Why martial arts clubs are currently so popular

Karl-Heinz Hahn can’t remember exactly how long he’s been with the club. “I started when I was 16,” he says. Now he is 75 – so 59 years is the right answer, he calculates. For ten of those years he was an active boxer with the Mönchengladbach pugilists, and later a youth trainer for several decades. Today, the chairman of the association only helps out when there is a bottleneck as a trainer for the youngsters – like on this Wednesday evening. There’s a lot going on in the sports hall in Waldhausen: In the front part, 15 children are grabbing skipping ropes, in the back area youth trainer Jafer Osman is going through various punching and marking exercises with an equally large group of 13 to 16 year olds. “We’re amazed at how many participants we have at the moment,” says Hahn.

There are around half more people than before the pandemic, says Hahn: “It’s almost going to be a bit much, we want to actively promote the sport and introduce young people to boxing.” Nevertheless, he is pleased with the development. He receives many newcomers, especially in the youth sector, but also in so-called fitness boxing, which does not require partner exercises. “It’s all about general fitness. The offer was only slowly accepted before Corona. Now we have 20 to 25 participants every time – and more inquiries,” says Hahn.

His impressions match those of other clubs in the region. People are increasingly drawn to martial arts. Kaan Cevahir, deputy chairman of the AS-KA-DO association in Hückelhoven, also experienced this. “Contrary to our expectations, the number of members has grown from 60 to 200 during the pandemic, and the trend is rising,” says Cevahir. His club offers taekwondo and kickboxing, and there is growth in all age groups – but especially in the youth. The 1st JC Mönchengladbach also did not expect the influx of members. “We’ve had around 30 new members since the pandemic began, so an increase like that is rare. That’s amazing – especially since contact sports weren’t possible for a long time,” says Peer Radtke from the Judo Club. At the 1st JC, too, many young people joined the club in the first place.

But why is martial arts so popular right now? “I feel that after the Corona period there is a great hunger for exercise. You hardly need to motivate people anymore, they get straight to the point. It wasn’t that pronounced before Corona,” says Hahn from the pugilists. However, that would speak in favor of sport overall, including team sports, for example. What Hahn also notices, however, is that the people are not interested in the competition, but primarily in the sporting activity. In many team sports, however, that is precisely what is required: a willingness to compete, usually on the weekends. In martial arts, this obligation usually does not exist. It is an individual sport, which nevertheless takes place in a group – and can be freely determined according to effort. Apparently that appeals to many people. “Everyone has their own approach to martial arts. But there is less and less interest in competition,” says Cevahi from AS-KA-DO. “It’s more about the sense of community, sport in the collective, according to the principle: keep body and mind fit.”

In addition, the exercises are always accompanied by the trainers who are present – something that doesn’t exist in fitness studios, according to Freddy Bär, chairman of the Budo Club in Viersen. In his club, which offers Chinese martial arts, many children in particular are currently returning after a wave of cancellations during the pandemic. The Budo Club looks after around 70 children. “Martial arts also means discipline. But it’s not like football, where a kid who might not be that good doesn’t play. With us, the sport can always be practiced. In addition, social values ​​are conveyed,” says Bär. The audience for the sport has changed during the pandemic, notes Thomas Schneider, Chairman of KSG Oh-Do-Kwan Dülken: “More and more families are coming to register their children – and often the parents come to the club later. He has new members in all age groups, above all an urge for self-defence can be seen – the interest in competitions, on the other hand, is decreasing.

The Mönchengladbach judo club and the pugilists have recently been joined by people from the Ukraine. The 1st JC got the fighters from smaller clubs in the region. Karl-Heinz Hahn was in the Krahnendonkhalle in Neuwerk himself and asked if there were any interested boxers among the war refugees. A 15-year-old and an 18-year-old are now training with the Mönchengladbach club.

What defines boxing for Hahn? “It’s an ideal full-body workout: head, legs, everything is included,” he says when the youth training session ends on Wednesday. A mother walks straight up to him in front of the changing room. Your son should now be registered after the trial lesson.