What are the benefits of martial arts other than self defense?

For centuries martial arts of all forms have been trained for self defense purposes. In other words, it’s no secret that many flock towards martial arts to protect themselves. Arguably, these days martial arts are less relevant than ever in terms of self defense. The reason for this is due to the introduction of weapons such as guns which can render even the most skillful hand-to-hand fighter useless.

As the human race progresses, this argument will arguably become even more relevant than ever. For example, imagine people walking around with robotic bodies which will yet again render many martial arts useless. This brings us to the next point – which is what other gains can be had from training martial arts other than self defense.

Martial arts can improve your spirituality

Over the years, countless books have been written about how martial arts is linked with the idea of philosophy and spirituality. Basically, it is intrinsically connected between physical and mental progress. For instance, a big part of martial arts is based on the concept of mindfulness. This practice isn’t very common in modern day life, as many use social media and technology to detach from the here and now. However, martial arts forces us to think about each passing second.

Imagine you’re sparring Judo and you need to win a grip fight to help progress your position. It’s a small battle but is incredibly important. There’s no time to think about outside interferences and you just have to perform otherwise you lose. There’s something very final in this act that is missing in other parts of life. Of course, there’s also the idea of slow but steady progress and the chase of perfection. Many martial artists know they will never be perfect. In short, there’s a lot of humility that can be learned from showing up despite losing during training.

However, they still turn up and train regularly knowing that perfection isn’t obtainable, but is an idea that drives them. This can be applied to life. You may never be fully happy or successful, but as long as you constantly strive for self improvement, it’s a road worth traveling and is a very fulfilling one.

In short, martial arts is great for mindfulness and also looking at the bigger picture of hard work and progress. After understanding this, it’s understandable why martial arts of all kinds are so heavily linked with spirituality. In this sense, it has a lot in common with religion.

Martial arts can improve your fitness

Perhaps the most obvious reason why people start martial arts aside from self defense is due to the obvious health benefits. One of the biggest examples of this is https://budodragon.com/what-are-the-health-benefits-of-tai-chi-qi-gong-5-benefits-for-all/Tai Chi. These days, although many people bash Tai Chi for its lack of practical uses, it’s still very good in terms of physical fitness. In other words, it’s universally acknowledged that Tai Chi may not win a 70 year old a street fight against a 25 year old, however it does have clear health benefits.

The example of Tai Chi is very relevant as it’s known to lack effectiveness in a combat setting yet is still incredibly popular with older practitioners who want to stay fit. The reason for this is that Tai Chi helps for flexibility in similar ways that yoga does, whilst also offering clear cardio benefits too. This shows that even if a martial art isn’t particularly effective – it can still help your physical health and add years to your health.

Of course, many will argue that it’s not really a proper martial art if it lacks self defense applications and there’s certainly an element of truth in this criticism. Having said this, thankfully it doesn’t have to be Tai Chi to use this concept. For instance, if you train boxing, you can learn to successfully defend yourself whilst enhancing your cardio health and strength and conditioning massively.

In fact, it’s not just boxing and this idea applies to most martial arts. Whilst it’s no secret that martial arts can harm your physical body and bring lots of injuries, they can still help you internally and fight against heart disease and obesity which is a massive positive of training.

Martial arts is great for mental health

This point is linked in with the first example of spirituality and martial arts. However, there are some big differences. Whilst spirituality can mean expanding your mind onto another level, mental health is more about protecting your mind and keeping your thoughts healthy. At least, as far as martial arts are concerned – even if the two are strongly linked.

Often, martial artists will talk about fighting their inner demons by training in person. Basically, the idea is that if you’re feeling depressed or down, you can go and train to clear your thoughts. This isn’t pseudo science either, it’s literally been documented various times in mainstream science too. The idea is that if you exercise regularly, this can help release positive endorphins that will fend off mental illness. Over a long period of time too, it can also help built good traits such as mental resilience and heart from countless rounds of grueling sparring and exercises which help improve your outlook on life and mentality.

Having said this, it should be known that training martial arts is not the best way to tackle mental health issues for most people. For most people, a sensible way would be to get professional, medical help. Nonetheless, even scientists and doctors will advise that exercise will at least supplement your recovery. The other benefit of martial arts over isolated exercise such as jogging and weight lifting though is that it leads to socialization with like minded people, which will be discussed below. In summary though, martial arts can acts as a great pick up if you’re feeling down – however it probably won’t solve the root cause of your problems.

Martial arts is great for socializaiton

Lastly, martial arts are great for meeting like-minded people. Let’s face it, if you train Muay Thai or Sambo, the vast majority of people are unlikely to know what they are. However, in a martial arts setting – you’re literally surrounded by people who share the same, bizarre hobbies. As a result, you can quickly form bonds and friendships that last years. For obvious reasons, this is great if you’re naturally introverted or struggle to be social.

Often, those bonds will be quite strong if you fight or compete alongside your team mates. There’s something very special about fighting alongside someone which many non-martial artists won’t experience. Similarly, if you push each other during sparring, then this is another mutually beneficial relationship that will help you both progress together. Some martial arts gyms claim they’re not clubs, but instead, they’re family. This is a bit of an impact statement and is a little dramatic, but you can understand such sentiments based on what has previously been mentioned.

Looking at all of the above points, it’s clear that martial arts offer much more than just self defense options. Whilst these options are great to have, thankfully martial arts will give much more. It’s not uncommon for someone that has trained for years to realize this and understand that self defense is cool, but the other lessons learned on the way are more important.

This is where the idea of martial arts changing your life comes from – which again may sound dramatic but if you truly connect with a martial art then you will understand this. In conclusion, martial arts offer an array of benefits for the individual such as enhanced spirituality, confidence, physical health, and well-being. If you’re thinking of getting into a martial art then don’t hesitate, it could just change your life!