How Martial Arts Benefit Your Physical and Mental Health

If you’re looking for a valuable practice to benefit you physically and mentally, look no further!

Martial Arts is a full body workout, helps build confidence and strength, and promotes weight loss. That’s only a few benefits of Martial Arts. I personally LOVE to wrap my hands and blow off steam after a long day to reconnect my mind and body.

Everyone should try a form of it! Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with the terminology or the proper form. There are many instructors out there waiting and willing to help others embrace the sport and the benefits that come along with it!

Take Joel for example. Joel practices martial arts and trains daily. Not only does he embrace martial arts for himself, but he also teaches 5 classes per week to spread his knowledge to others, like you! He finds the process and the positive outcomes of training rewarding to experience the evolution of a blank canvas into a beautiful composition of color and light.

“Teaching martial arts is gratifyingly difficult.” – Joel Quintans

Joel’s knowledge combined with his positive attitude made him a great fit as Fight Club’s boxing instructor. When approached with the idea of pairing traditional boxing with yoga, he knew the combination would allow participants the opportunity to incorporate both the physical and mental challenges that were necessary to activate the process that would combat stress and other effects of trauma.

Joel wanted to take this opportunity a step further by focusing on a form of martial arts, Thai boxing. 

Muay Thai (Thai Boxing)

“I wanted to substitute traditional boxing with Muay Thai (Thai boxing), the national sport of Thailand. In traditional boxing, you have two weapons, your two fists. However, in the art of Muay Thai, you incorporate eight weapons: your two fists, your two elbows, your two feet/legs, and lastly, your two knees. Muay Thai is sometimes called the art of eight limbs, because of the variety of weapons involved. The intricate movements, the relaxed breath, the open mind, the awareness of the moment, the relationship to time and space, the caring relationship towards yourself and to your training partner all unite into a perfect stress and worry-free feeling that you will want to nurture, grow, and share with others.”

Why Muay Thai?

“Muay Thai is included in the Fight Club curriculum because it allows the women an opportunity to express themselves freely, both physically and psychologically. The Healing Revolution begins when you find the balance between the two. And when you find this balance, you realize that you cannot indulge between one over the other. This idea translates to everyday life where balance equals harmony and peace. There is also something liberating when you realize that in the 14 weeks of Fight Club, you learn how to defend yourself utilizing your Thai boxing skills. In traditional boxing, you have only your fists, but in Muay Thai, you learn how to use your fists, elbows, knees, and legs/feet and these newfound skills permit a sense of real confidence.  The Healing Revolution is taking an ancient martial art and using its substance to shape your outlook on how you navigate through disorder.”

Muay Thai is a new art for many of us, but it is never too late to learn. Joel recommends training just twice per week to learn the art of Muay Thai.

Muay Thai Training Schedule

“There are two basic ways that you train Muay Thai. You can practice to learn the art form, or you can train to be a fighter in the ring. In any case, the fundamentals remain the same. Training at least two days a week will be sufficient if you intend to learn the art. You want your movements to be efficient while gaining muscle memory in your technique. You also learn to conserve energy.”

But we’re not just focused on the physical and technical aspects here. There are mental benefits too.

Mindfulness

“I encourage the devotion of time to the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is intentionally shifting from a wandering mind to the present moment. Being in the moment is a difficult concept to grasp for many, but it remains the most crucial element in your development. Being in the moment is REAL TIME. It is NOW, it is the present; the past is no longer, and the future is imagination.”

Go ahead and try Martial Arts for yourself! Each Fight Club session will include Thai boxing as an element. This is a great opportunity to learn something new, be active, and focus on intentionality. You will arrive seeking a path, and guided with intention, you will gain knowledge through instruction to reconcile the onslaughts that sometimes envelopes your daily life.