LOCAL COMBAT TRAINING Turn Into a Stronger, More Confident You
Table of Contents How to Be More Confident…………………………………………..…1 Martial Arts Benefits for the Mind and Body………………..…4
Martial Arts Moves for Self Defense ………………………………7
How to Increase Your Personal Safety …………………………10
How to Handle Every Situation Differently………………..…13
HOW TO BE MORE CONFIDENT
If you are to think of self confidence, or a self confident person, what images does your imagination conjure up? Is a confident person someone who struts around, or can it be the quiet, mild mannered person who lives their life without much todo? We all have different views of what self confidence might look like. At the most basic level, self confidence is confidence in oneself or one's own abilities. It is the difference between knowing your abilities and feeling scared out of your mind. Self
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HOW TO BE MORE CONFIDENT short amount of time: learn martial arts. Through martial arts self defense, you gain personal power that leads to more confidence. Whenever you learn something new, you challenge yourself and accomplish new heights. This could be anything; but there is something different about martial arts self defense. Perhaps it is the physical nature of learning to protect yourself that can break down emotional barriers and show you just how powerful you are inside and out. Becoming your own best advocate is a part of gaining self confidence that you don’t hear enough about. We all have dreams and goals; we all want a good life. Some people, however, don’t give themselves credit for what they have done and squash any hopes or prospects of that good life they want deep down. So here’s the tip: don’t be so hard on yourself! Understand that every day, you are only the best you can be. We are all this way. Tomorrow is a new day to be the best you can be; so if today was less than 100%, tomorrow you have a new opportunity to think differently. You may be surprised at how freeing it is to acknowledge that you are only the best you can be on any given day.
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HOW TO BE MORE CONFIDENT confidence has to do with how you perceive yourself to be. Whatever you perceive is reality. However, if you would like to be more confident, less scared, there are steps you can take to make that happen. Spruce up your dress. Looking better can do a lot for the way you perceive yourself to be. This doesn’t mean go out and buy a whole new wardrobe; but a few key pieces that can be matched with items you already own can go a long way. In fact, some people can feel more confident with nothing more than a new pair of shoes! The way you look is a huge factor in how you feel about yourself. If it’s clothing, get a few new quality pieces. If it’s your hair or your grooming that sends you running, then get a great new hair cut or color; shave, whiten your teeth. These are all easy things you can do to become more attracted to the person you see in the mirror. Self confidence comes naturally when you push yourself to accomplish something. Oftentimes life is such a rut: work and home; work and home; that you don’t get the opportunity to learn new things. So here’s a tip to gain a ton of confidence in a
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MARTIAL ARTS BENEFIT BENEFITSS FOR THE BODY AND MIND
For thousands of years, individuals all over the world have studied martial arts. Way back when, these combat techniques were highly spiritual as well as physical. The complete focus of mind, body and soul led armies trained in martial arts to successes on the battlefield and in life. Fast forward several thousand years to today. Today there are martial arts studios on seemingly every corner of every city. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it goes to show that the sport has gained immense popularity in modern times.
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MARTIAL ARTS BENEFIT BENEFITSS FOR THE BODY AND MIND However, because schools sprout up like new spring flowers, care should be taken to ensure you or your family find a proper school with formal training if you really want to gain all of the benefits that martial arts have to offer. A martial arts DVD, if well made, is a way to gain more insight and guidance at home. Remember, it doesn’t matter what type of martial arts class you take, or if you learn straight from a martial arts DVD; you will reap the benefits either way. The first benefit is obvious and so it will be first in line. The physical aspect of martial arts help individuals burn calories and gain strength through toning muscles. In fact, fitness is what brings many people into martial arts these days. We are all concerned about our fitness levels because we are learning that we are shortening our lives by not taking care of our bodies. By gaining cardiovascular health through martial arts, you add years to your life – not to mention take fat off your belly. For many people, the social aspect of training with a class makes them feel great. We all want to belong to something greater than ourselves. A mar-
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MARTIAL ARTS BENEFIT BENEFITSS FOR THE BODY AND MIND tial arts DVD can teach you moves, but doesn’t get you actively involved with other students. For this reason, and the fact that you need to have contact with an opponent, a martial arts DVD is best for practice at home between classes. Being in a class with other students is a good social activity for people of all ages; not just kids. So get out there and meet new people and learn how strong you can get. More than fitness, more then friends, martial arts is a way to push yourself to limits you have set throughout your life. Now this is where the school you choose comes into play. Although martial arts are mainly a sport these days, some will push you more than others. You may not like the sound of that. This is a physical sport after all, and who really wants to put themselves in the position to get pummeled? This is understandable. But there is something to be said for the mental growth that occurs when you fight your opponent until you can’t fight anymore. Your mind doesn’t tell you when to stop; your body does. When you push through the barriers your mind has created, you create new boundaries that reach out farther and impact all parts of your life.
