Prioritizing Needs & Skills

Self-defense is a huge topic with a lot of different specialty areas. You may have a lot of different concerns when developing your self-defense training plan. The first thing you want to do is prioritize your needs and then prioritize the skills that will help you meet those needs.

Needs

These are things like home defense, which can be broken down into physical security and response plan. Personal defense from crime, from physical assault, in a vehicle, and at work. Family safety, involving children and communication.

We can look at needs in terms of knowledge. What areas are you currently not knowledgeable about but will want to research? Things like crime trends– what’s happening to people like you in your environment? Knowledge could also mean understanding skills, tools, and techniques.

Equipment is another possible need. Not only the actual defensive tools but also practice tools and expendable items like ammunition. We also have home & personal security issues that are equipment-related, such as better locks, more secure door,s and an alarm system. Even a dog falls under equipment.

To say that we need all of these is a daunting task. That’s why prioritizing those needs is important. Figure out what you are most worried about and where you are most vulnerable. Maybe you have cure home but feel you are at risk at work, or vice versa.

Skills

Next, prioritize your skills. What types of skills should you be concerned with? Only self-defense skills or others? Unarmed defense includes martial arts, grappling, striking, and controlling. It may include becoming physically fit. Maybe you’re worried about driving skills such as emergency driving skills. Knife skills, firearms skills, emergency medical skills. How do you prioritize these?

Whatever your priorities are, understand all the skill sets that are applicable to filling the needs you’ve prioritized.