Ask any martial artist, and you’ll find out that his/her training has helped him/her have a deeper understanding of himself/herself. After all, martial arts is so much more than just learning self-defense. In fact, it helps you learn more about yourself by revealing some things – and more importantly, enables you to embrace yourself (despite your flaws and weaknesses).
Whether you realize it or not, some very valuable lessons can actually be learned within the walls of the gym. Today, Evolve Daily reveals 5 Things Martial Arts Teaches You About Yourself:
1) Your mind gives up way before your body does
Song Ka Yeong from the Evolve Fight Team works on her striking at the Evolve Fighters Program.
We’ve all been there and felt it before. That moment when you’re on the verge of throwing in the towel – perhaps just 5 minutes before class ends or in the middle of the most intense part of training. At the start, you might have actually given up and stopped at that point, and then felt lousy after.
However, as time went by, you probably realized that you could actually keep going, especially when you set your mind to it. After all, your body is strong enough to go on, as long as your mind tells it to press on.
2) You are never truly right or wrong, no one is
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu enables a small person to overcome bigger, stronger opponents.
Like almost everything else in life, there are a few ways to accomplish similar things in martial arts. That’s why there are different variations to certain techniques, which ultimately lead to the same outcome. Hence, you will never actually be 100% right or wrong, just because you execute a different variation of a technique or change up the combination a little.
As you make progress in your martial arts journey, you will understand that everyone has his or her own way of achieving a similar goal or outcome – and as a result, you will become more receptive to new ways of doing things, be it on or off the mats.
3) You’re not as much of a badass as you might initially think
Being well rounded in BJJ means training both in the gi and no-gi.
Be honest. You probably felt like a total badass when you first put on your boxing gloves or gi, right? Well, not everyone makes it to the gym and ends up committing to martial arts, so we don’t blame you. As you pick up more techniques and learn to defend yourself, your confidence will definitely grow by leaps and bounds.
With that said, you will also find yourself in situations where you basically get overcome by others – even when you initially felt like you had the upper hand. The thing is, no one is truly invincible, so it helps to always be humble and learn from everyone you train with.
4) But you’re not fragile either
You can burn up to 1,000 calories in a 60-minute Muay Thai training session.
When we learn that we are vulnerable, and understand our weaknesses on a deeper level, we also learn that they can be turned into strengths. All that matters is that we don’t give up when going through tough times. As we overcome our obstacles, we also get stronger and learn that we can handle most things that we set our minds to.
Apart from that, pushing your limits and breaking personal records will also show you that you’re stronger than you think — and that you’re capable of achieving great things when you believe in yourself.
5) You have what it takes to be better than who you were yesterday
Heavy bag work is a great way to build strength and endurance for Muay Thai and Boxing.
At times, you might hit a wall and feel frustrated. Perhaps uninspired and even unmotivated as well. After all, you aren’t going anywhere or making the progress that you’ve worked so hard to achieve. But here’s the thing: everyone has hit a plateau at some point — so it’s totally normal to, from time to time. What matters is that you try to fix that, and of course, never give up.
Whether you realize it or not, every small action and decision count. Hence, as long as you strive to be 1% better than you were yesterday, every day, then you’re well on your way to evolving into everything you wish you to become.
So, are you interested in getting to know yourself better while training with World Champions? Try out a trial class!
Book your complimentary trial class with our World Champions below!
If you have any other questions regarding Evolve MMA and the programs we offer, you can get in touch with our membership executives at the following locations:
Evolve MMA (Far East Square)
26 China Street
Far East Square #01-01
Singapore 049568
Phone: (65) 6536 4525
Evolve MMA (Orchard Central)
181 Orchard Road
#06-01 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Phone: (65) 6536 4556
Evolve MMA (KINEX)
11 Tanjong Katong Road
#02-52 KINEX
Singapore 437157
Phone: (65) 6288 2293
Evolve MMA (Clarke Quay Central)
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#04-18 Clarke Quay Central
Singapore 059817
Phone: (65) 6226 2150
Evolve MMA (Star Vista)
1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-26A The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Phone: (65) 6539 9590
