Martial arts leads to both physical and mental skill improvements. As your train and learn physical self-defense skills, one of the many mental skills you develop is resilience. Resilience is a measure of your emotional strength and endurance. It’s your ability to cope with any setback or obstacle.
You might assume that resilience is something that you either have or don’t have. But just like any martial arts skill or technique, resilience is another trainable skill. Martial arts is a great environment to increase your resilience. As you train and learn self-defense, you’ll encounter a variety of challenges and obstacles. But with practice, you figure out how to adapt and deal with these and other obstacles.
Here are a few ways to build resilience through martial arts training:
1. Character Development
Martial arts is so much more than learning skills, like kicks and punches. To stick with martial arts long enough to learn how to perform your skills well, you also need to develop essential character traits. Character building skills like patience, self-discipline, control, and self-confidence help you become a better athlete both on and off the mats. And these character-building skills enable you to build resilience and overcome challenges so you can keep moving forward. You have the tools to persevere in your martial arts practice and life.
2. Physical Training
Martial arts can be physically tough and demanding. As you train, you’ll challenge yourself to move in new and different ways. Some days, you feel strong – like you could take on any opponent. Other days, you might feel like you’ve taken a few steps back. No matter how you feel physically, you still show up and train. And you make the most of your time while you’re in class. Staying dedicated to your practice, even when you’re feeling down, is how you build resilience.
3. Setting Goals
Some martial arts goals can take years to accomplish. When you have a long-term goal like this, you must be patient with your training while staying committed to your goal. When the timeline to achieving your goal spans a few years, then you’re probably going to face a few obstacles. Rather than letting these obstacles discourage you to the point where you give up on your goal, learning to be resilient is what will keep you motivated to reach your goal.
At Karate Families in Tarzana, we enrich the lives of each of our students by helping you develop skills you’ll use for the rest of your life. Are you interested in learning more about our programs and classes? We’d love to chat with you – contact us today to get started.
