Why Learn Self Defense?
More Than Just Kicks and Punches
Learning self defense equips you with the practical techniques and knowledge to physically protect yourself in real life.
And for many people, that’s pretty much it.
But there’s a lot more to this self defense thing. A lot more.
And if we take a look at the reasons why self defense training – and the martial arts as a lifestyle – continues to hold such fascination for millions of people, it’s immediately obvious that it goes a little deeper than just hitting other people.
It’s also no coincidence that the martial arts are often deeply intertwined with deeper topics like philosophy and the science of self-actualization. Even for those of us who just want the good ol’ punch and kick stuff, there are profound additional benefits that are just about impossible to ignore.
Here are just a few.
Increase Your Physical and Emotional Confidence
Self defense training seriously increases your physical and emotional confidence. Of course you learn and practice techniques like striking, grappling, and weapon use, and your physical capabilities and awareness improve, enabling you to defend yourself effectively if the need arises. That’s a given.
But that newfound physical competence also translates into greater self-assurance and empowerment in other areas of life, too. Safe, progressive self defense training means you learn to overcome challenges and learn to transfer the habit of making systematic, measurable, sustainable progress to other areas of your life as well.
And along with that, your self-esteem grows, positively affecting your emotional wellbeing. That confidence extends far beyond just dealing with physical self defense. It also positively influences your personal and professional relationships, communication skills, capacity for leadership, and overall self-expression.
By investing in self defense training, you’re actually building a strong foundation for amazing lifelong confidence and resilience.
Create Positive Habits and Stimulate Long-Term Life Transformation
Beyond the obvious physical techniques, you’re also instilling positive habits and sowing the seeds of deeply impactful life transformation.
Why?
Because you’re gaining some powerful psychological tools while you’re training:
• Consistency and intelligent skill repetition
• Self-reliance and adaptability
• Automatic discipline that comes from within
• Habitual focus and entering into a flow state at will
• Perseverance and a never-say-die attitude toward tasks at all levels
• A sense of legitimate pride when you discover you’re far more powerful than you ever thought you could be
Most important of all, you’re developing the capacity for continuous learning and growth – vital life skills for anybody. We won’t even go into things like self-awareness and self-actualization here, but they’re incredibly powerful byproducts of consistent self defense training.
Manage Stress More Effectively and Enhance Your Mental Health
Self defense training provides a really effective outlet for managing stress and letting go of pent-up frustration.
It allows you to translate emotional energy into really expressive physical movement – in a safe environment. Even just doing pad work or hitting a heavy bag is a fantastic channel for releasing tension and alleviating stress.
What’s in it for you?
• Physical fitness and resilience
• Feel-good endorphins and better moods
• Alleviation of depression
• Learning how to breathe and relax properly, even in a crisis
• A positive, solution-focused state of mind
Quite honestly, I can’t think of a better set of tools to help navigate life's challenges more effectively.
Set and Maintain Physical and Emotional Boundaries
Self defense training also provides valuable lessons in setting and maintaining physical and emotional boundaries.
Through your training, you become more keenly aware of your physical and psychic personal space - and develop greater assertiveness in defending it. You learn to recognize potential threats and establish clear limits. You learn to communicate your personal boundaries effectively and clearly, without ambiguity or apology.
Obviously, once again, it’s not just about self defense. Those same skills serve to empower you more effectively in interpersonal relationships, in a business setting, when you’re negotiating, and so much more.
The upshot: you’re building a greater sense of self-respect. And at the same time, you’re fostering greater empathy and creating the foundation for a more stable, self-directed lifestyle.
Learn Skills That Give You an Enormous Advantage in a Crisis Situation
This is the obvious one.
Or is it?
Not every crisis is a life-and death self defense situation, although it sure can feel that way sometimes.
It’s absolutely critical to learn how to physically protect yourself and your loved ones in the event of a criminal attack or physical aggression - but the same calm resilience and mastery of mindset can be applied to other crisis situations too:
• A vehicle accident or some other shock-inducing event
• The unexpected loss of a loved one
• A personal financial crisis or sudden loss of income
• Betrayal by a friend or trusted colleague
• A heated argument where things seem to be spiraling out of control
• Dealing with serious illness or injury
In times of crisis, understanding the underlying mindset tools learned in self defense training can give you a tremendous advantage.
You’re better able to think clearly and make effective decisions under pressure. You learn techniques to quickly assess the severity of a crisis, so you don’t overreact and aren’t as easily manipulated by emotion or persuasion. You learn how to trust your instincts – and how to develop the right ones.
And of course, on a purely physical level, you gain the skills needed to exercise better situational awareness, to execute physical defenses accurately under pressure, and to assume mastery over your own body even when you’re tired, in pain, or disoriented.
It’s almost impossible to overrate these survival skills.
Self Defense Training: A Bigger Picture
At Elite Defence Academy International, we’re focused on a far bigger picture than just the nuts and bolts of physical “self defense”.
We recognize the fact that – quite honestly – most people view self defense training as a kind of grudge purchase. A necessity in today’s world, but not exactly a lifetime pursuit or a lifestyle choice for most folks.
So, we make it make sense. How?
First, by simplifying the process of learning and showing you hacks and shortcuts that actually work in reality.
Second, by showing people how practicing self defense can actually open up new possibilities in terms of self-development. Self-actualization. Self-elevation.
At the end of the day, you can get all the physical skills right, but if that’s all you have, you’re a one-trick pony. Can you develop the capacity to transfer your insights and experiences to other, more important spheres of your life? When you do, it’s at that point that the magic, the wonderous multidimensionality of the martial arts, becomes apparent.
We enjoy what we do. We love to share that with people.
Sound like a good idea?
Come and experience it for yourself.
And remember - we also offer a range of fun and informative Personal Safety and Empowerment Corporate Workshops!
