Habits! 3 Ways Martial Arts Develop HABITS & ROUTINE!

Habits are the key to success. I read a great quote recently and it said something along the lines of: 

You are not what you do, 

You are what you do regularly. 

That is a fantastic idea. One of the great things about martial arts is that it helps you build habits and routines. Because of those habits and routines, you can’t help but become a greater version of yourself. 

Here are 3 ways that martial arts help you build habits and routines. 

You Do Something Regularly 

One of the very first habits that you develop in martial arts is simply doing something regularly. I hope whatever school you train at, that they encourage you to train two or three days a week. If you’re going to build a great habit, you need to do something regularly. Two or three days a week is a great place to start. We certainly have martial artists here that train more than that, but two or three days a week is a great place to start. We’re trying to build habits and we’re building them slowly  

You’ll Learn to Face Challenges 

The second thing that the martial arts teaches you is how to regularly face challenges and obstacles. Whatever school you go to, each class should be challenging. In class, you may learn something new or you may review something old, but it should be challenging. Because of that challenge, you get used to facing discomfort. Over time, you become comfortable with that discomfort. One day, you might even find yourself thinking “Gosh, I want a bigger challenge…I want a harder challenge…”. That is an amazing skill to build. 

You’ll Start Setting Goals 

The last thing martial arts gets you in the habit of, is setting goals. Most styles of martial arts have built-in goal systems of belts or ranks. I don’t know many martial artists that start a style and don’t think about moving up to the next level or rank. From day one, you’ve got something to work and strive towards and it’s incredibly satisfying to achieve those goals. The longer you train, the more challenging the goals become and the more capable you become.  

If you stick with your training, even just for a few months, you’re doing something regularly, challenging and you’re working towards a goal. Those are the skills that you need to be great at whatever you do.  

So if you’re looking for an activity that helps you build good habits and routines, I cannot stress enough how great martial arts is at doing that.