SELF-DEFENSE READINESS TEST

PREPARATION IS NO GUARANTEE OF SURVIVAL, BUT FEW DOUBT THAT THE ODDS OF PREVAILING IN ANY STRESSFUL SITUATION INCREASE FOR THE PREPARED PERSON.

- MARK HATMAKER

Recall the words of Louis Pasteur: “Chance favors the prepared mind.” I agree with that quote, but when it comes to martial arts, I think it’s only part of the picture. Here’s an example of what I mean: We all know that in addition to having a prepared mind, our quest for self-defense readiness should include having good health. That’s achieved by moderating our food intake, choosing meals that are more wise than not, and getting in a good level of physical activity that strengthens the myriad physical processes that make up our bodies. These choices go a long way toward making our day less grumbling and, in hard times, making us more capable.

So let’s expand on Pasteur’s wisdom: Skills and drills favor the individual whose mind has been prepared.

In line with this expanded foundation of preparedness, I will offer a basic battery of self-assessment questions as food for thought. I’m not declaring that this list of skills is the list. I’m merely suggesting it as a series of prompts that might provoke the person who has never given much thought to readiness to evaluate his or her training.

If you decide to undertake any of the tests outlined below, give yourself one point for each success. If you fail in a test, give yourself a half-point for at least trying. If you do not perform any tests or skip a test — even if you know in your heart that you could do it — give yourself a big fat zero because maybe, just maybe, that “prepared mind” assumes something that the body really can’t deliver. And even if you know your body could deliver and you don’t do it anyway, well, maybe the body could deliver but the grit cannot.