated and well-coordinated moves.
Improved Reflexes
Finally, on the physical aspect of things, learning martial arts serves as a springboard to help you cultivate your overall flexibility.
Granted, not all martial art forms place emphasis on quick reflexes as an important path to victory, but no matter which form you choose to specialize in, it is a tool that definitely comes in handy at any time.
And for those martial art forms involving nifty moves and high kicks, having great reflexes usually is key.
Health Benefits of Training Martial Arts
Improved Cardiovascular Health
Moving on from the physical side of things, training martial arts also provides a host of health benefits, one of the most important of which is its ability to greatly improve our cardiovascular health.
There’s no denying how important it is to have a perfectly-functioning cardiovascular system, and martial arts, thanks to its constant exercise and endurance training, goes a long way in ensuring that this system is in as healthy a shape as it can possibly be.
Weight Loss
Many individuals spend an impossible amount of money in search of the perfect diet, medications, and supplements to help them lose weight and achieve the slim muscles they’ve always desired.
With learning martial arts, you won’t have to spend half as much and would still get to experience the kind of results that most people who choose to spend these amounts never do.
This is because losing weight, on most occasions, is about discipline and exercise, two phenomena which can be gotten in great abundance by learning martial arts.
Improved Blood Pressure
Finally on the health improvement side of things, learning martial arts offers the benefit of stabilizing our blood pressure and helping it get to the optimal stage.
This is achieved through its emphasis on fitness and repetitive exercises. And once our bodies start to get enough exercise, and start to get used to these high-intensity repetitive training, it starts to have a net positive effect on our health, and our bodies are able to do a much better job of regulating its blood pressure.
Psychological Benefits of Training Martial Arts
Improved Self-Confidence
There’s no better feeling than that which comes from knowing that you’re strong enough to protect yourself from danger and bullies, except maybe the feeling that comes from the knowledge that you’re mentally strong enough to not let these things affect you.
And guess what? Learning martial arts offers both these two feelings in abundance. This is why once a martial artist starts to become proficient in the art, their self-confidence and sense of self-worth experience a great increase.
Improved Focus and Purpose
One of the qualities that have the most impact on a person’s mental health is the sense of purpose. Those who lack a sense of purpose usually tend to have a below average mental health, while those who do have a sense of purpose are generally healthier in the psychological sense.
Also, with a sense of purpose comes an even greater sense of focus. Learning martial arts gives you both of these things, and the positive psychological effects that come with them.
Improved Mood
Having a great sense of purpose, focus, and a sense of self-confidence that’s through the roof tend to bring about an improvement on our general outlook on life.
Our mental health is like a web of varying feelings that come together to either weaken or strengthen each other. Engrossing yourself in a task such as martial arts has a way of starting this web in a way that ensures each facet strengthens each other to bring about a net positive effect on your entire mental wellbeing.
Social Benefits of Training Martial Arts
Values and Philosophies
The social benefits of learning martial arts are the effects it brings about not just to us as individuals, but to how we relate to our fellow human beings and the society as a whole.
Martial arts does a great job of emphasising philosophical and moral soundness through its teachings of discipline, courage, perseverance, respect, and defense of our fellow man.
Once we all start to learn these and incorporate them into our daily lives, the effects start to go past ourselves alone, but begin to ripple into the whole society.
Healthier Lifestyle
There’s a popular saying that the whole world would be a much healthier place if we all studied martial arts, which is as true as saying goes.
Of course we all can’t learn martial arts, at least not at the moment, but the effects, even now, are undeniable. Martial artists learn discipline, are able to deprive themselves of things which are harmful to their physical system and psychological well-being, and place emphasis on fitness and exercise, all of which provide a positive outcome for society as a whole.
Provides a Career Path
Thanks to martial arts, numerous youth and adults who would have been on the streets, roaming around and acting as menace to society, are able find a beautiful art to immerse themselves in.
They are given not only a hobby, but, most importantly, a purpose in life. A career which they can choose to follow and become successful professionals in, if they choose.
This not only ensures that there are less malicious people around, but also makes it so that we have more people contributing positively to the society as a whole.
Combat Benefits of Training Martial Arts
Self Defense
Self-defense is perhaps the most common reason for studying martial arts as it can be very effective for self defense. As noted earlier, there are only very few feelings that can compare to that which you get from knowing that you’re able to protect yourself from danger and from people who seek to hurt you.
And of course it doesn’t even just end at your own self alone, you’re also able to protect your loved ones and those you care about, and that is a magnificent feeling to have indeed.
