Combat sports modalities involve full upper and lower body movements during striking, kicking, punching, or throwing. Globally, combat sports are practiced for recreational or competition purposes, resulting in life-saving fitness benefits. The common CS, such as Boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, BJJ, Kickboxing, and Karate, directly contribute to better physical fitness, cognitive reasoning, and even improved life span. Opt for these sports for health benefits with light and relaxed movements or adopt them as a profession with intense training and sparring sessions. Either way, they support cardiorespiratory capacity, mental health, and muscle strength.
Intended Fitness Benefits with Combat Sports
Combat sports have been around for more than 1000 years, with millions of fighters dominating the competitions, but the new notion shows their prevailing popularity for the extensive health and fitness benefits. The vigorous and dynamic movements are intended to improve posture and physical strength, cure depression, and benefit overall health.
Research studies conducted on the subject indicate the positive cardiorespiratory effects of boxing, judo, karate, and taekwondo. Other studies suggest martial arts and combat sports can teach various relaxation techniques, such as breath control, discipline, self-esteem, and mind-body coordination. The attack and defense techniques in combat simulate real-life situations, with the right-fit body taking an edge.
Types of Combat Sports and Their Contributions to the Fitness Regime
Each combat involves a different set of techniques and muscle movements, contributing to a wide range of benefits. Evidence suggests increased muscle strength, flexibility, agility, and body balance with Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Likewise, other sports have at least some roles in improving the physical, mental, or emotional quotient. The breakdown is as follows:
- Boxing- A Full Body Workout
Boxing combines cardiovascular endurance, agility, strength training, and coordination, providing a complete workout. Research suggests that boxing burns calories and also enhances cardiovascular health, muscle tone, and core strength. As a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sport, the hooks, jabs, punches, upper and lower cuts, etc., all contribute to fat burning, stamina building, and improving agility.
Boxing benefits extend to the mind, body, and soul fitness. “The notion of hitting a moving object, moving your feet, and protecting yourself demands focus like no other,” says a professional boxer.
Fitness Contributions Summarized:
- Cardiovascular Health: This combat sport demands high intensity bouts and drills that contribute directly to improving the heart health markers.
- Muscle Tone & Strength: Punching improves upper body strength while footwork and defensive moves tone the lower body. Holding a boxing glove itself requires enough power to build your stamina.
- Improves mental fitness: The intense focus in the ring, discipline, timely offense, and defense improves the release of happy hormones.
| Fact: A one-hour boxing session burns almost 800 calories, even more than a 30-minute running session. |
MMA- A Journey of Physical Transformation
Mixed Martial Arts blend all combat sports to impart diversified fitness benefits. MMA training alone on a punching bag builds resilience, confidence, hand-eye coordination, and endurance. A leading MMA gear manufacturer from the US claims that the MMA octagon teaches aggression management and power striking, contributing to mental and physical fitness. More than 6.6 million people in the US are involved in mixed martial arts training or competition for these reasons.
Fitness Contributions Summarized:
- Functional Strength: Intense limb movement enhances body strength and coordination.
- Endurance & Agility: MMA training includes cardio, strength, and plyometrics that increase stamina and reflexes.
- Flexibility & Mobility: Diverse movements and drills promote muscle flexibility and a wider range of motion.
BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu): A Grapple for Strength and Mindfulness
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focuses on grappling and ground fighting techniques. This combat sport has an edge over the rest in that it provides a lower-impact workout compared to the other striking sports. So, those intending fitness benefits can practice BJJ. Jiu-Jitsu also sharpens the mind by encouraging strategic thinking and problem-solving in real-time life scenarios.
Fitness Contributions Summarized:
- Core Strength & Stability: Grappling and controlling opponents help develop a powerful core muscle strength.
- Mental Agility: Real-time problem-solving during rolls sharpens focus, strategy, and timely reactions.
- Stress Relief & Confidence: Training builds mental resilience and builds self-esteem through skill development.
| Fact: Despite being the hub of combat sport, BJJ, Brazil has the least fit population in the world, with an average of spending only 3 hours per week on physical exercise. |
Muay Thai: The Art of Eight Limbs for Conditioning
Muay Thai involves punches, kicks, elbow strikes, and footwork. Different stances in Thai boxing improve conditioning, strength, and mental resilience. The combination of aerobic and anaerobic workouts makes Muay Thai a proven choice for fat loss, muscle building, and heart health. This combat sport is also gaining widespread popularity among women due to its contributions to increasing confidence and self-defense skills.
Fitness Contributions Summarized:
- High-Calorie Burn: Intense training bouts and sparring sessions burn calories and reduce weight.
- Strength & Power: The use of multiple limbs enhances overall muscle strength, especially in the legs, core, and arms.
- Stress Reduction & Mental Toughness: The rigorous training and striking drills develop mental resilience and discipline.
Case Study: Rising Trend of Combat Sports as Fitness Workouts
The increase in the number of gym training, the rising popularity of customizing wholesale fight gear, and the growing research on the health benefits of these sports- all clearly indicate the trends shifting towards the notion that combat sports contribute to the increased level of fitness.
“When people actually enjoy being at their school, it feels less like something they should do and more like something they look forward to. You combine that with some improvement in your skills and a bit of weight loss, and it gets addictive.”, says an MMA gym owner and instructor.
“The high-intensity training workouts burn more calories in less time”, says a celebrity trainer and fitness expert.
This recognition makes combat sports a widely accepted fitness workout that contributes to the overall physical and psychological benefits.
Final Takeaway
WHO claims that more than 28% of the population is physically inactive, with low cardiovascular performance and increased mortality rates. In such alarming circumstances, practicing Boxing, Karate, Muay Thai, and other fighting sports can be a final resort for fitness and health benefits. These CS involve upper and lower body, limbs, and full-body workouts that aim to keep your aerobic strength intact, build confidence, increase strength, and promote resilience. So, break the stereotypes and choose your fitness sport, not for competition but for meeting your fitness goals.
FAQs
- Which combat sports are best for fitness?
Every combat sport contributes to body fitness at some level. Boxing, BJJ, Karate, and Kickboxing are all good for aerobic and anaerobic stamina, but Muay Thai contributes greatly to increased strength and endurance.
- What are the fitness tests for combat sports?
There are different tests for testing each type of fitness. Abdominal and core strength is tested using sit-ups, while push-ups measure upper body strength. Other tests judge aerobic capacity, flexibility, and power.
