The Fruit of Confidence in Mixed Martial Arts

What if I told you that you could walk into a Martial Arts Academy, NEVER learn a true self-defense technique and STILL grow tremendously in confidence?

Naturally Self-defense is going to build your confidence but even if you were never to learn Street Self-Defense at an Academy your confidence would still grow tremendously. Training in the various sports of Martial Arts or even through Martial Arts Fitness classes you begin to recognize that you are capable of much more than you think. When you begin training in Martial Arts you are going to see others doing things that you can't imagine yourself doing. In the beginning, this is probably true. If you remained as the same person you were when you fist walked in the gym, you probably couldn't execute those Martial Arts or Fitness techniques. However, a good school will have the systems in place to safely lead you through the proper steps to begin excelling. Good curriculum and structure are made to start you were you are and lead you to where you want to be.  Through repetition of basic movements your body begins to  identify and remember how to move properly. Before you know it you are doing things that you never imagined you would!

This is a major confidence booster! Confidence is more important in self-defense than any self-defense technique. Those who lack confidence are the ones who tend to be victimized. So even if you attended an Academy that never focused on real self-defense, your confidence would probably grow to the point were having to defend yourself became a much less likely scenario.

If you attend an Academy that does teach self-defense, sport and fitness than you are getting the best of both worlds. To me self-defense is a very temporary form of martial arts. With the right program you can learn all the self-defense you need within 1-2 years. The sport and the art of Martial Arts tend to create more of a fruitful lifestyle that is beneficial for years and years to come. Self-defense is one great benefit of Martial Arts but they offer so many more benefits than that. All though it is good for anyone to learn self-defense, confidence can come through many different avenues of Martial Arts training and confidence can change the whole path in which your life leads.

 
        

The Fruit of Fitness in Mixed Martial Arts

Every new year people are running to the local gym to get started on all their great fitness aspirations. With all the inspiration of new year, they get signed for a year contract ready to commit to their goals and start to hit it hard. Generally about 1 to 2 months later all the new year fuzzies run out and there they are again, back in the normal routine. That gym membership is now a constant reminder that they are failing to meet their goals. Most people do not love going to the gym. Most people do not even know what to do when they get there!

One of the great beauties of Martial Arts training is that it is a constant learning experience that disguises the burn of fitness training. You are having so much fun learning and training that you don't always realize how much work you are putting in. You actually want to come! You want to get up off the couch and come train because you have friends there who you want to see and train with. You definitely don't want them getting ahead when you are not there!

"People have to discipline themselves to go the the gym on a regular basis. With Martial Arts you desire to go and desire always excels over discipline!"

When you desire to do something, it is not hard to discipline your self to do it. While you are here training and learning you are getting one of the greatest workouts you can get. Your body works itself in so many different ways through martial arts training.  Take a look at how many calories you burn during some of these different types of martial arts classes.

In a moderate one hour training session of:

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Kickboxing
or Mixed Martial Arts

at 170 lbs, I would burn approximately 700 calories per hour. That's a moderate training session! It would be the equivalent of me running 6 miles at 11.5 minutes per mile. Most people, once they get more involved in their training, like to do roll sessions, sparring sessions or at least some intense pad work. These people would be burning at least another 300 calories per hour! That's up to 1000 calories per hour!!

"The best part about it is that you are having so much fun that you don't even realize how hard you are working!"    

You feel great after a good martial arts work out. You just trained your body, mind and spirit in a way that doesn't even compare in the gym. On top of the great workout you receive during class, most people also begin to create better eating and hydration habits because it enhances their training performance. Good diet and exercise create a healthy, more alert and focused lifestyle. Training in martial arts is one of the greatest forms of exercise you can receive. Overall good fitness is one of the many fruits you reap when training even in a moderate paced martial arts class!

Now most martial arts schools even offer some sort of fitness program. These fitness programs usually implement simple martial arts techniques that anyone can do. At my school, the Clinch Academy, we offer a fitness program known as "Title Fight Fitness". Title Fight Fitness uses the structure of an MMA Title Fight with 5 Five minute rounds. There is a 60 second break between each round. During the 5 minute rounds participants get a mix of exercises that include muscle endurance training, strength, coordination, cardio, agility, flexibility and much more all in one!

