How Martial Arts Boost Your Mental Wellbeing

Physical exercise has a proven role in mental health. It increases cognitive development and helps maintain a healthy sleep pattern. Exercise can help boost your mood, self-esteem and energy levels. It promotes a positive attitude, helps you socially and improves your quality of life. 

Martial arts, in particular, are a great example. Compared to other physical activities, they have been proven to be especially beneficial to mental wellbeing. Combining physical training with other more social and psychological disciplines has many advantages. Here are a few of the many benefits of practicing martial arts. 

Self-Discipline

More traditional forms of martial arts, such as karate, teach more than just strikes and fighting moves, but also the philosophy behind them. To go far in these sports, you get to learn a lot about yourselves. Self-discipline is a very important factor in achieving a black belt.

Self-discipline is one of the most important markers for personal success. Martial arts teach you that through dedication and commitment you can achieve your goals. This is incredibly satisfying and boosts your self-esteem. 

Martial arts can improve your self-esteem at any age. In fact, a study was carried out on adults between 67-93, and complete beginners. After three months of karate training, their self-esteem was reported to have skyrocketed, and they claimed to feel less depressed. 

Reduce Aggression

There have been several studies testing the effect of martial arts on aggression in children and teenagers. This has been tested in the US for example as part of an anti-bullying program. The children were also taught how to keep their cool in any heated situations.  

The research found that not only was aggression reduced in boys, but there were more likely to intervene if another child was being bullied. This type of result is not limited to children, however. Studies have also shown that martial arts helped to reduce hostility and both physical and verbal aggression in teenagers and adults. 

So this shows very positive results for martial arts. They may be about fighting but they actually teach you how to control your aggression and express yourself in a healthier way. It’s about self-control and learning how to channel your anger and your strength.

Emotional Wellbeing

Martial arts can help to boost your emotional wellbeing in lots of ways. It’s good for stress relief and helps develop social relationships. A study has shown that Taekwondo helped to improve women’s emotional wellbeing. Taekwondo was shown to give them more confidence and satisfaction. 

All types of physical activity can improve your emotional wellbeing, so why not get back into fitness today? You could start trying out a few workouts online or download some of the latest fitness apps. Fight trainer is a popular app for martial arts training. There are plenty of different types of martial arts options available. 

Empathy

Martial arts have a social aspect as most people tend to train with others. It’s funny to think that you can gain empathy through beating each other up but it’s true. Martial arts are all about learning and working together. Trust is also often an important factor.

Take boxing, for example. New research has highlighted the social value of boxing. It’s been proven to be effective at re-engaging disaffected young people. Therefore, if you want to work on your empathy, to get started you’ll need some top-quality Boxing Sparring Gloves.

Brain Cognition

In psychological terms, martial arts can be described as a type of attention state training (AST). In order to do AST, you need to get into a specific state of mind first, in order to achieve higher levels of concentration. Meditation and yoga are also types of AST for example.

Martial arts as an AST have been proven to be beneficial in many ways. They can improve your alertness and cognitive functions. Martial arts are great for kids because they help to increase their attention span. So if you want your children to concentrate more in school, consider enrolling them in a martial arts class. There are also many other benefits for children, especially those with ADHD. They’re good self-defense practices and an alternative to team sports. They also help them to build more confidence. 

Memory

Research has also shown that practicing martial arts is good for your memory. A study was carried out and the participants were actually better at recalling numbers after karate training. This does make sense if you think about it, as it’s a sport for the mind as well as the body.

Martial arts in general require a lot of focus and you also need to memorize routines and steps. It’s not surprising that they can help improve your memory. So if you’re one of those absent-minded people that always leaves their phone in the fridge, maybe it’s time to take up mixed martial arts. 

Reduce Stress

Sport and exercise are a great way to reduce stress. Certain forms of martial arts, such as Tai Chi, focus on breathing techniques, meditation, and concentration. These have all been linked to reducing stress. There are plenty of online video tutorials if you want to give it a go. 

Tai chi’s slow-moving movements make a perfect low impact option. This makes it accessible to all ages. This doesn’t mean it’s not a great work out, however. It’s an ancient art, you can tell those Taoist priests must have been doing something right. If you’re interested, the history of tai chi makes a fascinating read. 

As you can see the mental health benefits of martial arts are numerous for all ages. There are many kinds of disciplines and philosophies to learn. Let’s not forget that martial arts are great fun and good physical exercise too. Taking up a new sport is the best way to feel more motivated and healthy.  Along with your improving your mental wellbeing, you can build up strength and stamina, and learn some kickass moves! Find more about martial arts activities and groups online. There are plenty of virtual classes going on right now.