Pros and Cons of Martial Arts | Are they worth your time?


Jiu Jitsu

I’ve studied plenty of martial arts. Hence I know that choosing whether you should begin learning one is challenging. As a result, laying out the advantages and disadvantages will assist those who need it. 

I’ve been a special forces operator for a prolonged time. As a result, I know the benefits of practicing distinct martial arts. Additionally, understanding the self-development such workouts can lead to is crucial. 

As a result, knowing what to expect in return will set your expectations realistically. In addition, if you’re a beginner, seeking a mentor is wise. That way, you’ll be able to learn and practice at a faster rate. That’ll lead to positive results way sooner than average. 

I wrote an article on what martial arts work. If you don’t know which one you should choose, that post will provide the guidance you need. That way, you’ll make an intelligent choice. 

Highly effective

Karate
Image by Christoph Schütz from Pixabay

In various self-defense situations, knowing how to protect yourself and others, using your body is highly effective. These days, people prefer to arm themselves rather than learn how to use their body parts. As a result, not only are they not going to develop, but they’re also missing out on many benefits. 

As a general rule, martial arts are highly effective in threatening scenarios. Because learning martial arts grants you the ability to defend yourself, you’ll be able to use your knowledge in dangerous situations. As a result, you’ll know how to protect yourself and your surroundings. 

That said, a considerable part of my website is for the topics of weapons. Because of that, you understand that I’m a fan of firearms. So, why will I advise you to learn a martial art?

Well, the answer is simple. Although arming yourself with a self-defense tool is crucial, knowing how to use your body will assist you in many situations. Additionally, you’ll develop personally and build a strong character if you train a fighting style. 

Overall, using your body for self-defense is highly effective. Consequently, individuals who know how to do so will have an easier time getting out of threatening situations. Additionally, others will respect you more since you’re independent. 

Easy to learn

Learning a fighting style is straightforward. Of course, if you choose a demanding martial art, you’ll have a challenging time studying it. If you pick a suitable one, it won’t be trouble learning it. 

Learning martial art takes practice, dedication, and willpower. But, knowing the fundamentals is straightforward. As a result, picking up a fighting style and practicing it is unchallenging. Boxing, for instance, is easier to learn than other martial arts. 

There’s a variety of martial arts.

Various individuals may have distinct preferences. As a result, each will have a more suitable martial art to practice. Because of that, I can recommend a single fighting style to everyone. If I will, some will have more trouble picking it up. 

Because there are many martial arts one can pick up, you can choose a suitable one for your needs. That way, not only will you enjoy the process better, but you’ll also know self-defense at a higher level. As a result, you’ll notice more positive effects and plentifuller benefits. 

That said, there are some martial arts you shouldn’t learn. These won’t provide as many benefits as the other ones. Additionally, you won’t use them in a real threatening experience. Thus they’ll be useless. 

I recommend picking up Boxing, Krav Maga, Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, or MMA. 

Increase self-confidence.

Man Karate

I’ve seen this particular benefit happen to most people who do martial arts. Thus I assure you you’ll experience it once you begin training. 

An increase in self-confidence will occur once you begin learning a martial art. You’ll be able to defend yourself and others using your body. Hence you’ll be more independent than before. Because of that, others will respect you more, and your confidence in yourself will arise.

According to a study, training in martial arts has shown to alter experiences of control and vulnerability, self-esteem, self-concept, fitness, confidence, and relaxation. As a result, some researchers characterize martial arts practice as a form of self-help.

Before I began my Krav Maga training in the military, I didn’t know performing such acts with your body was possible. Yet, once I started training it, I noticed an immediate increase in self-confidence. I understood how to defend myself and be aggressive towards others. As a result, I began trusting myself at a higher level. 

Improve physical condition.

In today’s society, people would do anything to get in shape. As a result, it’s highly desirable. So, if I tell you that you can quickly improve your condition by consistently practicing martial art, would you start?

If you want to learn more about whether you can get into shape training in martial arts, I wrote an entire article on the topic, and I highly encourage you to check it. 

As a general rule, training in martial arts will improve your physical condition. As proof, notice that all the top instructors in the field are in fantastic shape. A Krav Maga session, for instance, can burn up to 650 calories an hour. Thus it’s intense and will better your physical state. 

Improve mental state.

Today, many people are having a tough time stabilizing their mental state. That may occur from many things in life. However, that doesn’t mean it’s beneficial. Therefore, building a powerful character is crucial for yourself. 

