Martial arts especially kung fu have many benefits. It not only presents the physical benefits but also mental benefits. Talking about mental benefits of kung fu, how about the psychological benefits of kung fu? What are the benefits of this Chinese martial art for our psychological state?
Let’s talk deeper about this. You’ll only need to stay on this page, and we are going to talk about what kung fu is, the psychological benefits of kung fu, and the recommendation deal with kung fu training especially how to do kung fu for beginners.
What Kung Fu Is
Kung fu is a martial art originated from China. It is a martial art which requires not only physical activity, but also mental activity. It needs our patience, energy, and time to accomplish this martial art. Basically there are many kinds of kung fu, of which have different principles and techniques. Some points we can highlight from kung fu is that it requires concentration, balance, and strength.
Kung fu is also known as an unarmed martial art developed by monks around China. It gets its popularity through Chinese moves which often performs kung fu as their hero’s specialty. Many Chinese actors who are well known for their kung fu ability such as Bruce Lee, Jet li, and Jacky Chan
Psychological Benefits Of Kung Fu
Today, Kung fu might be viewed as interesting physical exercise. But actually, we cannot separate kung fu from its components such as how kung fu involves our mental activity. This way, kung fu can bring psychological benefits for us. here are the benefits of kung for our psychology.
- Alleviate stress
It is not a secret that kung fu involves strong mental activity. As the result, kung fu can take part in relieving our stress. It works well to soothe our mind. Some conventional holistic method acknowledges that kung fu is effective to alleviate stress. It is possible because in kung fu, we are trained to have good breathing technique. This basic technique can be applied anytime, not only when you are in kung fu training.
- Alleviate depression
The accumulation of stress may initiate depression as the Health Risks of Stress . And sadly, there is no exact cure for depression. All we can do is to manage or alleviate the symptom. In this case, kung fu may offer you the perfect holistic method in managing depression. The activities during kung fu is known to be able in raising endorphin level. It will instantly raise our mood and improve our emotional state.
- Improve self confidence
It is not always easy to be confident. Some people might think that people are born with high confidence and the other are not. But do you know that we can actually improve our confidence through martial art, such as kung fu? The simplest example is that in kung fu, we can get some belts according to which level we have accomplished. In this case, achieving something during the training and also training affirmation can improve someone’s self-confidence.
- Teach discipline
Discipline is the key in any martial arts, such as jiu jit su with its Health Benefits of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and kung fu. It can be trained from the trainer and trainee relationship. On the other hand, the trainee should also be able to be calm and have self-control to achieve the goal.
- Improve concentration ability
You will never accomplish any technique in kung fu if you are not able to concentrate. This way, joining kung fu training will naturally improve your concentration. In addition, there are some kinds of kung fu which add meditation as the other technique of kung fu.
And as we know, meditation need high concentration skill. Once we are able to concentrate more in kung fu, we can also apply it in any other field. The benefit to help you in concentration can also be gained from the other kinds of martial arts, such as karate. Karate even proven to be good for kids with ADHD, as it gives Benefits of Karate for ADHD in Children to stay focus.
- Teach respect
In kung fu, we are trained to respect the elders or the seniors. It is actually the core in Chinese culture which also be applied for kung fu. The respect is not only applied for the elders but also the fellow practitioner. The respect is represented by acknowledging each other skill and rank. This kind of respect can also be applied in our daily activities.
- Teach how to be perseverance
Having a high perseverance can help people to achieve their objectives through hardship. It is also the same in kung fu. In order to achieve some level or accomplished some techniques, we need to have strong perseverance. Never give up and always try again whenever we failed.
Besides, here are more psychological benefits of kung fu:
- Build self esteem
- Improve creativity
- Teach positivity
How to Do Kung Fu For Beginners
Not only in China, now we can also learn kung fu everywhere. You can enroll to any kung fu school around you. But the first thing you should prepare in doing kung fu is that you need to have good flexibility and endurance. It will support your performance during the training.
So, it is better for you to practice stretching your legs in different way. In addition, you should also need some jump to train your endurance and force. Do some sets of frog jumps, Cossack jumps, duck walks, step ups, squat, sprints, or the other. You can also regularly run to get the Health Benefits of Running Everyday .
the other important thing in kung fu is horse stance. Doing the proper horse stance is important to accomplish the other technique in kung fu. Besides, you can also get Benefits of Kung Fu Horse Stance for Physic and Mental Health. to have the perfect kung fu horse stance, you should stand with your feet farther than hip distance apart.
For your elbows, bend them close to your sides, and fist your hand upward in front of you. Sink down into a squatting position until your thighs are almost in line with the floor. Hold the stance for about 2 to 5 minutes. It is effective to train your strength, endurance, and patience.