What Could Be the Benefits of Training in Taekwondo for You?

After all why bother? Isn't it easier to sit on the sofa and watch TV all evening? We think you should bother because put simply regular martial arts training will change your life. Forever. Who are we? We are a regular family. Mum Deb, Dad Neil and Daughter Leah. We train together in taekwondo about 3 times a week. And we've done this for the last 5 years. Our taekwondo journey has taken us from the UK to Australia and to South Korea. And we’ve got fit and had fun along the way. The benefits of taekwondo to us as a family have been profound. Physically, mentally and socially. Taekwondo training has helped us in ways we never could have imagined at the outset. For us the physical benefits of taekwondo training were obvious within a few months. Very quickly we were stronger and fitter than we had ever been. 'You all look well’ friends kept saying. 'Are you using new skin products?' 'Have you lost weight?' But we weren’t just looking better. We were feeling better. Taekwondo training involves physical exercise. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Exercise makes our hearts and lungs more efficient. So we feel less tired and have more energy. And we can cope more easily with the physical demands of day to day life. Walking around at work all day becomes a breeze. And weeding the garden is child’s play. As well as being fitter, our bodies are also stronger. We have strengthened our muscles from top to toe. These strong muscles help to support our bodies. They help to hold us upright with good posture, keeping our spines in the right position. In taekwondo we leap and jump. These exercises strengthen our bones. This is great for ladies when the threat of osteoporosis looms. Becoming more flexible through taekwondo stretching has improved our daily lives. Here's an example of how. Neil like many men had short hamstrings. (The hamstring is the muscle running down the back of the thigh). The short hamstrings were pulling on Neil's pelvis. This in turn put pressure on Neil's spine. And the result was pain in his lower back. Most of the time. For years. Then as part of his training Neil started stretching. And slowly but surely his short hamstrings got longer. And as his hamstrings lengthened. His back pain gradually went away. A huge relief! So that’s some of the physical benefits. What about the mental side? Stress relief is one of the huge benefits of taekwondo. Kicking a target or punching a bag is amazingly good for letting stress and tension out of your body. Sure it's hard work. And you can be exhausted after-wards. But you feel relaxed and calm. Many sports are great for improving fitness and physical strength. But does your sport help you with building self-confidence? Taekwondo does for us. From the very early days of training, we had to stand up in front of the class and perform a few moves. We felt sick with nerves. But the nurturing environment of our classes allowed our self-confidence to build slowly but surely. Week by week. Training session by training session. Another way we build self-confidence in martial arts is through facing our fears. In tkd we learn self-defence and sparring techniques. Then we practise them in confronting situations under controlled conditions. Learning to stand up and fight in a physically frightening situation is incredibly empowering. And gives the self-confidence a great boost. What about self-esteem? That elusive sense of self. One of the surprise benefits of tkd training is that we have come to like ourselves more. We feel well. We look well. We are well. And we’re more positive about ourselves. And more positive to be around. Then there’s mental strength. Put simply. Training in martial arts makes your mind stronger. When you push through the mental challenges of taekwondo. You get stronger. When you learn complicated taekwondo patterns. You keep your memory sharp. When you try new things. And fail. Then try again. And fail again. Then try again. And finally get it. You learn the power of perseverance. And the social side of martial arts? Of course taekwondo is not a team sport in the way football or netball are. And actually we’ve found our training is very personal to ourselves. It's about what we can each achieve with the body and mind that we have been given. But still. You can’t learn taekwondo alone. You could watch DVDs and practise every day for years. And get technically great. But you wouldn't be a real marital artist. Why not? Because part of the process is learning about team spirit. About helping others and being helped. Nurturing. Guiding. Encouraging. Achieving more with others- much, much more- than you can ever achieve alone.