Learning martial arts is highly beneficial. Kung fu, in particular, is suitable for many purposes and provides many benefits. It’ll also make you a solid fighter and develop your inner self. Well, should you learn Kung fu?
You should learn Kung fu because it’s a suitable martial art for self-defense and self-development. As a result, you’ll gain mental and physical benefits from training, such as increased confidence and better physical condition, which are highly desirable traits.
Kung fu training has changed my life for the better. It has given me many positive experiences, and therefore I’m glad I began practicing in it. Next, we’ll discuss the reasons you should learn Kung fu. If you’re hesitant about beginning training, I recommend starting as soon as possible.
If you want to know whether learning martial arts is hard, follow the link to a thorough article.
The following list is the reasons you should learn Kung fu.
- reduces stress and violence levels
- increases confidence and self-esteem
- suitable martial art for self-defense
- betters physical shape
- Kung fu is a form of self-help
If you’re interested in knowing how to practice at home, I wrote a complete guide on training martial arts at home. It’s one of my most researched topics, and therefore I recommend reading it.
1. Kung fu reduces stress and violence levels
One of the calmest groups worldwide is the Shaolin monks. If you haven’t heard of them, you must be living under a rock. They’re individuals that train in Kung fu and combine it with a peaceful lifestyle. Because they’re monks, they can’t do most of what’s appropriate in today’s world, such as marry.
Kung fu reduces stress and violence levels because it provides the trainees with an outlet to release excess aggression. Additionally, it incorporates many meditation drills. As a result, Kung fu trainees are more peaceful and have less violent levels.
According to a study, police officers with a martial arts background performed better under stress. The officers were in high/low anxiety environments, and the study examined the differences between the two groups.
Eventually, results showed that martial arts, including Kung fu, reduce overall stress levels. Consequently, performance under stress was better in officers with a martial arts background. (Source)
Another study showed that Kung fu combined with mindfulness exercise reduces overall aggression and violence levels.
(Source)
Now, don’t combine aggression levels with the capability of using physical force. While one may be aggressive, he may not know how to fight. However, a Kung fu trainee may be calm and not violent. Yet, when he needs to use physical force, he’ll know how to appropriately.
I wrote an entire article on that topic, and I recommend reading it to broaden your knowledge on this issue.
Now that you’re familiar with this effect, it’s a solid reason to start practicing. Most people are hesitant when first beginning to participate in something new. As a result, they may never show up. Because of that, I encourage you to begin training as soon as possible. If you do, you’ll ensure progression.
2. Kung fu increases confidence and self-esteem
The way one can build inner confidence and increase self-esteem is by overcoming obstacles. In doing so, you’ll be capable of proving to yourself that you can achieve whatever you set your eyes to. Now, martial arts training is full of obstacles and therefore suitable for increasing confidence.
Kung fu increases confidence and self-esteem because it forces the trainees to overcome obstacles. As a result, Kung fu practitioners will increase their self-confidence. Additionally, you’ll push yourself to your physical and mental boundaries plenty of times, which will force you to adapt to being more confident.
“He has worked closely with martial art instructors, and his report appears more positive about the correlation of confidence and the teaching of martial arts.”
(Source)
From personal experience, I’ve seen that benefit occur immediately. Because of that, I write this section with complete confidence (pun definitely intended), as Kung fu training increased it.
Additionally, by staying consistent with training, you’ll prove that you can achieve incredible feats. Thus you’ll feel more confident and sure of yourself than ever.
Today, people with genuine confidence are rare. Because of that, if you can improve yours while learning to fight, there’s no losing. I hope more people will be aware of this benefit. If more people knew, martial arts would be full of applications.
3. Kung fu is a suitable martial art for self-defense
Knowing to fight is an incredibly crucial skill to have. Although it takes time to develop, it’ll benefit everyone who knows it. The primary way of doing so is to learn martial arts. Their essence is to teach people to use physical force with their bodies. Thus they’re suitable for self-defense.
Kung fu is a suitable martial art for self-defense because it teaches us to use various movements that cause massive damage quickly. As a result, people who know Kung Fu know to fight appropriately and effectively. For instance, you’ll learn to strike while maneuvering your opponent on the ground.
Furthermore, you’ll learn many other movements suitable for fighting, such as grappling and submissions. You’ll be repeating and practicing these movements for so long that you’ll automatically do them. As a result, you’ll react to dangerous situations quickly and swiftly.
Knowing to fight will also increase your confidence. We’ve all been in a situation where we walked alone at night and felt defenseless. If you’re confident in your fighting abilities, you won’t feel as vulnerable. So, in essence, you’ll become more confident and assertive.
At first, the movements may seem ineffective because you’ll begin doing them slowly. However, once you become proficient in them, you’ll learn to fight appropriately.
The following video demonstrates the techniques you’ll learn in Kung fu training. If you’re interested in training these, I recommend you to begin training.
4. Kung fu betters physical shape
Martial arts training will be intense. To better your physical shape, you’ll have to push your boundaries. Kung fu does this in various ways. Because of that, you’ll notice your physical condition getting better the more you’ll train.
Kung fu betters physical shape because it’s an intense workout. Additionally, it uses many muscle groups and burns more calories than the average activity. As a result, one will better his physical shape more quickly with Kung fu.
