Martial Arts improve physical fitness by improving cardiovascular health, building and toning muscles, and enhancing the other aspects of having a physically fit body. Students of martial arts will gain greater stabilization and balance, improve agility and coordination, and increase flexibility.
Are you looking for the perfect activity for your teen or child to improve physical fitness? Keep reading to find out how learning martial arts is the perfect way to encourage physical fitness for your children!
When you’re finished with this blog post, find out more about the life skills your child can gain through martial arts classes.
This Prestige Martial Arts blog post will explain the physical benefits of martial arts and how martial arts classes can help your child develop lifelong habits of physical wellness.
Physical Fitness Benefits of Martial Arts
Martial arts offer a holistic way to develop physical fitness. The physical fitness benefits of learning martial arts aren’t limited to strength or enhanced cardiovascular health. Martial arts classes also improve stabilization and balance, develop agility and coordination, and improve flexibility.
Even young children, like those in preschool and elementary school, experience the physical fitness benefits of exercise by learning martial arts. Karate, taekwondo, judo, and aikido are all among the martial arts that have been shown to help children.
We’ll take a closer look at how learning martial arts helps children develop physical fitness across the board.
Martial Arts Build and Tone Muscle
Learning martial arts requires strength, which builds and tones muscles for children and adults. The repetition of the forms in martial arts develops muscle mass. Increased muscle mass increases the base metabolic rate and assists with healthy weight maintenance.
Children don’t need to lift weights to get the muscle-building benefits from exercise. Martial Arts classes are a fun and engaging way to provide muscle-building benefits.
Martial Arts Improve Cardiovascular Health
Practicing martial arts improves cardiovascular health by increasing the student’s heart rate. Children need 60 minutes a day of aerobic exercise. Taking martial arts classes is a structured way to help children meet this important physical fitness goal.
Not all children are interested in team sports, and martial arts are a great alternative to support cardiovascular health improvement in children.
Martial Arts Enhance Stabilization and Balance
Martial arts forms require balance and put the muscle groups responsible for stabilization to work. When your children’s stabilizing muscles grow stronger, their posture and balance during day-to-day activities improve.
These stabilizing muscle groups involve large muscle groups in the core and legs, as well as smaller muscles around the foot and ankle. Core muscles aren’t limited to abs or obliques. Core muscles include groups in the front and back of the body used for support and strength.
Martial Arts Practice Develops Agility and Coordination
Mastering martial arts forms develops agility and coordination. Routine practice of the forms strengthens the connection between your child’s body and their brain. This is an important connection to develop for improved coordination and agility.
Learning coordination is also called movement control. It’s an essential skill for all children, and it’s a key aspect of self-control.
Proprioception is the ability to recognize where your body is in space without looking, and it is an often neglected sense that requires practice to develop. Martial arts will enhance your child or teen’s proprioception, which is essential for improving agility and coordination.
Martial Arts Practice Improves Flexibility
Martial arts involves stretching and dynamic movements, which improve flexibility. What we commonly think of as flexibility is also called range of motion. Martial arts practice helps children and teens maintain a full, healthy range of motion in their joints.
Establishing Lifelong Habits of Exercise through Martial Arts
Classes like martial arts help children develop a lifelong habit of exercise. Finding enjoyable physical activities is essential to sticking with any fitness plan. Martial arts can be practiced by children, teens, and adults alike. It’s the perfect lifelong hobby to maintain fitness.
These lifelong habits of exercise are also supported by the hard work and dedication that martial arts students learn.
Martial Arts Classes for Children in Michigan
Finding the right martial arts school will make a world of difference for your child because they’ll have so much fun that they won’t mind the fact that they’re exercising or learning important life skills.
Your child will improve strength, cardiovascular health, and other aspects of physical fitness in a good martial arts school.
Prestige Martial Arts in Troy, Michigan, offers martial arts classes and birthday parties to the area and surrounding communities. Call (248)-687-8641 to schedule or learn more.
Check out more information about our offerings.
- Martial Arts Classes for Kids Aged 4-6
- Martial Arts Classes for Kids Aged 7-12
- Martial Arts Classes for Teens
- Martial Arts Birthday Parties
Prestige Martial Arts has more helpful blog posts to help you decide whether martial arts classes are a good fit for your children and family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get fit by learning martial arts?
Learning martial arts is a great way to get fit. Martial arts provide cardiovascular benefits, muscle-building, balance development, improved agility, and enhanced flexibility. Building muscles through martial arts can boost your base metabolic rate to assist in healthy weight maintenance.
Does practicing martial arts improve mental health?
Practicing martial arts can improve mental health by developing habits that support wellness and complement mental health therapies. Getting adequate exercise through activities like martial arts is an important way to maintain physical and mental wellness.
Can teens do martial arts and gym together?
Teens can combine martial arts with gym, team sports, or any other physical activity they enjoy. Martial arts classes complement the physical fitness benefits of going to the gym or participating in other sports.
Is weightlifting better than martial arts?
Martial arts provide physical fitness benefits that include cardiovascular health, muscle tone, flexibility, and more. Weightlifting needs to be combined with other forms of exercise to provide all of these benefits.
