Soviet propaganda poster, 1968 [Credit: Irakli Toidze]
Everyone has heard of martial arts. We’ve all seen martial arts movies and maybe a professional boxing or MMA match. But have you ever researched martial arts and learned the differences, or thought about the benefits of practicing them? Martial arts spaces can be intimidating to join, but they don’t have to be. My aim in this piece is to show readers the value in martial arts and to compel working class readers to consider starting their own martial arts journey.
Recognizing the Value in Martial Arts
Martial arts have been a part of every culture in history, with both eastern roots, such as jiu-jitsu and karate, and western roots, such as boxing and wrestling. For the same reasons martial arts were developed, there are three primary reasons why someone may start their martial arts journey: self defense, health, and sport. Community, friendship, and career or financial gain, while good reasons for starting martial arts, are not usually considered primary reasons. Regardless of your reason for starting martial arts, you will experience an increase in all three primary areas and beyond; your self defense capability, your health and wellness, and your competitive edge in everything you do, including political activism.
Self-defense is often most associated with martial arts because of the obvious implication of defending yourself from a physical attack by another person, and having recourse for response. It also has to do with the association of martial arts with its programmatic practice within ancient and modern militaries in order to train for combat. With that being said, self-defense as a “martial science” is different from combat sporting systems found within most martial arts today. Combat sports, and martial arts generally, absolutely increase your self defense capability, but the capability for self defense is often negligible compared to the common sense, discernment, and specific techniques and tactics used to fend off an assailant and escape to safety. In self defense, the priority is escaping and can often include using “dirty” techniques that strike the most vulnerable places on an assailant. However, martial arts can still give you some very basic techniques and tactics you need to discern, avoid, and escape dangerous situations, as well as the values and inner strength needed to use them.
Similar to weightlifting, yoga, and somatics, martial arts is a physical activity that will holistically improve your health. Martial arts will stimulate you mentally as you learn and practice new techniques and tactics: this includes sparring, or practicing a simulated round of combat, which is often a challenging game far beyond just physical capability, and requires mental and emotional skill development. Martial arts can help ground you, balance you emotionally, and give you a way to positively channel strong emotions. It will improve you physically through rigorous exercise and challenging movement of your body.
As a sport, the combat and fitness benefits of martial arts are positively channeled through training and competition. Martial arts has more of its history rooted in sport than it does in self defense. Humans have been wrestling and striking each other for sport throughout history. Practicing a sport can be very healthy and provide a constructive way to channel your emotions, but it can also be a great way to spark your own competitive spirit. While we don’t want to replicate the competitive nature of capitalism, we must accept that the working class project for conquering political power requires competition and cultivating our collective competitive spirit. Martial arts will help you develop your own competitive edge in this area and beyond.
Starting Your Own Martial Arts Journey
It can be intimidating to start Martial Arts. Even if you find the right gym for yourself, there are many reasons you may not stay: you may have to move, you may not have a schedule that fits with the classes being offered, you may not like the instructor, and you may not be able to afford it. I myself have been a member of half a dozen gyms over the last 8 years. And while working class folks may have financial and logistical barriers to practicing martial arts, there’s still ways to embrace martial arts and begin your own martial arts journey.
Start with research about what martial art style you think would be best for you. All martial arts can be categorized as striking, grappling, or a mix of both. Striking martial arts are predominantly done standing up, including using your hands, and possibly your feet, knees, and elbows, to strike the head and body of your opponent, and these martial arts sometimes can involve light sparring and kata (a detailed, choreographed pattern of movements). Striking martial arts include Karate, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, and Kickboxing. Grappling martial arts are predominantly done while on the ground, including using leverage to pin the body of your opponent so that their movement is restricted. Grappling martial arts can include light and heavy sparring. Grappling martial arts include Jiu-jitsu, Judo, and Wrestling. Finding your preferred martial arts style could take time. Keep in mind, it does not matter what you hear as “most effective.” Being effective may not be your goal, plus martial arts are differently effective for different people. It depends on your personal goals, fighting style, body type, and interests. You need to figure out what challenges you while keeping your body’s long term health in mind.
After you figure out what style you want to try, you need to consider other questions. What is in my area? Which instructors are qualified and likable? Is it affordable? You may decide you would prefer to do a striking martial art, such as Tae Kwon Do, but then you discover that there is no Tae Kwon Do school in your town. In which case you may have to settle for kickboxing or Muay Thai, which is the most similar. I recommend choosing the martial arts category you prefer, striking or grappling, and then searching for all the martial arts schools in your area that offer that type of martial arts training. Of the schools you find, you can prioritize based on your own preferences, including distance, instructor, cost, and personal interest. Once you find a school in your area that meets your preferences, you can also consider the legitimacy of the instructor by checking reviews online, researching if they are recognized by a respected oversight organization, researching who they were trained by, and seeing if they have competed in respected competitions. If you cannot afford a membership at a gym, there are other ways I can suggest that you begin your martial arts journey: negotiating deals with gyms, recruiting a martial arts buddy or starting a martial arts club, and, if you live or work around NYC, consider joining the DSA Self Defense Class taking place at the DSA office (14 Jefferson St) every Sunday at 12pm. No experience is necessary, and you can attend once or regularly, but the more you put in, the more you get out of it!
Once you pick your martial art and find a good local gym, you can now reach out to the gym, introduce yourself, and ask if you may take a free trial class. I cannot describe exactly what you will need to bring in this article as different martial arts require different equipment, however I can safely say to bring a water bottle, sandals for when you walk off the mat (shoes are not allowed on the mat where people practice martial arts, and bare feet are not allowed on the floors around the mat), and a mouthguard for potential sparring. It’s also important to have good hygiene when practicing martial arts: keep your nails cut low, wear clean clothes/uniforms/gi’s, close and protect any open wounds, brush your teeth before class, and immediately take a shower after every class. For safety purposes, I recommend removing all jewelry, and wearing contacts instead of glasses. Because martial arts can be an intense physical activity, it is very important you take care of your body in other ways to supplement your practice of martial arts. This includes drinking enough water throughout the day and before your next class, stretching before and after class, doing strength and mobility training, getting enough sleep, and eating properly. Every martial art, every gym, and every instructor all have different rules and expectations, and it is perfectly appropriate and encouraged to ask if you have any questions or concerns.
Good luck on your martial arts journey!