Muhammad Rizki A1B214090

LEARNING MARTIAL ARTS, DOES IT GAVE US BENEFITS ?

Is martial arts has benefits for us? This is a common question that maybe asked by ourselves. Especially, the one who doesn’t know what martial arts well. Before we talk about the benefits, it’s a wise thing to define what martial arts is it. Martial arts is can be define as a way to defense oneself from harm. There are many forms of martial arts; range from indigenous arts such as Pencak Silat, Tarung Derajat,and Kuntao and the foreign arts such as Taekwondo, Karate,  Judo and Wing Chun. In this modern world, It is not difficult to find martial arts training center, especially in a city like Banjarmasin. For instance, in Lambung Mangkurat University , several style of martial arts has become an organization, in form of UKM and Clubs. The martial arts is Taekwondo, Pencak Silat PSHT, Merpati Putih,  Inkai karatedo and Shouriji Kenpo. However, some people uncertain with their intention to join Martial Arts club. The reason why they are uncertainty is mainly what is benefit of martial arts itself for their daily life. Based on that fact, I would to tell the benefits of Martial Arts, in area of  stamina improvement, body stamina, health self-defense and Phsycology.

First of many benefits or learning martial arts improvement of stamina. Martial arts training is not easier than sport training. In some occasion martial training is “harder” than sport training.  In martial arts training, the learner taught how to punch, kick, throw and move based on its style. This training urge the learner to move his body in instructed manner over and over. In my experience of learning martial arts, which is Taekwondo style, the master (instructor) instructed me to kick a pouncing bag one hundred times for each foot. It’s a hard training, however those training I told, has a precious result. The benefit that I get from those training is the improvement of my stamina. The martial arts training build the endurance of our body and makes us not easily to become tired. For your information, since I train martial arts in a few years I feel an improvement in my physical conditions. In a similar manner Osagie (2000) suggested that exercise makes the human body stronger by increasing the blood flow through out body.

Second benefit of learning martial arts is shaping the body. This benefit still connected with the first benefit, hence it deals with training and exercise that conducted in martial arts.  The movement of puncing, kicking, and stepping wil deliberately make the muscles in our body to do a constraction and relaxation. Other than that, the repeated movement in martial arts helps to reduce calories and fat from the body. For example, kicking over and over again will reduce the fat in foot and leg, and build the muscles for the same time. So, no wonder martial arts practicioner, such as Bruce Lee has a good body shape.

Health is another benefit that gained fron learning martial arts. According to Cerrato (1999), incorporating Tai Chi (a type of soft Martial arts) into regular activity can improve balance and muscle strength among elderly patients with osteoarthritis. Other than that, even the hard martial arts, such as Karate  and Pencak Silat also has benefits for our health. Rigorous training in those martial arts helps our circulatory system, which in turn theoritically prevent  us from cardiovaskuler problems

Next benefits that could be gained through learning martial arts is Self-defense. Dangers could happens in anytime and anyplace, like it or not. Many martial arts style teacher its learner an ability to protect themselves from harm, yet every style has its own way for that.  For example, in Wing Chun its necessary to anticipate the attack as effective as possible by defense and counter-attack simultaneously, leaving no time for the attacker to respond.In this style it is also taugh how to anticipate when someone try to stab you with a knife.  In another style,  namely Krav Maga, the learners is taugh how to safe themselves by do every possible thing. It means that when the one is grab from behind or choked from someone, he/she do everything could, such as headbutt, elbow strike, hit groin with knee and even use simple tools like, key harm the attackers. The defensive act and safety in this style of martial arts can be considered a priority. For instance, every style has a way to self-defense in it, even one style is different with another. So, learn how to defend ourselves is not wasting our time, right?

The next benefits of learning Martial Arts is physicological advantage. Martial Arts training (Shirenen:2000) has been proven to enhance mental and psychological feelings after a training session. Martial arts instructor urge its students to be respectful and discipline. They’re taugh to respect everyone, even they’re enemy, which shown in training sparring session , both fighters bow to each other to give respect before and after the fight. Martial arts also give the practicioner to develop self-esteem and emotional control. Other than that Practicing a martial art can have a rejuvenating effect on mental health. We can learn to improve your focus and become single-pointed. Our mind will become disciplined and less susceptible to negative thoughts. Martial art experts learn to stay calm, and exercise their will power to persevere with their tasks.

Some of people may argue that martial arts is not useful for our regular life. Some of them also believe that martial arts just for competition. However those statement is not entirely true.  They come with that argument because they can’t differentiate Martial Arts and Combat sport. This two terms in similar but not identically. Both of them indeed taught how to attack and defend, but the purpose is entirely different. Martial Arts  stressed more heavily in safe versus harm and the combat sport is concerning the win versus lose. In addition, competition or sparring is just one part of curriculum that taught in martial arts, which in stark contrast with combat sport that deal heavily with competition.

In conclusion, Martial arts is not just an activity to fill the free time. It indeed give the learner of this arts many benefits. Martial arts helped its practitioner to improve their stamina by the wide variations of movements that repeated over and over again. It also build the shape of its practitioner body by improvement of muscles and fat reducement, thanks to its rigorous training. Some research indicating that learns and trains martial arts give health benefits, in which soft martial arts help an ostheopotic with its fluid movement and hard martial arts build a healthy cardiovaskuler. Other than that, martial arts concern with safety of its practicioner by preparing them with self-defense technique that can be utilized in dangerous time. The last but not the least is martial arts give phsycological power such as emotional control, dicipline self-esteem and honor. In the end, many benefits that martial arts can provide for and there is no reason to say “Never” for joining Martial Arts Club.

REFERENCES

Cerrato, P. L. (1999). Tai Chi: A martial art turns therapeutic. RN, 62(2), 59-60.

Shireman, J. (2010). The effect of martial arts training on self-concept, self-esteem, and self .United States Military Academy, West Point, NY.