The Martial Artist and the Motorcycle

The Martial Artist and the Motorcycle | By Morgan Sansotta | Biker Babe | Biker Chick | Grease n Gasoline Reader | Way2speed.com…[Join us on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Pinterest]

The Martial Artist and the Motorcycle
Author Bio: Morgan Sansotta is not a force to be reckoned with. When she’s not making cross-country motorcycle trips, you’ll find her in the dojo beating the boys up. Martial arts boast various benefits both physical and spiritual. What a karate school won’t advertise, however, is that their art can make you a better rider.

Being Humble- The bros you see walking around in UFC swag are not exactly the poster boys of modesty, but in traditional martial arts being humble is highly emphasized and valued. Humility helps bikers in a couple of ways. First of all, if you’re willing to waltz around and train in what essentially look like baggy pajamas, you’re probably not going to mind wearing protective gear on your bike. You learn quickly that silly foam helmets, groin protectors, and mouth guards are worth looking funny because they save you from a whole lot of discomfort. While helmets and armored jackets aren’t always the most attractive options, they drastically reduce your risk for injury in the event of an accident. Being humble is also helpful in the event that someone upsets you while driving. Road rage on a bike is even more dangerous than in a car because you are much more physically vulnerable. Learning to bow to the person who just punched you in the nose will inadvertently teach you that it is okay to back down—especially to a superior force (not that trucks are better than motorcycles, but they are certainly capable of more damage.)
Reflexes- While not all of us can catch a fly with chopsticks, martial arts trains your reflexes. In karate or Muay Thai, if your reflexes aren’t up to par you get smacked across the cheek. On a bike it is similar, except instead of a hand, it is a Ford F350 King Ranch that is slapping you.

Martial artists train to be aware of their surroundings. They use visual cues and peripherals, and can anticipate danger. Most motorcyclists already have these skills, but training martial arts will sharpen them. This will help the motorcyclist anticipate the behavior of drivers and traffic based on small cues such as the driver turning their head one direction or the other, or the driver inching forward. It also reduces the reaction time of the rider—if a car does pull out suddenly, the rider will be able to assess the situation and do what is necessary faster, so as to avoid collision or injury.
Functional Muscle and Balance- Virtually any type of exercise will help you build muscle, but martial arts will do it in a different way. Martial arts build functional muscle as opposed to vanity muscle. Kinesthesis, or the awareness of movements of the body, is emphasized.
We all know that balance is important to a motorcyclist, but who actually practices balance? Martial arts involve a lot of standing on one leg and learning to distribute body weight between both legs at different levels for maximum balance to be hit or to strike at any angle.
Unless you go home and stand on one leg for half an hour with someone pushing you from each side, you could probably benefit from martial arts. It will help in turning, avoiding obstacles, and driving over obstacles, among other things, and will reduce your risk for severe accidents.
Martial arts offer a range of benefits for motorcyclists. You do not have to know how to do a spinning back head kick to be a good rider, but even those who already are extremely capable riders can learn to sharpen some of the skills vital to a biker’s safety and success