Choosing a self-defense program is both a personal experience and adventure. The techniques you learn must be effective and suitable for your physical abilities. Learning self-defense is a personal, physical, contact activity imparted in a controlled setting. Trust and experience are what is most desired in the instructor you choose. Just as in choosing a physician, make the selection personal.

Participation in self-defense class will encourage you to think in terms of options and choices. A good self-defense course will expand the way you think about violence prevention, help you deal with your fears, enable you to feel more assertive in your life, and provide effective technique. The skills you acquire through self-defense training will permeate the rest of your life. The study of martial arts requires a different sort of commitment than taking up other pastimes such as bowling, rafting, or hiking. Students often find increased body awareness, balance, physical strength, and coordination influence and improve their lives outside the class.

Philosophy and Criteria for a Good Self-Defense Class

Participation in self-defense class will encourage you to think in terms of options and choices. A good self-defense course will expand the way you think about violence prevention, help you deal with your fears, enable you to feel more assertive in your life, and provide effective technique.

Philosophical Points:

·    Individuals do not ask for, cause, invite or deserve to be assaulted. Women and men sometimes exercise poor judgment about behavior, but that does not make them responsible for the attack.

·    Whatever a person's decision in a given self-defense situation, the decision to survive the best way possible must be respected. It is necessary to respect and not judge a person's decision in a given threatening situation is to survive the best way possible. Self-defense classes should not be used as judgment against a victim / survivor.

·    Good self-defense programs do not tell an individual what she "should" or "should not" do. A good program offers options, techniques, and a way of analyzing situations, including strategy building exercises. A program may point out what usually works best in most situations, but each situation is unique, and the final decision rests with the person actually confronted by the situation.

Selection Criteria:

The following suggestions will assist you in selecting a self-defense program or a martial arts school to further your education and skills.

·    Study the Instructor: Ask yourself if there are qualities that you see in the instructor that you would like to acquire. What is the instructor’s teaching style, communication skill, and reward system? Do your observations match your needs?

·    Watch the Students: Their experiences will reflect in their participation, demeanor, interaction with others, and overall attitude.

·    School Focus:  Choose a school based on focus. The focus of the head instructor, school, and style maybe on tournaments, training discipline, health and fitness, philosophy or self defense.

 

Once you have identified several likely candidate for furthering your education attend some classes as an observer and a participant. Most programs should let you watch or even tryout a class session for free. Now you can make a more informed decision.