Benefits of training #1: It's social


Taking a Taekwondo and/or Kumdo class, even just once per week, is a great way to get out of the house and get a change of scenery. Also, training is a great place to meet new people and make new friends. And when it comes to your kids, there is no better time to make friends than when they are young.



Benefits of training #2: Goal setting and discipline


Training is not all about the physical, and has as much to do with mental discipline as it does with physical discipline. Neither Taekwondo nor Kumdo is an easy thing to learn, and every single set of moves, every strike, and every stance takes a lot of discipline to master.


Learning the various aspects of training and perfecting them involves goal setting. You have to set a goal, and you have to use self-discipline in order to meet that goal. Training does a good job at teaching you and your children that nothing in life is easy and that everything, every goal that you set, requires a whole lot discipline to accomplish.


This learning of goal setting and self-discipline will go a very long way in your daily life.



Benefits of training #3: The ability to defend yourself


Taekwondo and Kumdo are both great martial arts to practice, martial arts that might just come in handy in some rough situations. Of course one of the main purposes of training is to teach you various different ways of defending yourself.


Obviously one of the first rules of training is to only use it for self defence, not for offensive purposes. Unfortunately, sometimes things go south and some people may threaten you. There are bullies all over the world, and sometimes the only way to deal with them is to physically defend yourself. Both Taekwondo and Kumdo are amazing martial arts to know in sticky situations.



Benefits of training #4: Increased self esteem


Another big benefit that you can get from training on a regular basis is that it can go a very long way in increasing your confidence and your self esteem. Every time you learn a new move and you perfect it, it gives you a confidence booster and it’s as simple as feeling good because you have accomplished something.


Training can also help you improve your self-confidence because it tones your muscles and helps you lose weight. Simply put, when you look better you will also feel better.


Also, as mentioned above, training teaches you how to defend yourself, and knowing that you can hold your own in a tough situation definitely inspires confidence and self-esteem.



Benefits of training #5: Cardiovascular health


Whilst Taekwondo and/or Kumdo is not purely a cardiovascular training art, it does involve aspects which train your cardio. Both are much like any other martial art where you do many different kinds of training which contribute to a healthy body. Moreover, the constant physical motion during a class will get your heart pumping at an increased rate.


A stronger heart means that it can pump blood and oxygen to your muscles with increased efficiency, something that is important for increasing your physical output. The more blood and oxygen your muscles receive the longer and harder they can work without getting tired.


Furthermore, a strong heart is very important because it leads to a reduction in heart disease, arterial disease, heart attacks and strokes, it helps keep your blood pressure at a respectable level, and it keeps your resting heart rate lower too. In essence, Taekwondo makes your heart stronger and therefore helps you to live longer.



Benefits of training #6: Improved focus


Training can go a very long way in helping you to improve your focus. It takes a lot of time and constant repetition to master anything and that requires a lot of focus.


Whether you are mastering a self defence technique, practicing various strikes and kicks, or trying to break a board, you need to spend a lot of time focusing on one specific task at hand in order to perfect whatever you are trying to master. Focus is not just something that falls out of trees, and just like any other skill that we have, it needs to be learned and practiced.


Training can definitely teach you to focus on a given task at hand, and that is something which can translate to your everyday life.



Benefits of training #7: Increased flexibility


Another upside to training is that it works to increase your flexibility.


Stretching is of course beneficial because it loosens and limbers your muscles, getting them ready for strenuous activity and greatly reducing the chances of suffering from an injury such as a pulled muscle. Obviously, the more you stretch the longer, more limber, and more flexible your muscles get, thus ultimately increasing the range of motion and also increasing how far you can push your limbs before something goes wrong.


Of course, having better flexibility is also beneficial because it helps to do things like reduce back pain, reduce the chances of injury, increase your ability to balance, and a whole lot more.



Benefits of training #8: Feel happier


Yet another big benefit that you can get from training on a regular basis is that it makes you feel happier. Exercising causes your brain to produce an excess of neurochemicals, the most important of which is serotonin.


Serotonin is a chemical produced by your brain which produces feelings of happiness, joy, elation, and calmness. This is a chemical which makes you feel happier than you usually would. This is something that can help you fight things like depression and anxiety, things which are caused by a lack of serotonin in the brain and an overall imbalance of neurochemicals.


Moreover, the simple fact that training is a social activity can make you feel happier due to the fact that you get to socialise with people and make new friends.


Benefits of training #9: Strengthened muscles


Training involves a lot of different weight and strength training. Taekwondo is especially good for your leg muscles because it is a martial art that puts a lot of focus on kicking, which builds strong leg muscles. The stances of Kumdo also build strength and endurance in your leg and arm muscles. Having stronger muscles is of course not just good for practicing martial arts, but for various things in your everyday life as well.



Benefits of training #10: Stress relief


Training can definitely help you to relieve stress. This partially has to do with the fact that it helps to produce serotonin, something that is known to relieve stress, but it is more than just that.


It also has to do with the fact that regular exercise helps your brain to produce a type of chemical known as endocannabinoids. These are chemicals which occur naturally in the brain. They produce sensations of calmness, relaxation, and can also help to reduce the perception of pain.



Benefits of training #11: Stronger bones


Training has the advantage of building bone. The kicking, jumping, pushing with your arms and legs, punching, etc. - all of these actions count as weight bearing exercise. Weight bearing exercises by nature are crucial for helping you build stronger bones.


Your bones grow in much the same way as your muscles grow, and the more you train them with weight bearing exercises, the stronger they get. Your osteoblasts lay down new bone matter with every weight bearing exercise, something which makes them thicker, denser, and stronger.


Having stronger bones comes in handy in cases of slips and falls. Having stronger bones means that there is less chance of them breaking when you fall, plus it also helps to prevent degenerative bone diseases such as osteoporosis.