Yes it's my birthday week and at 44 part of me still thinks I'm 17. That's a lie, most of me still thinks I'm 17. But I'm not. I'm definitely older, it's debatable if I'm a little wiser, but one things for sure, I sure as hell don't have to try as hard or as often to get the desired result and I've come to learn my limitations and I have a pretty good idea when I'm getting in over my head. That means I know to call a plumber before I flood the house.
It's funny, I never thought I would give a second thought to getting older until, well, I did. Something happens when you hit your forties. The first thought I had was HOLY SHIT, I'm going to be 50! You suddenly realize that there's more of life behind you than what's in front of you. your mortality becomes VERY REAL as you come to grips with the fact that no matter how hard you try, it's eventually going down hill from here.
Don't get me wrong, I intend to fight this aging thing until the death, but there will come a time when it's over.
While some of my friends are getting divorced, girlfriends (or boyfriends), buying motorcycles and generally letting the "wheels fly off the wagon" me and a few others realized that our time is limited so we better make the best with what we have if we're going to make the most out of our existence.
One observation is that an injury isn't "just an injury" or a bad day isn't simply a bad day. Each little physical and mental failure triggers a nagging question, am I starting my slow descent into "oldmanhood"? Because at some point, shit is going to start breaking and falling off and while I've pledged to go as far and as long as I can. 3000 years ago Spartan Soldiers were active until they were 60 plus and Jack Lalane was still putting younger men to shame in his 90's so I've got a few more rounds left in my magazine.
One of the issues we have as we get older is can we protect ourselves. Self defense is a mindset before a skill set. The toughest guy in the world today isn't the toughest guy in the world tomorrow. You need to adapt your skill set to your survival mindset constantly.
They say "tigers fight harder when they sense the end is near". I like the story of the old man facing the young bodybuilder. It all starts over a parking space where the young buck tries to cut off the old man who slides into the spot. The young guy jumps out of his car and yells "I'm going to kick your ass OLD MAN!!" To that the old timer replies "Look, you've got me really scared, I have no choice but to fight for my life and try to kill you." At that point the muscle head thinks about it and decides it's not worth it.
When you're vulnerable you start to act desperately because the stakes are higher. As we age we can use this to our advantage but we need the tools and the methods to channel our will into effective action.
When I was at the peak of my wrestling career I didn't think twice about taking a guy down in the street. Now I just know better and I know in a few years I might not be able too. It's a good thing that I have adaptable skill set.
This is the whole purpose of the Self Defense Training System. A program with skills that you can adapt to different stages of your life.
I just had a conversation with an SDTS Legion Member on Facebook who said some of these things I would have done in my 20's and 30's but now in my late 50's I don't want to bother. To that I responded that's what SDTS Module 9 is for!
As I get older I understand even more the importance of this information and training because I'm living it. Hey I can still do a lot of the things I could when I was younger (some better) but I know there are just somethings I can't do. I can not compete at the level I did 10 years ago. I may be strong enough but I'm not as fast and it takes a little longer to warm up and recover.
It's a good thing that I don't need to be that fast and I'm glad I focused on this instead of the sporting aspects of the martial arts. Martial arts and combat sports are a young man (and woman's) game, but self defense is EVERYONE'S responsibility. And you don't need to jump through hoops to get understand it.
You don't need to spend years learning this. It wasn't designed for it. Learn it, train it, teach it.
Damian Ross
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Damian Ross is CEO of the Self Defense Company and developer of The Self Defense Training System, the most lethal and effective self defense system in the world, The Guardian Defensive Tactics Police Combatives Program, 60 minute Self Defense and the Family Safe Program. Mr. Ross also founded the Self Defense Instructor Program that helps people develop their self defense careers from the ground up. Mr. Ross is originally from Ridgewood, NJ where he was a High School Hall of Fame Athlete in football and wrestling as well as a varsity wrestling coach. He then went on to Lehigh University where he was a varsity wrestler and football player. Mr. Ross has 3 black belts, 4th Degree in Tekkenryu Jujutsu, 2nd Degree in Judo, 2nd Degree in Tae Kwon Do. In addition to his martial arts experience, Mr. Ross spent 8 years in the professional security and personal protection business. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in reality based self defense.
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