Martial Arts: Can be Beneficial to One’s Health

As we all know, exercise broadly has many benefits and advantages like boosting physical health and strength. By this time, researchers certified that aerobic exercise can increase endurance and helps in losing weight and removing excess body fats. There is a recreation that improves not only the physical health but also the mental fitness, specifically the brain’s cognition, and it is martial arts.

According to research, there is an approach to improve attention and alertness; it is through Attention State Training (AST). Attaining stronger focus by the help of going into a particular state of mind is what Attention State Training (AST) all about. Moreover, it has been showed in research that martial arts like Karate and Taekwondo are associated with great performance on attention tasks. Thus, it is proposed that martial arts are a form of Attention State Training (AST).

In a study conducted in the United States, traditional martial arts training that instruct how to defend and respect other people were assigned to undertake by the children aged 8-11. Also, the children were trained how to keep their selves under control, especially in tempestuous and wild situations. There is also a study where the researchers perceived that the levels of aggression in boys are reduced because they entered a traditional martial arts training. While there are no crucial changes in the behavior of the girls because right before the training they already showed less levels of aggressive behavior. Surprisingly, this effect is not narrowed down to young ones. Another study found that aggression in physical and verbal, as well as unfriendliness, can be reduced to the adolescent by having traditional martial arts training.

Martial arts like Aikido, Jujitsu, Tai Chi, and other meditative martial arts were associated in a research that verifies martial arts reduce impressions of stress and manage stress the time it is seen in young children to adults. In addition, improvements in a person’s emotional well-being are proven to be the effects of martial arts. Perhaps due to Karate’s meditative aspect, levels of depression decreases and the self-esteem of the adult increases.

There are vast ranges of martial arts. Some could be in the form of being gentle and meditative; others could be in an aggressive and exhaustive manner. But this only shows that there are different types of martial arts that everyone can choose and develop, so give martial arts a chance to change your perspective and see how it can boost your own brain.

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Posted by: Erika Mae E. Maglente

Benefits of Self-defense Classes: Another Perspective

It actually feels good knowing that you can take care of yourself physically, mentally, and, psychologically. A lot of people are actually scared to go alone, especially at night, because of the impending crime that may occur. However, knowing self-defense and be able to defend yourself in all circumstances that may occur is such a huge confidence booster since it assures that one can truly take care of himself/herself.

One of the biggest edges in taking self-defense classes is the way it influences you after because it builds your strength and confidence. Many people aren’t self-assured enough with their own abilities and capacities to protect themselves before joining the said classes. Personal experiences greatly affects how a person interacts with people, and it can lead to having little to no confidence at all. On the contrary, self-defense isn’t only a practice about enhancing your reflexes. You see how your body responds in certain circumstances. If you learn self-defense, you learn to create an inner focus. Self-defense training will actually build your confidence and trust in yourself as you get to acknowledge your strengths more. Moreover, if you are getting bullied, defending and developing self-assurance in yourself is a great way because it means that you trust yourself more, and it will mold you to become a better person.

According to Rorion Gracie, a co-founder of the now famous Ultimate Fighting Championship, techniques are not what self-defense really is. It is more of a state of mind that begins with you believing that you are worth defending. Keep in mind that the end goal to master your abilities is you need to develop and expand self-discipline. You must be highly motivated and dedicated to training. Moreover, the practice of martial arts actually teaches you to respect each other and respect yourself. When you are practicing, you will be working with someone and mutual respect should occur at all times, as respect is also beneficial in our daily lives.

The general purpose of self–defense classes is to prepare you for any situation that may bring no good to you. Physical conditioning is critical with regards to self-defense. Preparing and training sets you up for the adrenalin pump when a situation emerges that may require you to fight to protect yourself. In addition, self-defense classes will make you more mindful of your environment. Those classes will assist and guide you to be mentally ready and prepared, when the circumstance arises.

Learning the art of self-defense greatly affects you as you will also improve her character. One can surely benefit a lot from learning self-defense, and I strongly suggest that you take those classes as well!

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Posted by: Paul Christian V. Villena

Self-Defense Class: Why should You Take it?

Nowadays, our world is not guaranteed to be safe. You can get attacked on your way home, you can even get attacked by a robber in your home – who happened to be robbing your house at the exact moment you got home. Basically, we can get involved in some very dangerous situations anywhere at any time. To somewhat prepare ourselves, we can enroll ourselves in a self-defense class to at least get a grasp on what to do if we do get ourselves involved in these dangerous situations. Aside from serving as preparation, there are numerous other reasons to why we should take self-defense classes.

One of the main reasons why people take people take self-defense class is so that they can improve their awareness of their surroundings. Self-defense classes teach students on what to do in dangerous situations by making them imagine that they are in it. The instructors then tell and demonstrate what to do. This way the students improve their awareness of their surroundings as well as themselves.

Self-defense class can also boost a student’s self-confidence. Self-defense classes have many skill levels that progressively gets more difficult. New students are expected to start with the very basic self-defense skills and learn more difficult skills according to their progress. As a student progresses they feel somewhat of an accomplishment which in turn boosts his/her self-confidence.

Self-defense class can somewhat improve a student’s physical and mental health. As a student progresses, challenges he/she faces becomes more physically demanding – which prompts the need for additional conditioning exercises that leads to the overall improvement of student’s physical health. According to Dr. Jennifer Carter, the previous president of the American Psychological Association Div.47 (Exercise and Psychology), “doing physical exercise can improve a person’s mood.” It also helps that the environment of self-defense classes is quite supportive. And a student often feels that he/she is more in control of his/her life when he/she takes self-defense classes.

Boosting a student’s self-confidence, improving his/her awareness with his/her surrounding and oneself as well as his/her physical and mental health are only some of the many reasons why we should take self-defense classes. Instead of wasting our time on our smart phones, we can spend a few hours of our week in self-defense class and actually learn something useful, get more physical as well as interact with other people in person. It is basically a win-win situation. So what are you waiting for? Enroll now!

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Posted by: Almira Iris S. Sales