The Body Language of a Badass
You hear the word “badass” used a lot lately. If you Google the definition of “badass” you get “a tough, uncompromising person.” The word is not recent, it comes from the 1950s gang underground culture, and like many trends from the underground eventually become mainstream.
So why does everyone suddenly want to be a badass? The quick answer is no one wants to be perceived as weak and thus subject to abuse. We live in a violent world where security cams constantly capture aggressors preying on unsuspecting ordinary people either to take their money or simply abuse them. Sometimes it’s not a simple petty crime, but terrorism like the knife attacks perpetrated in Israel for political motives.
Because of its unique history of interacting with a constant terror menace from hostile neighboring states, Israel has had to develop countermeasures against these immediate threats and in doing so has re-defined what it is to be a badass. Practically all Israelis upon reaching the age of 18 are drafted into the IDF and learn some basic Krav Maga self-defense skills they can use in real life against threatening opponents. These skills can be defending oneself from a knife, stick or gun threat.
In the process of learning Krav Maga, your perception of reality changes and you become more aware of your surroundings. You recognize and live with the fact that a life-threatening situation such as an active shooting can take place at any time. When you go to see a movie by yourself or with a loved one, you scan the area, look for the exits and make a general plan of escape in case you need to. You walk with confidence and awareness, instead of fear. While you are aware, you’re not nervous, fidgety or apprehensive. When you train several times a week in Krav Maga, your mind and body merge into a lethal self-defense weapon ready at any time and at any place against anyone threatening to hurt you or loved ones. This is the body language of a true badass.
A badass is not a bully going around trying to scare others into doing what he or she says. The real badass defends against such bullies, warns them not to continue with their behavior and if misunderstood shows the bully the bad consequences of their actions.
So that one may walk in peace, one must feel and be confident, but to be confident one must train in Krav Maga because it’s only through regular and consistent training that one develops this self-confidence. And it is this strong, inner self-confidence that gives you the body language of a badass.