Dynamic Self Defense International

The Modern Martial Art

Ironically, although good health was among the original objectives of ancient martial arts, many current martial art styles include some very unhealthy training practices. Much of this is due to overly stylized, flashy movements, emphasis on competition, and a general lack of knowledge of the human body.

For example, many martial arts have rigid, snapping movements that hyper-extend and damage joints. Some styles teach students to deliberately create excessive tension in their muscles, which generates damaging stress in the body. Sparring causes many injuries and the high stress of competition wears down the mind. All of these can depress the immune system and cause poor overall health.

The founders of Dynamic Self Defense have long embraced the philosophy that all training methods must be conducive to the student’s overall health and longevity. Anything counter to that objective should not be practiced. Ultimately, living a long, healthy life, free of illness, unnecessary stress, and injuries is much more important than who can throw the highest kicks, or win in a tournament.

From Grandmaster Choi's influence, the founders learned the importance of the 'Golden Triangle' of health and longevity. This emphasizes that a proper diet, proper exercise, and proper mental state are fundamental elements towards the attainment of health and longevity. With this in mind, here is how Dynamic Self Defense's training incorporates the holistic health philosophy of the 'Golden Triangle.'



Proper Diet

The body is a biological engine. Like a mechanical engine, its performance and longevity directly depend on what you put into it.

While Dynamic Self Defense cannot directly improve your diet, we strongly encourage our students to eat properly. Our training can turn your body into a laboratory where you can more quickly feel the effects of your diet. Poor eating will quickly result in poor performance. Proper diet will quickly be reflected in increased strength and endurance, and helps your body attain its optimum weight level.

It's important to avoid radical or fad diets. Any diet that claims to cause rapid weight loss would probably fall into this category. One of the few well proven facts about diet is that rapid changes in the body usually don’t last. The best changes are those that occur at a gradual and consistent pace.

This category would also include any diet plan based solely on medications or supplements to maintain an optimum weight or energy level. (Dietary supplements such as proteins, vitamins and herbs absolutely can be very beneficial to your health, but not if the dietary plan relies on them exclusively.)

What are reasonable recommendations and expectations in a diet? These are a few of the important ones:

- They should be based mainly on whole grains, fruits and vegetables, breads, pastas, and other complex carbohydrates. Avoid highly refined carbohydrates such as sugar and white bread.

- Fiber intake is very important – A helping of raw vegetables, particularly broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach etc. are a daily must.

- Eat lean meats in moderation, stay away from greasy ground meats, sausages, etc.

- Consume alcohol in moderation, if at all.

- Water intake is crucial. Eight glasses of water, preferably purified, a day is a minimum for good health. If you exercise hard (like in our practices) your water intake should be even higher!

- Avoid highly processed foods, and foods with lots of chemicals, antibiotics, artificial growth hormones, preservatives, salt, etc. In our culture, this is often difficult to do, but it makes sense to avoid them as much as possible. Just as you should always be on the alert to avoid potentially threatening places (like dark alleys) you should also be alert to avoid questionable food additives as well. Maybe they’re harmless, but why take the chance if you have healthier alternatives?

- Any dietary and health program must include regular exercise. No reliable weight loss or health gain can be sustained without it. Regular training in Dynamic Self Defense can easily provide your exercise requirements. But if a program says regular exercise isn’t necessary, (a minimum of 20 minutes of sustained aerobic activity, three times per week) be suspicious of whatever else it says.



Proper Exercise

Dynamic Self Defense training provides:

- Moderate Exercise. Excessive over training, typical of many competitive sports, often leads to injuries and creates excessive stress. In Dynamic Self Defense we train moderately for enhanced quality of life, not competitive events.

- Balanced Exercise. All of our kicks, punches, strikes, and patterns provide balanced workouts for all muscle groups: top and bottom, left and right.

- Sustained Aerobic Activity. --At least 20 minutes in duration, three times per week.

- Improved Muscle Tone. --From explosive, anaerobic training on shields, heavy bags, and focus mitts.

- Flexibility Training. We use gentle stretching exercises based on the guidelines recommended by the Aerobics & Fitness Association of America. There is no forced or partner stretching, which is often used in traditional martial arts. (These cause injuries!) Our Yoga-style stretches, practiced at the end of class, further enhance flexibility along with spinal health while reducing stress and increasing circulation.

- Safety. Our defense drills simulate real defense situations, providing practical training while reducing the risk of accidental contact and injuries. In addition, all movements in Dynamic Self Defense are designed to be biomechanically correct for maximum safety and efficiency. e.g. We use no snapping motions, which are very harmful to the joints. All classes begin with a proper warm-up and end with a cool-down and thorough stretching session to further minimize the chance of pulled muscles or other injuries.



Proper Mental State

Dynamic Self Defense training cultivates a calm, relaxed, and positive frame of mind-- an important part of good health and longevity:

- Relaxed Class Environment. We frequently remind students to breathe properly and stay relaxed while training. Our discipline is friendly and positive, not militant and harsh. This creates a class atmosphere that keeps your mind strong and alert without feeling fearful or apprehensive.

- Fun, Family-Oriented Training. We have a non-competitive, family oriented, training environment. Learning is fun and stress free, and therefore healthier.

- Balanced Neural Workout. Most other sports and day-to-day activities tend to be very one-sided, which promotes imbalance in the mind and body. Our workouts require equally complex activity on both the left and right sides, as well as the upper and lower body. This combination of activity helps integrate and balance both sides of the brain.

- Improved Confidence and Self Esteem. In Dynamic Self Defense, you are constantly achieving new goals and learning new self protection skills. Our expectations are based on each individual’s abilities. We strive to help you to continuously improve your personal best performance rather than force you to out-fight other students.

- Heightened Sense of Well Being. Our aerobic training causes your body to release Endorphins. These give you a heightened feeling of well being (“runner’s high”) and actually boost your immune system.

- Reduced Daily Stress. Excess adrenaline, built up from your daily stresses, can depress the immune system and lead to decreased health. Our training metabolizes adrenaline, particularly during equipment drills. Also, the mental focus required by your training has a meditative effect that can calm your mind and further reduce stress.

- You Leave Class Feeling Better than When You Started. Classes end with gentle rhythmic exercise and Yoga-style stretching, combined with deep breathing. Your training leaves you physically tired, but uninjured. You leave class feeling good, with a clear head and a relaxed mental state.

- Improved Sleep. Workouts make you tired in a healthy way, promoting a better sleep. This is very important for overall physical and mental health.