It’s a well-known fact that many famous athletes often excel in sports that are completely different to the one that gained them their fame. Michael Jordan played professional baseball following his first NBA retirement. Ronda Rousey was an accomplished swimmer before joining the ranks of the UFC, and Bo Jackson was just as impressive at football as he was at baseball. While you might have a weakness in one sport, training in a different sport could help you to improve. Here are some of the areas that you could strengthen for other sports, by training with us at Keswick Karate:
Balance
Each time you throw a punch, a kick or a block, your abdominal muscles contract – giving them a repetitive workout that will naturally improve your balance. While balancing on one leg can sometimes prove difficult for beginners, after a few sessions at Keswick Karate, you will soon be able to control and shift the weight of your body. Unlocking your ability to stabilise your balance can help in almost every sport that requires you to be on your feet.
Coordination
Many sports need you to assess some form of distance with your eyes, before relaying that information to your hands. Whether you’re a basketball player wanting to pass to a teammate, a baseball player waiting to bat or a boxer dodging punches – eye-hand coordination is important. Practising throwing strikes at targets can improve your coordination, allowing you to discover how much power you must exert in different scenarios to execute your required movement.
Strength
It goes without saying that Karate practitioners develop strength, so at Keswick Karate your strength will improve as second nature. Through various bodyweight exercises and training, your body will adapt to handle heavier loads for longer periods of time. While strength is a benefit that you can apply to several sports, it is equally as beneficial for everyday life, not to mention the admiration you could get for displaying some impressive muscles.
Fitness
Although you can improve cardio through many sports, few come close to the cardio workout achieved through Karate. While the impact on your body is not as intense as a fast sprint or long bike ride, that’s not to say you can’t reap the same cardiovascular benefits. Your fitness will improve with each class at Keswick Karate, and you will probably find that while your first lesson might wear you out, you will soon be able to put 110% into each lesson and still have energy left in your tank!
Resilience
Whilst it’s easy to fall down and stay down, it takes a certain amount of toughness to get back up and try again. It can be challenging to learn new things, but with the great support that Keswick Karate provides, you’ll be mastering movements in no time. Each time you feel you can’t do something, we’ll make sure you know you can do it. So the more you realise what you’re capable of, the more resilient you will become.