YES.. the old Black Belt Magazines, Inside Kung Fu and their articles or the ones in Combat Sports Martial Art Magazines and the European Budo magazines, where we read about the world of oriental Self-defense and martial arts. You might recall those publications being on every Grocery Store magazine shelf. We were inundated with articles on whom and what the martial arts were and those who were making it happen around the world. This was the 70’s and 80’s, the martial arts magic years if you were a school owner. Thanks to Hollywood creating a boom, classes had lots of adult participation, in fact more adults training than kids. Then in the 90’s interest declined. We outgrew the Hollywood image of martial arts effectiveness and therefore in the adult martial art classes we saw a retreat from tradition, mysticism and the fads of systems that had been popular to less than 1% of adults actually participating in the martial arts.
Expert western masters, who had huge martial art schools, began to market the martial art business side and we became very kid focused, because we realized parents just needed a one hour break from their kids and that was where the money was. Then by the mid 90’s along came BJJ and MMA and the over the top insanity for adults to jump back in which opened up a new market for those seeking to become the Ultimate Warrior. Martial arts went from a standing pastime to a rolling on the ground past-time. Every school owner it seems needed a BJJ class to draw an older participant or they better love teaching kids. Once again the UFC created a boom drawing in MMA to the mix. UFC became a spectator sport much like boxing, but with UFC it also had a large dose of WWF thrown in the mix making it hard to swallow with traditionalists. But even the hype surrounding UFC still limited the appeal but schools seemed to spring up everywhere. Then we witnessed a decline, even before COVID reaped its havoc on martial art schools forcing many to close their doors and sell off the dream. But all things happen for a reason and strong schools and/or systems can still be found and perhaps, just perhaps, it’s time to look past the hype and explore the real benefits of martial art training.
Not because Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris or even the Gracie’s gave me motivation to train martial arts, because for one, I had a black belt long before they came on the scene … frankly for me it’s simple, I love martial arts. At my seminars one of the questions I am often asked is, why did I start training in the martial arts, and my answer is often, “because I can’t run very fast”. Of course anyone who knows me or has trained with me will tell you, as they see me it’s because of the self-defense value I gain from knowing all these martial art techniques. And yes, to a certain point that is true from a very basic perspective, but frankly I have always gained far more from my martial arts training then just about any other fitness activity I do or have done. Clearly, with martial arts training I have always gotten more bang for my buck, meaning; I’ve paid to go to the gym to lift weights and yes I gain beautiful muscles in all the right places and the same goes for running. I buy a great pair of shoes and off I go building endurance and a meditative mindset with jogging. But with martial arts I’ve gained all that and more. Particular skill sets I’ve learned and mastered have given me lifelong skills physically, mentally, tactically and most importantly spiritually, and of course I have the honour to teach it, this is what I mean by more bang for my buck. In my humble opinion a lot has changed in the martial arts in my 6 decades of practicing them but there is still a great deal that holds me to the training.
In my opinion, no other activity like martial arts can give you so much and offer such positive life-motivational qualities that actually take you to another level of personal development. Sounds assumed doesn’t it. So then you’re asking why is less than 1% of the world’s population, including the Asian countries, participating in some sort of martial arts training. I can’t give you a definitive answer why those numbers are as low as say compared to yoga or other sports based leisure activities. Perhaps image has something to do with that after all. I have been told “martial arts training is just for kids” or “it’s too brutal for me.” Some don’t like the costumes and the rituals, perhaps because they seem to have no point. Of course some just fear the sweat equity involved in the training and others just can’t get past either the Hollywood John Wick image and/or UFC/MMA spectacle. Frankly, we martial artist have not done a great job marketing the package as a whole. I would love to see more people receive the benefits associated with good martial arts training and trust me there are a lot of good schools out there to choose from.
If I may, let me share with you my motivational connections to the martial arts world and let’s consider the benefits you can expect from participating in regular martial arts/self-defense training. So here’s why I think you’ll be a winner if you take on a sensible martial art commitment.
Maybe you don’t need to be convinced about the health benefits of regular martial arts training but I can tell you they are vast and help prevent certain diseases. Here are some of the ways martial arts training might serve to improve your life beyond personal self-defense skills and knowledge.
The next most recognized effect to regular martial art training is weight management. The exercises you do during classes are a critical ingredient in losing weight and/or managing it. Dieting alone is far less effective but combine it with the total body workout found in a good martial arts class you get results. Regular training trains your body to get out of the body image yo-yo effect. The training effects fighting off depression, particularly your metabolic rate, which causes fluctuation in your body weight because you find training exciting enough to attend on a regular basis. Therefore, you manage your body and its dietary pattern through the continuation of your training plan.
Frankly it’s a big one for me since I am no longer a spring chicken. But here’s a no brainer, Stanford University (1986), uncovered evidence that regular exercisers live longer than sedentary people. Martial art training keeps us feeling and behaving younger than our years. As you know, we have a lot of breathing exercises in martial arts as well as the cardio aspect of regular training. These breathing exercises help reduce the effects of aging. The physiological explanation for this effect is that normally our ability to take in oxygen drops by about 10% a decade from the ages 20-60. Martial art training is an excellent means to slow this decline, especially during the 5th and 6th decades (where I am…LOL), allowing us to maintain the vigour and strength of someone 10-15 years younger (my goal is 20 years… what’s yours?).
Yup, narrowing of the arteries is a big one today because of the buildup of fatty substances, cholesterol, and cellular waste. Martial arts training will help reduce the chances of you suffering from these diseases. Here’s what it can do for you to help combat it by creating change to; lowering resting pulse rate, our blood stream develops a higher concentration of ‘good’ cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins) therefore you’ll tend to eat better and maintain a healthier body weight.
