If you're looking to start learning and taking up martial arts or a combat sport, it's important to learn from qualified professionals or coaches. Fortunately, you won't be the only one looking to start out. In recent years, more and more people are becoming interested in studying and practicing martial arts. Whether for athletic and fitness purposes or for self-defense, taking up a combat sport can be a great outlet for physical energy.
At the same time, martial arts and combat sports can also benefit your mental and psychological well-being. A study from the Psychology of Sport and Exercise journal highlighted reported improvements in psychological and emotional aspects as a result of practicing martial arts. This includes reduced aggression, anxiety, and depression. Participants also reported experiencing enhanced mood and a better understanding of self-related constructs like awareness, confidence, efficacy, and self-esteem. Similarly, study participants displayed increased perceptual-cognitive skills like reaction time, motor time, and processing speed.
If you're excited to get started on your martial arts journey and enjoy the numerous benefits, we're here to help. One of the best ways to supplement your combat sports training is by listening to experts in the field. To do so, audiobooks are a great resource that you can conveniently access while multitasking. Below, we'll be sharing four must-listen audiobook titles for martial arts and combat sports beginners:
Audiobooks as a supplementary resource
As explained above, audiobooks are a great learning and supplementary resource for your martial arts journey. For example, you can listen to insights from the martial arts world's greatest figures, like Bruce Lee. At the same time, you won't have to worry about packing these books into your gym bag for your next trip to the dojo or boxing ring.
Nowadays, you can easily find audiobooks spanning various topics and genres online. Leading subscription platform Everand's audiobooks feature titles from different bestselling authors and combat sports experts. For example, Everand's Martial Arts section includes Bruce Lee's "The Lost Interview" and insights from more recent fighters, like Brock Lesnar's story through "Death Clutch." These titles provide listeners with inspiration, motivation, and valuable lessons you can apply in and out of your martial arts journey. Below, we'll take a look at four must-listen audiobooks for beginners:
Fight Like a Physicist
Did you know that a haymaker travels 3.14159 times farther than a jab? Written by author, martial artist, and computational physicist Dr. Jason Thalken, "Fight Like a Physicist" is a unique and entertaining approach to martial arts and combat sports. The book provides humorous examples and explanations for the complex science behind effective fighting techniques. In "Fight Like a Physicist", listeners can expect to learn about the center of mass, pi, levers, wedges, and angular momentum for martial artists, as well as the role of physics in protecting the brains of fighters from concussions and reducing traumatic brain injury.
The Book of Five Rings
Written by Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, "The Book of Five Rings" is as well-regarded among martial artists and learning beginners as Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" is among businessmen. Czech Republic light heavyweight fighter Jiri Prochazka has spoken effectively about the book's impact on him after getting it being recommended by his coach. Prochazka credits Musashi's book for his professional success and continues to adopt the Bushido moral code in his life and martial arts career. Despite being 400 years old, "The Book of Five Rings" will teach you a thing or two about the mindset required to be a warrior, even if you aren't planning to swing a samurai sword anytime soon.
The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts
A crucial way to help you learn a new subject is to learn its history. Fortunately, martial arts and combat sports have a well-documented, lengthy history and background, regardless of the origin or style of your preferred martial art. "The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts" looks at the techniques and tactics applied by the warriors, knights, and duelists of days past. Author Guy Windsor is a renowned swordsman and teacher and uses the book to focus on how you should train your mind and body to better understand the mastery and ethics of martial arts. Windsor also shares practical tips for honing your skills, including safety training and how to better look after your body.
Lessons From The Dojo
Finally, "Lessons From The Dojo" is a great and holistic approach to learning martial arts and combat sports. Written by Peter Tocco, or Sensei Pete, the audiobook shares extensive lessons representing the accumulated wisdom of hundreds of martial arts masters throughout centuries. Notably, "Lessons From The Dojo" helps eliminate the debilitating noise that clouds your mind and negatively impacts your body. Aside from positively impacting how you learn martial arts, these lessons drawn from centuries of martial arts wisdom are also applicable for life outside the dojo, such as controlling fear, anxiety, anger, and self-doubt, and also becoming the constant in every equation.
Ultimately, the best way to learn martial arts and combat sports is to go to the masters and learn from them. Still, listening to experts and qualified professionals in the field can also help provide unique insights to help you on your journey. If you liked this post, you can check out our previous post on "Why Learning Boxing Defense Improves Your Kickboxing Strategy" for insights on improving your kickboxing technique.
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