Mathilde Lacombe

Different forms of martial arts have been in practice for centuries mainly for the purpose of learning some defense skills but in a few decades, health and fitness benefits of martial arts also came to light. Now more and more people are getting into this great physical activity to avail themselves of some health and fitness benefits like warding off obesity and its associated ailments like diabetes, hypertension, heart problems, and some types of cancers. Furthermore, people are attracted to this intense physical activity to improve their fitness like enhancing mobility, agility, flexibility, strength, endurance, and reflexes.

Also, martial arts training is a great way for dealing with your mental health problems like depression, anxiety, stress, and aggression. No matter whether you are a kid or a senior citizen, martial arts offers you a great deal of fitness benefits. Read on to learn some most famous martial arts and some of the ways martial arts improves your fitness:

Here are some of the widely practiced martial arts in the world:

1.  Karate:

Karate is an ancient form of martial arts and has become very popular among fitness enthusiasts and combat fighters. It is a centuries old fighting sport and an effective way of giving your body an athletic shape. Training in karate will strengthen your whole body in general and upper body in particular. In karate training, you usually use your fists,legs, and elbows to defend yourself and to attack the opponent.

2.  Tae kwon do:

Taekwondo is another widely practiced combat sport. It is somehow close to karate, but it involves the lower body more than your upper body. It focuses more on kicking and less on punching. Taekwondo is good for making you strong and powerful Also, it tones your leg, thighs and other lower body muscles.

3.  Judo:

Judo is different from karate and taekwondo because, in judo, you use the size and the strength of the opponent as a leverage when defending yourself against a stronger fighter. In judo, you don’t come close to your opponent to attack; rather you hold him off and you use locks and chokes to win over him. Moreover, this great show of physical ability is a great way to ameliorate your physical fitness.

4.  Kung fu:

Kung fu is another great high-intensity martial art that can be considered a good fighting game and a fine exercise for your physical as well as mental health. When practicing Kung fu you do things like kicking, punching and moves like somersaults, high jumps, and evasions from an opponent. Kung fu particularly helps improve your endurance and stamina.

Some renowned fitness and health benefits of martial arts:

Weight Loss:

Losing some extra fats stored around the belly and back is one of the basic fitness goals of all fitness enthusiasts and there is no other physical activity as engaging and effective as martial arts is in this regard. All martial arts training styles burn a ton of calories and boost your metabolism.

Boosting your strength and power:

If you desire to enhance your body strength and power, outfit yourself in MMA shorts and MMA gloves and start training in this great sport because it is a game that best serves the purpose. Different drills involved in the rigorous training of martial arts increase your muscle and bone strength which in turn makes you formidable.

Improves your endurance:

Practicing any style of martial arts will gradually build your stamina, enhance your cardiovascular health, and finally build up some endurance which will ameliorate your performance in all the physical activities you get yourself involved in.

Reflexes:

Quick reflexes are not only useful during martial arts training but they are equally productive in your day to day activities like driving and cooking. When you are sparring or fighting in actual competition and trying to block or dodge the attacks of your opponent, fast reflexes are what you need to do all this efficiently and effectively. And when training in martial arts, through repetition, your reflex will improve and you’ll notice faster reaction times in all parts of your life.

Enhances flexibility:

There is no doubt that you can’t deliver high kicks and dodge attacks of your opponent without having a great deal of flexibility. Furthermore, if you have a pliable body, there are very rare chances that you will incur muscle injury during intense training. This is why flexibility has great significance for any athlete. Almost all the martial arts styles involve drills that can help you improve your flexibility.

Energy:

There is much evidence to the fact that consistent training or a fitness routine is capable of boosting your energy level. In the beginning, you may have low energy but once you start your exercise and build some momentum, you’ll start feeling more energetic. The more you exercise the more you feel charged. However, in order to continue raising your energy level, you must give your body plenty of time to recover between your workouts.