Are you feeling depressed? Is your self-esteem and confidence low? Did you know that an hourly class of martial arts training with moderate intensity can help you in burning up to 500 calories? Science acknowledges that sporting activities can help in boosting your physical and mental health.
Martial arts are some of the best sporting activities, which can help you defend yourself from physical and mental harm. Martial art forms such as the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), Kickboxing, and Muay Thai present many benefits. These benefits go beyond the simple preparation for self-defense. This piece of work highlights how BJJ and kickboxing classes can help you in boosting your mental health.
1. Boost Your Confidence
Confidence denotes self-belief. It’s a psychological feature achieved from positive conditioning. If you’ve had more rewarding experiences, you’re likely to feel more confident than someone who hasn’t experienced the same. In martial arts, the personal gratification gained in practicing martial arts is instant.
If you follow the instructions well and land the right kicks, blows, throws, and other moves you can get immediate gratification and confidence in your abilities. As a result, you can get a subconscious boost in your confidence.
2. Feel Good and Reduce Your Stress
Movements made in Jiu Jitsu and kickboxing classes put to action all your core muscles. The resulting body workout can help you in reducing stress through the release of mood-lifting hormone known as endorphins. Endorphins released into your brain can improve your mood and confidence. This boost can also better your interpersonal relations, which can help you de-stress.
Any kickboxing or Jiu Jitsu class also helps you to master your impulses and thoughts while at the same time giving you a platform to vent your anger or frustration.
3. Be Calm and Sleep Better
Missing enough sleep can make you feel tired, groggy, and unable to concentrate. If these feelings get prolonged you might end up feeling depressed and anxious. But you can punch and kick your way into a better night of sleep. Kickboxing and BJJ can sync your mind and body and help you become calm at night, and a calm mind is all that you need to get better sleep.
4. Improve Your Socialization and Interpersonal Relations
It’s rare to find a sportsperson that is unsociable. Most people with mental health conditions such as psychosis, depression, and schizophrenia are unable to relate well with friends and family. Practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or kickboxing opens your doors to a great world of socialization where you can make new friends.
Such an interactive world builds your social and interpersonal skills. The more you talk to people, the better you’ll feel.
5. Stimulate Your Mind
Making kickboxing or BJJ moves is akin to playing chess, but in this instance, you’ll be doing it with your mind and body. The more you spar, the better you become at anticipating your opponent’s moves while also crafting counter-moves.
6. Build Your Self-Discipline
All forms of martial arts emphasize the importance of mastering yourself. This includes controlling your anger and any other forms of impulsive behavior. You also have to follow the code and tenets of martial arts to remain in most Dojos and kickboxing classes. All the hours of training also need you to persevere and be patient to achieve your goals.
7. Improve Your Decision-Making Speed
When you have punches and kicks flying all around you, you’ll learn to think and react. You’ll also learn to coordinate the movement of your body, and this helps in improving the functioning of the brain’s neurons. Improved mental acuity keeps away mental diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
If you combine these mental health benefits with the physical health benefits of engaging in martial arts training, you’ll learn that you’re also defending your body from poor health. In the end, BJJ and kickboxing classes will help you build self-defense against physical assault as well as defense against health problems.
