You are not getting any younger. Each day that passes is another day of deterioration. You get slower, recover slower and become less resilient. You not special, it happens to all of us. So you should know how to defend yourself. That is who the bad guys go after the older and the weaker. Don't you want to be prepared if and when that time comes. That is why everyone should learn self defense. So when that time comes you can be prepared.

When you practice martial arts and combat sports, you focus on the now. You're constantly evaluating your performance in the ring and in the training hall. You get consumed with improving, learning and growing. The problem is, when it comes to self defense you can't focus on what you can do right now, because you will most likely be attacked when you become injured, older and distracted. So training in self defense is not about what you can do right now. Self defense is about preparing for a time where you can't function a 100%. This requires some real specialized training.

Self defense skills must be common denominator skills that can be used when you are at your lowest skill level. The must take a minimum of coordination and skill, speed and power (obviously the MORE you have of these attributes, the better your chance of survival). Your skills must also tap into your adrenalin rush and take advantage of your gross motor skills.

If you train in a martial art or sport, chances are your in decent shape and have confidence in your abilities. But will you be able to perform the same way 5, 10 or 20 years from now? Will you be able to train with the same intensity and frequency that you do now? Probably not, eventually father time takes his toll. You should start preparing for the inevitable today.

Self defense training is like money in the bank. Like saving for a rainy day, the sooner you start putting money away, the more you will have when you need it. The same holds true for self defense training. The sooner and faster you start training, the more likely those skills will be there when you need them.

We all enjoy training, teaching and coaching and a lot of us will continue to enjoy a life in the martial arts. But everyone should start making time for self defense.

Click on the links provided for more information on martial arts Tampa, self defense Tampa and mixed martial arts Tampa.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 25th, 2009 at 9:39 pm and is filed under Martial Arts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.