Improve Sports With Martial Arts

Can martial arts training improve your sports?

Bruce McCorry claims in this great article that martial arts training can without a doubt help you to become better at regular sports activities, and I agree with him completely.

The article is focusing on how it can improve the sports abilities in children, however, I would also like to say that it goes for adults as well. This is one of the reasons why many team sports (soccer, rugby, football etc.) hire martial arts teachers and coaches to help them out with certain physical details of the game.

How can martial arts training benefit sports activities?

Master McCorry correctly points to a set of vital aspects which will enhance a child's chances to be better at any sport, such as enhanced physical capability, better reflexes, enhanced reasoning, improved self-confidence and sportsman spirit.

I'd also like to add to that how good martial arts training teaches any student to focus on what YOU can do something about (yourself), rather than blaming outside things like the pitch, referee, team mates, the weather and what not.

Learning and executing control is another extremely vital part of the core teaching of any serious/good martial art. The same goes for the ability to focus and staying focused...

As for the enhanced physical aspects, I'd like also to include learning how to fall without getting injured, how to get back up quickly, how to take a hit (within reason of course and there's no hits to the head or excessive force allowed in martial arts training for children!), improved balance, eye-hand coordination and so much more.

You should of course read the whole article referenced above.

Improving sports activities with martial arts training - Image from Flickr.com