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MARTIAL ARTS MOVES FOR SELF DEFENSE
Around just about every corner could be a dangerous situation just waiting for you. Luckily, on just about every corner there is a martial arts studio teaching effective martial arts moves that could be used in self defense. Now, this is a bit of a joke. It’s easy to poke fun at the fact that there does seem to be an abundance of studios devoted to all the different martial arts styles in every town. But really, with instances of violence occurring in every place you would spend time; work, school, church, even at home, learning
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MARTIAL ARTS MOVES FOR SELF DEFENSE some martial arts moves doesn’t sound so bad at all. It makes sense that there would be martial arts styles evolving and working into practical, reality based defense that any average individual could use to defend him or herself. Because there are so many various martial arts styles that have come through the ages, there can be some confusion as to which form may work well for self defense. If you are a housewife who wants to learn how to protect herself from an attack, do you study Karate or Tai Kwondo? Do you throw down with some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or do you go full bore with some Krav Maga? Each of these styles will have its own effective martial arts moves that can be a deterrent for an attacker. But you can’t necessarily go out and become a master of each of these martial arts styles. Krav Maga is a martial arts style that is used by the Special Forces of Israel. For years, the style has also been used to train police and U.S. military personnel. What that says about this style of martial art is great for self defense. In fact, that’s really what it’s all about – hand to hand combat. Back when the style was first developed, soldiers
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MARTIAL ARTS MOVES FOR SELF DEFENSE were not permitted to carry guns. They had a need to learn how to fight with their hands and with the weapons they could carry, such as knives and sticks. While you could say that there are martial arts moves used in Krav Maga, the nuts and bolts of the style boils down to combat self defense. You can find many schools that use this form of martial art in their self defense clinics, named combat self defense. When compared to other martial arts styles, Krav Maga is far more aggressive. This brings up a dilemma for some. Self defense is something that carries with it the morals of the user. Sadly, many people are of the belief that violence never solved anything. While this idea is subjective and everyone is permitted their opinion, when you believe such a thing, it is likely that you would never learn to defend yourself at all. Or, you might study a form of martial arts that uses more gentle techniques. While there are many martial arts styles that can give techniques to a person, combat self defense uses the types of martial arts moves that are highly effective at incapacitating an attacker. When you may be fighting for your life, this is what you really want from your martial arts self defense program.
