Martial arts may not seem relevant to the average athlete, but there are various reasons why any physically active person should consider instruction and training in combat sports.
Cross-training in mixed martial arts (MMA), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), or another combat sport may not seem to have many tangible benefits for athletes like runners, basketball players, or surfers. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Here are some key reasons why any athlete should cross-train in martial arts.
Strength & Endurance
Martial arts will help you build muscle over the long-term — and some can get you faster results. Grappling arts like BJJ are particularly well-suited to building strength throughout the body.
This is because BJJ and similar martial arts require you to use both your body weight and the body weight of an opponent. Not only that, but grappling techniques require a full range of motion — from pushing to pulling to holding.
For most athletes, cross-training in a martial art will also help them mitigate the effects of muscular imbalances. By training using the entire body, athletes will be able to balance out their strong and weak sides.
Explosiveness
Explosiveness generally refers to a person’s ability to come up to speed quickly. In other words, velocity. That could have many benefits for most athletes, including competitive runners and team sports players.
In many martial arts, a lot of training is spent on moving quickly and taking advantage of an opponent in an explosive manner. This can look like striking when the opportunity presents itself or using the velocity to take down and grapple an opponent.
The benefits for athletes are numerous. With proper explosiveness training, athletes can learn to run faster, change direction more rapidly, and even jump higher.
Endurance
It’s no small feat to grapple with an opponent for an extended period. It takes endurance and good cardiovascular fitness — both key areas that martial arts can help you improve.
Martial arts like BJJ can help train and challenge your cardiovascular system, allowing you to work harder and for longer over time. Not only will you improve your long-term cardio abilities, but you’ll also train for “quick bursts” of energy expenditure.
Both of these factors play into most sports. An athlete who cross-trains in BJJ is often among the fittest on their team.
Improved flexibility
Most martial arts have a component that relies on flexibility. In Jiu-Jitsu, for example, flexibility is used to get into and out of specific holds or grapples. Other martial arts foster flexibility with specific postures or exercises.
You probably don’t need to know the benefits of flexibility for athletes, but they’re numerous. Flexibility is a must for any active person, as it fosters everything from an increased range of motion to a reduced chance of injury.
Martial arts offer an alternative to traditional flexibility training or other fitness modalities like yoga or pilates. You’ll also learn other skills and improve your ability to stay flexible.
Awareness and coordination
Learning a combat sport or martial art requires you to develop a very keen sense of body awareness. To succeed in these activities, you’ll need to know where your body is in space and time.
That, of course, is relevant to pretty much any other physical activity. You’ll learn how to coordinate your body and fine-tune your ability to move in a specific time.
Improved hand-eye coordination benefits pretty much everyone, from football players to golfers. And these skills can also be a boon in your day-to-day life.
Where to learn
Athletes know that quality instruction and training are both keys to success. It’s no different in the world of martial arts and combat sports. This is why it’s essential to find a top-tier gym where you can learn the ins and outs of a martial art.
To reap the benefits we’ve covered here, it’s important to look for a gym focused on teaching an actual martial art instead of just MMA-style cardio exercises. A good example is The Arena, an MMA gym in San Diego, the oldest continuously operated martial arts school in the country.
The Arena trains fighters and prides itself on turning out world-class competitors. If you truly want to learn MMA, it’s the best option in Southern California.
