The Advantages of Martial Arts for a Model

As action movies are wont to tell us, so much can be solved through violence. In a lot of ways it is better to be able to handle oneself in a fight than to actually fight in one. And, of course, there are additional advantages to taking a few martial arts classes as well.

The biggest advantage to taking them, as a model, is that you learn discipline and gain a certain physical grace. The discipline helps you in a lot of ways; not only do you have greater patience when dealing with aggravation, you also gain the ability to concentrate better and longer. Because you better able to filter out distractions, you can also learn things faster. It also helps deal with weight issues as well. Of course, you also gain that additional grace, making your desirability as a model that much greater.

It also helps you deal with unwanted advances. It allows you some situational awareness, so you are able to avoid some situations by dint of seeing them coming ahead of time, allowing you to head them off before they become bad situations. Of course, you can also deal with those bad situations when they are unavoidable or they slipped past your radar. The classes will not make you someone capable of handling every situation (you will need to develop other skills to make that happen) and odds are good you will not be re-made into a hero capable of dealing with any physical challenge merely by dint of a few classes, but you will be able to deal with them better than you could.

That added capability has another advantage as well; you will find that you have greater self-confidence as well. That confidence makes less likely to act as a door mat for others, and gives you the ability to better deal with situations as they come up. This is a definite plus in a career where anything can happen, and you need to be able to quickly make major decisions with little or no information. You would be surprised just how far a little confidence will go when it comes to dealing with what a model needs to deal with.

Be advised that martial arts classes are not cheap; they can cost at minimum a few hundred dollars a year; the skills are best when you maintain them, and you need at least monthly classes to do so, even if you have no intent to go for a black belt (or equivalent). If you take them through free self-defense workshops, there is a limit to how many classes you can take, and a college class can only take you so far. Admittedly you do usually get a free gi, but that only saves you about $50. However, they are definitely worth the cost, both in terms of self-confidence and how to defend yourself. Hopefully you will never need to use them, but is nice to have the skills when you need them.