1. 5 Reasons To Start Martial Arts
Most people at some point in their lives have contemplated doing martial arts. We've seen Bruce Lee or some other star in real life films, or been in an alarming genuine real-life situation, and wish that we could do what martial arts experts can do. Well the uplifting news is you can do whatever any action star can do, you should simply start learning…
Fitness
Martial arts are incredible for a full body exercise, which helps different parts of your fitness. It's an extraordinary cardio exercise – you will burn numerous calories each time you train. It will likewise improve your speed, as you are instructed, gradually, to be quicker and quicker in training. You will likewise get more grounded, and will see improvements in your endurance and explosive power. Have we missed anything? There are not many kinds of training that so complete.
Self Defense
The most well-known reason to learn martial arts is to learn the skills to protect yourself. Each martial art you part-take will teach you this. Every master will have an opinion on which is the best for protection. Try not to disclose to them we revealed to you this, however it truly doesn't make a difference which one you learn! Any martial artist has a moment advantage over any would-be attacker. They will all show you how to defend yourself, and they all have the various advantages referenced in this blog.
Discipline
Martial arts teach you discipline whether you start at 6yrs old or 60. You will see most youngsters who start Martial arts, sooner or later, re calmer and more respectful to those around them. Having a spot to burn off that excess energy positively helps, but this is mostly because respect to others around you is taught in every art. Likewise, the commitment to learn a complex skill focuses the mind, teaching you how to learn.
Make Friends
There is nothing like (safely) beating people up every week to make friends and build a sense of community! You get very up close and personal with your fellow classmates, and you can’t help but make friends with them. Plus, the more you get in to martial arts, the more your fellow classmates are the only people you know who truly understand why you dedicate yourself to it.
Confidence
Knowing that you can look after yourself, having a greater level of fitness, and experiencing the feeling of breaking boards and doing spinning kicks – all these build up your confidence. This can help shy people, children and adults alike, gain a sense of self-worth and bring them out of their shell.
2. HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF WHEN TRAINING
Combat sports will never be completely safe for participants, but those who are beginning to immerse themselves in Martial Arts can give themselves some peace of mind by knowing the best ways to protect themselves when in action. Here’s how you can accomplish that.
Use A Mouth Guard
Finding the right Martial Arts gear is vital. Let’s start with a no-brainer. Mouth guards do not impede on your ability to fight and have a number of important benefits. First, and most obvious, they can save you the physical and financial pain of getting a bunch of teeth knocked out. Additionally, they can protect your tongue, lips, cheeks, jaw, and the inside of your mouth. It’s crucial to find a mouth guard that can be molded for your gums and teeth. Thankfully, such products are available at most sporting goods stores.
Use A Groin Guard
Another no-brainer for men getting involved in Martial Arts gear. A kick accidentally placed in the groin area can quickly take any male fighter out of action and lead to serious health concerns. These days, lightweight and flexible guards are available to make sure fighters are protected and able to move about freely.
Find The Right Gloves For You
Martial Arts gear gloves are quite different than the ones you’d find in traditional boxing. While boxers wear big, heavy mitts that are used when making a fist, MMA gloves smaller, lighter, and more flexible, allowing fighters to maintain open palms. By being able to open your palm mid-fight, you can use your hands to physically take down your opponent, and, ideally, bring him or her into submission.
Hand technique is one of the most important facets of the sport to learn. But given the size of MMA gloves, going on the offensive can lead to hand injuries if the wrong equipment is used. That’s why it’s important to ensure your gloves are high-quality and fit your needs.
Heavier gloves offer more protection but less speed, and vice versa. When getting started in MMA, it’s important to have a trainer evaluate your ability and skill level to help determine what kind of gloves are best for your goals as a fighter and for the protection of yourself and your opponents.
Wrap Your Hands
Usually made with elastic or semi-elastic cotton, the rolls of fabric fighters wrap around their hands can be colorful and flashy, but they are not there just for show. Using hand wraps inside your gloves has some important benefits. For one, hand wraps help stabilize, strengthen, and align your wrists. This can help you make better fists when in combat.
