Should Fitness Pros Teach Personal Safety & Self-Defense?

Introduction

Part 2 of this article series addressed the question “Can a Fitness Professional Teach Personal Safety and Self-Defense?” This article addresses the question, “Should a fitness professional teach personal safety and self-defense? Again, the answer is an emphatic “YES!” Following are several professional AND personal reasons to add this knowledge base and skill set and the benefits you will experience!

Should A Fitness Professional Teach Personal Safety & Self-Defense?

There are both personal and professional reasons for a fitness professional to become formally trained to teach personal safety and self-defense.

Expanded Skills & Greater Revenue/Income Generation

Like learning new and innovative fitness training methodologies and programs, being formally trained in personal safety and self-defense can:

  • Open new client markets (PE programs, industry, or occupation-specific clients, etc.) who initially might only want self-defense training, but could evolve into becoming regular fitness clients, too (because the trainer educates the client about how physical fitness positively impacts personal safety).
  • Increase trainer revenue by offering/providing this new service to current clients and/or from an expanded market for potential new clients.

Improved Level of Personal Safety

A fitness professional improves his or her own personal safety through the education and training process. The nature of an in-home trainer’s job places him or her at a higher risk than a trainer working in a club or private facility. Also, for anyone who interacts with other people in society or does any amount of traveling, there is a certain risk level (depending on many factors) to personal safety. By getting trained in personal safety and self-defense, the fitness professional enhances his or her own level of personal safety, both on and off the job.

Enhanced Mental, Emotional, Environmental and Physical Awareness

Personal safety is enhanced by developing a heightened state of:

  • Mental awareness – perceiving and understanding what is happening around you.
  • Emotional awareness – of your emotional state and the emotional state of other people.
  • Environmental awareness – perceiving and understanding how your surroundings can impact your personal safety.
  • Physical awareness – of your physical abilities & capabilities and the potential physical abilities and capabilities of the people around you.

Enhanced mental, emotional, environmental, and physical awareness positively influences all aspects of your professional and personal life.

Improved Physical Conditioning & Capabilities

Many physical benefits can be realized through self-defense training depending on how the training is implemented and executed. Due to the unique nature of this training and the variety of movements performed, some of the benefits include improved balance, mobility, agility, coordination, reaction time, cardiovascular conditioning, muscular conditioning, and cognitive function, along with reduced negative stress. The ability to handle the “adrenaline rush” that typically occurs under highly stressful situations is also improved.

Higher Levels of Efficacy

In all aspects of life, an individual increases self-belief as he or she improves self-confidence, self-esteem, self-respect, respect for others, communication skills, conflict resolution skills and emotional control. All of these self-improvements can be achieved through a properly structured, implemented and facilitated personal safety and self-defense training program.

Summary

In summary, learning (and learning how to teach) personal safety and self-defense provides numerous potential personal and professional benefits for a fitness professional, including the opportunity to diversify services, generate more income and enhance your own and your clients’ mental, emotional, and physical well-being!

Hopefully, you are convinced that this career and personal enhancement “journey” is for you! If it is, you should now have another question – what should be included in a quality personal safety and self-defense instructor training program? That question is covered in Part 4 of this article series! So, read on! https://empower-usa.com/fitness-pros-personal-safety-self-defense-instructor-training/

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