Threat Assessment
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People begin training in the martial arts for various reasons, such as fitness, weight loss, and to build character and self-esteem, but many people begin training to learn to protect themselves from attackers. This topic deals with this fear of attack that causes people to be concerned about self-defense. Is this fear justified?
Humans have a tendency to fear threats that rarely occur, such a shark attack or even a mugger attack while they ignore threats that have a much greater chance of causing them harm, such as having unsafe sex and eating unhealthy foods. Therefore, people fear being mugged or raped, but they do not fear eating a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Some examples of risks are:
| Cause of Death | Lifetime Odds |
| Heart Disease | 1-in-5 |
| Cancer | 1-in-7 |
| Stroke | 1-in-23 |
| Accidental Injury | 1-in-36 |
| Intentional Self-harm (suicide) | 1-in-121 |
| Falling Down | 1-in-246 |
| Assault by Firearm | 1-in-325 |
| Fire or Smoke | 1-in-1,116 |
| Natural Forces (heat, cold, storms, quakes, etc.) | 1-in-3,357 |
| Electrocution | 1-in-5,000 |
| