Self-defense training is a great form of physical exercise for men and women that not only benefits your physical fitness, but also helps you experience a sense of community and develop practical abilities. These can help you feel better in your own skin in various situations and learn more about what you and others are capable of.

I admittedly took quite a while off from having a regular exercise routine, but recently began training at a local martial arts studio to broaden my horizons and do something different for exercise. So far, it has just been a combination of basic striking training (based on boxing and Tae Kwon Do), as well as some escape-type maneuvers that capitalize on common pressure points. Simply going to the gym and doing sets of different exercise has not really been inspiring for quite some time, and this has been the perfect way to "mix things up".

It has been a great lesson so far simultaneously in diligence and humility. To have any success in learning new techniques, you have to be conscious of your body and be consistent enough to not only internalize new information, but also let go of things you are doing that are not helpful. For example, dropping your hands during a punch may be natural for a beginner to generate power, but it is not the most effective should you actually be engaged in some form of combat. Also, there are many people who know much more than you and have more skills, so it's important to put your pride aside at times and accept where you could use improvement. You also realize your own vulnerability, and you can better empathize with others because you realize they are also plenty vulnerable.

Having just taken initial steps on this journey, I do not speak from a place of deep knowledge, but I can express these thoughts on how it's seemed valuable- as well as how it could be beneficial to anyone who gives this kind of training an earnest try.