Martial arts is a general term that refers to several fighting styles. “Martial” comes from the word “Mars” (the Roman god of war), while “Arts” indicates skills and creativity. Popular martial arts styles include Kung Fu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Tai Chi, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Judo. Most martial arts types involve using only the hands and feet in combat. Can you teach yourself martial arts? The answer is yes!

Reasons Why People Practice Martial Arts

There are numerous reasons why people practice martial arts. The first, and the most popular, is self-defense. People get attacked every day and are unable to defend themselves. Attackers can inflict serious injuries if they have weapons, so you need to know how to defend yourself.

Martial arts puts you in a better position to ward off attackers or prevent them from attacking someone else. Secondly, it helps you improve your mental and physical fitness. Mental disorders like depression, stress, and anxiety can negatively affect the quality of one’s life. And triggers such as financial problems and pressure at work can cause mental problems. Martial arts exercises help people reduce stress and focus on things that matter.

The workouts also keep practitioners physically fit. For instance, kicking techniques used in Kung Fu strengthen one’s leg muscles. Grappling, on the other hand, improves your reflexes and flexibility. Here are some martial arts exercises that will improve your flexibility.

Lastly, people learn martial arts to become professional martial artists or instructors. Every year people join martial arts classes so you can learn to teach other people. Professional martial artists can participate in local and international events.

Learning Martial Arts on Your Own is Possible

Contrary to popular belief, you can learn martial arts by yourself. So, you need not worry if the nearest school is far away or if you cannot afford the fees. The following tips will help you learn martial arts at home.

  • Understand that a lot of skills and techniques are involved – Start by doing some research on martial arts disciplines and pick one that suits you. For instance, you need a partner to learn Jiu-Jitsu’s full techniques, so it might not be the best martial art for someone training solo. Some disciplines you can learn at home include karate, boxing, and Tai Chi. Remember, it will take some time before you master all the skills and techniques.
  •  Seek help from a professional – To understand how to execute some techniques, consult an expert martial artist. You may get injured if you try to perform advanced kicks or other techniques on your own. Get a professional to review your progress and provide the best tips to help you get better.
  •  You need many hours of sparring sessions – you can only practice the moves you learn in martial arts through sparring. Do not confuse sparring with fighting. Sparing is meant to help you perfect the techniques and improve your reaction time. Thus, in a real life fight, for instance, you will be able to subdue your opponent easily.

Teaching Yourself Martial Arts Will Only Work IF

After selecting a martial arts discipline, you need to identify your goals. What do you want to achieve? If you want to trim some fat and stay fit, then go ahead. Many people who want to cut weight hate the boring gym workouts. Martial arts is exciting as you only strive to be better than you were yesterday. You will have lost some weight and gained valuable skills and techniques at the end of it all.

If you are looking to learn some basic self-defense skills, then you should start doing martial arts. Basic self-defense drills are easy to learn and can be mastered in a few weeks. Note that these skills should only be used to overcome your opponents and not to injure them.

Lastly, martial arts will work for you if you want to improve your mental health. The many hours of practice and the discipline required will boost your self-esteem. What’s more, you will gain values such as respect, endurance, courage, and focus.

As you can see, teaching yourself martial arts is possible. You only need to set your goals and strive to achieve them. At Bushido, we provide equipment and gear for the various martial arts disciplines. With the right gear, you will be able to avoid injuries and improve your performance.