Helio Gracie
Thanks for find me.
http://paleastra-forum.com/ is where you can find me now.
I am in the process of transferring everything over.
1. Managing Fear in Order to Exhibit Confidence. There is no better way to build confidence than than to deal with and eventually manage fear. I will submit that there other ways, such as PRing a squat or jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, to deal with and manage fear. Indeed, such things can build confidence. Consider, however, in martial arts where you are competing with another man; a man who can really hurt you. Those who can stomach the initial ego bruising of understanding that they will lose and get their butt kicked will persevere. After persevering through the fear of pain, of a bruised ego, the fear of falling (as in judo), the fear of competition, you will stop being hammered as a nail. You will eventually turn into the hammer beating the nail. Confidence builds on the mats. Soon you will see that confidence displayed in all areas of your life.
2. Learn Humility. While Confidence’s yin can be thought of as humility’s yang, humility should not be thought of as submission. Understanding that there is always a bigger fish out there who may have the capability to kick your ass will give you the perspective. You shouldn’t just needlessly go out there and start shit. It is a waste of your energy to provoke issues that should not be touched. Still, if shit comes your way, going back to point 1, you’ll have the confidence to deal with it, not submit to it.
3. Improved posture are exhibited from Martial Artists. Your posture will improve and stay improved compared to those of your hunched over CPT suffering peers. Consider this recent study from the University of Leuven Belgium:
“We concluded that individuals engaging in intensive recreational sports have long-term advantages in postural control. However, even in older martial artists with years of practice in their sports, we observed considerable differences favoring the young.”
Nothing we can do about the progression a Father Time, at least for now. Rest assured though, you will have superior posture compared to that of your peers.
4. Improved Strength and Respiratory Fitness. Training, drilling and sparring day in and day out will cause your body to adapt to all of the stimuli being thrown at it. Your muscles will grow and your cardio will improve. This not only includes the short term but the long term as well. Consider the conclusion of this study from the New York Institute of Technology:
The middle-aged martial artists were more flexible in their trunk and hamstrings and had less arterial stiffness compared to the healthy sedentary controls. The flexibility component of martial art training or flexibility exercises in general may be considered as a possible intervention to reduce the effects of aging on arterial stiffness.
Notice that the middle age martial artists were compared to what is thought of as healthy but sedentary middle aged individuals.
5. You will look better naked. See above. All of those grueling drilling, training and sparring sessions will take their toll eventually. They will take their toll on the man you were before. You now have a better body composition that is more attractive to the opposite sex. Good job there slugger.
6. Martial arts will alter your thinking towards positive thoughts. Far too often, all some people ever seem to do is bitch and moan about this, that or the other. It’s Monday. Boohoo, gotta go to work. And on and on the incessant whining goes…
Or is Monday something different for you? For me, it’s the best day of the week. Monday is another great day to chase that paper. This is only a single example, but it’s an insight to how a positive mind can direct one’s future path.
7. Martial arts will keep you younger for longer. Even after reviewing points 3 and 4, there is no doubt that the practice of martial arts will keep you younger longer. More vitality, more productivity, more money and a higher libido than the average schlub out there.
8. Learning Martial Arts is Fun. After setting aside and dealing with your bruised limbs and ego, you begin to see martial arts for what they are. They are a lot of fun. It is a very exciting journey which I have been on and one I will continue to take. I will continue to hit the mats day in and day out for the improved confidence, appreciated humility, extended youth, positive attitude and mostly because it’s fun.
This post was inspired by one of Victor Pride’s initial posts at Bold & Determined: 8 Reasons why every man should lift weights. This writer lifts finds time to lift weights as well currently utilizing The Texas Method.
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