I would say that it's a sad commentary on society that so many people are looking to learn self defense tactics. But none the less, that's the way it is. Demand for martial arts education is at an all time high because the world is still not a completely peaceful safe. There is still much poverty and scarcity in the world, so people are sometimes forced into crime just to survive.
No one thinks it can happen to them, but there are stories of people getting attacked while walking through the city on the evening news every night.
People in our cities and elsewhere are just plain frightened. And it's not just women either. A growing number of men are looking to learn self defense tactics. And looking for the proper training can be almost as frightening as having to defend yourself in a real life attack.
If you are someone who has decided that martial arts training is for you there is a systematic way that you can go about it. Most local directories will list a number of studios that teach martial arts or self defence tactics. Take some time and call them. See which ones tune in to what your specific needs are. If they just want to quote you a price and sign you up, you probably want to avoid them.
When you visit websites of prospective studios, see if they have a small sampling of self defense tactics listed. This tells me that they have a genuine desire to help people by giving away some free information The good places know that if they educate future students, they will get a decent share of sign-ups.
Many folks are afraid to ask questions of studios that teach martial arts. Don't be intimidated or worry that your fear will come through. The good studios will understand. They want to help you. Ask if they have any self defense tactics that you can use before you become trained. If they offer help then you are on the right track.
Try and nail them down as to what they can do for your specific situation. Are they interested in testing your fitness level, for example. You want to avoid any studio that offer a cookie cutter approach to the martial arts.
Once you find a few interesting possibilities, take the time and pay them a visit and ask for a tour. How are the facilities? Are they clean? Are the changing areas up to par? And how are the instructors? Do they seem genuinely anxious to inform you, or are they like robots leading you around the facility while droning on with a scripted presentation.
By all means take your time. There are sites online that can give you the basics of self defense tactics to tide you over until you get the training you want. Don't let your fear force you into rushing to a quick decision. And good luck with your entry into world of martial arts.
