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As a kid I started martial arts after seeing them in movies and because I wanted to learn to defend myself. But, is it actually worth you (or your child) doing martial arts? Here’s what I found. In general, it is worth doing a martial art if you want to learn to defend yourself, to get fit, or just to start a fun new hobby. There are also many benefits that you can enjoy from martial arts training, so if you can afford to, learning a martial art is worth doing and can make a great hobby. So let's take a look at what makes martial arts worth doing, plus the top 5 benefits you can expect to get from doing martial arts. Is it Worth Doing Martial Arts? As you’re reading this article, you have probably heard that there are many benefits to learning a martial art. However, whether or not doing a martial art will actually be worth it (either for yourself or your child) does depend on a few factors. The first thing to consider is: what is your intended goal for wanting to learn a martial art? There are many reasons to want to do one, maybe you want to learn to defend yourself, or maybe you just simply want to start a new hobby and get fit. If you find that doing a martial art will fulfill your goal, then learning a martial art is well worth doing and will also bring many other benefits into your life too. This is why it is important to first know what you want to get out of doing martial arts and what to expect. It is important you choose the right martial art to meet your expectations and actually fulfill your goals, otherwise it will not be worth wasting your time with the wrong martial art because not every martial art will offer the same benefits (more on this below). The Cost of Learning Martial Arts It is also important for you to find a martial art that will fit into your budget. After all, it wouldn’t be worth starting a new hobby that you’re unable to afford financially. So, to help you out, I have written an article about the cost of learning martial arts (with the cheapest) - so check that out too. Although there are many reasons why someone might want to start doing martial arts, for the remainder of this article I want to cover the top 5 benefits you (or your child) can expect to get if you do start learning a martial art. 1. Self-Defense It’s safe to say that one of the most obvious benefits of learning a martial art is self-defense. After all, hand-to-hand fighting is the reason martial arts were formed in the first place. To arm you with the skills and techniques to enable you to defeat an attacker. However, when it comes to self-defense, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ martial art. In fact, there are many martial arts out there (and martial art schools and instructors) that are NOT going to prepare you for a real fight or to be able to protect yourself. This is a big problem and should be taken seriously. There are many reasons why some martial arts are good for self-defense, while others are not. Check out my article: the 5 best martial arts for self-defense to see why. “Not all martial arts are good for self-defense!” If you read my article about the 5 best martial arts for self-defense and choose to learn one of them, then you should be well prepared to defend yourself should you ever have to, and they’ll be well worth doing. 2. Fitness Whether or not you want to learn to defend yourself doesn’t matter. Martial arts are also a really fun and engaging way to get fit and stay fit. That’s why fitness takes the number two spot as another great reason for doing martial arts and makes them a well-worthy hobby. Now of course, as with any other sport, when you do a martial art class you will take part in a warm-up and extended period of exercise throughout the class. But martial arts tend to require a high level of focus and concentration, which seems to act as a distraction and make the time fly by and the sweat flow faster. This means that martial arts training can easily burn a ton of calories each session without you even realizing it because you’re less focused on doing exercise, but instead, focused on the techniques and having fun with it… but don’t worry, you’ll still feel the burn the next day. Three of the most popular martial arts (which are also great for fitness) are Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Mixed Martial Arts. You’ll likely have heard of these before, if so, check out my article: Which To Learn: Boxing, BJJ or MMA to see which would suit you best. 3. Socialize In a world where social interaction seems to be less and less common, martial arts classes offer a great way to get that all-important person-to-person interaction. I personally found that martial arts training is a great way to make friends with like-minded people. The unique social interaction martial arts offer (unlike many other forms of socializing) give you a platform to build trust in each other because you're both training together to help each other learn, improve, and grow as a person. Meaning, it really can be a journey that can form lifelong friendships. 4. Confidence Martial arts seem to have a way of building confidence in people which goes far beyond any physical confidence. Meaning, it's not just that you know you’re able to physically defend yourself being the sole reason for newfound confidence (although this plays a big part). But instead, the confidence martial arts can give you can also come from knowing you DON’T need to fight, or more importantly, don’t feel the need to ‘prove yourself’ to anyone. After all, in training, you learn about your own abilities (for better or for worse). Regular martial arts training can ease ego-driven hostile interactions in everyday life and make it easy to just walk away - with both your physical health (and pride) still intact. You don’t feel the need to test yourself in bar fights if you test yourself in training. 5. Resilience Martial arts training can help you develop a strong and resilient character. This is because, on a daily basis, you learn to deal with tough times in training, face your fears, and break down challenges both physically and mentally. Over time, with the right martial art, you will find that you begin to approach the rest of normal life challenges in the same way and are able to bounce back from tough times in life - making you a more resilient person in general. “Martial arts teach you to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations” Not every martial art is good for self-defense: Check out my article The 5 Best Martial Arts for Self-Defense & Why

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