There are many self-help books on the market, especially in the martial arts, that purport to teach readers self-defense.

I believe most are well-intentioned, and much of the advice is honorable and helpful.

But there is no book of wisdom that can make you the warrior youll become through steady, long-term practice under expert guidance in a dojo or martial arts studio.

There are several reasons I say this:

(1) Your reflexes will become much faster with consistent practice. If youve seen the movie with Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, youll remember the dinner table scene when Pitt drops a wine bottle and Jolie snares it out of thin air, without any muss or fuss. Instantly, Pitts character knew she had training, and he needed to be wary.

If someone throws a punch at your face, your body needs to know exactly what to do without the intervention of conscious thought. Dojo training is behavioral, reflex-building training, and no book can teach that to you.

(2) In dojos you practice with other people, with partners. You just cant act and react the same way, by yourself, with a book or by watching video.

(3) You can actually see what happens when people get angry or temporarily lose control. Ive broken ribs, and mine have been broken, twice. Its amazing how little force is required to do this, or to put people in the hospital.

(4) Your misconceptions about the glamour of violence can be dashed, safely. Fights arent pretty. Thats a great lesson for any punk who thinks he can get away with intimidating people and never get hurt, himself.

(5) You can get so good that the odds of using your skills diminish, tremendously, making you and those around you, much safer.

Im sure there are other reasons for joining a dojo, but these come to mind. If youre ready to learn, poke your head into a training hall, and get your nose out of books!