Training in martial arts improves your mental state. Because the workout will build yourself to be more powerful and trustworthy, you’ll feel an improvement in your stability. As a result, your self-confidence will arise, and you’ll notice positive results. 

From my experience, bettering yourself as an assertive person is the most significant task in life. You’ll be able to achieve many feats you would not have known you could. Hence developing yourself will assist you in completing various achievements you wouldn’t have otherwise. 

Additionally, a solid mental state is a sign of success. Therefore, you must check this part carefully and expect to notice an improvement once you begin training. 

Expensive

A bag of cash
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Above are all the leading advantages to learning a martial art. However, we must consider the cons before we start our workout. Otherwise, we may expect other results from our pieces of training.

That said, the first one is that you may end up investing more money than you first wanted to. Because of that, you must be aware of the price it may come to pile up to be. 

If you take martial art classes, you’ll spend more money than an individual who’s self-teaching. However, you’ll get more value from having someone mentor you. For instance, a single session may cost $25-$50. Therefore spending an additional $150 a month is typical. 

Because of that, picking an instructor on a social platform, such as Youtube, may end up saving you money. However, you won’t get live feedback, which may be crucial for progress. 

Lastly, you won’t notice your progress. As a result, you may get discouraged over the fact that you’re unsure where you’re standing. Because of that, before you start learning martial art, I recommend you trust the process of such workouts. 

Take a prolonged time to learn.

Although various fighting styles are easy to learn, they may take a prolonged time to get decent. Therefore, if you’re unwilling to invest your time and some of your money on these workouts, ensure you’re aware of the consequences. 

Most martial arts will require time and money to become good. Because of that, many people who started learning one may get quickly discouraged over not noticing the results they initially expected. Hence ensure you’re aware of the consequences before starting. 

Additionally, some fighting styles may take more time to learn than others. Krav Maga, for instance, will take more time to train than Boxing. Hence consider the different martial arts before choosing one. That way, you’ll be able to make a wise choice and stick with it. 

May cause injuries.

Although it’s obvious, be aware that you may injure yourself while training in martial arts. Hence when you’re working out, minimize the risks you’re taking. That way, the odds of you getting hurt lower, and you’re keeping yourself safe. 

Not only that, but by ensuring you won’t get injured, you’ll progress at a rapid pace. That’ll lead to positive results and more benefits flowing your way. 

A study showed that Martial artists with at least three years of experience were twice as likely to sustain injury than less experienced students. If you’re interested in learning more about martial arts injuries, I highly encourage you to follow the link to the study. 

However, at times, they’re inevitable. Thus when they do occur, get medical treatment as fast as possible. If you won’t, you’ll put yourself at risk of permanent damage. 

Conclusion

Overall, I can safely tell you that learning and training in martial arts are worth your time. It’ll change your mindset concerning many activities in life. Hence doing it is highly beneficial. 

That said, consider the cons of learning a fighting style before starting. That way, you can match your expectations with reality. Because of that, if you’re wondering whether or not you should learn a martial art, read the pros and cons one more time. 

That way, you’ll be able to make a wiser choice than if you hadn’t. Furthermore, there are many benefits to practicing martial art. An immediate increase in self-confidence, for instance, is a leading one. 

Not only that but you’ll also better your mental state by practicing them. Thus I can’t find a solid reason why you shouldn’t start learning a martial art. Yet, I don’t want to choose for you, so I’ll recommend it.  

Levi

I've served in the military as a special forces operator for 4-years. In that period, I've trained in many martial arts, including karate, MMA, BJJ, boxing, and even Krav Maga. I want to share my passion with you, so here it is!

2 thoughts on “Pros and Cons of Martial Arts | Are they worth your time?

  1. It’s great that you talked about learning martial arts to increase your self-confidence. I have a younger cousin who wants to join a sports team or something after school. He’s not very social, but we got along nicely since we were kids, so I’ll suggest he considers martial arts training. http://academicsuccessprogram.com

  2. Thanks for the reminder that anticipating injuries should always be kept in mind as one of the risks of learning martial arts. I plan to find a good kobudo class in the future because I recently learned about it from a documentary I was watching a few nights ago. I think that I could spend my weekends learning it so that I could have a more interesting workout routine in the months to come.

    http://www.tanakas-martial-arts-academy.com/

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