Martial arts are a huge proponent of many cultures, and they are great sports to engage in for exercise and socializing. While many may think this is an outlet for danger, martial arts are actually about honing your own skill, discipline, and self-control.
If you’re going to take martial arts lessons, make sure you’re not taking them for the wrong reasons. They shouldn’t be your means to pick fights and commit acts of violence. That said, being well-versed in martial arts can be very helpful to protect yourself from threats and improve your wellbeing.
Because there are so many types of martial arts out there, you may be wondering which ones are actually the most helpful in the real world. In this article, we list down some of the more practical martial arts you can learn and apply to your daily life.
Muay Thai
Many people think Muay Thai and kickboxing are the same thing, but kickboxing is actually incorporated into the many moves found in Muay Thai. This martial art, which originated from the battlefield tactics of the ancient Siamese army, is strictly standing and makes use of an 8-point striking system that makes use of every edge of the body. This results in massive impact and the ability to throw down adversaries to achieve more movement.
Krav Maga
This martial art is a fighting and self-defense system that was created to completely incapacitate opponents. This is because of its origin as the system developed and used by the Israel Defense Force. It’s arguably one of the most useful because it is meant to use different strikes and tactics that will save your life in real-world situations.
Besides attention to form (though this obviously plays an essential role), Krav Maga places a focus on being able to disable the opponent with moves like gouging, joint attacks, and neck striking.
Tai Chi
You may be wondering why Tai Chi suddenly pops up on this list after the first two. However, martial arts aren’t solely about self-defense. You can significantly improve your physical and mental health by practicing this meditative martial art. It’s been known to improve breathing and blood pressure, combat anxiety, increase stamina, and even prevent the development of chronic and cardiovascular diseases.
Those benefits alone can make Tai Chi very helpful in real life. Additionally, this martial art can also help to hone other skills if you are pursuing other disciplines.
MMA
This is arguably the most popular in that it inherently mixes multiple disciplines, hence its name being Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). It also gained a lot of steam ever since UFC gained massive popularity in the mainstream. Learning MMA can be useful to people even if they’re not looking to get a career as a professional fighter. As a means of self-defense, it’s really useful for combating an assailant one-on-one.
Conclusion
Each of the martial arts noted here has different goals, so you can pick which one suits your purpose. Additionally, you can always take up more than one as long as you can pick disciplines that you can manage. The beauty of martial arts lessons is that they aren’t meant to limit you and will even end up expanding your wellness and worldview.
Looking for a space that will transform your life? Pride Martial Arts Academy offers martial arts lessons in Western New York with different programs for the discipline you want to pursue. Sign up for a free lesson now.
