9 REASONS WHY MARTIAL ARTS OFFERS THE BEST STRESS RELIEF
Are you seeking to lower your stress levels and keep them under control? Knowing you need to take action to reduce your stress is a significant first step. Now it is time to choose something that works and is sustainable. Exercise has long been a top strategy for stress reduction, but did you know practicing martial arts offers the best stress relief? In fact, Kung Fu and Tai Chi are among the best martial arts for stress relief. Read on to learn why.
Training uses excess energy and feels good
Exercising triggers endorphins – the happy hormone that regulates your mood. Add to that improved oxygen flow and the release of pent-up energy in the process, and you have a winning combination. Feeling happier makes it easier to manage the stress that may come your way.
Physical health improved
Breathing is a fabulous stress management tool. There is an app for that – in fact, there are many apps for that. But, learning to control your breath and use it to your advantage is built into martial arts training. As martial artists learn various stances and strikes, they are taught to exhale at various points in the movement. This controlled breathing is vital in training and will naturally transfer to other parts of life – including stress management during moments of tension.
Physical health improved
Being healthy, feeling healthy, and knowing you are healthy all reduce stress through physical wellness. When your body is in peak condition, it can respond better to outside stressors. The mental benefits of knowing your body is fit and can handle whatever life throws your way improve overall reaction to stress too.
Cathartic
Negative emotions, frustrations, and anxieties can build up over time. Releasing those emotions in a safe, controlled way provides instant stress relief. In martial arts training, kicking, punching, and striking allow the cathartic release of those emotions that can keep your stress levels high. Once released, you can begin to let go of those emotions.
Improves mental health
Reducing depression and anxiety is a welcome off-label benefit of practicing martial arts. By improving mental health, overall stress levels can come down. Improved mental health makes dealing with new stressors easier.
Release muscle tension due to stress
What came first, the chicken or the egg? Muscle tension is a nasty side effect of stress. But, once you’re tense, that tension feeds the stress. This cyclical stress response can be tough to break. The many stretching exercises that are inherent in martial arts training can reduce these muscle tensions to break the stress-tension cycle.
Improve Focus
During the practice of martial arts, every movement is exact. Successfully performing every move requires deep focus and blocking of distracting thoughts. Like the muscles in your body, practicing this deep focus makes focusing easier. Better focus on your family, your job, and every other part of life can greatly reduce stress caused by the general chaos of life.
Self Esteem
Martial arts practitioners are on a journey to earning a black sash. From day one until well beyond the day that black sash is tied around their waist, martial artists set and achieve hundreds or thousands of goals. Every goal achieved is another bump up of self-esteem. It is human nature to gain confidence as we achieve and exceed goals in body and life. While you don’t always get positive feedback in all aspects of life, you’ll get to claim every victory and every challenge overcome in martial arts.
Sustainable
Martial arts is FUN! There are many great methods for stress reduction, but not all are sustainable life changes. Joining a martial arts school like US Kuo Shu Academy will give you a family-like environment where everyone supports each other and has fun. In fact, we are quite sure your time in the studio will become something you look forward to each and every time.
Reducing stress is vital to your health. When stress is better managed, immunity is boosted, mental and physical health are improved, and you can achieve better mind/body balance. Getting started with stress relief through martial arts is easy. Give our team a call today to schedule a free introduction.
What Others Say About us!
One of the Finest Chinese Martial Arts Schools in the Country
Some of the best competitors and teachers that I've ever met come from this fine school. It has a tradition of excellence in all they do. Grandmaster Huang, Chien-Liang and the US Kuo Shu Academy build champions with integrity.
Nelson Ferriera
The School has Transformed my Life.
The school has transformed my life and made me a better man body and soul. It's really special to witness the transformation of the the youth at the school as well. The staff at the school really care about the students and each other. This is all so vital to our youth for they are the future of things to come.Â
Bruce Seward
USKSA is not just a Chinese martial arts school, it’s a lifestyle
How lucky it was, that we stopped by USKSA. Instantly it becomes an irreplaceable part of life. And not just for my daughter, mine as well, since I became a student too. USKSA is not just a Chinese martial arts school, it is a lifestyle. It is a family. The school changed my life I can proudly say: I am a better person now, stronger (mentally and physically), even happier than I've been before I joined the USKSA. There is not enough good words to say. Thank you.Â
Alex Reznikov
I am learning how to be a Better Person
I am proud to study at US Kuo Shu Academy for Three Main Reasons. The instructors provide superior quality teaching and have in-depth knowledge of martial arts principles The genuine passion for teaching authentic martial arts, The sincere attitude that permeates every class that I am not just learning how to be a better martial artist, I am learning how to be a better person.
