Thursday, June 26, 2014

"Why should I invest in Self Defense?"


This is a comment I have heard a few times over the years working in the self defense industry and every time it puzzles me and has me asking the question, "why wouldn't you learn self defense?" For starters, you learn skills that ultimately could help you defend yourself, your loved ones, and those around you who cannot. As a civilian I would like think that if I could not defend myself, someone else who could, would step up in doing so...maybe that's wishful thinking. 

Not to mention you will develop skills to defend yourself but also achieve greater coordination within your own body by connecting with your mind in order to perform certain techniques. This allows you to build both your body and mind to be tough, resilient, and push the limits of your heart/psyche and find how far you can go before you even think about giving up. Every day I see people pushing the limits of what they thought they were capable of at our school and through our training here at Masada Tactical. Individuals who have even surprised themselves at what they can accomplish as long as they put their mind to it and don't ever quit. A fundamental teaching we have at our school, "Never give up!" 

Lets not forget the health benefits associated with just coming to a class and keeping active. This alone will create longevity and increase your quality of life versus deteriorating by staying inactive. Health is a growing concern in our society and a great way to battle this is to become active.  So why not become active and learn a valuable set of skills at the same time? It seems as though it is a no brainer but unfortunately I am beginning to see a trend in preferring electronics and technology over health and wellness. If times are tough do you cut your cable and television bill or your gym membership? Do you try to work your workout routine around your schedule or your schedule around your workout? These are questions to think about when addressing your priorities and do not forget your health is what keeps you going.

Plus, classes are fun, engaging, and invigorating, who doesn't like a little excitement from time to time or to blow off some steam after a hard day and hit something to release some of this frustration. Self Defense brings so much to the table and all of them are benefits to increase your quality of life, do not miss out, and do not wait until it's too late. I always say, "I much rather know it and never need it, then need it and never know it.”

Still not convinced? Still thinking that your time and energy could be spent elsewhere other than learning how to defend yourself? Well don’t just listen to me...listen to the facts about the area you live in...they are not pretty and violence is very much a reality of our society. We are constantly bombarded with bad news on television, social media, and other news related websites...but growing awareness can be positive if addressed correctly. 

Here are the facts according to NeighborhoodScout.com…8,824!  What does this number mean? This is the number of violent crime we have on our own soil here in Baltimore. A number that is above the national average and although not staggering, it is something to take note of, especially if you are a Baltimorian. Assault, rape, murder, and robbery fall under Violent Crimes with assault stealing the spotlight from the rest with a total of 4,655 reported cases. This means that overall you have a 1 in 71 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime and a 52% chance it will be an assault. Remember, these are only the reported violent crimes that have happened and it does not include the unreported violent crimes. 


Unreported crimes are a scary thought.   The idea that someone did something harmful to someone else and may never pay for their actions and have an option to repeat said crime. However, this does happen and is an unfortunate reality especially when it comes to rape. According to RAINN, 60% of rape crimes go unreported and although this is determined through the national total it is still a problem in our community here in Baltimore. If you take the crimes that are reported and what the numbers are telling us and then account for the unreported crimes that are occurring we have a good reason to learn how to protect ourselves and our loved ones. 

Investing your time, energy, and body into learning self defense in my opinion is worth it considering the alternative could be a tragic and life altering experience that may leave you scarred and mentally destroyed.


Learn real tools for the real world, do not become a victim.

Vince Spera
Masada Tactical

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