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Beat your stress levels into shape

Managing a large amount of stress has become the norm in our society. You often hear people talking about how many responsibilities they are balancing, and how many different balls they’re trying to juggle at the same time.

But stress is very harmful to your health. It affects the way your body stores fat, your sleep patterns, and predisposes you to high blood pressure and so many other things.

You already know that martial arts classes offer you a way to burn calories fast and keep your metabolism high. But did you know that you get a large dose of stress relief too?

Here’s how:

1. You’ll release endorphins

When you go through an intense Martial arts class, your body releases a type of hormone known as endorphins. This is basically a feel-good hormone that leaves you feeling great, improves your mood and gives you a feeling of achievement and euphoria. Stress blocks out the production of endorphins, leaving you craving fatty foods, which the body will not store properly.

2. You’ll build a coping mechanism

Martial arts classes help you develop certain characteristics such as improving your decision making, calming your fears and projecting confidence. These are the very same skills you need to build a coping mechanism for stress.

3. Your sense of fear will become desensitized

You will need to confront your fear of getting hurt in a martial arts class. This continued exposure is good because it allows you to deal with not just the fear that you see in the class but all your internalized fears which may be causing you stress. Stress is often produced when you are afraid that something bad will happen to you, even if the harm is imagined, mostly because you don’t feel able to defend yourself.

4. You’ll learn proper breathing technique

Sometimes, when we are in high stress moments, we forget how to breathe. This might lead to irregular breathing patterns that are not good for the body and contribute to your stress level as well as your health problems. One of the things you will learn at a Senshi Shizoku class is how to regulate your breathing and breathe properly.

5. You’ll have more energy

After your first class you may feel tired, but once you have become a regular you will begin to notice that at the end of the class you feel energized and on top of the world. This is because your Martial Arts training is increasing your energy and serotonin levels. This is probably one of the best stress relief available in the world today and it’s all-natural!

An intense class is a very effective way of losing weight and keeping fit. You burn up to 800 calories in each class and keep your metabolism high afterwards. But that’s not all, you also reduce your stress level and you take that everywhere you go. It truly is a win-win situation.

So beat your stress into shape and train hard to get and stay healthy.

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Are self defense classes worth it?

Millions of people across the world take self-defense classes every week. But are they just wasting their time and money? Wouldn’t you rather spend this with your friends, family or go out on a date instead? And after all this sacrifice – does it even work?

No-one can deny that there are a lot of charlatans involved in Martial Arts. Instructors with fancy names who ensnare students with belts, grades, titles and certificates. Maybe self-defense classes aren’t necessary at all. Maybe you can greatly increase your odds of survival without bowing down to an instructor with a funny name in an even funnier uniform.

All in all here at Shizoku Martial Arts we feel that you should give yourself the best chance you can in today’s world to survive. It is amazing how one little thing can be the difference between life and death or serious injury. In saying that there are some great ways to add to your training and increase your odds out there in the real world.

1. Get Fit!

Being physically fit has so many advantages and is vital to your survival. The best form of “Self-defense” is literally not being there.

“Running” is a great solution, and is always put forward by the more sensible instructors.

Being physically fit will help you live longer. It reduces stress – another “Master Killer“. It also increases your mental acuity. And let’s face it. A lot of self-defense situations are caused by stupid people making stupid decisions.

Finally, another benefit of getting fit is you look and feel fit. This is very important when thinking about why people are targeted for violence. They are not picked out at random. Usually, predators are looking for those who won’t fight back. Looking fit and strong can make them think twice.

2. How do you strut!

Research shows that walking shows how vulnerable we are to an attack. By changing our walking style we can significantly increase our personal safety. Amazing huh.

