Marital Arts and Improved Cognition
Martial Arts Training Sydney
The connection between the physical and the mental, how our body’s health affects our mental facilities, is not fully understood. But there appears to be some connection. At the very least a healthy body benefits our mind; we can think a little clearer, have a better memory and improve our focus and attention by being physically fit.
There is a reasonable amount of evidence to suggest that martial arts training can benefit cognitive function in children. Is probably has some similar benefit for adults. Research in the area is encouraging.
Attention, the ability to focus on a task, is a essential for all physical and mental endeavour. This is something that can be measured by the Attention Network test (ANT). Studies on groups of people who start Martial arts training, with little or no background in the subject, indicate some improvement over the space of a few years. This improvement carries over into other tasks, which is reason enough to continue with a
Martial arts class.
Other activities that purportedly improve attention, like playing video games, also show some positive results. But the results were short term and limited. Individuals found the improvement in attention started to decline after they stopped playing the games. And the attention was limited to activities that were physically interactive; they did not carry over to reading or book learning. Other computer activities like brain training games had slightly different benefits, helping to remember words and learn concepts that were applicable to formal study. This appeared to have a more lasting effect. Though obviously computer activities did not improve physical fitness, and while it might help fine motor skills (using the hands on a keyboard or joystick) it didn’t benefit course motor skills where individuals had to more the whole body.
Martial arts school training offer a broader improvement in attention and mental functioning. This is because martial arts are physically interactive. Like many eastern cultural practices it mean being involved physically and mentally, and improving both together.
Some studies in the mental improvements of Martial arts suggest that the greatest improvements come to those who were less than average to start with. The martial arts training helped people to reach at least an average level of mental competence, in some cases recovering their former level of competence. People who already performed well before the training progressed a little faster, but showed less mental improvement, perhaps because they were already near their potential. Though the training did improve their physical fitness and their martial arts performance.
It has also been suggested that martial arts training may prevent or reduce the mental decline of older individuals. This is a possibility that is worth pursuing.
Sydney Martial Arts
Consider Martial arts classes as a way to improve you life, physically and mentally.