Self-defense lessons are something that appears very early in our lives. Often children will take up Karate, Jujitsu, kickboxing, and more. Although we don’t often think of them as self-defense, it is a cool afterschool activity and a great way to make friends.

While these sports can be classed as self-defense, they also teach the students a lot more than just that. Of course, the students will reach a point where they can defend themselves should they need to, but they can also take part in high-ranking matches and be graded for how well they perform each of the actions.

There are also self-defense classes that teach purely how to defend yourself from an attacker - and in modern society, it is something that is becoming more prevalent.

A shocking statistic is that one in three women will be attacked at some time in their life, and many are unable to defend themselves.

Aside from knowing how you can defend yourself with your hands and feet, you can also learn to effectively use a self defense knife, pepper spray, keys, and other items. This can be vital should you be attacked.

But what are the other benefits of a self-defense class?

Social

Self-defense classes are designed to be a safe environment, and as such everyone, there is like-minded and hoping to learn something meaningful. All martial arts teachers will make sure that one of the most important things that are taught in the class is being respectful of those around you.

You are also encouraged to keep a positive outlook and interact with the people within your class too.

Self-discipline

If you usually start something and leave it or find that you don’t have much willpower to achieve what you want, you will probably see something quite amazing. Your class and your teachers will be able to help you into a more self-disciplined mindset. The first classes are going to leave you feeling a little sore and maybe even out of breath or tired.

But over time, your fitness level will improve. Ahead of your fitness levels improving, you are going to notice that your motivation and self-discipline for turning up to lessons and giving it your all will kick in.

Confidence

Many people struggle with confidence, and it can be a long road to finding out how you can have more of it. Self-defense classes will give you a wide variety of tools so that you can effectively assess a situation and decide if it is a negative one. It also means you will be confident in dealing with those situations.

It’s important to know that general confidence levels will also rise, too, because the stronger and more in control we feel, the more confident we become.

It’s not just self-defense that you learn in classes; it is how to diffuse situations and how to get the best outcome. These skills can be applied to other areas of your life.

Health

When you start attending classes once or twice a week, you will quickly notice that you are becoming healthier. Since you will be throwing people and generally working out each session while learning the important moves, your body is getting a great workout.

Self-defense is one of the most beneficial ways to train your body because you do it with the mind engaged and your senses alert. It gives a different sensation than some other types of exercise.

And one of the greatest benefits that appear alongside this one is that when we work out, we naturally get a boost of endorphins and other happy hormones - which can help us keep our moods steady.

Reduced anxiety

There are many people who feel like they are held back because of their anxiety. Their anxiety stops them from being able to go out for coffee alone, shopping in the supermarket, or just everyday life.

While self-defense classes won’t be able to stop anxiety completely, they can increase confidence and help people feel more at ease when out in public.

Awareness

When we first learn to drive a car, we become vigilant and look out for hazards and things that can go wrong. Over time it becomes second nature. During our daily lives, we are often so consumed with where we are going and what we are doing that we stop paying attention to our surroundings.

When you start taking self-defense lessons, you will begin to have a heightened sense of what is going on around you so that even if you are slightly preoccupied, you can still spot when a situation might go wrong.

Often we rely on our intuition to help us out, but if you can also spot body language and other behaviors, you can be prepared.

Learning

While learning something new can be a bit worrisome, it is also one of the most fun things that we can do. Increasing our knowledge in any area will give us a confidence boost, but it also means that we are keeping our brains and bodies active.

Not many people like to be corrected or told they are doing something incorrectly, but when you are learning, that is part of the process.

Learning new skills through self-defense is a great thing.

Reflexes

While you might not be catching flies with chopsticks like the karate kids, your general reflexes will get much faster. One of the things you will learn in self-defense classes is to control actions and reactions, and that will just become part of your new and improved skill set.

Self-defense classes serve one big main purpose, but aside from that, there are so many other benefits; even if you live in a very safe neighborhood, it is worth considering how you can access classes.

Perhaps you need a confidence boost before you are prepared to join classes, learn something new or try to increase your social circle, in which case, here are some tips to help you: 4 Ways You Can Boost Your Confidence.

The Many Benefits of Self-Defense