Health Benefits of Martial Arts

You’ve heard and read it before, exercise plays a key role in keeping disease and illness at bay but if the idea of pumping iron or running 5 kilometers makes you want to poke your eye out with fork, then you might want to consider giving martial arts training a try.

Not only are martial arts classes fun but they also give you a full body workout.  You get your cardio training, strength training and stretching all in 45 – 60 minutes.  You’ll sleep better, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol.  And, you may also take off some pounds, if you attend classes regularly.

While it’s not for everyone, most people find that martial arts training helps the time pass more quickly than running aimlessly on a tread mill.  You’ll get a good sweat going during class which helps to detoxify your body and keep you healthy.  In addition, weight bearing exercise has been proven to ward off osteoporosis.

And, people who exercise regularly also find that they are able to handle the day to day stresses much better.  I mean, who doesn’t have stress these days?  Life is busy and there are so many pressures in trying to balance work, life and family.  However, you’ll be able to give those important components of your life that much more focus and attention if you can carve out a few hours each week to devote to martial arts training.

At D’Souza Martial Arts we offer classes in Taekwondo in Waterloo, a martial art which has its origins from Korea.  In contrast to Karate, there is a lot more kicking and lower body work.  The more big muscles that you get moving, the more cardio benefits you get.  While we have many long time students, we have new students joining our academy all the time.  Classes are offered for pre-schoolers, kids, teens and adults.

Visit here for a list of class times and check out our new student specials.

What’s the Difference Between Taekwondo and Other Martial Arts?

Many people considering martial arts training either for themselves or their children wonder what the difference is between the each of the disciplines such as Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu for example.

Each of the disciplines originated in different countries thousands of years ago and each have evolved over the centuries and has a different defense focus.  For example, Tae Kwon Do emphasises kicking while Karate emphasises hand strikes while Kung Fu has many different forms that typically mimic how animals defend themselves in the wild.

Karate has its roots in Japan, Tae Kwon Do comes from Korea and Kung Fu is from China.  There are many other forms of martial arts of course but these are the major ones.  Within the Tae Kwon Do discipline, there are generally two schools of practice.  The Olympic style is what most people are familiar with because it is an included sport in the Olympics Games.

The best way to decide which martial art to study is to visit the various local schools to see if you can try a class.  Most martial arts schools will allow you to try a class or two or will have a short term membership that you can purchase to make sure you are going to like it and be committed for the long term.

Your decision on choosing a martial art to study is probably going to be based more on the quality of the teaching at the school as well as the number of classes offered and how close the school is from your home or place of work.

However, it should be noted that Tae Kwon Do is a very well rounded discipline which teaches students coordination, balance and helps with focus and concentration.  In addition, children who attend Tae Kwon Do classes develop more confidence and tend to do better in school.

D’Souza Martial Arts Academy offers high quality teaching by a third degree black belt with 10 years of experience teaching both kids and adults.  In addition, many classes are offered each week to suit different schedules.  Drop by for a visit to learn more.