 

Walkers rated “Easy to Attack:

  • Had Short Stride Length relative to height
  • Had a “Gestural Walking Style”, a low-energy style with limited
    arm swing and lifting of the feet.
  • Weigh relatively little
  • Wear restrictive clothing like high heels and skirts

Walkers rated “Difficult to Attack”

  • Had a “Postural Walking Style”
  • Has Long Stride Length with Swinging Arms
  • A Swinging Foot Position
  • Energetic, Fast Walk
  • Weighed More

What the would-be muggers were looking for were snapshots of powerlessness. A victim. Somebody who offers sufficient reward for relatively little effort.

Self defense classes are great at giving you the self belief and confidence in your self to stand tall and walk proudly.

3. Learn How to Back-Down and Say “I’m Sorry!”

There is a theory on how violence happens and it has been outlined in “The Monkey Dance” theory, which has the following order:

  1. An aggressive, hard stare
  2. A verbal challenge, e.g “You got a problem with me?!”
  3. Closing to within arms-reach with increased signs of adrenaline (arms gesturing, chest puffed out, face turning pale)
  4. Escalating Violent Threats which are usually monosyllabic.
  5. Eventually, one of the participants will make contact with their index finger on the other’s chest. This can rapidly escalate into pushing and shoving
  6. Finally, one of the participants touches the other’s face, usually the nose with an index finger. This leads to a large, looping overhand punch being thrown, and the fight begins.

Sound familiar? If you’ve not been in one, you’ve probably seen plenty in the school-yard, outside bars and clubs or most places where alcohol’s consumed. And sadly, most men (and due to the differences in how adrenaline affects the sexes it’s almost always men) haven’t progressed emotionally beyond the school gates.

It’s not all our fault thought. The “Monkey Dance” is hard-wired into us. We also find it difficult to say “You’re right. My bad. I was being an ****hole.” It’s really hard when we ARE actually being an ****hole. Close to impossible when you’re “In the right”. Being “right” offers scant consolation if you’re beaten right into the local intensive unit…

Never underestimate the power of good people skills. By keeping a cool head when confronted by intense situations you stand a better chance of simply apologising and walking away intact.

Good empty-hand skills can allow you to create space to either get to a weapon or get the hell out of there. It also easier to prove “reasonable force” in a court of law. If you shoot or stab somebody (even in “Self-Defense) there’s a good chance that’s where you could end up. Again, this is something that is rarely considered in self-defense classes…

The Bottom Line

Remember, the best defense isn’t a good offense. The best defense is using your common sense not being there. Period… but why not give yourself a chance in case the worst happens.

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Martial arts is good for the mind, soul and especially the body for kids!

1 in 9 children (aged 2–14 years) are considered clinically obese in New Zealand. Learning healthy eating habits and engaging in enjoyable physical activities can counteract hereditary and metabolic tendencies.

What causes childhood obesity?

Learning healthy eating habits is the first key to a lifetime of physical wellbeing. The average teenager eats fat-and-calorie-laden fast food at least twice a week, while only three of ten high school students report eating green vegetables nearly every day or more often.

The second key to a healthy life is frequent aerobic exercise. By converting at least half of a child’s sedentary time (watching TV, playing video games, working on a PC) into daily, fun physical activities, the obesity epidemic can be greatly reduced.

How martial arts can help

One of the strategies experts recommend for reducing childhood obesity (in addition to serving sensible, healthy meals) is to increase daily physical activity. Taking martial arts classes is a great way to do this because with martial arts, the activities don’t feel like chores or laborious exercises. They’re all fun!

As children learn new martial arts skills – how to focus, how to think and act responsibly, how to think like, and evolve into, a life-long champion – they develop an awareness of themselves and others that fosters respect and a sense of independent accomplishment that is hard to match in any other way. With the martial arts belt system students remain motivated, encouraged, and positive because they’re always moving forward in measurable and emotionally satisfying ways.

For parents there is very little more satisfying than watching their beaming martial arts student achieve physical dexterity and a passion for daily activity that’s certain to promote a future bright with promise.

Why is fighting childhood obesity so important?

