Des Peres, MO Martial Arts

Martial Arts. Are you looking for something to add to your daily life in Des Peres, MO – something that is good for you and will leave you better equipped to cope with stress and endow you with positive qualities? Gracie Barra is the world’s top martial arts team, for top quality coaching, unbreakable interpersonal relationships, and numerous physical and mental wellness enhancements which come from practicing martial arts.

Sign up at Gracie Barra now. Join us to uncover a brand new way of life taught through Des Peres, MO martial arts. Contact us online, give us a call at 636-544-3655, or check out our programs to learn more.

View Programs

Meet Our Instructors

Types of Martial Arts

Each martial art is distinct, but martial arts as a whole is the collective systems of combat and defense training used to defend against threats and defeat opponents. Each unique style of martial arts has a distinct focus and style.

Martial arts fall into one of the following categories:

Striking or Stand-up Styles
- Boxing
- Karate
- Kickboxing
- Muay Thai
Grappling
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Sambo
- Wrestling
Throwing/Takedown Styles
- Aikido
- Judo
Weapons Based Styles
- Kendo
- laido
Low Impact Styles
- Tai Chi
- Chi Gong

At Gracie Barra, we teach our Des Peres, MO martial arts students a special approach that incorporates principles of several martial arts from different styles. We are best known for our Brazilian jiu jitsu teachings, but our programs also highlight techniques used and taught in other martial arts including muay thai, judo, and kickboxing. Martial arts at Gracie Barra is a comprehensive program where you will master Brazilian jiu jitsu and other martial arts skills.

Physical Benefits of Martial Arts

Martial arts is both an art and a sport. It targets not only physical fitness, but also mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Martial arts in Des Peres, MO is a path that leads to personal growth and wellness. The benefits of practicing martial arts like the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes Gracie Barra is known for are many and powerful.

1. Cardiovascular Health

It’s common knowledge that heart health is a huge factor in overall well-being. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, yet less than 20% of adults meet the recommended amount of aerobic exercise. In martial arts, training and warm up routines naturally elevate the heart rate and fortifies heart health.

2. Muscle Tone

Martial arts maximizes strength and muscle tone throughout the body, including hard-to-target muscles that aren’t addressed in other traditional methods of working out like weight lifting and running. Through warm ups and training drills as well as sparring involving punching and kicking motions, with a variety of grappling and groundwork moves practiced in Brazilian jiu jitsu, builds muscle mass.

3. Weight Loss

The human body is able to burn calories and burn fat more efficiently, even at rest, when it has a higher muscle mass. Des Peres, MO martial arts helps you drop weight and stay at a healthy weight by improving general physical health and increasing physical activity.

4. Reflexes

In martial arts, individuals are challenged to heighten their reflexes. Sparring in practice and fighting in competition are excellent practice for improving reflexes. When your martial arts opponent acts, quick reflexes will allow you to best them, whether by dodging, blocking, or maneuvering to counter-attack. Repetitive practice of certain combinations over time builds quick reflexes and shaves down reaction times.

5. Flexibility and Mobility

Martial arts involves deep and extensive motions that require flexibility. Stretches are an important part of any physical activity, and the stretches and warm up routine at the beginning of every Gracie Barra martial arts class helps improve flexibility and allows your body to move smoother, quicker, and easier. Flexibility inherently improves posture, reduces the risk of injury, and reduces tension.

6. Strength

In martial arts practice, tournaments, and in real-life self-defense situations, strength is necessary for defeating your opponent. While it is nothing without the technique, skill, and experience of a practiced martial arts practitioner, strength in the ingredient that enhances these technical abilities in martial arts like BJJ. Conditioning in practice and sparring at full-strength with equal partners build muscle and strength that make you even more successful in your martial arts of choice.

7. Balance and Coordination

Stability is essential in martial arts, and so is coordination. To learn martial arts, you are tasked with mastering coordinated techniques that require moving and holding still isolated parts of the body simulatiously. Learning the moves slowly and practicing them repetitively will make them become natural to you. As you improve in strength, flexibility, and other physical aspects, you will, too, improve in balance and coordination.

