Martial Arts Is Good For Your Mental Health

Question

Martial arts has been proven by many of those who learned it and also professional fighters to help not only improve physical fitness but mental health too by finding a sense of calm or finding a way to improve yourself.
In this article "UFC legend Georges St-Pierre explains how mixed martial arts can improve mental health." Georges St-Pierre, argues that in his early struggles. MMA was there for him in challenging times. In The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer said he started martial arts as a defense tool because he was a victim of bullying and he found that with learning martial arts he felt stronger and even felt mentally safe knowing he can protect himself if situations required it.

Answer 1

Yes! Not only does it help people feel more secure, but it also has several physical health benefits. According to the article, "12 Essential Benefits of Learning Martial Arts (Miller)," martial arts benefits physical health, increased flexibility, lowering blood pressure and heart rate, enhanced mental well being, increased self confidence, and a few more relating to physical and mental well being. Another article published on Webmd, "Mental Benefits of Martial Arts," goes into the more mental benefits including stress relief, and some claim finding a life purpose, according to the article. It's also reviewed by an accomplished health care columnist, a public speaker, and a contributing writer for the American Academy of Pediatrics' web site, HealthyChildren.org, Dr Dan Brennan.

Comments

Hello! I really valued how you highlighted the pieced how this workout isn't just made for your physical health, but also your mental health! iI agree with the idea with your sources that the this form of self defense can reduce stress and build confidence. The article by Miller and WebMD was very nicely supported in your clam, but I was wondering how you thought it would shape not just your ring during the time, bu discuss more how it'll affect your health in the long run ad throughout life.

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I think it was very helpful that you referenced multiple sources for this fact-check. To add on, you gave a brief background of the author who wrote the article which is helpful when trying to determine if the source is reliable. However, I think it would be beneficial if you went into more detail about the source that the original post cited, in order to fact-check their claim and information.

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I thought this was a great fact check. Right off the bat you bring in multiple sources that back up the claim that Martial Arts is good for mental health. I like that you used both physical and mental examples in your explanation, such has how martial arts benefits our physical health and strength, and it also is a great stress reliever for anxiety, booster of confidence, and an overall higher well-being.

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This is such a fascinating topic and I completely agree with you. In this article https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-benefits-of-martial-arts I found a quote that summarizes the benefits of martial arts "Martial arts can help reduce stress and anxiety by encouraging you to practice deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness. It helps train your mind to keep your attention focused while remaining calm and alert. This can be especially helpful when you're trying to do multiple tasks that divide your attention". Based off of this research I can say martial arts is great for the soul, this unique traditional movement can help people feel more calm and confident.

Answer 2

It is true that Martial Arts may be a helpful tool in peoples mental health, but we cant necessarily claim that "Martial Arts is good for mental health" for everyone as it is such a general statement. I would classify this claim as an opinion as it works for some people and might not for others. It is like saying "Nike is an amazing shoe", although Nike might be a great shoe we cant officially claim that everyone will think it is amazing. According to the City News article Martial Arts has helped many fighters feel more fulfilled and can be "a therapy for me" says MMA fighter St-Pierre. The National Center for Biotechnology Information states that the "relationship between mental health and martial arts training is generally positive" in the context of sports based interventions for mental health. The article also states that martial arts had a "medium effect on internalising mental health". Although Martial arts can be good for peoples mental health we cant classify this claim as true or false.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33218541/

Comments

I liked how you kept your response objective, and I think you are right. The original claim of "Martial arts is good for your mental health" is subjective, as the study you linked said. Since the study used over 500,000 participants to measure aggression before and after partaking in martial arts and found no significant correlation I must agree that there isn't significant enough evidence to say this claim is true or false.

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I really like how you explained that the claim about martial arts and mental health depends on the person — that’s a smart way to look at it. I agree that just because something helps some people, doesn’t mean it will work for everyone, kind of like your Nike example!

I also think another reason the claim can’t be fully true or false is because different types of martial arts might give different results. Like, someone doing karate for self-confidence might feel way different than someone doing MMA for competition. So the benefits might depend on the person’s goals too, not just the sport itself.