Crestwood, MO Martial Arts
Martial Arts. Are you looking for something to supplement your daily life in Crestwood, MO – something that is good for you and will leave you better equipped to work through the tough things and endow you with positive qualities? Gracie Barra is the world’s top martial arts team, for top quality instruction, inextinguishable interpersonal relationships, and countless physical and mental wellness enhancements which take place when practicing martial arts.
Enroll at Gracie Barra right away and discover how Crestwood, 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.
Types of Martial Arts
Every style of 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 different 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 Crestwood, 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. 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. If you are looking for a way to get healthier and grow as an individual, Crestwood, MO martial arts is a gateway to self-improvement. The advantages 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. Through the training and warm up routines in martial arts naturally raise 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 targetted in other traditional workouts 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. Crestwood, MO martial arts helps you drop weight and stay at a healthy weight by improving general physical health and increasing physical activity.
4. Reflexes
Martial arts challenges its practioners to hone their reflexes. Sparring in practice and fighting in competition improve reflexes over time. When your martial arts opponent acts, quick reflexes will allow you to best them, whether by dodging, blocking, or maneuvering to counter-attack. Repetition of certain combinations over time builds quick reflexes and shaves 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 activityAt Gracie Barra, our programs are designed with stretches and warm ups that will 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 order to defeat your opponent using martial arts, whether you are in practice, a tournament, or a real-life self-defense situation, a certain level of strength is required. While strength alone is not sufficient against an opponent who is proficient in martial arts like BJJ, proper form and knowledge of technique are enhanced by overall bodily strength. 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 vital in martial arts, as is coordination. The moves taught in Crestwood, MO martial arts involve a coordinated effort in moving or keeping stationary different parts of the body in complex ways. Learning the moves slowly and practicing them repetitively will make them become natural to you. 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 the repetition of physical movements, increased cardiovascular strength, 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
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, 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 are left with more energy. This comes from the increased blood flow and cardiovascular health that circulates oxygen-rich blood through your body more easily. After martial arts or other activities, you are also able to sleep better, allowing you to be more refreshed when you wake up.
3. Peace and Balance
There is no dispute about the way martial arts teaches the skills of internal peace and tranquility. Martial arts can be seen as a meditation or mindfulness exercise, where your mind is focused and present. This quality puts you 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 Crestwood, MO martial arts have found improvements 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. For those who are shy or uncomfortable in front of others, belt ceremonies and tournaments encourage them to step out of their comfort zones. For people who are generally outspoken or ego-driven, martial arts asks them 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
With the numerous physical health effects and the stress relief and peace it teaches, mental wellness is a natural result of practicing martial arts. On top of all the individual skills and qualities that precede better mental health, in practicing martial arts you are immersed in a community of people 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. The regularly scheduled commitment of attending 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
You will form relationships through your Crestwood, MO martial arts classes and competitions that are unique and powerful. There is mutual respect observed between students and coaches. 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 Crestwood, 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 Crestwood, 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, Crestwood, MO martial arts are perfect for you. Gracie Barra is a unique Crestwood, MO martial arts experience that emphasizes 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 Crestwood, 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.
