Martial arts – Self Defence

Modern fitness has evolved from good old running outdoors to pepped up martail arts and rigid parkour trainings. It can be a lot of fun for the dedicated mind to blend some tough martial arts concepts and self-defence training. This goes far beyond just punching and kicking and makes a huge difference in life.

Martial Arts is not just practiced for self-defence but for various different reasons like physical health, mental health and fitness. Asian martial arts, also teach disciplines belonging to medicinal practices. It is more to do with bone-setting in the old traditional indian martial arts.

Martial arts is also associated to religion and spirituality. Many monks are still practicing all the good old systems and remedies. Punjab in India gave rise to Gatka, which is a type of martial art with weapons. The Sikh community in Punjab is heavily into Gatka ritual 🙂 On the flip side, we have Japanese martial arts –  Aikido, founded by Morihei Ueshiba which include spiritual concepts of energy flow and peace. It also involves various techniques with reference to empty mind and beginner’s mind.

Famous korean martial art, Taekwondo focuses on spiritual and philosophical growth. Its teachings on inner peace can be achieved only through intense meditation and dedicated training.

Many programs like  Thai Kickboxing, Fit Kickboxing and TRX Classes have become very popular.

Try Parkour

Parkour – Art movement

Also known as free running, this is an ideal regime to gain strength, flexibility, agility and a better sense of balance. A functional regime, it requires the use of your surroundings (walls, benches, stairs) rather than any equipment. Because you need to maneuver a barrage of climbs, tricky turns and surfaces, a good balance, core training and right timing are important elements of parkour. The key is to enroll with a professional parkour expert to ace the moves and avoid mishaps. Once you get the form right, you can improvise, expressing your creativity with techniques while navigating obstructions. Remember to: Eat good quality proteins and load up on carbohydrates before a workout. Avoid fried, refined and processed foods altogether. Hydrate well before, during and after the workout. To build balance, try exercises like slow crouching (stand with legs wide apart, raise yourself on the balls of your feet, below the toes and crouch slowly until your butt reaches your heels) or rail walking (practice walking along railing of different widths). Suspension Training A fitness regime for US Navy SEALS, suspension training involves using your body weight as resistance, against gravity. It involves the use of straps to lift your body. It strengthens and tones muscles while burning major calories. When your body is in a suspended position, your stability and mobility are challenged the most and your core muscles are active all the time. Like functional training, it helps in strengthening muscles in synergy rather than in isolation and stabilizes the entire body and also improves balance. You can do squats, chest presses, planks and push-ups using this form.

Try TRX and RIP:60

TRX comes with industrial nylon straps hooked to a carabiner with light weight straps putting minimal pressure on wrist and fingers.

RIP:60 is another form of suspension training, which is becoming popular with fitness enthusiasts. Made of aluminium and heavy duty nylon straps that are also rotational, it helps you change the angle without losing form.

Remember to 1) Start with a warm up and target body parts in accordance with the moves you’re going to do (also known as movement preparation). 2) When performing on TRX straps, make sure your form, posture, balance and timing are monitored by a certified instructor.