Naturally Self-defense is going to build your confidence but even if you were never to learn Street Self-Defense at an Academy your confidence would still grow tremendously. Training in the various sports of Martial Arts or even through Martial Arts Fitness classes you begin to recognize that you are capable of much more than you think. When you begin training in Martial Arts you are going to see others doing things that you can't imagine yourself doing. In the beginning, this is probably true. If you remained as the same person you were when you fist walked in the gym, you probably couldn't execute those Martial Arts or Fitness techniques. However, a good school will have the systems in place to safely lead you through the proper steps to begin excelling. Good curriculum and structure are made to start you were you are and lead you to where you want to be. Through repetition of basic movements your body begins to identify and remember how to move properly. Before you know it you are doing things that you never imagined you would!
This is a major confidence booster! Confidence is more important in self-defense than any self-defense technique. Those who lack confidence are the ones who tend to be victimized. So even if you attended an Academy that never focused on real self-defense, your confidence would probably grow to the point were having to defend yourself became a much less likely scenario.
If you attend an Academy that does teach self-defense, sport and fitness than you are getting the best of both worlds. To me self-defense is a very temporary form of martial arts. With the right program you can learn all the self-defense you need within 1-2 years. The sport and the art of Martial Arts tend to create more of a fruitful lifestyle that is beneficial for years and years to come. Self-defense is one great benefit of Martial Arts but they offer so many more benefits than that. All though it is good for anyone to learn self-defense, confidence can come through many different avenues of Martial Arts training and confidence can change the whole path in which your life leads.
