Martial Arts Improves The Mind At All Ages
There are more mental benefits of martial arts than you may realize. We all know that exercise of any kind makes you feel better physically and mentally. But, in a recent US study, researchers found that martial arts, particularly karate, can enhance cognition abilities. Among the many ways in which martial arts can improve your life, karate is particularly useful in boosting the power of your brain.
Improved Focus and Alertness
In the aforementioned study, researchers discovered that those who practice karate perform much better on divided attention tasks. That makes sense, because karate teaches the martial artist to use different parts of the body in different ways at the same time.
Reduced Aggression
The study also suggested that studying martial arts reduces aggression in adolescent boys. Because of the focus on self discipline and the confidence that comes from knowing how to handle yourself, young boys in the study were more likely to calmly diffuse escalated situations and intervene when they saw a peer being bullied.
Reduced Stress
Martial arts is a meditative practice. It requires that your mind and body be in the same space to accomplish the same task. Breathing techniques are also important in the practice of martial arts. In that way, karate has powerful stress-reducing effects. A reduction in stress levels continues outside the dojo too; participants in the study reported that they were more able to cope with stress when it presented itself on a day-to-day basis.
Lowered Levels of Depression
As with all physical exercise, practicing martial arts releases endorphins (the feel-good chemicals in the brain). Going back to the study, adults over the age of 45 were assigned to engage in either martial arts, cognitive exercises, or non-martial arts physical training for three to six months. At the end of the experiment, adults in the martial arts group showed lower levels of depression and a greater increase in self-esteem than the other participants.
Improved Memory
As a martial artists progresses further in rank, the forms, techniques, and combinations they learn become more and more complex. Therefore, it’s no surprise that karate improves your memory.
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