Self-defence is essential for everyone, but at differing stages of life and for various reasons.
In this article, we look at each phase and explain why it is important to start training
Ready.
Let’s do this:
Phase 1: Children
Children need to learn self-defence but not because their lives are generally at risk.
After all, the vast majority of child fights end with nothing more than minor injuries.
The real reason children need self-defence training has to do with their mental well being.
Children naturally end up wrestling, play fighting, and this eventually evolves into more serious fights as the children age.
But behind this is usually a status driven fight to be the young ‘alpha’ of their group.
This applies to young men and women.
Self-defence training at that age is not about teaching them to win fights but to have the confidence to stand up for themselves.
People tend not to stand up for themselves because of a fear of violence if they do.
Self-defence training removes this fear because the children know that should they be punched or kicked; they have the skills to fight back.
Phase 2: Teenagers
As a child progresses into being a teenager, they become stronger and arguably more irritable.
Also, social pressures exist that can cause teenagers to engage in bullying, and attacks to increase status within their peer group.
And there is a considerable increase in knife possession/ use at this age along with an increased risk of gang participation.
In simple terms, it is highly likely that your teenage child will end up being in a fight/ attacked.
The only question you need to be able to answer is if you have prepared them to deal with this when it happens?
Phase 3: Ages 20 to 40
As you move from teenager to the 20 plus age group, you will now be entering what is arguably the high-risk zone.
This is because this group tend to venture out more to socialise, and as we know, alcohol is consumed as part of the routine.
This increases the riks of alcohol-fueled/ related violence.
Being able to protect yourself in this phase is essential for your personal safety/ survival and applies equally to men and women.
Phase 4. 40 Plus self-defence
OK, so we are now at the final stage of self-defence training, the 40 plus bracket.
It is in this age bracket you are more likely to find self-defence situations entering your life quickly.
Robbery, road rage incidents, coming to the aid of another are more likely situations than ending up in a punch up in a kebab house.
Training Is For Life
You may have noticed a theme here; violence can enter your life at any point, no matter what stage of life you are at.
And while at certain times, you are more likely to have encounter violence in a particular fashion, there is no certainty of this.
I have seen 50 years in fights in kebab shops and 18-year-olds in road rage incidents.
S, if the risk of violence entering your life is present throughout it, why aren’t more people training in self-defence?
The answer is simple “it will never happen to me”.
In 20 years of police work, I almost always heard victims say the same thing.
“I can’t believe this has happened.”
“You just don’t think this type of thing would happen.”
“I can’t believe they did this to me; I did nothing to hurt them.”
This is what I call ‘disbelief’ syndrome.
People do think that violence will never touch them, that they will be OK, and when it does enter their lives, they are truly unprepared.
And of course, there comes the other aspect, an apparent overestimation of their ability to protect themselves.
People who feel that they can handle anything and anyone, despite having no experience or skills to back this up.
We see this a lot when people are eager to jump into fights, take their shirts off and start shouting ‘come on’.
What Phase Should You Start Training At?
“I’m too old for this.”
“She is too young.”
The best time to start self-defence training is right now.
You are never too old.
You are rarely too young.
So head on down to your local self-defence school and invest in something that you might need throughout your life.
The ability to protect yourself and others.
Thanks for reading