Martial Arts can be a great activity for anyone; children, teenagers, adults, in the spectrum of little to no physical skill all the way to extremely successful athletes looking for a slight edge in competition. That’s what makes martial arts so unique, it’s very personal. High School Sports are all about team work and making sure you are not the weak link on the team. Martial Arts can be used for personal betterment through the mind and body and in some situations can also help with team work. Many students have come to me and said their gym teachers or coaches told them they had the best stretching, push-ups, sit-ups, or even cardiovascular endurance then the other kids and then their teachers asked them why. The answer was martial arts. Of course it’s not always martial arts but it also can’t be thrown to the side as an activity with no benefits other then being able to defend yourself.
Only a miniscule number of martial arts schools offer scholarships for karate and that is one main reason why the focus of high school athletes is on team sports in school. For me personally, I never wanted to do anything but own a martial arts school so spending all my time at karate was the best thing for me and set me up for the future I always wanted. If athletes are looking to go to college and excel in their own sport, martial arts can be a good tool to implement into their training without making it their whole life. A few hard training sessions hitting the heavy bags, working on forms and evening partnering up for Jiu Jitsu practice can help with many things. Hitting the bags can help rid of frustration so it doesn’t get you in trouble on the field or court during games. It can also help you bring out a very intense side of yourself that you can tap into during competition. Forms and katas can help with balance and focusing your energy and mind. Jiu Jitsu is the wrestling version of martial arts and is the TOUGHEST workout you will do!! When you have someone trying as hard as they can to get position over you or lock you in a submission, you have to battle back with 100% of your strategy and strength to defend yourself. That leaves you with your muscles completely drained. This type of martial arts is also competition, which helps with all sports and you can also learn, believe it or not, to be calm in tough situations and wait for the exact moment to attack.
In closing, Martial Arts is a great activity/sport and can help you with overall fitness and athletic prowess. No wonder actors and famous athletes are seen in social media hitting pads and doing Jiu Jitsu…. they understand how vital martial arts can be for someone looking for that extra edge!