[eviltravis]

I've been a martial arts instructor for years. Many people are shocked to discover on their first day at the dojo that a certain level of fitness is required to even participate in the basic class. The American diet and lifestyle has turned most healthy young people that are suppose to be in the prime fighting shape of their life into helpless dough boys and girls. If ever there was a requirement for people seeking self defense options, first and foremost should be basic fitness. People with disabilities and age limitations of course will always be at a disadvantage, but that is expected. Self-imposed disabilities, like obesity, unnecessarily eliminate most viable self defense options. If you can't run a half of a mile without having a heart attack, your not going to be a great candidate for surviving a violent encounter. Self defense encompasses so much more than a single certain technique or tool. Firearms are regarded as the "end all, be all" of self defense in our culture - I think that our televisions may have taught us this. The gun is really a very limited tool. It's a one trick pony that requires ammunition, training, and very specific circumstances to be effective. I know that this is a gun forum, but really - the gun should be one of the smaller tools in the self defense minded individuals tool box. Someone mentioned that multiple police sometimes have trouble restraining a single determined individual - I've worked with police. They receive pretty limited training, and not all cops are self defense enthusiasts... or even firearm enthusiasts for that matter. That determined individual that's taking the cops to the rodeo has a lesson to teach us all - Self defense has a lot to do with mindset... and fitness. Not all fights are gunfights - It's true.