almostaugust

I was wondering if the people who do /done martial arts have noticed improvements in other sports/activities that they do. Can you give some details.

Lunchbox7

I find my soccer heaps better. My feet are faster. Im heaps stronger on the ball (meaning harder to push off the ball). I kick heaps more powerfull. And I have learnt to use my martial arts to cheat legally. It pisses the opposition off heaps but the ref has no grounds to pull me up. I fully recommend it

noodles

martial arts helped me excel in some way in every sport i've played. the list of how and the reasons is so long and i'm lazy

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Ripsaw

Opposite for me. Everything else I do makes my art faster, better, and adds to my experience.

The art is life, so live it.

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seizei

Before I started martial arts, I had asthma, and could run no more than 100 meters (450 feet?) without wheezing. I was one of the last picks for teams in grade school... an all around dork you could say.

Well, when I was 12, I got serious about martial arts. The summer before grade 8, I was training alot, and using one of those elastic band universal gyms that my parents had gotten me.

When grade 8 started and we had the gym-class tryouts for the track and field team, I was 2nd place in high jump, 100m dash, long jump, triple jump, and 3rd place in shot put. The guy that beat me in the first 4 events was 6 inches taller than everyone else in the grade - nobody could touch him.

The previous year I had sucked beyond belief, yet I emerged as one of the top athletes in my grade the next year.

10 years later, I've kept training.. I run 10km 3 times a week ... a far cry from my younger days.

The understanding of movement and body mechanics I have gained through my martial arts training has helped me immensely in any other sport I try... although it is no substitute for actual practice in those respective sports.. it's just an edge at the start.

That really is the goal of any martial art style.. to give the practitioner an understanding of movement. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.

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seizei; (adv - Japanese) at the most; at best; to the utmost; as much (far) as possible. (pronounced - say-zay)

more fire

marshal arts keep me trim. I'm not really interested in any other aspect.

almostaugust

Any other comments?????

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'And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass'

Lunchbox7

Seizei, That was heaps inspirational. You must feel so good that you have made such a difference in your life? You didnt sit there and bitch about how life dealt you a bad card. You took your destiny into your own hands. I think thats awsome.

Nazggul

Overall body awareness is increased significantly. That will make you better at any athletic activity you participate in.

Sadly, I found that when I was heavy into Martial Arts, mostly in late High School and College, I became more aggressive. I tended to easily get into a fight rather than talking it out or walking away. Therefore, I stopped and have never gone back.

Jerry Manderine

funny this one... it seems that Thai Boxing has made me quite a good hockey player... I was never bad, but now people tend to back of a little bit!

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suviko

I see people dancing in the clubs so that aerobics or martial arts training seems to affect their movements and kinda helps some less musical people to get a hold of dancing.

numist

I race bicycles, and martial arts helped immensly because most of the game is having your mind force your body to work even harder than it thought it could.
Increased muscle control and strength do not hurt either, but the main advantage is having an unbreakable mind.

If you think you can do it, you push harder and wind up doing it.

ironx

i do taekwondo, and it really helps with my endurance. for a short peroid. then i put on 15 kilograms (like what, 40 pounds? you do the math) in 2 years and the rest is history. currently pursuing back the flexible body of mine. but hey! at least my kicks still packs a deadly punch...eh, kick.

Jaseca

Until a temporary injury I'm recovering from, I did a lot of karate-jutsu. I thought it helped my sense of balance and reflexes greatly in most all other activities.

clavus

Jujitsu taught me to fall w/o getting hurt. I used that skill a lot learning to ski

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Shauk

heh reading this made me think, "maybe i should take up martial arts before snowboarding"

eh?

almostaugust

Good responses everybody. Ive only been doing Muay Thai for a couple of months but i feel much more flexible and much stronger.

__________________
'And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass'

raeanna74

I found that it really gave me much better balance. Especially in iceskating and soccer. I've found too that in soccer I am even able to get to my feet or stay on my feet easier if I'm tripped than I could before I had any training.

I would like my daughter to try some martial arts at some point too. I has made me less afraid when I'm out on my own because I know how to escape should something happen. I know it is a healthy pursuit. I don't want her to go overboard because I have seen that some children (namely kids I babysat when I was a teen) can get more aggressive when they start it.

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