Martial Arts Training: More Than Just Self-Defense

Author: Robert L. Jones

The thing is, a short-term self-defense class may not address all of the areas you need to be able to fully defend yourself. While martial arts classes won't specifically train you for combat and fighting, they will give you the ability to defend yourself if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to practice self-defense. The best part is that this self-defense isn't always physical. What most people don't know is that in a good martial arts class you'll learn a variety of skills to help you gain the awareness, peace and physical conditioning you need to be a stronger person, in all aspects of your life.

Confidence. All the physical defense skills in the world won't help if you don't have the confidence needed to use them. That's the beauty of martial arts training. In order to successfully train a martial art, you need to have your mind and body in tune with one another. This self-awareness gives you the confidence your need to control and defend yourself if needed. You'll be able to handle everyday and extraordinary situations without losing your temper. You'll be able to stand your ground. You'll appear to be (and will be) more confident - and people who appear to be confident are less likely to be the victims of violence because they don't look like "easy targets".

Focus and Awareness. While training martial arts, you need to focus and concentrate on what you are doing so that you don't injure yourself or those around you. This focus and concentration carries over into other aspects of your life as well. Soon, you'll find yourself better able to concentrate on work, school and home. You'll even find yourself being more aware of your surroundings which can help you avoid potentially harmful or violent situations.

Peace. Training martial arts will also give you an inner peace that can change your life. First of all, to effectively train martial arts, your workout will always be changing. You'll never get bored with your workout because it will always be challenging to your abilities (both physical and mental). In addition to that, training martial arts is a great stress reducer. You probably already know that regular physical exercise can reduce physical stress, but what you don't know is that martial arts go one step further to reduce emotional stress as well. Activities such as martial arts that require you concentrate on your movements and your core strength can give you full stress relief in one activity.

Strength and Conditioning. When you train martial arts, you use your entire body. You cannot use just one muscle set at a time. The exercises are always changing and evolving to give you the maximum out of each training session. Martial arts also increase your flexibility which is great because people who are flexible suffer fewer injuries, have better posture and are better able to relax their muscles.

For more information on this article or others go to Articles on Martial Arts

Robert Jones runs three successful martial arts schools located in Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Kent Washington. He has been helping families make positive changes in their lives through martial arts for over 20 years. He has also written A Guide on How to Pick a Martial Arts School

He can be reached at the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts. 800-508-6141. His schools can be found on the web at Bellevue Martial Arts and Kung Fu.

More Martial Arts and Self Defense Articles

Verbal Self Defense – A Critical Factor in Self Defense for Women
Verbal self defense, the use of your voice in a threatening situation, is an extremely important tool in protecting yourself. How? Uncommon to popular belief, criminals do not pounce on an individual when the mood strikes them. They attack when they...read more

Self Defense: Pepper Spray - Why It Is So Effective
When it comes to non lethal self defense weapons pepper spray is right up there at the top of popularity for two main reasons: ease of use and effectiveness. How It Works Pepper spray uses Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) which comes from cayenne...read more

Self-Defense Fighting Techniques: Sucker Punches, Off-Setting and Roundhouse Kicks
One of the more classic “sucker punch” scenarios that you are likely to encounter is the one which starts out with you being tapped on the shoulder. This is almost always initiated from behind and begins with your unknown opponent tapping you...read more

Martial Arts: The Number One Way to Combat Bullying
As parents, we do everything we can to protect our children from harm and to provide them with the skills they need to be healthy, successful adults. The problem is, we are not with them all the time. What our kids do at school is sometimes a...read more

The Front Squat: The Real Judoka's Best Friend
Why the Front Squat is the REAL Judoka’s Best Friend I have seen more than one article on the web, heralding the Squat as the best exercise for a judoka. While I can’t argue that the squat is a great exercise, I think that a trainee with just a...read more

The Bizarre Self Defense Secret That Terrifies Violent Thugs
Did you know that when you begin learning martial arts, self defense and how to handle yourself in a violent situation, you actually start to give off certain "vibes" in your regular, every day life, that tell people you're not someone to mess...read more

Keys Of Hung Gar Kung Fu Mastering
1. While polishing your technique you should never stick out your chest or stomach either when fighting or practicing. It stiffens your body and makes your movements awkward. As a result, you are losing control over your body. While practicing...read more

The Martial Arts and Self-Defense - Emotional Response and Reaction
The media has fuelled the perception that ordinary people on the street are in constant danger from violent attack, and self-defense classes promise to counter this fear. To attract students, most martial arts schools in the U.S. teach ...read more

Applying Law of Gravity to Judo
In judo it is important to throw your opponent by making use of his loss of balance, the law at work here is the law of gravity. We know that Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravitation by seeing an apple fall from a tree. All bodies in the...read more

Using Pepper Spray For Self-Defense
Pepper spray is one of the best selling products for self-defense. When used correctly, pepper spray can bring an attacker to his knees almost instantly. Oleoresin Capsicum, or OC pepper spray, is the most effective pepper spray on the market today....read more

Notice: These martial arts and self defense articles are gathered from various public sources and are presented "as is" for for informational purposes only. They do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Lo Man Kam Wing Chun Kung Fu Organization. The authors of this site make no claims and take no responsibility regarding the content of these articles.

Wing Chun Las Vegas Kung Fu School | 6366 W. Sahara Ave | Phone: (702) 768-1201

Martial Arts Articles Self Defense