Martial Arts Myths And Its Health Benefit

Martial art has been practiced for centuries. And over time, different techniques have arisen. However, one common thing about the different forms is that they all are surrounded by many myths.

This has lead to people having the wrong notions, or practicing a tactic that proves ineffective. On the other hands, there are things that have proven effective but some individuals simply brush them aside thinking they are just mythology. In the following read, we will take a look at some of the ancient martial art myths and the health benefits they come with.

#1 Levitation

You’ve probably seen people levitate in movies and thought this was just camera tricks. Well, it probably was because it’s a movie. It’s a known fact that levitation has been practiced as part of ancient martial arts.

The goal was to make someone light on his/ her feet. This would give the individual sheer advantage over the opponent since he/ she could move or run faster.

It also proved useful when it came to flight. Even the best fighter will face a stronger opponent at some point, or the odds won’t be in his favor because of many opponents. Rather than risking injury or even death, the better option would be to run and fight another day.

The technique generally involves several exercises. These include knee flexion (sit-ups and squats), and lifting heavy objects. Over time, you’ll become lighter on your feet.

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What Are The Benefits?

Improves Flexibility: Squats and sit-ups are known to make the muscles more flexible. This makes you feel lighter and also move faster.

Boost Strength: Lifting heavy objects, as well as your own weight, improves the body strength. The muscles become stronger and also increase in size and number.

Increase Stamina: You’ll be able to fight for a longer time without getting tired. The cardiovascular system improves and the bones and tissues are able to combat the effects of lactic acid.

#2 Meditation

Use of meditation in ancient martial arts is more evident in Wing Chun. It is believed to have begun in China around the 17th century.

Evidence shows that it was mainly practiced by Buddhist nuns. It has many similarities with boxing, which started a bit earlier. And in the olden times, there were no gloves but bare knuckles.

Unlike boxing, meditation was a big part of Wing Chun especially considering monks and nuns take it seriously.

It is characteristic of people fighting from close range. They combine both defensive and attack techniques and this happens simultaneously.

Health Benefits of Meditation

Control muscle relaxation: It helps to control how the muscles contract and relax. This proves helpful when changing from attack to defense and vice versa.

Control Stamina: Stamina without control is useless. You may try to conserve it and end up losing without even taking advantage of it. Or may use it too soon while the opponent waits for you to get tired then take the opportunity.

Improve endurance: mediation isn’t just practiced in martial arts but in other sports and activities as well. It helps to increase endurance. A good martial art athlete is like a marathoner. He/she can last a long period and still have the energy for the final kick.

#3 Acupuncture Points

As any martial arts master will tell you, it’s not always that the stronger fighter who wins. The weaker one can easily win.

It’s all a matter of identifying the weak or dangerous points in the body and then ensuring you hit them. In most occasions, you don’t even need to use too much force.

This can be seen in the likes of the legendary Bruce Lee and the celebrated Jackie Chan. They both use Wing Chun extensively.

However, they rarely use too much effort. A slight hit on the throat, between the eyes, nose, and other sensitive places is all it takes.

This is the same principle used in acupuncture. The practitioner will insert the needles in the most sensitive areas.

The zones have most nerve endings. Understanding this is key to becoming a good fighter. The chin, liver, sternum, bladder, throat, knee, genitals, spleen are among the dangerous parts of the human body.

Health Benefits of Understanding Acupuncture

Use the minimal force: You’ll be able to use minimal force to conquer your opponent. This prevents injuring yourself.

Prevent injury: You’ll always be alert and protecting the dangerous points.

Conclusion

There you go- some of the common myths associated with ancient martial arts. And as you can see, they are some truth in them and they are not purely theories.

For instance, levitation is real and is very effective. Unfortunately, you will see fewer modern day martial art practitioners adopting the mentioned techniques.

Some will completely dismiss things such as meditation, yoga, and acupuncture saying that they have no place in the activity.

But as you can see, they do have immense health benefits. As a person who is into martial arts. It’s probably time you started following what the myths state.