For some people self defense means carrying a gun in case they are ever confronted by an attacker while they are out. While a gun can be an effective self defense tool they can let you down and in these cases you will wish that you knew how to use your body as a weapon to fight off the bad guy.

Recently I had a chat with a friend who was from Colorado and had a permit to carry a concealed weapon everywhere he went in the state. Of course the problem came when he took a trip to San Francisco to see a friend and had to leave that gun behind since California did not honor his permit. After leaving a restaurant one evening a mugger approached him and demanded his wallet. Forgetting he did not have his weapon he reached for it while verbally calling out his attacker. Of course when it turned out not the be there the situation went from bad to worse immediately.

While guns can be effective the problem is you cannot carry one with you at all times and stay in compliance with the law even if you do have a permit. We also read stories of those who have their gun taken from them by their attacker where it is promptly used against them. But by learning one of the many martial arts styles available you can use your body as a weapon and this is one weapon that is not against the law to carry and can never be taken from you no matter how hard the attacker my try. You can still choose to carry that gun but make sure you back it up with some real self defense training.

The two things we seem to hear on the news each week is of violent attacks suffered by members of a our community and budget cuts that make the police have to work with less money. While the crime rate around us is going up the amount of police being used to enforce the laws and keep citizens safe is going down. What this means for the average person is you or someone you love will more than likely be the victim of a crime one day and when it happens the police will probably not be around to help.

This is why it is more important than ever for everyone to get martial arts training to protect themselves in the event of an attack one day.  Martial arts will prepare someone to fight off an attacker in many situations and can be used by anyone of any age man or woman. Even when the attacker is larger in size with the right training and techniques it is possible to overcome the surprise attack and turn the tide in your favor to allow you to escape and find the help you need. Without this training you will be at the mercy of the attacker and the police we all depend on already stretched thin may not be there in time for you.

There are many martial arts styles available to learn so it is possible to choose from several to get the one that will suit you best and just how you want to handle your own self defense. From just getting enough edge to get away to turning the attack around to make the aggressor become the defender choose the style that is best for you and it will be there when you need it.

Martial arts are popular with those who are looking for a way to get fit while also learning some skills in order to protect themselves from attack. But while all martial arts styles are effective for getting fit they are not all equal when it comes to self defense. Martial arts styles vary and some are just not effective in real life street scenarios where there are no rules of engagement. So how do you decide which style of martial art is the one for you that will help in self defense on the street?

Before just jumping into a martial art style, take the time to study several to see what they offer. Learn if the style features more kicks or punches and is it designed for only sparring or can the techniques be used in a attack based scenario. To study each form see if you can visit a class, talk to students to see how they have applied these techniques in real life, and compare the styles that you are interested in.

Another effective way to compare the styles is to watch a self defense DVD for each one. This will give an idea of just how effective this form will be should you ever need to use it to protect yourself. Videos allow you to see the various moves and techniques in action and if used in a self defense scenario just how effective they are.

Of course once you decide on which martial art style you will study for fitness and self defense it does not mean that is the only style you can ever learn. Really the most effective self defense is a combination of several fighting styles that takes the most effective moves of each and applies them to staying alive in the event of an attack.

It is really easy to get caught learning as many self defense techniques as possible in order to feel safer in your everyday environment. Unfortunately, this tactic rarely proves to be a good one. There is a reason that most hand to hand combat training methods focus on only few specific techniques that can be modified to be used in a wide variety of situations. There is also a reason that some courses are considered to be much more effective than others. It is important to broaden your view and instead of focusing on the minutia of every technique, spend a little more time looking at the big picture. Here are 3 things to keep in mind when learning self defense techniques.

The first thing that you need to keep in mind is that it is physically impossible to prepare for every potential situation that could arise. You never know who could attack you, where you could be attacked, or when you will be attacked. You don’t know how many attackers there will be or if they will have any weapons. You don’t know if you will have friends or family with you and whether or not they will be able to take care of themselves. As you can see, there are simply too many variables to allow you to effectively prepare for every scenario. That is why the most successful courses teach you techniques that can be applied to a variety of different situations. Instead of focusing on how you will use a particular technique, it is better to focus on general situations in which a technique could be used.

The second thing you need to consider is whether or not you really need to learn hundreds of different self defense techniques. Every successful self defense coach will tell you that it is much better to have 5 techniques that you can do extremely effectively than have 100 techniques that you can sort of do. This is because most techniques can be applied to a variety of situations with a little modification. Additionally, if you sort of know 100 different moves, then you will likely hesitate when you are attacked, because your body and mind is unsure of what move that particular situation calls for. On the other hand if you have a handful of moves that are all for different types of situations, you will immediately know that you have one or two moves to choose from, which means that you can take action faster.

The third thing to keep in mind is your endgame. One of the biggest problems that some hand to hand combat training programs have is that they do not really have an endgame in mind. When learning self defense techniques, you shouldn’t be learning 10 different moves that you can use in a row, but rather 2 or 3 moves that will allow you to get your endgame strategy. This could mean creating an opportunity to escape, disarming your attacker, stunning your attacker, or incapacitating your attacker. It doesn’t really matter what your endgame is. The important thing is to focus on learning self defense techniques that get you to your endgame as quickly and as safely as possible.

These 3 issues are very important to keep in mind when learning self defense techniques or going through hand to hand combat training. The problem is that these issues are very big-picture in nature and many people get too caught up in the details. It is always a good idea to consistently take a step back and ask yourself if what you are learning fits into your big picture plans.