Here is a quick sample round used in our Title Fight Fitness program. You could take this quick sample workout and do it at home today! Give it a try and you will notice quickly how effective a full Title Fight Fitness workout would be. Check it out!

Do you want to get in the best shape of your life? 
Than you should consider Martial Arts training as one of the best options as it creates a lifestyle that helps get you into shape and stay in shape!

Reaping the Fruit of MMA Training

Imagine the size of one little apple seed. If you take that little apple seed, bury it in good soil and nurture it properly, it will transform into a giant apple tree that produces over a hundred fold the amount of seeds you buried (as well as delicious apples!). When the season is right you can go pick those apples and either eat them, bake all sorts of apple deserts or even sell them for a profit. That one little seed can provide a great harvest for many people.

Martial Arts is a seed that can produce a tremendous amount of benefits for you to reap. Not only does Martial Arts provide great physical benefits but it produces just as many mental and sometimes spiritual  benefits. Not only do you get strong and in shape but you grow in character as well. I personally have trained in many Martial Arts forms for almost 30 years and they all have great benefits. I have trained in Tang Soo Do, Kenpo, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts. I continue to train in and teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts at the Clinch Academy in Frederick, Maryland.

One of my students, Jacob Kirwan fighting
in  the Bellator Fighting Championships

I grew up learning Martial Arts. When I was learning Martial Arts as a kid it was always a Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee thing. I wanted to be tough and able to do the cool moves those guys did. From ages 12 probably to 24ish, I was a hard core self-defense practitioner. I trained hard core self-defense and focused on being able to defend myself in any situation.

It was about 2002 when I began to think a little differently about Martial Arts. I devoted all this time learning to defend myself and I had never even been in a fight. Ultimately, learning to properly defend yourself should be a goal of self-defense but why spend so much time being concerned about this? Due to the self-defense training I was always very aware and confident. That awareness and confidence has gotten me out of some pretty bad altercations but I reaped those benefits pretty early on in my training.  I began to realize and see that there are many great benefits of training in Martial Arts. When training at the right Academy, the amount of benefits you reap through Martial Arts training is overwhelming. I say the right Academy because there are still many schools out there that have either have that hard-core self-defense mindset or that hard-core competition mindset. These type of schools end up having a more Gym like environment than an Academy of learning. Self-defense and competition are and should be a part of every Martial Arts school but they shouldn't be the only focus. It's the difference between Mr. Miyagi and Cobra Kai. Mr. Miyagi taught his disciple Daniel to defend himself and to compete but most of all he taught him about good character. The Cobra Kai crew focused primarily on being tough and in the end they reaped what they sew and got it tough.

Here is a list of some of the many great benefits you can reap through Martial Arts training.

Physical Benefits
Fitness

Weight Control
Muscle tone
More Muscle Mass
Muscular strength
Muscular endurance
Strong cardio
Healthier diet & lifestyle
More energy
More flexibility
Relaxation

Mental Benefits

Become goal oriented

Perseverance

Focus

Self-discipline

Leadership

Mental toughness

Strong work ethic

Self-confidence

Structure

Mental relaxation

Spiritual Benefits

Peace

Humility

Kindness

Awareness

Loyalty

Trust

Patience 

Self-control

Gentleness

Patience

Faithfulness
Goodness

Skill
Self-defense
Competition
Balance
Coordination
Good Reflexes
Martial Arts Skill

Other Benefits
Family
Friendship
Healthy Lifestyle
Fun hobby
Feel good

I could go on and on! As I said the benefits you reap from training Martial Arts at the right Academy are crazy! Why wouldn't anyone want to train in Martial Arts? You can't reap all of this from going to the gym or using the latest gymmic. It is hard to find any other sport or hobby that truly offers what Martial Arts does. In the blogs to come I want to focus in on a few of these benefits at a time and show you how Martial Arts helps you to reap and enjoy them every day!