Combative training has recently risen to be one of the most popular forms of exercise in the UK. And it’s no longer a niche activity isolated to specialist academies: big commercial gyms are increasingly offering classes and personal training in kick-boxing and martial arts.
With proper professional guidance, fighting classes can bring a number of health benefits as well as personal defence. Weight loss, increased endurance and fitness, elevated self-esteem, improved flexibility and motor coordination, to name a few.
There are many different fighting training style: jiu-jitsu, MMA, judo, boxing, and more – but which is best? Well, that depends on each person’s specific interests, goals, personality and physique.
Check out 6 of the best fight trainings and see which one is best for you!
- Boxing
Women are smashing the stereotype that boxing is an exclusively male sport, with more and more women taking up boxing as a way to get fit, boost self-esteem, and unwind after work. Boxing is a constant-motion sports activity, where you hit and dodge punches by staying on the balls of your feet throughout the fight.
The result? About 800 calories are burned within an hour of one of the most well-known fighting drills. Because of the large number of repetitions of each stroke, boxing improves physical conditioning, motor coordination, strength and cardiovascular health.
- Jiu-jitsu
Also called soft art, jiu-jitsu is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat typically used for defeating an opponent with no weapon. When striking against an armored opponent proved ineffective, practitioners learned that the most effective methods for neutralizing an enemy involved using an attacker’s energy against him, rather than directly opposing it. This can take the form of pins, joint locks, throws, striking and kicking. Some of the benefits of jiu-jitsu are:
- improves cardiovascular and respiratory capacity
- increases flexibility
- increases physical stamina
- develops motor coordination and reflexes
- aids in muscle definition
- relieves anxiety
- decreases stress
- Muay Thai
Thai martial art combines fighting movements with aerobic exercises such as running, jumping, jumping, push-ups and squats, making it great for a cardio fat burn.
Revamp your standard Thursday-night LBT class, with kicks and crunches which work your quads, glutes, hip flexors and core, whilst the non-dominant leg and arm also improve motor coordination.
- MMA
MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), cage-fighting and UFC are one of the most captivating and fastest-growing form of fighting in the world. There are a lot of misconceptions about the violence of the sport, when in fact there is a lot to suggest that gymnasts make better fighters than body-builders. The result is better physical conditioning, muscle toning and weight loss, where you can lose up to 100 calories per class!
Other advantages are the fight against stress and the increase of self-control. MMA can be practiced by people of all ages, provided that the training respects everyone’s different limits.
- Taekwondo
When you think Taekwondo, you think fast and furious head-height kicks, mind-bending spinning kicks in gravity-defying mid-air kicks! The Korean sport is a favourite of Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Russian president Vladimir Putin, even Chuck Norris!
It incorporates elements of karate to improve cardiovascular conditioning, increase physical stamina, broaden balance, and improve flexibility and motor coordination.
- Judo
Whilst it is generally categorized as a MMA which later evolved into a combat and Olympic sport, Judo actually means “gentle way” in Japanese, and was created as a physical, mental and moral pedagogy, to value concentration and discipline. It’s highly competitive, where the objective is to either throw or takedown an opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue an opponent with a pin, or force an opponent to submit with a joint lock or a choke.
Which is your favourite?
Find your favourite combative training in your area!
If you are in London check out Rooney’s for a combination of boxing and fitness training all in one go, or some Kempo Ju Jitsu at Dolphinc Fitness Centre.
In Milton Keynes, you can explore Aikido at Kai Shin Kai or even Karate at Beds Freestyle Karate Club!
For Manchester, check out – Missing Link (Martial Arts) & Trident TKD!
Finally, Birmingham why not give Zen-Shin Martial Arts or The Eagle Kickboxing Academy