What’s more, applying hand wraps can offer some protection against cuts, scrapes, fractures, and sprains. Given their benefits and low cost—a roll can generally be purchased for $5 or less—hand wraps should be used every time you train and step in the ring.
Avoid Fighting When Injured
In Martial Arts gear, like all contact sports, it’s important to listen to your body and know when you need time to recover. A common axiom among athletic trainers is there’s a difference between being hurt and being injured. Being able to tell the difference between the two will help you determine whether or not you should push through pain.
Dealing with a sore leg (hurt) is not nearly as severe as dealing with a strained ligament (injured). Pushing yourself through injury can make you more vulnerable in the ring, making you less capable of protecting yourself. It can also exacerbate your ailment and lead to long-term consequences—some of which can be permanent.
Seek Professional Training
Some sports, like basketball and soccer, can be learned without much (or any) coaching. Martial Arts does not fall in that category. Learning how to protect yourself in the ring takes years, and it requires professional trainers to guide you along the way. One of the biggest reasons why people seek out trainers is to learn how to protect themselves.
There’s a reason why so many invest time and money in self-defense classes, such as Krav Maga: If you have no prior fighting or martial arts experience, it is not something to learn solo. Having an experienced instructor teach you the right techniques will set you up for success in the ring and give you the confidence you need to defend yourself out in the world should a perilous situation arise.
Begin And End Your Workouts By Stretching
To succeed as an MMA fighter, you need to be flexible. A high level of flexibility is needed to perform many techniques, including ones that help with self-defense. Stretching tends to take a back seat to other areas of training, but prioritizing it before and after your main workout will put you in a better position to protect yourself when on the defense. And, of course, stretching is great for your body: It can shorten your recovery time, lessen muscle damage, increase your reach, improve your posture, and promote blood circulation.
Keep Strength Training In Your Routine
A workout program that has you frequently sparring inside an MMA ring can be exhausting and leave you with little energy left over. Nevertheless, regular strength training is often recommended to fighters to maintain and build muscles. Those who lift weights (on a proper schedule) will improve the strength of their tendons, muscles, and connective tissues—lowering the risk of injury.
3. How To Pick a Martial Arts Club
Starting a new martial art is a commitment. You are giving up your time, your money, and putting your body under some stress. So it’s important to find the right club for you
Proximity to you
When you’re starting out, your club needs to be close enough so you will keep going back. Its location needs to fit in with your day, as you’ll be going after work / school etc, or taking time out of your weekend. As you get more into your martial art you’ll find that you’ll be willing to travel further for sessions / seminars / tournaments / gradings, but to start with stay local.
Qualified instructor
Instructors do not have to have a black belt to teach a class, so do not be put off if you turn up and find a non-black belt is teaching. But your instructor should be allowed to teach by his / her governing body, and preferably insured.
Online Reviews
In the age of the internet everyone has an opinion. Check out the club’s Google / Yelp / Facebook page and have a look at the online reviews and comments. Remember that the internet is a wonderful and awful place, so take all comments, good and bad, with a pinch of salt.
What do you want?
Do you want to hit, grab, throw, use weapons, get fit? Each martial art has a different approach to fighting and training. Do a thorough research to get an idea on what each one offers.
Do you want formal or informal?
Do you want to call your instructor Sensei / Sifu, or Dave? Some martial arts are very formal, and some are very relaxed. This can be down to the art itself, or the instructor’s teaching style. All of us thrive differently under these different styles, so think about which one you prefer. Try both out, and decide which one you feel more comfortable in.
Go and Try It Out
You never have to go back to a class, so make a list of the ones you like the look of and try a few out. Most offer a first lesson free, so it shouldn’t cost you very much to have a few taster sessions.
Sport Club vs Training Club
Some clubs focus only on competitions, some on training, some both. Again, try out different variations to see which you prefer. Also have a think about whether you want to compete, or just train and work through the grades.
It Should Be Fun!
If it doesn’t feel like fun, don’t go. Find somewhere you enjoy. That’s how you will keep it up in the long run. Martial arts training will be hard at times, frustrating and even painful. But it should always in the end be fun.
