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Coaching Sports For All The Right Reasons
The Glove It was during a March evening in 2002 that I received word that my grandfather was dying. I drove the four and a half hours to Ironwood, Michigan in a snowstorm to say goodbye. I was able to see my grandpa and he was able to recognize me...
Contact Lenses A Better Vision Option
There are over 34 million contact wearers in America. The idea of contact lenses has been around for hundreds of years. It is said that the first person to conceptualize the idea of contact lenses was Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500's. It wasn't...
I Can't Wait ! We Are Going to Cooperstown.
I Can't Wait ! We Are Going to Cooperstown. My heart soared. We were going to take another trip to The Baseball Hall of Fame. One of my favorite places on earth. Just like the first trip to Upstate New York. I wanted to see the likes of Babe Ruth,...
Some Astounding Baseball Statistics.
Some Astounding Baseball Statistics.
Ty Cobb His lifetime batting average of .367 is awesome. It is
downright baffling. Year after year of hitting over .300. His
first year was the only year he hit less than .300 Nine years
batting .380 or...
Super Bowl Athletes Prepare for Game Day by Getting Feet and Hands in Shape
Callused, rough feet and hands are a common problem for professional and amateur athletes alike. When their feet and hands are not in top shape, it’s a silent factor that hurts a player's game. Carol J. Buck, CEO of Xenna Corporation, says, "A...
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The Martial Arts and Self-Defense - Emotional Response and Reaction
The media has fuelled the perception that ordinary people on the
street are in constant danger from violent attack, and
self-defense classes promise to counter this fear.
To attract students, most martial arts schools in the U.S. teach
self-defense methods. They make many claims about the usefulness
of martial arts techniques in defending oneself against attack.
Such situations of attack are rare, however, and can be avoided
by not putting oneself in danger (for example, not walking
around bad neighborhoods after dark, not buying or selling
illegal drugs, not hanging around bars, not getting involved
with gangs, and so on). Being alert and aware of one's
surroundings and recognizing the types of events that are likely
to occur in certain locations are the individual's first line of
self-defense.
The media has fuelled the perception that ordinary people on the
street are in constant danger from violent attack, and
self-defense classes promise to counter this fear. In truth,
this perception is largely false, as more people are injured in
incidents of domestic violence than on the street by strangers.
To be effective, self-defense classes only need to reduce the
feeling of fear.
When a person is actually attacked on the street by a stranger,
the main problem in self-defense is generally not a lack of
physical ability to counter the attack, but an emotional
reaction, such as panic or anger, that can turn a bad situation
worse. Panic can
be paralyzing and invite attack, while anger
can provoke harm as well by frightening or angering an attacker
to further violence.
Serious training in the martial arts takes the emotional
reaction out of violent confrontations. After many hours of
practice, a punch or a kick becomes merely a physical force, a
fist or a foot is easily handled, and an encounter is not even
experienced as a personal attack. Students learn good
coordination and self-confidence, characteristics which can
discourage potential aggressors from becoming aggressive in the
first place. In the martial arts, the simple act itself of
practicing over a long period of time may be the most important
element in effective self-defense than any specific technique
learned.
Focusing on self-defense in today's world has changed the
techniques being taught in the martial arts. In the modern
world, no one is likely to be attacked by a sword-wielding
samurai. Instead, an attacker may be unarmed or have a baseball
bat, knife, or gun. Battlefield combat techniques would not be
very useful in these situations. The emphasis on such techniques
has declined in most martial arts styles and has been replaced
with techniques that are relevant to our times.
About the author:
Steven Gregoire has been training in the martial arts since
1986. Currently he operates Tigerstrike.com A martial art equipment and
supply store.
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