Yoga and its relationship to martial arts Why You Should Use Yoga For Martial Arts

Count me among the people who took a long time to recognize the positive impact yoga could have on my martial arts training. Initially when I tried yoga, it wasn't specifically to improve my martial arts practice, but to undo injuries. The thought that I could become a better martial artist by practicing something presumably unrelated-yoga-had never occurred to me. But having trained in the Korean martial art of hapkido for six years and in taekwondo, another Korean discipline, for three, I had acquired an alarming number of neoprene supports and braces to hold my body together. These braces basically kept my various armored joints from reaching their pain zones, but they restricted movement and inhibited strengthening. Surely there was some way to correct the self-damage I had unwittingly done over the years and restore the flexibility and range of motion I had once enjoyed. Yoga, known for its therapeutic properties, seemed a logical thing to try.