8. Blood Pressure

Through the repetition of physical movements, increased cardiovascular strength, and improved physical health that begin to take place through the practice of martial arts, you will enjoy a lower heart rate and reduced blood pressure.

Other Benefits of Martial Arts

1. Stress Relief

As with any other form of exercise, martial arts helps with stress. Physical activity releases endorphins, as well as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin and mitigates the negative effects of stress on the body. Plus, being surrounded by like-minded, determined people supporting and pushing you to be better is calming and encouraging – a unique benefit of martial arts.

2. More Energy

With a regular workout schedule, like attending weekly classes at Gracie Barra, you naturally have more energy. This is due to the increased blood flow and cardiovascular health that circulates oxygen-rich blood through your body more easily. Many people who join martial arts also report sleeping better. A better sleep cycle allows you to be more refreshed when you wake up.

3. Peace and Balance

Inner peace and tranquility are undeniable skills taught by martial arts. Martial arts is a form of a meditation or mindfulness exercise, pushing your mind to be in the present. You become aware and in control of your body and breathing. This translates to other areas of your life and you become more able to stay calm and centered in your life.

4. Discipline

Discipline and self-control are not just for kids anymore. Many adults who are involved in Des Peres, MO martial arts have found improvements in matters of discipline such as quitting a bad habit. While stopping smoking, drinking, drug use, or other addictions should be done under the watch of a medical professional, efforts can be supplemented by a dedication to martial arts.

5. Confidence and Humility

Martial arts helps people of all backgrounds and confidence levels move to a healthier place with their self-confidence. For those who are shy or uncomfortable in front of others, belt ceremonies and tournaments encourage them to step out of their comfort zones. Those who are prone to being driven by ego are, in martial arts, asked to bare themselves honestly in front of others. Learning and mastering new skills and competing against others builds confidence and humility simultaneously: humility in encountering unfamiliar and challenging tasks, and confidence when we are able to acheive them.

6. Mental Health

Because of all of the physical benefits of martial arts, and the stress relief and peace it teaches, mental wellness is a natural byproduct of practicing martial arts. On top of all the internal skills and qualities that precede better mental health, in practicing martial arts you are exposed to intimate interactions with other individuals who identify with your struggles, support you on your journey, and are going through similar journeys themselves.

7. Motivation

Signing up for structured martial arts classes can have an huge impact. The regularly scheduled commitment of going to your martial arts gym regularly for weekly scheduled classes keeps you moving and working towards your goals and keeps you motivated to focus on your priorities both inside of and beyond your martial arts life.

8. Relationships

Des Peres, MO martial arts classes and competitions are a special way to form uniquely powerful relationships with others. Between you and your coaches is a bond of mutual respect. Between the people you learn and struggle with, you will have a camaraderie and understanding of each other in a way that you don’t generally find in other types of interpersonal relationships. In Des Peres, MO martial arts, you challenge and get to know each other and foster long-lasting, quality friendships.

Through these benefits, martial arts is a powerful force on your mental and emotional health. Each of the listed benefits has its own indirect positive effects on your life. When you join the martial arts community with Gracie Barra, you may very well see measurable changes in your life such as healthier familial and romantic relationships, advances in your career, and a new bank of positive memories on which to look back. Martial arts is something that can be enjoyed by all ages, so you can potentially enjoy the ongoing benefits of martial arts for the rest of your life.

Martial Arts Near Des Peres, MO | Gracie Barra

If you are motivated to change your life, in search of a hobby, or would like to incorporate more physical activity in your lifestyle, Des Peres, MO martial arts are perfect for you. Gracie Barra brings a unique Des Peres, MO martial arts experience that teaches important skills and values from various martial arts, including Brazilian jiu jitsu, muay thai, kickboxing, judo, and more. For every age, every schedule, and every level of experience, Gracia Barra is the Des Peres, MO martial arts gym for you.

Don’t wait any longer to discover the astonishing, very real world that is opened up by the practice of martial arts. Try your first class for free to get a taste! Reach us online or call us at 636-544-3655 to learn more or to sign up for your first martial arts class today.

Get a Free Class!