The power of self defense techniques.

With Martial arts training, mastery of technique takes longer as you progress through the grades and develop experience. This is valuable in itself as it develops great willpower, discipline and focus. With self defense the goal of effective self protection can be achieved in a shorter time.

Self defense training is different though because the aim is more practical. We come looking for effective techniques that will get us out of trouble and keep us safe. When we take up a self defense discipline either in a class or on our own, we are not seeking forms and rituals, cultural lessons or certificates. We simply want something that works on the street.

If we put a lot of effort into our training, learning these skills develops within us a level of confidence and a feeling of personal capability. It has to, because we are taking action to counter our fears. We are making real world choices to protect ourselves and you can’t help but move towards a personality that carries more self assurance.

The thing about confidence is that how you feel inside can be felt by everyone. It’s called instinct. All wildlife operates this way. It’s animal instinct and of course it’s operating in our world too. If you feel afraid and full of fear about being attacked when you go out, this attitude will be reflected in your body language, movement and demeanour no matter how much you try to hide it. It’s at work at a level lower than your conscious thinking. This isn’t easy to change but it can be done. Our conscious attitudes and feelings often have subconscious motivators and triggers.

As you start training in self defense you will begin to change these attitudes, if you have them, and you will soon begin to project, more confidence to the outside world. You have to do more than play at it though. It takes effort and enthusiasm but this should be easy to find when you realise how much you can improve! With time, an effective course of self defense will give you the kind of assurance you have always wanted.

Why learn self defense techniques?

Whatever brings you to the point of deciding to learn of fighting techniques or self defense techniques can be wildly different from person to person. Going through bad experiences, personal assault, humiliation can do it or it could simply arise from a desire to better oneself and build inner confidence. All reasons are valid and worthy. The security of having the knowledge to defend oneself from external harassment is a blessing and can provide us with a level of certainty as we move through the world and our day to day business.

Particularly today as the media would have us believe that crime is on the increase. Now I am not one for subscribing to media scaremongering so I take crime figures and stories with a pinch of salt. I am very wary of falling into the trap of believing there is a mugger on every corner…there isn’t. That’s nonsense.

However I do feel that the nature of violent crime has changed for obvious reasons. Drugs and the availability of weapons, mainly guns and knives. Drugs make people do stupid things because they are not in control of their own personality and drives. That doesn’t mean they are not responsible for their actions – of course they are. It just means that for you and I, potential assailants are unpredictable, hard to second guess and often can’t be communicated with.

This brings me back nicely to self defense techniques. It is empowering to feel that you can deal or begin to deal with someone who for whatever reason begins to act toward you or your family/friends in an antisocial or aggressive fashion. So how do we learn self defense? Well, obviously a course taught in a class environment is the good way. You have an instructor and other students to practice with and learn moves. You can supplement this with books and instructional dvd’s.

There are also quite a number of on-line courses to buy and learn at home. The advantage with this method is you can learn at your own pace and at a time that suits you, when and where you want. You can move as quickly forward with the course as you wish. Just make sure you do your research and find a good product.

If you are looking to buy an on-line self defense course, one I would recommend, I like it so much that I advertise here it on my site, is the Self Defense Company’s “Self Defense Training System”. These guys really know what they’re doing and you get 24 hr support from the experts involved with the system.

Unlike studying a martial art for many years, learning self defense techniques can be done in a much shorter time frame. When you learn self defence you are not getting involved with the ritual of the art or style, the hierarchy of teacher and students, the long and short forms or the belt grades. You are simply finding out how better protect yourself and your loved ones. This is about what works on the street and not in the dojo.