Training in martial arts can be an excellent stress reliever, especially if you use it correctly. I know what it feels like when your stress levels are over the roof. You just want to do something that’ll release all that tension. I got you covered.
I’ve been training in martial arts for a very long time. Also, I’ve been training in a few martial arts, which all seemed to have the same effect on my stress levels. All of them, not a single one didn’t, decreased my overall stress levels.
Therefore, I went on a journey to find out why that was the case. I’ve stumbled upon numerous reasons why I felt the way I felt, and I would like to share them with you today. I think that simply knowing that these benefits exist will boost your motivation to get into your fighting gym more often.
I’m extremely passionate about martial arts and the benefits they bring to our lives. I think that learning to fight is one of the most important skills you can work on in today’s world. It’ll improve your entire life and well-being, both physically and mentally.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the first reason why martial arts are the perfect stress relievers.
#1 – Physical Activity
The first reason is that martial arts are intense physical activities. Training the body physically, especially intense workouts, helps you reduce stress levels. Although you might feel another way, I look at myself like a dog that has a certain level of energy I have to release, or else I’m extremely energetic and all over the place.
If I don’t take my dog for a run on a particular day, he’s much more energetic and stressed throughout the day. On the other hand, if I do take him for a run, he’ll release all his built stress and energy and be much calmer post the run. That’s precisely how we function.
Engaging in martial arts involves various physical movements, exercises, and techniques. Physical activity, in general, triggers the release of endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that act as natural mood elevators. These endorphins help reduce stress and promote a sense of well-being.
#2 – Mind-Body Connection
Martial arts often focus on developing a strong mind-body connection. Practitioners learn to concentrate on their movements, breathing, and techniques, which encourages mindfulness. This mindfulness can help individuals let go of stress and negative thoughts, allowing them to be more present in the moment.
You might be familiar with the term mindfulness or being in the flow. Perhaps you’re familiar with the term being in the zone, which is precisely what you’ll feel when you do martial arts, especially when you fight and spar.
This mind-body connection is critical to understand, as you want to invest time developing it and understanding how it works and what are its benefits. When you work on your mind-body connection, you’re much more likely to be in the zone more often throughout your daily life.
People in a flow state feel fully involved in the task at hand. Researchers have found that flow can enhance performance in a wide variety of areas including teaching, learning, athletics, and artistic creativity.
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#3 – Release of Tension
The third reason why all martial arts are so effective in relieving stress is because they release built tension. Throughout our day-to-day lives, we accumulate different experiences and we tend to remember some of them. The ones we remember are sometimes a burden on us. And so, we want to release these experiences and tension, which martial arts help us do extremely well.
Martial arts provide a safe and structured environment to release pent-up emotions and tension. The intensity of training can help individuals channel their stress and frustrations into their movements, providing a healthy outlet for negative emotions.
Have you ever punched your pillow so bad you thought you killed it? Because I sure have. So if we punch when we’re angry, imagine what an hour-long Muay Thai or Boxing session would do to you. You would be throwing so many punches your body is going to get extremely tired at some point.
You have more tension to release than you currently think. Martial arts are a suitable platform for you to develop the habit of releasing stress. It’ll affect your entire week even if you only train once per week. This is how potent this is.
#4 – Social Interaction and Support
As a real person living in this world, I know the many struggles that some people face daily. Some of these struggles are loneliness and a lack of community. We’re social creatures who can’t live alone, even if you think you’re a lone wolf. The number of people who lack this sense in today’s world is vast, and this type of lack leads to feeling less fulfilled in life, which we want to avoid like eating ice cream when it’s freezing outside.
Joining a martial arts class or community offers opportunities for social interaction and support. Being part of a group and sharing common goals with others can reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, which are common contributors to stress.
The dopamine neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus of the brain appear to create the feeling of loneliness when there is a lack of meaningful social connection.
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The minute you enter a new fighting class, whether it’s BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, Striking, Judo, or any other fighting style you can think of, you’ll be greeted with tons of hellos and begin feeling a part of something bigger than you. This feeling can be the difference between being stressed and feeling satisfied and fulfilled, which is what we’re talking about (if you forgot.)
#5 – Discipline and Focus
Martial arts are all about discipline and focus. Focus, in my eyes, correlates closely with mindfulness, which we discussed in one of the previous points. Hopefully, you can understand that being more disciplined in your life will allow you to control your emotions to a much better degree. You might be familiar with stoicism, which is what martial arts will make you more of.
Training in martial arts requires discipline and focus. Practitioners often follow a set routine, focus on technique, and work towards achieving specific goals. This sense of structure and purpose can help individuals manage stress by providing a sense of control and accomplishment.
