Martial Arts and Physical Fitness

Flexibility
The aim of stretching exercises is to increase or at least maintain the range of motion of the joints as we get older. In martial arts, having good flexibility enables the practitioner to perform techniques such as kicks with greater ease and stability. Our classes aim to utilise all the major muscles groups and cover the various types of stretching methods (e.g. dynamic, PNF etc.).

Core Stability
By exercising the deep abdominal muscles the stability of the entire body can be increased. These muscles can often go overlooked in the average training routine, but a strong core is vital for holding postures and keeping the spine stable. Our classes incorporate core stability exercises aiming to develop and maintain the strength of the muscles surrounding the torso, pelvic girdle and spine. For many people with a desk job, this is hugely beneficial in protecting the spine and preventing back ache and injuries.

Aerobic Capacity or Cardiovascular Endurance (CV)
Cardiovascular (cardio or CV) fitness can be described as ability of your heart to pump blood around the body and get oxygen to your muscles. For those new to exercise or have not trained for a while, this will initially improve rapidly with training. The benefits CV training brings include fat loss and increased energy.

Muscular Strength, Power and Endurance
Muscular Endurance is the ability of a muscle to repeatedly perform an exercise without fatigue. Strength is the ability of the muscle to exert force and power is the ability to generate a force by utilising speed. In a typical martial arts class environment body-weight exercises, pad work and free-in-air techniques are used to condition the skeletal muscles of the body. Aside from adding power to fighting techniques, benefits of muscle development include, building stronger bones and joint integrity.

Motor Fitness
Motor fitness refers skills such as agility, balance, coordination, reaction time, speed and power. It could be generalised as the effectiveness of communication between our central and peripheral nervous systems, or how well the body does what the brain tells it to do. This will become more and more noticeable with continued martial arts training.