Personal Safety Training and Self-Defense Training Defined

Introduction

Teaching personal safety and physical self-defense skills is a new and important way to empower your fitness clients! This 4-Part article series provides information supporting this statement by answering these questions:

  • Part 1 – Personal safety training and self-defense training defined – identifies the differences between the two trainings.
    • Note – I am starting with this information because you need to understand exactly what each type of training is, and the differences between them before believing that you can teach one or both.
  • Part 2 – Can a fitness professional gain the knowledge and skills required to teach comprehensive personal safety information and basic level physical self-defense skills?
    • Note – I am following with this information because you need to believe it is possible to learn the information and gain the necessary skills before you will proceed to Parts 3 and 4 of the article series.
  • Part 3 – Should a fitness professional add this skill set and client service to their training tools?
    • Note – this article provides a long list of professional AND personal benefits you will experience by training to be able to teach personal safety and self-defense.
  • Part 4 – What should be included in a quality and comprehensive personal safety & self-defense instructor training program?
    • Note – this article provides detailed information about what a comprehensive instructor training program should include for both personal safety information education and physical self-defense skill instruction.

Define Personal Safety Training and Self-Defense Training

For the purposes of this article series, I want to explain/define the terms ‘personal safety’ and ‘self-defense.’ From my perspective, the two terms have different meanings, but are oftentimes used interchangeably.

Personal Safety

Personal Safety training focuses on education – providing in-depth information that should help an individual make better decisions regarding potential and/or real conflict or violent situations. Personal safety training provides detailed information that enhances an individual’s knowledge, skills, and abilities to recognize & avoid, de-escalate, and/or exit from potential and/or existing violent situations without the need for physical self-defense fighting skills.

Self-Defense

Self-Defense training involves learning, practicing, and improving the skills necessary to physically defend yourself. This could range from exiting a situation to fighting back against physical attacks. Physical self-defense skill training does not make you invincible – the training is more of a “discovery” experience. Participants discover what their current and potential abilities and capabilities are, if confronted with potential or actual violence.

Now that you understand what each type of training consists of and the differences between each one, hopefully you will want to move on to Part 2 of this 4-Part article series, which answers the question, “Can a fitness professional learn to teach personal safety and physical self-defense skills?”

Remember, “ONE BODY, ONE LIFE, ONE CHOICE!”