How Martial Arts Can Help People Who Struggle With Attention Disorders

There are a million reasons why people opt to desire to learn a martial art. From getting fit and more healthy, to learning self defense for their own safety, and even to begin competing on an amateur or professional level. Interestingly, more and more people are striving to explore the world of martial arts for another reason: helping to combat against their personal struggles with ADD/ADHD. In this brief article, we will be delving into what precisely ADD/ADHD is and how martial arts is transforming the lives of millions of people who struggle with attention disorders and how it may potentially even be able to help you or someone that you love.

Avoid the Tedious: It is a well known fact that exercise of any form is one of the best ways to keep your body and mind working and active to their optimal health and well being. However, people, both children and adults who have attention disorders can find it pretty tough to find the right kind of sport or exercise that not only fits their needs and goals, but is also one that they will want to stick with. Most sports and other forms of exercise tend to be super repetitive and tedious which will all too often leave someone with ADD/ADHD feeling bored and will inevitably just give it up.

Goal Setting: Martial arts can show you how to set concrete goals of which are actually attainable. Many people who struggle with having to cope with attention issues find it difficult to feel that sense that they are winning at something in their life, which can be incredibly discouraging. With martial arts, you are learning and building upon a foundation that is reaching toward an ultimate goal that you will achieve with practice and discipline. And this of course can help you increase your overall sense of self-worth and a feeling of total control.

Starting Routines: Martial arts is a great way to see and understand how different tasks can be broken down into manageable pieces. Martial arts are broken up into countless movements of which are often linked together, and when you take a martial arts class you will learn these various techniques on a level that works to your personal skill set. You will learn, repeat, and then add new steps when you are ready. You literally learn at your own pace and do not move forward until you are completely ready. This is something that can be taken into your personal life as well, particularly with regards to work or school. Instead of seeing everything on such a broad basis, you will be able to see the task at hand on a piece by piece level which will allow you to process the project as a simple routine instead of a daunting workload.

Improved Concentration: Attention and focus are crucial to martial arts training. You will learn the ability to maintain your focus, even if you start to drift off. This again is something that can be taken into your (or your child’s) personal life as well. As when you or your child starts to daze off in work or school, you can take that knowledge from your martial arts training to reset and regain your mental focus to whatever the task is at hand where your attention must be.

Mind Over Body: Martial arts is a great way to learn balance and physical coordination, which is perfect for someone who struggles with the inability to sit still due to ADD/ADHD. With martial arts training you will learn that your mind is far stronger than your body and even when the thought of having to sit quietly and still seems like an impossible feat, it is most certainly something of which can be accomplished with the right frame of mind. Martial arts classes are also an awesome way to get out some of the excess build-up of energy that we all experience throughout the day! You can work out all of the emotions that you deal with such as pain, anger, resentment, stress, or depression.

Personal Practice: A great aspect about martial arts training is that once you learn the fundamentals of and get started with your training, it is something that can be practiced pretty much anywhere you go. If you find yourself feeling stressed out at work, take a break and head to the nearest park to work on some of your forms. Or if your child is lashing out because of a bad day at school, allow them the opportunity to put on some gloves and practice their punches on a punching bag in your garage or workout room! In fact, a great idea to bring martial arts into your home is to create a personal space for you to practice at home, anytime. There are a number of awesome, affordable punching bags, check out MMA Gear Addict for a comprehensive list of some of the top ranked ones, and you can be sure to find one to fit both your budget and your living space.

There are a number of reasons that martial arts can significantly assist those who are battling ADD/ADHD on a daily basis, and whether you are struggling with it personally or have a child or other loved one who is dealing with attention issues, martial arts can help. Martial arts will teach you respect, discipline and self-worth in a manner that is unmatched in any other form of physical activity. 

Written by: Amy Koller, MMA Gear Addict