Chesterfield, MO Martial Arts

Martial Arts. Are you looking for something to add to your daily life in Chesterfield, MO – something positive and beneficial that will leave you better equipped to cope with stress and endow you with positive qualities? Join Gracie Barra, the number one martial arts team in the world, for top quality coaching, inextinguishable interpersonal relationships, and countless improvements to your physical and mental health which take place when practicing martial arts.

Enroll at Gracie Barra right away and discover how Chesterfield, MO martial arts can change your life. 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 meant to defend against threats and defeat opponents. Each unique style of martial arts is governed by a different 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 Chesterfield, MO martial arts students a convergence of principles of several martial arts from different styles. We primarily identify as a Brazilian jiu jitsu gym, but our programs also highlight techniques used and taught in other martial arts including muay thai, judo, and kickboxing. Learn comprehensive martial arts skills and master Brazilian jiu jitsu by studying at Gracie Barra.

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 Chesterfield, 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 numerous and powerful.

1. Cardiovascular Health

Heart health is extraordinarily important, as we all know. 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. Through the training and warm up routines in martial arts naturally drive up the heart rate and improves heart health.

2. Muscle Tone

Martial arts maximizes strength and muscle tone throughout the body, including hard-to-target muscles that aren’t targetted by more conventional 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. With overall increased fitness and physical activity by practicing Chesterfield, MO martial arts, it is easier to lose weight and maintain a healthy body weight.

4. Reflexes

In martial arts, individuals are challenged to hone their reflexes. Sparring in practice and fighting in competition are excellent practice for improving reflexes. In martial arts, reflexes are vital to besting your opponent, from dodging, blocking, or maneuvering to counter-attack. Repetition of certain combinations over time makes you quicker, improving reflexes and shaving down reaction times.

5. Flexibility and Mobility

The unique moves and motions that are involved in martial arts like Brazilian jiu jitsu pushes you to be more flexible. It’s always important to stretch before engaging in 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. Other benefits of flexibility are improved posture, reduced risk of injury, and less 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 full-strength sparring with others of the same level build muscle and strength that allow you to become 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. Students first practice each part of the move slowing over and over, and eventually are able to do them reflexively. Over time and through the improvement of other qualities like strength and flexibility, you will soon master the moves and improve your overall balance and coordination.

8. Blood Pressure

Through regular physical activity, increased heart health, and improved physical state that begin to take place through the practice of martial arts, you will naturally experience a lower heart rate and reduced blood pressure.

Other Benefits of Martial Arts

1. Stress Relief

Martial arts is like other physical activities in that it helps with stress. Physical activity releases endorphins, as well as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin and reduces the negative effects of stress on the body. Plus, when you spend time around others who share your goals and encourage you to be better, you may feel stress less severely – a unique benefit of martial arts.

2. More Energy

When you engage in regular workouts, such as 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 efficiently. 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 Chesterfield, MO martial arts have found that martial arts helps them in matters of discipline such as the difficulty of quitting a bad habit. Though it is not a miracle cure (quitting smoking, drinking, or drug use should be done under the supervision of a physician), 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. Activities like belt ceremonies and tournaments encourage the shy and self-doubting 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 result of practicing martial arts. In addition to all the internal skills and qualities that precede better mental health, in practicing martial arts you are immersed in a community of individuals who identify with your struggles, support you on your journey, and are going through similar journeys themselves.

7. Motivation

The structure that enrolling in martial arts classes provides in someone’s life can have an huge impact. Committing to going to your martial arts gym regularly for weekly class keeps you moving and working towards your goals and helps motivate you to focus on your priorities both inside of and beyond your martial arts life.

8. Relationships

Chesterfield, MO martial arts classes and competitions are a special way to form uniquely powerful relationships with others. There is mutual respect observed between students and coaches. For your fellow martial artists you learn and practice 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 Chesterfield, MO martial arts, the challenges you face and overcome form long-lasting, quality friendships.

The sum of many invaluable 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 Chesterfield, MO | Gracie Barra

Whether you are ready to make a major positive change in your life, looking for a hobby, or need to add more physical activity in your lifestyle, Chesterfield, MO martial arts are perfect for you. Gracie Barra is a unique Chesterfield, MO martial arts experience that teaches critical skills and values from a variety of martial arts diciplines, including Brazilian jiu jitsu, muay thai, kickboxing, judo, and more. For every age, every schedule, and every level of experience, Gracia Barra is the Chesterfield, MO martial arts gym for you.

Don’t deny yourself the world of martial arts and its astounding benefits any longer. 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!