Why Should You Use Martial Arts As A Cross-Training Option

 

Martial Arts As A Cross-Training Option

Why is martial arts good for cross-training?

    It is really difficult to find a down side to choosing martial arts as a cross training option. There are many, many benefits to it and the athletic results can be noticed immediately. I like to break things down into compartments that are easily processed, especially information. Here is no different. I have over 30 years experience in training and teaching martial arts, so I have a pretty good knowledge base that I am working from, and I hope you find some of the information helpful if you are interested in adding an additional activity to your training and not sure which direction to go. 

    Martial arts has been used for centuries as a base for training exercise, especially in the area of Asia. So there is a long tradition of martial arts as just an effective exercise unto itself. In western civilization, we can look at the ancient Greeks and how they used martial skills to help celebrate their Olympics by having soldiers run races in full armor, face off in wrestling, or compete in boxing. The warriors for every country had to be fit individuals in order to be effective in fighting the wars for their country. So, the tradition is there to use martial arts as an effective tool to train the human body.

    Now, in the 21st century, we have more choices than ever to enhance our training with all kinds of aspects of martial arts training. There are so many choices to look at that the decision could be difficult. For the purposes of this post, I am addressing just the general benefits of martial arts as a whole as a cross-training choice, not as a comparison of one training method or style over another.

Mobility and Flexibility

    The mobility and flexibility benefits are numerous. Martial arts, in general, asks its practitioners to do things that just are not found in other sports. The positions that are needed to execute the variety of moves test the muscles and joints in different ways to allow for more motion than might be used in one of the more popular sports. The best examples being kicks. Front kicks, back kicks, side kicks, spinning kicks, and any number of other kicks all test balance, coordination, and mobility and thereby creating a greater general range of motion for athletes, as well as better coordination and balance because they have to execute said moves on one leg instead of two.

Hand and Eye Coordination

    Arts that focus a great deal on hands and use of heavy bags, as well as hitting pads develop some of the best hand-eye coordination you could ask for in an athlete. We have no further to look than at boxers. Just the drills alone make boxers better with the use of their hands. This can translate into other sports where hand and eye coordination is needed for success, like baseball and tennis.

    The central nervous system can be trained to help an athlete react and use his or her senses in such a way they become more efficient in how they move through space in any situation. A perfect example of this was when I was training intensely for a test, and I had a dog surprise me once (thankfully it was chained up). it was lightning quick, but I was even quicker in dodging out of the reach of the dog to make sure I did not get injured. Reflexes can be trained. Senses can be heightened. This comes from that training, especially if you have the right teacher training you.

Another Form of Cardio Training

    Hitting a heavy bag, sparring with people, grappling with other jiu-jitsu practitioners all make for excellent cardio work that you would not otherwise find on your standard cardio equipment. The cardio work would also be in conjunction with that hand-eye coordination piece mentioned before, because the training with others involves reading and reacting to other people and their moves. Even bag drills or pad drills give you cardio and coordination training that is truly unique. It makes for a more interesting experience and brings me to my next point.

Martial Arts is Interactive

    A unique aspect of martial training is that it is highly interactive. If you are a person that likes people around when you train, then this is really for you, because the possibilities are endless in terms of what you can do with other people. It is a social type of experience that you can add to your training, and often times you can learn from each other directly as you react to each other's movements. Yes, group classes like Zumba and Yoga are interactive also, although in a different way. But what I would point out, especially if you are training application, you interact in martial arts by actually putting your hands on your partner to apply said moves. So it involves a high level of trust at the same time.

Martial Arts as  Philosophy

    If you are with the right teacher, martial arts training becomes a positive and encompassing philosophy, often overlooked by other sports or disciplines. It challenges our mind and encourages us to adjust our perception of the world so that we as people can understand the world better. It is true, you may not find this with every trainer. They may take more of the UFC/sport approach, but if you train with a traditional instructor, the physical and life applications often come together.

Martial arts can be a total and all-encompassing experience that completes many parts of our training and lives. It is a diverse concept that has many options if you are willing to try something new. Give it a try and experience the benefit of training in a martial art!

Keep training hard and stay safe!