Karate martial arts classes

There's more to karate training than chopping planks in half with your bare hands - in fact, it's a great all round training system, that works on both muscular strength and cardiovascular fitness. True to the image you've seen in martial arts movies, part of karate training is about teaching the body to withstand harsh physical punishment without tiring. It's also about developing the ability to summon up energy quickly so you can act fast in a tight corner. Both these skills may be useful to martial arts fighters, but they are also great all round fitness goals, even if you have no interest in combat, and sports physiologists agree that karate meets all the criteria of a good all-round workout.

Entering into martial arts training is a long-term commitment to progressively improve your levels of stamina, strength and fitness. But because there are a wide variety of training methods, it need never become boring. What's more, because you're part of a group, there's plenty of encouragement and feedback, so you can keep on track with your training. This type of training develops all the elements of muscular fitness, namely speed, strength, agility, flexibility, balance, power, and endurance. What's more, it can help you burn calories more efficiently, keeping your body fat ratio low.