This is a big killer today. We know the heart is a muscle and like other muscles it becomes stronger with regular exercise and helps prevent heart disease. With the full-body workout found in martial arts training the walls of your heart grow thicker with every class you attend. This enables it to pump more blood throw the arteries with each pump and with breathing techniques that blood moves more oxygen. Your heart becomes more efficient, pumping fewer times to produce the same net result. Think about it, martial art training reducing your heart rate by just one beat per minute translates into 525,600 fewer beats per year. Now that’s impressive. Now you can withstand stress better and react quicker when the fear reaction kicks in.
In today’s world high blood pressure is a huge health issue and can be the cause of a whole mess of medical dramas. Martial art training already has the heart working and the training also has the effect of lowering resting blood pressure. This lowering effect is very important the older we get and is a very good reason why adults should take martial art training seriously.
Speaking of the older crew wear and tear is part of the aging process especially once you get over the age of 50. This is where we actually see degenerative changes in cartilage of the joints. When we look at the softer side of martial art training, like forms, which put the body and its joints through a full range of motion it becomes beneficial in the treatment of arthritis and alleviation of some of its symptoms. Since I left 60 many years ago my training routine reflects that but as the old saying goes, “use it or lose it.” My old joints still have a pretty good range of motion. In fact I still shock the younger crew that I can still kick them in the head while they are standing. But the training also helps to alleviate the joint pain associated with this condition and a big reason I keep doing it. It makes me feel good.
This too is an age related condition which creates abnormal porousness, or ‘thinning’, of the bones. There is strong evidence that a high level of martial arts training reduces age related bone loss. I’ve found this is important for both prevention and for rehabilitation.
Now here is something I know a lot about, having had the lower back screwed up in the army. But one thing I do hear is complaints coming from people who sit on their butts and do nothing telling me just how painful their back is. Inactive life-style is not only boring but bad for the back. Well, my preferred way to deal with my back injury is to keep working my lower back through exercise and there are a ton of very good exercises done in a martial arts class. Through proper exercises we can prevent or ameliorate our good old backs and I prefer this route as a treatment for the damage to my back then anti-inflammatory medications.
Now if we take the mysticism and secret Bunkai out of the martial art class, and modernize our approach, we can create tremendous psychological side effects. The importance of this element has been brought home to me and validated through a military career, followed by a police career where not only being physically fit is important but mentally fit as well. When we create the right training rituals the psychological side of the coin becomes more pertinent, and in fact helps us manage the emotional agenda of life today. Here are some of those benefits that are very specific to combating the stress effects modern society places on us.
I have found that people who tend to be physically fit tend to be mentally fit. Martial artists generally score higher on the measures of personal adjustment and life satisfaction.
I know this one all too well. Between military and police service PTSD is very real and I have experienced various negative bodily and mental feelings. For me martial art training has always been the most dependable and least costly antidote to those feelings. Every class or time spent practicing helps reduce temporary feelings of anxiety. It relieves feelings of bodily tension and lowers your resting heart rate. Martial art training provides a much needed ‘time-out’ from modern daily hassles and pressing life concerns.
Have you ever felt ‘blue’ for varying lengths of time? Experts might tell you that it’s a sign of depression and that it’s a common symptom of failure to cope with mental stress. So how does martial arts training help? Its training acts on a biochemical as well as psychological level to make you feel better and overcome mild to moderate depression. I consider it my form of short-term psychotherapy.
Today anxiety is just about everyone’s drama caused by every aspect of social media out there. This anxiety shows itself in mental worry, bodily sensations of tension, muscle aches, nervous stomach and even sweating. You may feel anxious once in a while, or like many, suffer from chronic anxiety. Engaging in a martial art class your anxiety seems to magically disappear. But it’s not magic or some secret technique of the ancient masters. There are solid physiological explanations for the anxiety-reducing effects of martial arts training. The benefits may only last for a matter of hours after class, but the effect is reliable enough to train yourself to relieve yourself of those tense and anxious feelings. Did you ever wonder why martial artists seem to be a more relaxed person. Training can be transformational. So here’s a very cool martial art ritual; arrive at the school, change into your martial art uniform leaving the daily anxiety bagage hanging in the change room with your street clothes, it’s meditative, start training! Perhaps that’s why the costumes and the rituals.
How many of you have problems with a feeling of low self-esteem or just plain don’t like yourself. Today, bullying and other forms of hate are on just about every corner and this is one area where martial arts training can and do have a huge impact. Self-esteem and confidence improve as you start on the practice of martial arts. That physical competence and greater acceptance of who your inner-self is, changes how you see and feel about yourself, maybe because you’ve decided to do something for yourself. But whatever the reason, there is a clear link in all age brackets of martial artists and developing higher self-esteem. This provides a reliable ego boost that provides a pathway to confidence and a more pernicious self-attitude.
I am not just talking here about martial arts training giving you confidence. But good old fashioned well-structured training develops what I like to call assertive confidence. This is a trait where one does not need control over others nor do they allow people to have control over them. It’s one of the most important aspects of martial arts I try to impart to my kids. Because being assertively confident gives them the power to do or be anything they want. And hopefully lead not follow.
I have merely highlighted some of the more prominent benefits of martial arts training as I see them. I am continuing to discover additional mental, physical and spiritual rewards of my martial art habit, even though I have trained for over 60 years. If you too are trying to take note of the martial arts benefits to your life I hope you continue. When you start to train, if you have never done martial arts before, know that you can count on feeling better about yourself and being healthier if you make the martial art commitment. Why don’t more people join you on this quest or train on a regular bases?
I still can’t give you that answer. But if you wait for someone to join you before you start, then you will never start…so start now for yourself if you’re seeking a healthier more assertively confident life-style.
If You Need an Excuse, You Can Find One! See you on the mats soon!