Martial Arts Are For Smart People

The martial arts were created for smart people. In this video, I’ll tell you why.

If the video won’t play, either CLICK HERE or read the summary below. Keep fighting, my friend!

Martial Arts Are for Smart People

The martial arts are for smart people. Think about it…

A 250 pound good guy probably doesn’t need martial arts training to fight off a 150 pound bad guy. But a 150 pound good guy will definitely need a little help fighting off a 250 pound bad guy!

That’s probably why, if you look at the origin of almost every modern martial art, the story usually begins with someone who’s smaller and weaker than everyone else… a few were even sickly!

But all of those legendary founders were smart. They were problem-solvers. They figured out how to survive by using their brain, not their brawn.

Why am I telling you this? Because I don’t want you to quit martial arts.

If you think that everyone’s younger, bigger, faster, and stronger than you, it’s easy to feel discouraged and quit. If you think you have to match up with the athletes and champions you see on pay-per-view or in highlight reels, it’s easy to give up. But that’s a mistake!

Whoever you are, or however you see yourself, the martial arts are for you.

It gets confusing because when you talk about martial arts nowadays, most people picture athletes. in MMA, Boxing, Judo, Wrestling, BJJ, Judo, Muay Thai, or Karate, we see young, fast, strong, gifted, and highly trained men and women squaring off against equally young, fast, strong, gifted, and highly trained men and women.

Therefore, it’s easy to believe that martial arts were only made for the top physical specimens of our species. But that’s not true! That’s just looking at the world of combat sports.

Self-defense is a different story. The world of self-defense is built on unfair fights. You’ll likely be smaller, slower, and weaker than your attacker. You might also be outnumbered, caught by surprise, and facing a weapon. Now what?

Don’t worry! There is hope. There is still one advantage you can count on…

You can be smarter than the bad guy.

I’m not saying you have to be a genius—I’m definitely not!—but you can develop your mental and emotional attributes to offset what might be lacking in muscles. Specifically, you can train to be…

• Less tense and more sensitive.
• Less tunnel-visioned and more aware.
• Less panicked and more strategic.
• Less predictable and more surprising.
• Less desperate and more decisive.
• Less intimidated and more determined.

Don’t get me wrong—training to be as fast and strong as we can is still important. After all, making smart decisions will still get you killed if you can’t execute the plan.

For more tips on overcoming bigger opponents, check out, Sting Like a Bee: Tips for the Little Guy.

The problem is that some students get so caught up in developing their physical attributes that they overlook their more powerful mental and emotional attributes. Who hasn’t hit a heavy bag and thought, “Whoo! I hit hard! No one can stop me!”

Of course you have! I have, too. But then reality hits…

You run into someone who hits harder. You get jabbed by someone who is faster. You get dropped on your butt by someone half your age and twice your size. Suddenly, you don’t look so cool.

When speed and power fail them, many students get discouraged and quit. Understandable, but unnecessary.

Other students figure the only way to succeed is to keep pushing back against nature and train to become bigger, faster, and stronger. Understandable, but misguided.

Misguided because there will always be someone bigger, faster, and stronger. Exclusively developing your physical prowess, especially as you grow older, will be a source of endless frustration and disappointment.

Besides, even if you are the biggest, strongest, and fastest person in the world, what happens if you get stabbed? Or hit on the leg with a baseball bat?

What happens if you slip? Or get caught off-guard?

What happens if you’re restrained? Or outnumbered?

The truth is, like it or not, you can’t always depend on your muscles to protect you. No matter how hard you train, you can always find yourself at a physical disadvantage.

The moment you accept that your mind is your first and best line of defense, your true martial arts education begins.

So, if you’re out of shape, if you’re not an elite athlete, if you feel outclassed in every class, that’s okay—the martial arts are still for you! The trick is to focus on being smarter, not stronger.

Focus less on sweat and more on strategy. Focus on improving tactics instead of techniques. Instead of focusing on how to punch harder, focus on how to set up that punch so it lands harder.

Do that and you’ll start to see how the good guys can stand up to the bullies and bad guys out there and survive, which is exactly what the martial arts are supposed to do… give the little guy a chance.

Remember—

A tiger is scary, but a smart tiger is terrifying.

Be a smart tiger. Sharpen your claws and your wits.