If you’re thinking of starting a combat sport, then you’ve got a very fulfilling road ahead of you. Combat sports are among the best ways to improve your fitness, agility, and self-discipline, and also have a great social element to them. However, if you don’t have your heart set on a particular discipline, you may feel a little spoiled for choice. Here are a few of the most popular contact sports, and a brief introduction to each of them…
Boxing
This is one of the most popular combat sports in the world, and once you’ve had a go, you’ll see exactly why! Although you’re going to be hitting your opponent with your hands and just your hands, this is a sport that involves your whole body, and requires every muscle to be in a healthy condition. Though any televised matches you watch may look pretty brutal, it’s fairly easy for a complete novice to take to boxing, and the gear isn’t all that expensive either. If you practice boxing for long enough, you’ll develop excellent balance, learn versatile self-defence techniques, and have a very healthy method of stress relief to fall back on.
Wrestling
Wrestling is the 6th most popular high school sport in America, coming in just below soccer. It’s seen a pretty big surge of popularity in recent years, which has been more or less parallel with the careers of some successful ex-wrestlers in the UFC. While there’s an Olympic standard to the rules and techniques, almost every culture in the world has their own form of wrestling, and as you learn the western discipline, you’ll be exposed to techniques from a wide range of nations and peoples. Clubs are always happy to take beginners, and gear like wrestling shoes and leotards are affordable. This sport is a fantastic way to develop fitness and self-discipline, and makes a great foundation for…
MMA
Strictly speaking, MMA (mixed martial arts) is a combination of several different combat sports. However, it’s been organized into its own discipline over recent years, and now it’s more popular than ever. Like kickboxing, you’ll use your hands, feet and legs a lot, but there’s a lot of emphasis on grappling and groundwork as well. This sport requires you to have a pretty firm control over every part of your body, so after a taster session, an instructor may recommend you start on another combat sport before jumping into MMA.
Muay Thai
Along with MMA, this is another combat sport that’s swelled in popularity in recent years. In this sport, there’s a lot of emphasis on kicking, particularly using your shin as the main contact point. In fact, professional muay thai instructors spend a lot of their time conditioning their students’ shins, ensuring they become strong enough to both deliver and block heavy kicks. Like other combat sports, this is a great way to build muscle, all-round fitness, and self-discipline. Just bear in mind that sparring in muay thai is all about power, so don’t expect your instructor to go that easy on you!
