What is a martial art? According to the noted martial arts historian Donn F. Draeger, unless a system was designed by professional warriors for use in actual warfare, it is not a martial art. However, this may cause some serious debate.
Draeger believed that many of the other systems, while proving to be effective forms of combat, would not fare well on the battlefield. Draeger chose to classify these other arts as "civil" arts. If it was not designed for a military application, then according to Draeger, it's not a martial art.
I agree with Forrest Morgan, author of Living the Martial Way, that while Draeger's assessment is correct in a strictly literal sense, it is much too constraining. These arts, though created in temples and in small fishing villages, were designed by men who did not have elaborate armor or weaponry, and instead honed their martial skills by making their body a weapon. Whether you study the modern martial systems of Japan, China, Korea, Hawaii or India, these systems have preserved the fighting spirit that allows the modern man to maintain his or her martial self. For this reason, the modern systems, although not truly combat oriented, can still be termed martial arts.
Today, we are familiar with many of the modern Japanese martial arts, such as the many forms of karate, as well as aikido, jujitsu and judo. China brings us their wushu, such as the hundreds of systems of gung fu and Tai chi. And Korea brings us Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do and Hapkido. We use martial arts for physical as well as spiritual and psychological growth, which is why the martial arts are great for promoting total body fitness. It is these factors that lead me to ask the following questions: What are the physical benefits of martial arts? What do the martial arts offer that exercise programs, such as Tae Bo, do not?
The first days in any dojo, dojang, kwoon, etc, as well as the beginning of class in many schools, are spent learning the basics. The basics are where your training for strength and cardio fitness begins. The basics consist of stretching, stances -- stationary and moving, kicks, punches, blocks and perhaps some basic kata, but we will save the kata discussion for another day.
Many classes begin with some form of stretching. Here, through consistent training, you will develop limberness in your muscles, which will not only allow you to move with greater ease, but will allow you to dissipate stresses entering into your body with minimal effort. According to articles published through Reuters Health, stress has been linked to increased heart disease, increased cold and flu symptoms, fertility problems in women and it can worsen the effects of diabetes. The less stress you have in your body, the less chance you have of being overcome by illness, and in today's hectic world, getting sick is an option few of us can afford. Stretching coupled with the defense techniques you will learn will result in a reduction of both physical as well as psychological stress.
Development of leg strength is a benefit that will begin from day one. Although it may seem tortuous at first, because of the rigors involved, your work with stances will provide you a solid foundation for martial arts and for life. Stances are often wide and low, and you will be encouraged to hold them for very long periods of time while practicing punches and blocks. These wide stances will strengthen your legs, and while you are staring at the higher-ranking students in front of you, knowing that sitting is not an option, you will begin to gain something that is very valuable, mental toughness.
As you learn your punches and blocks, you will begin to develop body awareness. Body awareness comes when you are cognizant of your body and how it functions as a whole. The benefit to being aware of your body is obvious in a martial arts setting, but in general, awareness of your body gives you greater conscious control of your body, which can result in less chance of injury. And when an injury does occur, you will be able to isolate it quicker, significantly shortening the healing process.
Continued practice will promote increased motor reflexes by stimulation of the quick muscle fibers and sustained sessions of practice will stimulate the slow muscle fibers necessary for muscle endurance. And remember, behind all of the exercise, you are on your way to learning a system of martial arts.
Practicing kicks, whether roundhouse, front or side, is an excellent method of exercise, and will continue to aid in your development of body awareness. First you will learn balance; poor balance will lead you to fall over, which can be very embarrassing. Next you will develop strength in both your kicking leg, through repetitive muscle motion, and your supporting leg by supporting your body weight.
I remember dreading the day when class was full, about 20 people, and we would begin doing front or roundhouse kicks, starting with the right leg, and everyone would count to 10 -- that would be 200 kicks, but wait we still had the left leg to do. A continuous session of varied kicks, using both right and left legs will increase your heart rate, strengthen your legs, increase your balance, and once again give you another dose of that highly prized commodity, mental toughness.
Okay, so you can develop strength, balance, cardio fitness and flexibility while training in martial arts, and let's not forget mental toughness, but is that all? It seems to me all of those things may be able to be gained from an exercise system such as Tae Bo. After all, it was developed by Billy Blanks, a very accomplished martial artist in his own right. Tae Bo, while an excellent form of cardio and muscle fitness, does not teach you how to defend yourself, and in terms of physicality, martial arts are superior.
Because Tae Bo is more about cardio fitness, a "good workout," proper body mechanics are not stressed. Most of the instructors are aerobic instructors and are either not aware or not qualified to teach the proper mechanics involved in kicking and punching. Also, because the goals of the participants are different, the methods for achieving those goals will differ greatly.
In the martial arts, attention is given to the proper extension of the legs and arms in kicks and punches. This allows your muscles to benefit from complete range of physical motion. Complete range of motion not only helps to maintain maximum flexibility, but it also promotes a greater amount of breakdown in the tissue which will lead to more rapid cellular growth and increased strength and muscle tone.
But there is more, it cannot provide you with inner strength, what is often termed as "martial spirit." It is this martial spirit that allows you to transcend the purely physical realm of the martial arts and tap into an area that will bring growth to the entire self. But what is martial spirit? This is something I will explore in my next article. Choose the right path and practice hard!
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