Martial Arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practices, which are practiced for a number of reasons: as self-defense, military and law enforcement applications, mental and spiritual development; as well as entertainment and the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage.
Although the term martial art has become associated with the fighting arts of East Asia, it originally referred to the combat systems of Europe as early as the 1550s. The term is derived from Latin and means "arts of Mars", the Roman god of war. Some authors have argued that fighting arts or fighting systems would be more appropriate on the basis that many martial arts were never "martial" in the sense of being used or created by professional warriors.
In it's essence martial arts is about building a person to be able to handle difficult situations. In today's day and age it is not only used for personal self-defense but development as well. At Total Self Defense we believe the martial arts exist both in the martial aspect and the art aspect. This allows anyone who wishes to be a better person than they were yesterday to be part of our school.
There are three main categories of martial arts: striking arts, grappling arts and weapon arts. The first two are considered to be empty hand styles, but may also involve weapon training at some point. The striking arts refer to those where the student learns to use their body to strike and defend. Grappling arts tend to involve leverage and pain compliance, but are not limited to these either. Weapon arts involve the use of weapons and tend to have an empty hand version as well.
At Total Self Defense we believe as much in the self-defense and the building of the individual. Our programs are designed to not only give you the opportunity to learn a martial art that has value in self-defense, but also translates to your daily life.
A Black Belt Mindset, in simple terms, means that the student will improve themselves from the day before. They give 100% on the activities they choose to participate in and are willing to accept support and critiques to improve. When you begin your journey at Total Self Defense you will have the choice of emphasis for your Black Belt.
Emphasis:
Personal Development - This track is devoted to not only learning the martial arts, but also improving your self. Depending on your focus you may choose to work on traits that help you in your profession, choose a profession or work on personal skills to develop relationships.
Leadership - The leadership track is focused on developing first the leader of oneself, and then becoming a good leader for others. It strives to develop initiative and allows for an environment to fail and learn.
Education - The education track is for those that would like to become instructors. It gives opportunities for both group and private session development. By focusing on becoming a great teacher the student learns to become a great student of learning.
Business - The business track is developed for those who would like to own their own martial arts school or their own business one day. It develops the personal skills needed to thrive in a business environment while allowing opportunity for real world application and growth.
The commitment to become a Black Belt with Total Self Defense should be one that each student takes the time to think about and plan for the commitment. Each program takes a minimum of 4 years to complete and requires not only willingness to learn, but a determination to complete. If you are interested in becoming a Black Belt with the Total Self Defense team, please contact us for more information.