My focus at present is pretty much all on Boxing, because my amateur season starts soon.
In terms of Self-Protection, it’s always there on some level in my training, but it will be very different to what you guys focus on. It is illegal in the UK to own a handgun, carry a knife, or utilize a weapon of any description really. I do keep my self-protection skills sharp with and without weapons, largely because I teach some groups who need this training. In terms of my own personal priorities though, its not especially relevant to my life as it stands now.
I live in a good area, surrounded mostly by young families, and I work in an office full of professional people. Outside of that pretty much all my time is spent Boxing. With the exception of a minor incident about 18 months ago, I haven’t had a fight in years, its just not the way I live my life anymore.
I used to carry a knife until it dawned on me that my lifestyle choices rendered it totally unnecessary, not to mention paranoid, insecure, oh yeah and illegal. I used to really be into collecting knives, sticks, airsoft guns all that stuff, but it was just childish and ultimately futile, I was just playing with toys that I wasn’t ever going to use. I’d rather spend my time and my money trying to be in good shape and enjoying some hard training.
I do appreciate that violence is unpredictable, but I have trained for over 16 years and have a sufficient level of faith in my empty hand skills to relax and not lose sleep over it. If someone decided to bring a fight to my door tomorrow then I’m in shape, I’ve been there before, and I know what to do. And hey, if the story of my life is going to play out such that I meet my grisly demise at the hands of five guys with baseball bats, then I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. I’m not going to waste my life worrying about it.
I’d better go as there is a group of guys at the door. Hey, I think they want me to join their baseball team......
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