Training in martial arts has been one of the best decisions of my life. It has helped me become a better person and helped me succeed in life more than I ever thought possible. There may be a variety of reasons why someone decides to take up martial arts. Here are the most important reasons I believe you should start now.
1. Self-defence
Let’s start with one of the most common reasons. Unfortunately, the world that we live in can be a bit of a scary place. Every single person has the right to feel safe when stepping out their door and shouldn’t have to live in fear.
Martial arts is a fantastic way to make yourself feel more confident when you leave the house. It’s hard to explain, but martial arts teaches you to have a better sense of awareness when you are out. It teaches you to become more aware of your surroundings, and you are more likely to pre-empt a confrontation happening much earlier than you normally would.
This is the most important — and often not mentioned — part of self-defence: just being aware of what is happening around you and being able to avoid situations before they even happen. Then, if you do end up in a situation where you have to take action, you have the skill set and knowledge to handle it.
2. Confidence
Martial arts is fantastic for helping you grow confidence. As your physical health starts to improve, so does your belief in your other capabilities. It teaches you that you can endure difficult challenges and still come out the other side.
You can then apply this confidence to other aspects of your life, whether that’s at school, work or in your business endeavours. You can do anything if you have the confidence in yourself and belief in what you are trying to achieve.
3. You make friends
There is a misconception about martial arts dojos that they are unwelcoming and intimidating places to be. That could not be further from the truth.
I’ve been incredibly lucky to travel to a variety of martial arts facilities around the UK and US and I have yet to walk into one where I have felt uncomfortable. Anybody who knows me well knows how important it is to me for a martial arts facility to make its members feel welcome and safe.
At our facility we have a wide range of different people from all walks of life who come together, have fun and share their passion for martial arts. You get the opportunity to meet people you never normally would and form strong friendships.
4. It reduces stress and improves health
Everybody has moments of stress in life. Through your training you get to redirect your energy at something physical, and it offers you a chance to really destress. Hitting a heavy bag or hitting pads is without a doubt a great way to let out frustration in a safe environment.
It’s a fantastic workout for the whole body, where you get to improve your strength, power, speed, balance, co-ordination and flexibility.
5. It builds your character
During martial arts training you learn a lot of core values like respect, discipline, resilience and how to work with others. It really makes you become a humbler human being and forces you to open your mind, take on criticism and understand the importance of perseverance.
Martial arts have done so much more for me than teach me how to kick and punch. It’s helped me develop and focus on those characteristics in other aspects of my life. It has helped me become more understanding of other people’s needs, to listen, and to be able to offer help and support to my students when needed.
I hope you found this a useful read. If you are interested in learning martial arts, feel free to get in contact and start your journey now.