PHYSICAL BENEFITS

The physical benefits of training in a combat sport cannot be understated. Of course depending on the sport you undertake you will be working different sets of muscles and have different cardiovascular requirements. Regardless of the sport you choose, there will always be gains in cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, muscle endurance and coordination. There are also benefits that are gained from training that are not immediately obvious. Examples include such proper breathing techniques and increases in flexibility.

In this video, you are shown Japanese fighter Kobayashi Masato's training regimen and medical tests done on him to test his fitness. The graph in the middle of the video is showing that his level of fitness (shown as the red bar) is above that of a professional soccer player (shown as the blue bar). The average game of soccer has two 45 minute halves. Masato fights under K-1 rules, which are 3 3-minute rounds, and a forth 3 minute round in case of a draw. Fighters in a K-1 tournament can fight up to 3 times in one night; the mental and physical strength required for this is beyond the realms of most people’s imaginations.