After training martial arts over 22 years and fighting as a professional MMA fighter, the most significant gift it has given me is confidence. With all the chaos going on in the world right now, it is nice to be able to have this level of confidence in public. Knowing you can handle yourself in a situation carries over into how you conduct yourself in unpredictable situations such as being assaulted in public. Attackers usually look for and decide who to target within 7 seconds. This is all determined by your level of alertness and posture. Are you aware of your surroundings and looking upright? Or, are you slouched over looking at your phone, not paying attention to anything around you? Ask yourself if you were going to rob or attack someone, who would you pick for an easier target?
Another benefit of martial arts training is its ability to realize how violent an actual assault is to a would-be victim. In the US, we generally live in a prosperous and civilized society. People walk around not worrying about their safety as they go about their daily business. People typically don’t have a proactive attitude about being assaulted until it actually happens to them. This is the beauty of training martial arts: it prepares you physically and mentally for what an actual attack or assault would be like. This is important to train because, many times, your first reaction is the most important one. Training to not immediately respond out of fear is crucial to your success in defending or escaping an attack.
Private mixed martial arts training is ideal for individuals that want to learn how to defend themselves while getting a workout. One of its benefits is that you will learn the art quicker than a group class. Martial arts is quite a broad spectrum in terms of styles and disciplines. Mixed martial arts fighters you see in UFC or other MMA promotions train in the following styles: boxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling. They include grappling and striking arts to turn students into a complete, well-rounded fighter. The great thing about these arts is you don’t have to fight professionally to train them and be effective with them in a self-defense scenario.
Martial arts is a fun and effective way to lose weight and improve your cardiorespiratory system. You are also learning an actual skill while you train. I have many clients that have a hybrid training program where it includes strength training, cardiovascular conditioning, and mixed martial arts. My clients love these programs because of the variety and challenge the program offers. Some of their best workouts in terms of cardio gains and calories burned have come from martial arts workouts.
