by James Davis of MMAstation.com
There’s no denying that martial arts provide you with the invaluable tools needed to protect yourself in potentially dangerous situations. Alongside the obvious benefit of knowing a form of self-defense, martial arts training is an incredibly effective form of exercise, which is going to the be the topic of our article today.
We’re going to be taking a look at some grappling and striking based martial arts that are not only incredibly fun, but an effective form of exercise as well.
Let’s get to it.
Best Martial Arts for Fitness
BJJ
First up on our list is BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), which is a grappling based martial art founded in the early 1900’s. While BJJ is fairly new compared to some other martial arts, it’s become one of the most popular disciplines in the world, partly due to the rise in popularity of the UFC.
BJJ primarily takes place on the floor, with the aim being to submit your opponent via various different techniques such as joint locks and chokes. There are two different types of BJJ, Gi and No-Gi (a gi is the name of the outfit that is worn). No gi BJJ is typically practiced wearing tight garments of clothing such as a rash guard.
A typical BJJ class, like a lot of other martial arts, will consist of a warm up period, followed by some drills, the learning of a new technique, sparring (referred to as rolling) and finished off with a warm down period.
Due to the nature of BJJ, both muscular and cardiovascular endurance is needed and developed throughout a class, particularly during the rolling period. Unlike some other martial arts, explosive power will only get you so far, therefore knowing when to, and when not to use your energy, is incredibly important.
New comers to BJJ often tire themselves after just a couple of minutes rolling, as they are unaware of when to utilize their energy, usually going all out in their first roll. BJJ is as reliant on your levels of fitness, as it is your knowledge of when to use your energy.
If you’re looking to improve your fitness levels via learning a martial art, BJJ is definitely worth a consideration. Be warned though, BJJ is incredibly addictive, you can spend your life studying it and there will always be more to learn – it’s both beautiful and humbling at the same time.
Judo
Next up we’ve got Judo, a Japanese martial art and Olympic sport founded in 1882, by a man named Jigoro Kano. Roughly translated to English, Judo means “Gentle Way” and while it may not look gentle, the methodology behind the martial art is.
Judo, in its’ essence, is designed to use your opponents or attackers’ weight, aggression and movement against themselves in the form of various throwing techniques. Much like BJJ, Judo is a grappling based martial art, however predominantly consists of stand-up grappling. There is a ground element to Judo as well, known as Ne Waza, however there is much less emphasis on ground work than in BJJ. A Judo match is won by throwing your opponent on their back, pinning them on their back for 25-seconds, or submitting them via an arm lock or choke.
Again like BJJ, Judoka’s (someone who trains in Judo) wear a gi, with Judo gis being baggier and thicker. Judo relies on a combination of technique and quick explosive movements throughout its’ techniques.
As you can imagine, hours of grappling, throwing and pinning another person is a sure-fire way to take your fitness to the next level.
Muay Thai
Muay Thai, also known as Thai Boxing, is a striking based martial art, however does incorporate some grappling elements in the form of the clinch. From the clinch, you are able to throw strikes and sweep your opponent to the ground, however no ground based grappling or strikes are generally permitted.
As the name suggests, Muay Thai originates from Thailand, however has grown in popularity all over the world, with many westerners travelling to Thailand to further develop their skills.
Muay Thai involves a diverse range of different striking techniques, including punches, kicks, elbow and knee strikes. Muay Thai training in itself is incredibly hard work and is often very cardio based, especially in Thailand where training sessions can go on for hours on end.
Muay Thai training provides both an aerobic and anaerobic form of exercise, which in turn is what allows Muay Thai fighters to go 3 or even 5 grueling rounds without tiring out. What’s more, striking techniques are often practiced in quick repetitions, usually between 10-20 reps. These repeated, explosive movements allow you to develop muscular endurance, as well as improve your overall level of fitness.
Boxing
While boxing isn’t technically a martial art, it is one of the most effective combat sports for improving your fitness level.
Due to the usual length of boxing matches, boxers must be conditioned to an extremely high level in order to endure long bouts of both throwing and defending against strikes.
Typical boxing classes include skipping, bag work, pad work and sparring, all of which develops your technical abilities and develops your cardiovascular endurance.
It has become so well accepted that boxing provides the perfect platform for developing fitness levels, that specialized ‘fitness boxing’ classes have started to become popular. Instead of practicing your skill for sparring or competing, the focus here is to utilize the different areas of boxing training solely for the purpose of improving your fitness level.
MMA
Last up on our list is Mixed Martial Arts, often referred to as MMA. As you can probably guess from the name, this involves merging aspects from different disciplines into one martial art, governed by its own set of rules.
MMA itself hasn’t been around for that long, only really taking off with the birth of the UFC in 1993. Since then, MMA has evolved into one of the most effective forms of self-defense and continues to grow in popularity year by year.
Due to the fact that MMA draws on elements from different disciplines, an MMA practitioner must be well rounded in both their skill set and in their physical abilities. This means that MMA classes and the techniques learnt develop a variety of different fitness elements, from the explosive power of takedowns to the muscular endurance required to go 3-5 rounds.
Final Thoughts
No matter which martial art you decide to try, after a few months or even weeks of attending a class, you’re bound to notice a difference in your fitness level. Whether that’s finishing a warm up without collapsing, or being able to roll a full 20-minutes, the positive effects on your body will undoubtedly be noticeable.
Thanks for reading!