Discipline is also a lacking trait in today’s world, where people are so stuck to their phones it’s actually insane. I’ve been experiencing some of the consequences of being addicted to technology, and you’re always chasing a new high, which stoicism and martial arts can help you avoid.
It all correlates together. By the way, one of the best ways to get rid of addictions is to be more mindful, which, to remind you, martial arts promote. Indeed, it all correlates together, the more you train in martial arts, the more disciplined you’ll be, leading to more focus and mindfulness, and all of these will reduce your overall stress levels and make you a much more satisfied human being!
As David Goggins says, “Stay hard!”
#6 – Self-Confidence
You only really understand how much self-confidence you’re getting from your fighting classes the minute you win your first spar or fight. You’re literally fighting another person and testing your skills against his. Eventually, the fighter who’s more skilled (that’s the primary factor) will win.
As individuals progress in their martial arts journey and develop new skills, they gain self-confidence and a sense of achievement. This increased self-esteem can counteract feelings of stress and anxiety.
You can’t imagine the number of obstacles you’ll face throughout your martial arts training. It doesn’t matter which one you do, it can be Tai Chi and it can be MMA. Both will substantially boost your confidence, which is excellent news for all trainees out there.
Eventually, when you’re more confident in yourself, you’ll be able to regulate your emotions to a better degree, allowing you to control whether you’re stressed or not.
Now listen, there’s something important to understand from this point. Stress sometimes leads to very good things; it can lead, if used properly, to working faster and getting more done. When you have a competition coming up soon, you’ll be much, much more eager to train and improve your skills.
So use and regulate stress properly.
#7 – Stress Hormone Regulation
Regular physical activity, like martial arts, has been shown to regulate the body’s stress hormones, such as cortisol. Lower cortisol levels are associated with reduced stress and anxiety.
This is a natural benefit that’ll occur whenever you’re training in martial arts, which you don’t have control over. So, I won’t dive into too many details regarding this reason. Just know that physical activities, such as martial arts, regulate your hormonal system, including stress hormones.
Eventually, if you stay consistent enough, you’ll find this happening naturally.
Regular physical activity stimulates hormones throughout the body, thus helping to maintain the body’s sense of equilibrium and well-being.
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#8 – Proper Breathing
The next reason why martial arts reduce stress levels is because they include breathing exercises. These are the most prominent in spiritual martial arts, such as Tai Chi and Qigong. However, you’ll be surprised to understand that more modern martial arts also have some breathing exercises in them.
Many martial arts styles incorporate specific breathing techniques to enhance performance and relaxation. Controlled breathing can help individuals calm their nervous system, promoting a state of relaxation and reducing stress.
Let’s take Boxing and Muay Thai as an example. When you’re learning these fighting styles, you’re learning to exhale sharply whenever you throw a strike, whether it’s a kick, punch, elbow, or knee strike. These sharp exhales enhance your performance and make you punch and kick harder, which is what you’re looking to achieve if you’re a disciple of one of these striking-based martial arts.
To conclude, you’ll learn to breathe properly in every martial art you decide to learn, whether it’s spiritual or combative. And proper breathing in training will boost your ability to regulate stress outside training. This also links back to mindfulness and focus.
Really, everything here is connected!
#9 – Fun and Enjoyment
The last reason we’ll review is the fact that you’ll have tons of fun when doing martial arts. Truly, they can be extremely enjoyable because of numerous reasons, such as the feeling of progression and improvement.
Participating in martial arts can be a fun and enjoyable experience. Engaging in activities that bring joy and pleasure can serve as a distraction from stressors and contribute to overall stress reduction.
When I say distraction, I don’t mean distraction in a bad way. It’s the same as going to the beach on Saturday morning, which helps you clean your mind and start from a clean slate. Having fun in life is one of the most important things you can do to your mind and to your self.
Today, people forget to have fun, and I don’t mean fun in the instant-gratification way. Rather, I want you to think of having fun as being productive, like in the case of martial arts.
And trust me, having more fun in your day-to-day will reduce your overall stress levels.
Final Words
These are the nine reasons martial arts reduce stress and boost mindfulness, focus, and overall satisfaction and enjoyment from life.
Understanding these reasons might be enough to motivate you to keep going in your martial arts journey and stay more consistent and dedicated to your training. Eventually, what I just described was my goal with this article. If I made you 1% more likely to stay consistent, my goal with this article is fulfilled.
If you want to learn which martial arts you should learn, follow this link!
Here are other articles you’ll enjoy reading:
5 Martial Arts With The Best Kicking Techniques – Guide
5 Best Fighting Styles for MMA – Full Guide
The 5 Deadliest Striking Martial Arts in the World (List)