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    Ellisville, MO Martial Arts

    Martial Arts. Are you looking for something to add to your daily life in Ellisville, MO – something that is good for you and will help you cope with stress and make you physically and mentally healthier? Join Gracie Barra, the world’s top martial arts team, for first-rate coaching, unbreakable interpersonal relationships, and countless improvements to your physical and mental health which take place when practicing martial arts.

    Sign up at Gracie Barra right away and discover how Ellisville, 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

    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 martial arts discipline 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

    What we teach at Gracie Barra to our Ellisville, MO martial arts students is a convergence of 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. If you are looking for a way to get healthier and grow as an individual, Ellisville, MO martial arts is a gateway to self-improvement. 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 engage in 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 helps build strength and muscle tone throughout the body, including hard-to-target muscles that aren’t targetted in more conventional workouts like weight lifting and running. Participants build muscle mass by regular warm ups and training drills, and by engaging in the punching and kicking motions in sparring and practicing.

    3. Weight Loss

    With more muscle mass, the body naturally increases its metabolism and burns more calories. Ellisville, 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 hone 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. Repetition of certain combinations over time makes you quicker, improving reflexes and shaving 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 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 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 critial 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. 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 cardiovascular strength, and improved physical state that occur 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, 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

    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, which allows oxygen to circulate 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

    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, pushing your mind to be in the 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 Ellisville, MO martial arts have found improvements in matters of discipline such as the difficulty of 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

    Whatever your level of confidence in yourself, it will grow to a healthier state as you move through your martial arts practice. 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. The martial arts learning and competing process 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. In addition to all the internal skills and qualities that precede better mental health, in practicing martial arts you are exposed to intimate interactions with other 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 going to your martial arts gym regularly for weekly scheduled classes 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

    Ellisville, 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 develop a camaraderie and understanding of each other in a way that you don’t generally find in other types of interpersonal relationships. In Ellisville, MO martial arts, the challenges you face and overcome foster 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 Ellisville, MO | Gracie Barra

    Whether you are motivated to change your life, in search of a hobby, or need to add more physical activity in your lifestyle, Ellisville, MO martial arts are perfect for you. Gracie Barra brings a unique Ellisville, MO martial arts experience that teaches critical 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 Ellisville, 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.