The idea of paying money so you can go get beaten up at someplace might sound insane. This is what martial arts are but the pain and exertion can be extremely beneficial. The benefits of martial arts go beyond just physical fitness. In everyday life, you would have to defend yourself and even your loved ones. But you cannot do that well enough if you are just fit. No matter how much you ignore or deny, the only self-defense tool you will with you all the time is your body. Plus, most of the real-life situations are close combat.
Some forms are better for self-defense while others are not, this is just how it is. It is time to turn your body into a weapon with the help of martial arts. Here is a list of the best self-defense close-combat martial arts from the best to our least favorite. But there are not the only options available, but the best ones to protect yourself in my belief. Keep in mind that even the last listed option is the last of the best, so you can’t go wrong no matter which discipline you choose.
Martial arts are useful for a lot more than just learning how to fight or protect yourself, or to pursue as a profession. For those of us who do not regularly practice, we often forget about the potential health and fitness benefits of martial arts. Forms like Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, MMA, and MMA fitness workouts make not just the body fit but also help to keep the mind healthy.
Tai Chi is an incredibly relaxing and interesting form of performance art that had its origins in ancient China. We know that people practice it for the health benefits and it is accounted by many practitioners of Tai Chi that it has an incredible effect on the overall mental and physical health.
Tai chi is a form of exercise that requires no equipment, and it is easy to learn. While doing the art, you not only get into the depth of your mental and physical being, but it also has some spiritual effects that synchronize your thoughts into positive actions.
Martial arts are not just about kicking butt or defending yourself from would-be attackers. There are numerous ways that martial arts practice impacts your physical and mental health. Martial arts can help improve fitness, coordination, self-esteem, discipline, and of course self defense skills. If nothing else, a rigorous kickboxing class is a great cardiovascular addition to your weekly workout schedule.
Here are six ways to improve your life by adding martial arts training to your routine. (more…)
If you know anything about martial arts, you are probably aware that they often require intensive training to master, which can make them an excellent form of exercise. But you may also know that there are several different disciplines under the umbrella of martial arts and that they differ in both goals and practice.
Jiujitsu is a form of martial art that focuses on grappling, striking, throws, joint locks, and even some weapons mastery. As such, you might wonder if it can offer you the cardio benefits inherent in some other forms of martial arts.
While grappling and striking may certainly help you to gain strength and agility, the form might not necessarily give you the calorie-burning workout needed to reach your weight-loss goals. However, there’s more to this martial art than getting your opponent into a figure-four leg lock on the mat. And it can definitely play a role in your weight-loss regimen.
Plyos, Olympic Lifts, and Dynamic Efforts are not the Only Ways to Increase Speed and Power
Strength coaches around the world prescribe plyometrics and Olympic lifts to increase force production – to build speed and power. Powerlifters around the world utilize dynamic effort lifts – box squats, speed deads, board presses – to increase their speed and power.
We can all learn A LOT from those methods, but there is one constituent of force development that the above methods don’t take into account. Consider reversal and/or starting strength, acceleration, and stretch reflex actions of the muscles that act as the antagonists to the primary sports movement.
Here we go again! The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is coming out at the end of the month – June 30th if I’m not mistaken, so it is time to examine the developments in the physique of our buddy Taylor Lautner for this, the third installment of the Twilight Saga.
The following guest post was contributed by Alexia Krause, a PR executive who is writing today about MMA Workouts for women.
MMA Workouts are not Just for Men
Mixed martial arts appears to be a male dominated sport, yet the number of women who are becoming part of the MMA community is continually growing.
There are many female MMA fighters (including Kaitlyn Young and Gina Carano), who follow the same rigorous regimens as their male counterparts. These inspiring ladies have broken open the doors to what used to be the “boy’s club” of MMA. They use the same techniques, MMA equipment, and exercises that most fighters would use.
I have seen the movie and I was not altogether impressed, although it was not a bad movie. I would give it a 7 out of 10, while IMDB has it at 4.5 out of 10. It is a thrilling romance/monster story for teenage girls. Everything about the flick is targeted at tween girls and that’s all there is to it.
What I was more impressed by, is the evolution of Taylor Lautner. In nine months, this 17 year old boy gained 30 pounds of muscle to better pull off his changing into a werewolf for New Moon. Granted, if he didn’t gain the weight the part of Jacob Black would have been recast.
Taylor Lautner used to be a 5’10”, 140-pound fairly ripped martial artist, but now he’s a weightlifting beast. So, just how did Taylor Lautner gain 30 pounds of muscle so quickly?
He maximized his genetic potential, and you can too.
I came across this video, which depicts the type of training I do in my thai kickboxing class and in the MMA class held right after my class. You can use these ideas to create your own conditioning program.
