Martial Musings: 32 Types of Exercise for Martial Artists

This eBook does NOT contain a list of different specific exercises or details on how to perform exercises. This is something a little more audacious, this is a list of different types of exercise and why, as a martial artist, they can benefit you.

A martial artist’s performance will be improved if they supplement their normal martial arts training with appropriate exercise. You want to be as strong, as flexible, as coordinated, as fast and (insert other attributes) as you can be. Obviously there are limitations, your genetic makeup and the amount of available time you have to exercise, being the main two.

If you are not learning martial arts for anything other than self defence then you may feel that you should NOT need to be fit. It is completely true that effective self defence should work irrespective of your physical attributes. However, the fitter you are the better, and that’s irrespective of your reasons for learning martial arts. As I tell my students “You are far more likely to be mugged by the ‘flu bug’ than you are by the big ugly guy who lives around the corner!”. Also if you are in a physical confrontation and you get injured, your fitness and health levels will have an effect (a positive one I hope) on your speed of recovery.

Finally (and I appreciate this is not possible for everyone) if you are fit enough to be able to run away from trouble (“Run, Forrest, run!!!”) that can be a very useful self defence skill too.