Increasing numbers of youngsters are developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, trouble with bones and joints, sleep disorders, and other weight-related issues that were formerly seen only in adults. Should this trend continue, our own children may become the first generation of Kiwis to have shorter life spans than their parents!

Obesity is also detrimental to the human spirit. Overweight and obese children often suffer from bullying and teasing by similar-age classmates, causing many to develop low self-esteem and depression.

At Okinawa te Karate, children learn skills and lessons that benefit them for the rest of their lives. By encouraging discipline of mind and body, martial arts go a long way toward providing children with esteem for their own bodies, respect for others, and a passion for achieving excellence in all they choose to pursue.

*excerpts from urbandojo.com

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Karate Self Defence Shizoku Martial Arts Christchurch
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Why it matters how you tie your karate belt. Find out the right way.

How do you tie your Karate belt? In my travels around the world, I’ve seen it done many different ways. The way below is how we expect you to tie your belt in class and this is the standard way expected from Yellow belt and above.

  1. Halve your belt and make sure that the ends are perfectly even.
  2. Place the centre at the level of your navel. Pass the ends around the back and cross them over. Pull it firmly.
  3. Bring the ends back around to the front and check that they are still perfectly even.
  4. Take the right hand end and pass it over the top of the left. Pass that end up under both strands of the belt and pull it through. Pull the ends firmly.
  5. Check the ends are still even.
  6. Now take the left hand end and pass it back over the right. Pass it through and form a simple knot.
  7. Take a moment to check that the strands are sitting flat and untwisted.
  8. Pull the knot tight and make a final check that the ends are even.
  9. The knot should have two folds coming together that face off to the right.
  10. On advanced belts your will see the name of the student on  the left and the name of the style on the right.

When tying the belt you must first make certain that it hangs evenly from the middle. This symbolizes the balance between the physical and mental aspects of our training. The belt is first wrapped around the waist by placing the middle of it just below your belly button.

The following video shows you how to tie your belt correctly one way.

Watch & learn:

 

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Why kids need to learn Karate

There are a number of different things to look for when looking to study Martial Arts.

  1. Confidence: When you’re confident you can defend yourself and don’t come across as an easy target that most bullies look for. Also, if you have accomplished something a little difficult then you have confidence that you can move onto a new level, not just in martial arts, but in any area of your life.
  2. Defense: Learn techniques to help them defend themselves in hostile situations.
  3. Learn How to Take a Punch: The best defense in most situations is to run, flee or remove yourself from the situation. If there is some reason you have not left the situation it usually means your opponent has thrown the first punch and is on top of you or has attacked you in some way. If you know what it feels like to take a punch and keep your wits about you, you’re chances of survival are much greater.
  4. Discipline: This is another point that ripples throughout a child’s life. However, to master the different levels of any martial art you’ve got to have physical and mental discipline. Martial arts give children practice using the body and mind in harmony.
  5. Endurance: Martial arts is a sport, you build strength and endurance.
  6. Leadership: Part of becoming a yellow, purple, blue, green, brown or black belt, and higher is teaching beginning students. Senior belt students are the role models of those below them.
  7. Health: We have an epidemic of childhood obesity in this country. Martial Arts is a great way to get moving and burn off calories.
  8. Fight in a Controlled Environment: Kids get the experience of fighting in a controlled environment where they don’t get hurt (too much). This makes them safer outside the dojo if they get into a fight as they understand fighting and how to control themselves and their opponent.
  9. Situational Awareness: Studying martial arts requires that you always be aware of your environment. This is an invaluable skill to have later in life for any number of daily adult tasks.
  10. Ability to Assess an Opponent: If you can determine that your opponent is weak in an area you can use that to your advantage in any hostile environment. This is an invaluable skill.

Getting your kids into Karate and Martial Arts is one of the greatest things we think you can do for your children. It gives so much to them that they can take with them when the leave the dojo or into their adult life. Contact Sensei Chris at the dojo to find out about our kids classes and give your child a head start in life skills.

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