Although a game of boxing or a karate match might seem violent in nature, appearances can be misleading. In reality, these are all noble pursuits that connect your mind, body, and spirit. People who do martial arts know that benefits that these sports give are primarily psychological. While hitting the sack and practicing hard every day, you learn to control your thoughts, which is a skill useful in your professional career, for example. If you roll in one of karate, jiu jitsu or kickboxing groups, you can expect your muscle mass to increase and your mind to be calmer. Once you discover your true spirit, you will on the path of becoming a true warrior, in the broadest sense of that word.
Improved coordination
There is hardly a contact sport that engages only a single muscle group. In general, martial arts give you a full body workout. Apart from building muscle mass throughout the body, you will have to learn how to coordinate your movements. If you ever felt awkward dancing, it is because you have poor eye-hand coordination. What martial arts do is they teach our body to function as a single entity that is really is.
This means that legs motion is well-coordinated with the movement of our hands, like you can observe a boxer moving around the ring during a fight. In fact, it is a little known fact that a jab or direct start from toes and then travel through the entire body before being unleashed through the fist of the fighter. This would be impossible to achieve were it not for excellent eye-hand coordination.
Reaching for your soul
Wouldn’t it be great if you were able to engage in a conversation with your own soul? The meditation techniques closely related to martial arts that originate from the East include such meditation session as an integral part of training. By getting to know your inner being on a deeper spiritual level, you become aware of what your true capabilities are. This enables you to test them later on when you push yourself to the limit incessantly training and fighting.
Protecting yourself and others
Depending on the sport you decide to take up, you will need some sort of protective gear. The essence of any martial art is not to hurt anyone, let alone yourself, but to become one with your inner being. In order to prevent injuries, most sports require you to wear gloves and padded helmets to soften blows to head. Also, you may want to put on some protective gear for your private area, at least during official fights. If you are keen on learning more about protective gear, head to Fighting Report where you’ll find reviews of the most popular pieces of equipment.
Lending a helping hand
Out there in the fighting area, you are more or less left to fend for your own. All the cheering from the crowd or the loud instruction from your coach won’t matter much if you’re not mindful and focused. However, during training sessions you are working in a group which is id ideal for practicing camaraderie. You have to build the team spirit and help other fighters from your club. In return, your fellow teammates will help you get through rough patches in life. Friendships made in the gym while fighting side by side and against each other, the strongest social bonds you’ll ever establish during the course of your entire lifetime.
Learning responsibility
On average, martial arts training sessions take place twice or thrice a week. If you wish to make any progress with your fighting and meditation skills, then you have to show up regularly for practice. This can prove to be hard for younger people who still haven’t mastered the art of consistency and responsibility. Over time, they will learn that in order to progress in any walk of life, you have to maintain a certain level of consistency that will guarantee success. Essentially, martial arts will teach you to set long-term goals that will eclipse all the ephemeral short-term goals you have had till then.
Use the power wisely
Imagine a person is trying to rob you in the street but you have completed a karate course, for instance. You will probably put your skills to test but once the initial threat is neutralized, you won’t overreact and injure your haphazard assailant. This is the very essence of martial arts because they teach you to restrain your emotions and always have leverage to your every action. Self-control is hard to attain but once you master it, you become a true warrior.
If you decide to take up martial arts, you will learn how to protect yourself others but more importantly; how to protect others against yourself. In other words, you will become a better person, i.e. an individual whose mind, body and soul are in perfect equilibrium.
