How Martial Arts Actually Benefits You
Written by Brett Brostrom, Posted on , in Section Relationships That Matter
It's really not all about violence.
Many people will automatically dismiss any kind of karate or martial arts because it’s “violent.” Looking at sending your child (or going yourself) to some kind of martial arts training might seem like the teacher would just train your kid how to kick and punch someone else. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. What reasons are there for practicing martial arts?
1. Self Defense
Bullies are still a problem in a lot of schools. Depending on where you live, even just walking the streets can be dangerous. Learning some self-defense can help you have the confidence you need
to defend yourself. One of the things many of these places will teach you is how to diffuse a situation and teaches you the discipline to only use it when you have to.
2. Fitness
Any kind of martial arts is a fantastic work out. Living a healthy and fit lifestyle will change so much about your life. Karate, for instance, is a really great aerobic exercise. It can increase your strength, stamina, flexibility, and speed. Karate is similar to swimming in that it uses all the muscles in your body, muscles that you didn’t know you had.
3. Self-Confidence
After being bullied even once, your self-confidence can take a dive. Learning some form of martial arts will help your self-confidence soar. The Willington Karate Club talks about how karate helps people with self-confident: “Karate instills confidence by teaching each of us our limitations. Karate instills confidence by helping us overcome fear. Karate instills confidence by improving our image of ourselves. Karate instills confidence by placing you in control of your body for the first time in your life. This confidence spills into every aspect of your life, making you a stronger, better person. The confidence karate instills is humble and hard won, it is free of ego. This is the secret of true confidence, knowing without having to say it.”
4. Discipline
Martial Arts are very structured. Learning how you fit into the structure of whatever program you choose to participate in will give you the discipline and motivation to move through the program. As you learn the discipline necessary to complete martial arts program, you can apply that discipline to other things in your life.