Steve Smith
Made me healthier physically and mentally and more focused & organized at work
It has helped me keep my sanity! Made me healthier physically and mentally and more focused and organized at work. I am a better person, writer, and mother because of my experiences at USKSA. And it's been the "village" that has helped my sons learn about values and character and hard work. If you want to change your life for the better, if you want to give your children tools...then this is the place.Â
Xylia Hall
Nothing Short of Amazing
The US Kuo Shu Academy is an amazing, traditional martial arts school with stellar instructors and an incredibly well-developed curriculum. My experience there - both at Owings Mills and in Marriottsville - has been nothing short of amazing. The Tai Chi program provides an incredibly layered experience that combines both the meditative/health aspects of Tai Chi, along with the martial aspects of the form. They truly care about their students, and provide expertise and support in an environment that is both caring and rigorous. Whether your interest in Tai Chi or Kung Fu, meditation or martial practice, this is the place to be.Â
Margaret Boas
I’ve gained a sense of self-confidence I had never realized
My association with this system began 7 years ago. My only goal at the time was to have a form of exercise in my life that didn't bore me. I was very overweight and was in desperate needs of getting in shape. In addition to helping me lose over 100 lbs, I've gained a sense of self-confidence I had never realized was missing from my life. I've made friendships that will last the rest of my life. I've been mentored by some amazing people, and I've had the great honor to mentor some amazing people.
Jeramy Hansen
I’ve gained a sense of self-confidence I had never realized
My association with this system began 7 years ago. My only goal at the time was to have a form of exercise in my life that didn't bore me. I was very overweight and was in desperate needs of getting in shape. In addition to helping me lose over 100 lbs, I've gained a sense of self-confidence I had never realized was missing from my life. I've made friendships that will last the rest of my life. I've been mentored by some amazing people, and I've had the great honor to mentor some amazing people. Joining US Kuo Shu Academy was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Jeramy Hansen
Nothing Short of Amazing
The US Kuo Shu Academy is an amazing, traditional martial arts school with stellar instructors and an incredibly well-developed curriculum. My experience there - both at Owings Mills and in Marriottsville - has been nothing short of amazing. The Tai Chi program provides an incredibly layered experience that combines both the meditative/health aspects of Tai Chi, along with the martial aspects of the form. They truly care about their students, and provide expertise and support in an environment that is both caring and rigorous. Whether your interest in Tai Chi or Kung Fu, meditation or martial practice, this is the place to be.Â
Margaret Boas
I am learning how to be a Better Person
I am proud to study at US Kuo Shu Academy for Three Main Reasons. The instructors provide superior quality teaching and have in-depth knowledge of martial arts principles The genuine passion for teaching authentic martial arts, The sincere attitude that permeates every class that I am not just learning how to be a better martial artist, I am learning how to be a better person.
USKSA is not just a Chinese martial arts school, it’s a lifestyle
How lucky it was, that we stopped by USKSA. Instantly it becomes an irreplaceable part of life. And not just for my daughter, mine as well, since I became a student too. USKSA is not just a Chinese martial arts school, it is a lifestyle. It is a family. The school changed my life I can proudly say: I am a better person now, stronger (mentally and physically), even happier than I've been before I joined the USKSA. There is not enough good words to say. Thank you.
Alex Reznikov
The School has Transformed my Life
The school has transformed my life and made me a better man body and soul. It's really special to witness the transformation of the the youth at the school as well. The staff at the school really care about the students and each other. This is all so vital to our youth for they are the future of things to come.Â
Bruce Seward
One of the Finest Chinese Martial Arts Schools in the Country
Some of the best competitors and teachers that I've ever met come from this fine school. It has a tradition of excellence in all they do. Grandmaster Huang, Chien-Liang and the US Kuo Shu Academy build champions with integrity.
Nelson Ferriera
The Best School of Martial Arts
My children have been students for more than 4 years now and they love this school of martial arts. US Kuo Shu Academy is their second home, learning not just Kung Fu but also developing one’s character as a good, responsible, respectful and disciplined citizen. Thank you very much Grandmaster Huang. Master Michael Hung and all the teachers and students for making this place the best school of martial arts.