Body & Mind Training

What else is there to do other than squats and gaining leg strength, I hear you ask?
Don't forget the human body is made up of skin, muscle, bones, organs and their intricate inner workings,and the spirit/mind. We all know the mind, body and soul is the core of it all, the importance it has been long known by martial artists in the past and present. Hence the importance of meditation and relaxation in martial art.
The importance of the human body results in the needs of exercising all these parts which makes up the human body. For a strong body and prepare for the hardship of martial art we all need to:

- Gain muscle strength
- Gain flexibility
- Strengthen skin and bones
- Exercise our brain, mind, thought and spirit.


The human body is made up of various groups of muscle, with a total of around 700 - 800 different muscles. Muscles, tendons and joints are most common and prone to minor - major sporting injury. To prevent injuries, it is as simple as doing stretches, squats and other various strengthening exercises that target isolated joints and muscles such as the achilles muscle and the ankles.

Beside muscle, the human body is made up of skeletal system, 206 bones in total. These bones drives the entire body movement and they really do need to be trained too. Hardening bones is a must to prevent bone breakage when sparring or even jumping and falling.

Then there is the mind and spirit, this is the most important aspect of all. 90% of everything that you and I do, derives from the mind, the strength and determination of the mental state and mind will determine our achievements. A martial artist should know these basic understanding of the human body and mind- especially their OWN.

So Remember to....
Gain flexibility, increase core muscle strength, harden the skin and bones by constant practice such as bag work, sparring and etc.
Consume proper diet that is good for the body and mind. Look after your mind, in this day and age it is easy to forget and disregard the importance of our mind. Filling it with constant stress and pressure from our daily modern lives can't be fulfilling for the mind.
As much as your brain needs exercise, so does the mind...and more importantly, it needs rest.
Take that 5 minute of your busy time to sit down, unwind and relax. Take deep breaths that calms the mind and soothe the spirit. We all know how important the human mind is, and a martial artist should understand even more.

Remember, when the human body is as one with the spirit, it knows no limit or boundaries until you set it up upon yourself.