Confidence - Attributes Gained Through the Study of Martial Arts

Confidence - belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance

Many strong attributes are gained and developed through the study of martial arts.  Confidence is one that I found for myself.  

As a child I was smaller than the rest of the kids.  Because of this I was an easy target for bullies.  I felt weak and helpless.  I did not have the confidence, in myself, to take a stand.  I began studying the martial arts when I was a teenager.  Through this I gained confidence.  From then on, not only was I not afraid, but I also believed in myself.  This went far beyond fighting.  It's funny looking back on my childhood, because I was actually in more fights before I began training martial arts than after.

We learn through the martial arts that the best fight is the one that didn't happen.  However, it is extremely important to stand up for yourself and for others.  I have found that confidence can sometimes allow you the luxury of both.  

True story.  Once, while I was in my early twenties, I was at a party with friends.  There were all types at this party and one of my friends had upset a group of white power skinheads.  Five of them to be exact.  The de facto leader of this group challenged my friend to a fight outside.  I knew this was a bad situation, so I followed to make sure he didn't get hurt.  Watching from the doorway I observed my friend caught off guard as the whole group surrounded him, and the largest guy from the group grabbed him from behind.  Now I had every intention of letting the fight happen, if the fight had stayed one on one, but this I could not stomach.  I stepped out of the shadows and announced that the fight was not going down like this.  I had kept my distance from these guys the whole night, but now I was fully committed to this course of action.  The leader of the group told me to back off; that they didn't have any quarrel with me.  I replied that this was a friend of mine, and that a one on one fight was one thing, but the five of them ganging up required I step in.  While I had some training, I knew this could still go badly.  Only, now both of us were in harms way.  I continued to parley with the leader, hoping that combat could be avoided.  After a few tense moments the leader declared that they didn't want to fight me, and they released my friend.  

This is an extreme example.  It was confidence that diffused the situation.  If I had the confidence to challenge them, they had to question why.  There was also a level of respect for what I had done.  However, this could have gone either way.  I have always been grateful that the fight was avoided.  I am also grateful that I had the confidence to take a stand.