Martial arts are becoming more popular than ever, growing at a rate of 18.7% since 2012. It’s an industry worth an estimated $9.05 billion now with over 50,000 martial arts businesses in the United States alone. These days, people can learn a martial art for many different reasons. Some people enjoy it as a form of exercise, and others trust in the self-defence lessons that it can teach you.
So whether you’re looking for an excuse to practice martial arts or are curious why martial arts are becoming such popular hobbies, here are some reasons.
It can provide a full-body workout
Martial arts is a great alternative to regular working out routines such as going to the gym or doing cardio on your bike. A lot of martial arts engage all of the different muscles in your body, providing a full-body workout that doesn’t require much equipment. At most, you might want to have a punching bag of some sort to train on, but other than that, you really don’t need much to start throwing punches and kicks. Of course, it’s a lot more involved than just flailing your limbs around, so make sure you train properly and responsibly with help from an instructor!
It can help improve your coordination
When you start attending martial arts classes, one of the changes that you’ll notice really soon is the improved hand-eye coordination that it develops. This is because you need to start being really aware of your surroundings when you practice martial arts, and you have to be quick to respond to incoming attacks. You’ll also be working a lot with your limbs and throwing punches and kicks, and you need to have a strong sense of coordination to pull off some of the more complex moves.
It can give you self-defence skills
Another good reason to pick up martial arts is because it gives you practical self-defence skills. Now, if your purpose for learning a martial art is purely to defend yourself in a dangerous situation, then you may be better suited with a class in self defence rather than just martial arts. But with that said, a martial art can be both a great way to get a full-body workout and to learn how to defend yourself in a tight situation–just make sure it’s a martial art that is good for self-defence.
It introduces you to a wonderful new community
One of the big reasons why people learn martial arts is to help improve their social skills and to find a community of like-minded individuals. Martial arts are as much about the physical side of things as it is about discipline and community. When you start to learn about martial arts, you’ll find that there are practitioners and followers from all different walks of life, all of whom share the game goals as you. These are the people you’ll be training with whenever you attend your classes, and it can build a strong and relatable bond.