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HOW TO INCREASE YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY
Personal safety is not a term we hear thrown around and cocktail parties and PTA meetings. However, we do hear terms like school bullying, rape, abduction and assault. You don’t have to go farther than the morning paper or the nightly news to hear about some poor guy who got stabbed in a drunken brawl or a girl who narrowly escaped an attacker. Problem is, even with all the evidence pointing to violent crime statistics, most people assume these types of crime happen to “someone else”. Increasing personal safety is paramount to your well-being. If you want to avoid becoming a
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HOW TO INCREASE YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY target, then you need to become well acquainted with personal safety, awareness, and martial arts self defense. Step 1 in increased personal safety is Situational Awareness, or SA. Situational Awareness is defined as “the perception of environmental elements within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future”. What this means to you in terms of protecting your body and your possessions is that you are aware of your surroundings. When you know what is going on around you, you are more prepared to avoid a situation that looks or feels bad. Tip: bad guys don’t look like bad guys! Step 2 in increasing personal safety is to learn martial arts self defense. Martial arts self defense gives you an edge over the average bad guy who may approach you on the street. Sure, to learn martial arts takes some time; but if you research what you want to learn and find a reputable school geared towards true martial arts self defense, you can learn techniques quickly enough to be more prepared within days. When talking about
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HOW TO INCREASE YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY personal safety and how to maintain it; the ideal is that you avoid dangerous situations. When you cannot do that, you try to defuse a dangerous situation. When you can’t do that, you try to escape and when you can’t do that, you fight. Fighting is typically your last resort. All those steps sound like they take hours. This is not the case. When a violent crime occurs, the victim has very little time to assess what’s going on and develop their response. Because of the sheer nature of violent crime, it is imperative to learn how to adequately respond to it. If you have only seconds to react to a bad guy sticking a gun in your ribs, you want to be able to rely upon some reality based moves to get you free and put the guy down, disarmed. Step 3 in increasing personal safety is to become aware of the personal safety tools you can have in your toolbox. Awareness is one, self defense is another, the last is an actual tool such as a knife or pepper spray. These items, especially pepper spray, are highly effective when you know how to use them properly. They can be carried in a pocket or a purse; as long as you can grab one and use it quickly, it is very effective at stopping an attack.
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HOW TO HANDLE EVERY SITUATION DIFFERENTL DIFFERENTLYY
We’ve all had experiences that were less than pleasing; where we went away thinking, “I should have said…”. There are ways to handle situations differently in order to come out feeling better about yourself in the end. Confidence in your abilities to handle situations both intellectual and physical is paramount to a fully successful life. To be better in any situation, there are tools you can add to your life tool belt. Walk the walk. This may not be what you are thinking. Here, walk the walk is literal. The way
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HOW TO HANDLE EVERY SITUATION DIFFERENTL DIFFERENTLYY you carry yourself says a lot about how you are feeling. Humans are very animalistic and when some smell fear or weakness, they pounce. If you carry yourself with the walk of a successful person, you will see yourself differently; more powerful, and you will not only handle interactions differently but people will respond more favorably towards you. Think of a person whom you consider to be successful and watch how they carry themselves. It is quite likely that you never see them with slouched shoulders and chin on chest. Successful people walk with their heads up, eyes to the world. Their shoulders are back and chest is out. This is not pronounced, it is understated but commands respect. This walk says “I know who I am and what I’m capable of”. Some situations you have the chance of finding yourself in are physical in nature. Violent crime is a real life thing. To handle yourself with confidence, it is recommended that you learn combat self defense. Why does hand to hand combat training come in handy over a martial art learned at the local studio?
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HOW TO HANDLE EVERY SITUATION DIFFERENTL DIFFERENTLYY There is a big difference between real hand to hand combat training and martial arts. What you learn in a dojo is, most of the time, for sport. It is great for fitness, but to handle a dangerous real life situation effectively, what you need is combat self defense. This type of hand to hand combat training starts with teaching you how to become more aware of your surroundings so that you can read an environment for danger. By doing this, you can avoid it. However, combat self defense also puts you in the position of being able to put down an attacker if you cannot avoid it. Listening is the best way to handle interactions with other people. Communication is key to successful relationships, and yet many people do not really consider listening as a part of communication. But the only way you can really solve problems, make plans, or make emotional and intellectual connections is to listen when someone else is speaking. To know if you are a good listener, think about conversations you have had. Do you hear all or only part of what the other person is saying? Do you wait for them to finish before you begin to respond? Do you often finish other people’s sentences?
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HOW TO HANDLE EVERY SITUATION DIFFERENTL DIFFERENTLYY One tip for listening better is to stop what you are doing when someone is speaking to you. At home, this is a major issue; moms and dads, husbands and wives, and the kids are all busy. There is so much to do, and such a level of familiarity, that you may think you can wash the dishes and pay attention to your spouse talking about their day. Try putting down your dish towel and look your spouse in the eye while they speak to you. You may hear something important; or you may make him or her feel that they really matter to you because you graciously gave your full attention to them for the two minutes they needed it.
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