Today, many desire to be in shape. However, many don’t succeed because these people quit in the middle of the process. As a result, they won’t notice any change.
With Kung fu, it’s more manageable staying consistent because it’s enjoyable. Although you’ll sweat and invest effort into training, you’ll have fun. As a result, choosing a martial art you want to learn—will help you remain dedicated and consistent in your fitness journey.
Better physical shape is most likely the first benefit you’ll experience. Although it takes time to notice results, you’ll feel sore post-training. That’s a sign that your body went through an intense session.
An intense Kung fu hour-long session may burn up to 900 calories. For a single hour, that’s incredible. That may be the difference between managing or gaining more weight. As such, Kung fu can be detrimental to your fitness journey.
Overall, martial arts are a suitable exercise for managing body weight. (Source) Because of that, you’ll be capable of building muscle and losing weight depending on your goal.
5. Kung fu is a form of self-help
This section is perhaps the most crucial one to understand. Today, many people struggle with mental health issues. In fact, one in five adults struggle has some mental illness. (Source) Because of that, resolving it may be problematic.
Martial arts is a form of self-help because it provides a non-judgmental environment for its trainees. As a result, releasing built aggression and being your genuine self occurs in training. For instance, Kung fu will assist in releasing aggression through meditation and punching bag drills.
I still don’t understand how is it a form of self-help.
The study found that martial arts training had a medium effect size regarding reducing internalising mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression and a small effect size regarding increasing wellbeing.
(Source)
I believe most people aren’t aware of that effect. If I were to known about this study, I would’ve started training earlier. As a result, my life would’ve changed for the better.
Martial art increasing well-being is incredible. You’ll learn to fight while improving your physical and mental state. If you didn’t understand yet, both are correlated. Because you’ll get into shape, your overall well-being will increase.
Now, many other activities provide similar benefits. For instance, lifting weights and running will increase your well-being because you’ll get into shape. Once doing so, you’ll immediately feel better about yourself. As a result, your mental state will improve.
Again, don’t expect to gain results without hard work and consistency. I’ve made that mistake time and time again. Consequently, I was discouraged since I didn’t see any benefits after a week of training.
My advice is don’t do what I did. If you’re expecting results the moment you begin training, you won’t experience any. Instead, focus on learning the martial arts. I assure you by doing so many results will naturally flow into your life.
Is Kung fu effective?
Today, there’s a variety of martial arts, and therefore you may get confused when choosing one. When picking the one you’ll train in, consider your goals. For instance, if you desire to know self-defense, MMA is a solid choice.
Kung fu is effective for self-defense and fighting because it teaches practical techniques. As a result, one who learns it will know to use physical force appropriately. For instance, you’ll learn to strike, kick, grapple, and choke effectively.
That said, Kung fu isn’t the best martial art for self-defense. However, it provides many benefits that others don’t supply, such as a better mental state. Because of that, learning it is valuable.
Should I learn Kung fu?
You should learn Kung fu because it teaches valuable and practical skills that provide many benefits. Because you’ll better your physical and mental states, your well-being will improve the more you train. For instance, your self-confidence and self-esteem will increase if you’re consistent.
I recommend beginning to train in any martial art. If you haven’t already, read the deadliest martial arts you should learn by following the link. By choosing one and sticking with it, you’ll become a capable individual. You’ll know to fight and to use physical force appropriately.
Is learning Kung fu difficult?
Martial arts training will get challenging. At first, you may encounter obstacles you don’t know to overcome. As a result, you’ll get discouraged. Because of that, knowing what you’re getting into will help you to stay consistent.
Learning Kung fu is difficult because you’ll face many obstacles in training. As a result, you’ll get discouraged and feel like quitting. For instance, Kung fu training is intense, and therefore you may find trouble physically. However, the more effort you invest, the more progression you’ll go through.
Can I learn Kung fu at home?
Learning martial arts at home is incredibly straightforward. All you have to do is buy the essential equipment. Then, there are a few routes you can practice at home. Furthermore, because you’ll be capable of training both at home and in a martial arts school, you’ll progress faster.
Learning Kung fu at home is possible. You’ll have to buy essential equipment, such as a punching bag and gloves. As a result, you’ll progress outside training, which is advantageous. Therefore, you’ll notice more benefits in a short period.
I wrote a complete guide to training martial arts at home. I won’t explain everything in this short section, and therefore I recommend you to read it. It explains everything from scratch so you’ll be able to learn Kung fu at home effectively.
Conclusion
Learning Kung fu is highly valuable. You’ll gain many benefits, both physical and mental, from training. As a result, you’ll become a better version of yourself.
Furthermore, you’ll become a solid fighter. Because Kung fu teaches practical self-defense techniques, you’ll be capable of defending yourself in a dangerous scenario. Such a trait is highly desirable and therefore holds high value.
I recommend training in martial arts because it provides the trainee with many benefits. As a result, it’s a form of self-development and self-help.
Lastly, I wrote an article on how often you should practice martial arts. If you’re not familiar with the frequency you should practice, I encourage you to follow the link. It has plenty of valuable information that you can use to progress faster.
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Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
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