Relationships are a key factor in building a healthy and fulfilling life. Whether you’re Introverted or Extroverted, humans are naturally social creatures that crave a connection amongst each other, and Martial Arts is a great addition to building strong relationships among peers.
Below, we’ll discuss how Martial Arts can improve your relationships with friends, family, co-workers, and a romantic partner.
1. Trust.
Every proper functioning martial arts academy or school has a liability form that you must sign before enrolling, which ideally states that if you “die” it’s not their fault to a certain degree. When you’re training martial arts, you’re also practicing some pretty important pillars that are involved in building relationships which is trust — you’re trusting that you and your partners in the class will take the necessary precautions to ensure that you all have a safe training session.
2. Communication.
Martial arts are often viewed as individual sports when in reality it’s the teammates and coaches that build this individual into the successful athlete that they are… yes there are a lot more individual training sessions that one could do in striking such as bag work and shadow boxing — but those can only go so far.
Speaking in general, A term my old wrestling coach used to say is that successful athletes have to be coachable. Athletes have to be able to take constructive feedback on what they need to improve, and Coaches should aim to bring out the best in their athletes.
Communication is also vital to fostering the relationship between a Coach and Athlete, if we look at some of the successful high-level athletes in Martial Arts and sports in general, we can usually find the high-level coach that established a relationship with that same athlete as well.
3. Productive time with your romantic partner.
When you train martial arts with your significant partner, you’re practicing some pretty important pillars that are commonly desired in healthy relationships, such as Trust and Communication mentioned above, along with this productive time you both are working towards a common goal of learning how to get better at a particular sport.
4. Productive time away from your romantic partner.
Contrary to productive time with your romantic partner — anyone in a long-term relationship knows that it’s healthy to spend time apart as well. Martial Arts could be a great way to escape from your partner for a brief time and recharge. The academy or school you attend could also be your own sanctuary and a safe space if you happen to be living with your significant other and just need some time apart.
5. Commitment and Presence.
When you’re training martial arts, you’ve essentially committed that time to your instructor and the academy. The great thing about martial arts and attending a class is that it forces you to be in the present moment.
Oftentimes, we’re distracted with social media and text notifications throughout our daily lives — When you’re in a Martial Arts class, you usually change into the appropriate gear for the class. For example, you might be in some Muay Thai shorts or in a Gi (a piece of clothing usually used in Jiu-Jitsu).
As a result, your phone and other distractions are usually placed in the locker room or left behind during class. This forces you to devote that short amount of time to your instructor and your partner, which forces you to be present.
These are just short examples of how Martial Arts can improve your relationships with peers, and I hope you’ve found some common ground with them as well. If you’d like to read about the harsh realities of martial arts that I’ve learned during my time in the martial arts community, you can find that here.