How Does Meditation Prepare The Body For Practicing Martial Arts?

Meditation is the art of clearing the mind so that no  outside distractions and greater concentration on what you are doing.  My old beau, was a black belt,  he would clear his mind, focus perhaps on a spot on the wall  and put yourself in a calm state.  People broke boards on him, and he never felt a thing.  When I asked him about it, he told me, his focus was elsewhere, does not remember having the boards broken on him.  Tremendous concentration