The Gift of Self Defense
The holidays are here, and for those of us who celebrate Christmas, the anticipation builds as we go online or store shopping for gifts. We try finding that special gift for those close to us and hoping they will like it and not having to join the many in the returns lines the day after Christmas. Millions of children wait excitedly for Santa to bring them the toys and gadgets they so much desire.
There are gifts however that Santa can’t bring down the chimney nor can you necessarily buy in Amazon. This is the gift of feeling empowered by learning self-defense. Sure, you can buy someone a membership at a gym or martial arts place, but if that person is not receptive to it, then it would be meaningless. The timing has to be right.
When someone sincerely decides to learn self-defense, like Krav Maga for example, they embark on a journey of self-discovery. In the process of learning self-defense techniques, one determines many aspects of oneself that otherwise wouldn’t surface. It is when you interact with proven instructors, methods and like-minded partners of different levels that these aspects are revealed to you. The more and harder you train, the more consistent and persistent you are, the more you learn about yourself and your capability to fight. While you learn about your abilities as well as your weaknesses, you become liberated from fear which is the most significant obstacle we have in our lives. This process of empowerment becomes a priceless gift. When we learn to fight off a threatening aggressor and no longer succumb to the fear of a deadly attack we became not only strong mentally but liberated as well because we’re no longer a prisoner of our worse fears. This is the gift that learning self-defense brings to our lives.
Some students are being bullied at school, men, and women victimized by domestic abuse whether it’s a straight or gay relationship, and cases of police brutality as a result of inadequate training or incompetence. Learning self-defense is the antidote and equalizer in these cases, creating an invisible barrier that allows you to assess a situation and then react appropriately to the threat. Without this barrier you react without control, in fear; most likely end up doing exactly what you shouldn’t. In other words, you become your own worst enemy.
For those of us who have been training with true dedication in some self-defense discipline like Krav Maga, perhaps you may not get what you hoped for this holiday season, but just think that you already have a gift in your hands that will never go away no matter how old you are. This gift will never be out of style, even if you stop for training for some time, it will never leave you. And for those who are tired of going through the jitters of an uncertain world, you’re welcome to begin your journey of self-discovery into the world of self-defense. Give yourself this holiday season the greatest gift you will ever give yourself, become empowered, and live with dignity so that you may walk in peace. Happy Holidays!