When you ask people why they want to study a martial art, youll hear these typical replies:

(1) A bully at school is pushing me around.

(2) Im afraid to go out at night.

(3) I want to be able to defend myself.

(4) Ive seen it on TV and in the movies, and it looks really cool!

(5) I want more self-confidence.

But if you look closely at these reasons and others, that are tacit, unstated, youll find that people are attracted to the martial arts because theyre tired of being victimized by their own fears.

If science could devise a pill that made people safely self-confident and fearless, martial arts schools and training halls would be emptied out, overnight.

People arent going to dojos because theyre socially deprived and theyre seeking a band of brothers with whom to hang out. They want to be comfortable in their own skin, to hang-in with themselves, peacefully and happily.

How, then, does martial arts training help people to vanquish fear? This occurs in stages, actually:

(1) The person trains and trains and doesnt quit. This teaches perseverance; something they thought they were lacking. With it, their fear of failure can disappear, because if they persist with anything, theyll succeed! (See my audio program published by Nightingale-Conant: The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable.)

(2) They train and they hit bags and other people, under controlled circumstances. They let out their hostilities, safely, so their fear that theyll hurt others and, in turn, be punished, vanishes. They recognize their own potential for violence, and see that what they fear, outside, from others, is partly their own projection being mirrored back. This teaches them that overcoming fear must start with them, not by changing or controlling others.

(3) They become physically competent, see that they can discharge deadly force, and probably prevail in any physical contest. Theyve experienced and survived pain and injuries. Theyre certified tough guys and gals. Once this really gets through their filters, and they believe it, they can see that they have very little to fear from other people. They probably cant be hurt; or if they are; theyll survive. So, whats left?

(4) They start to work on their other neuroses and insecurities, such as procrastination, low self-esteem, self-pity, impatience, and other foibles.

(5) Conquering these challenges, they can look back on all of the years invested in their martial arts training, appreciate their accomplishments and get on with whatever really matters, one thing at a time; without fear or worry.

This is the evolution of a martial artist, one who appreciates at last, by conquering fear, we conquer all; most importantly, ourselves!