The benefits from training martial arts are often too numerous to list in one article. Many people categorize the martial arts as a sport, and assume you receive the same benefits as you would in any other sport. While this is true to a degree, what you receive from training the Martial Way is much, much more than this.
Virtually no other method has a way of making the weak and sickly become powerful the way years of training can do. You learn how to overcome difficulty in ways that school or conventional workouts simply cannot do, as you must bring everything you are, your mind, your body, spirit and internal energy into total focus and release it in a singular point of power. It is difficult enough to do this even once, yet the martial arts demand that we perform this repeatedly throughout our forms and daily training regimen. Often times we fail at this, and must continually work at it in order to achieve it. Gradually over time, we learn to cope with constant challenge, and learn the value of being spiritually tested under fire, learning not to fall into traps of emotional extremes.
Slowly the meditative process seeps into our methods, calming us, and allowing us to see things as they are happening in real time, unadulterated by social conditioning, preconceptions, or distraction. Not only does this effect of training allow you to become clear in your mind, your body also become healthy as a result. This New Year, give yourself the gift of more training. Set out to follow the path of self improvement, and endeavor to become an Artist of Life.
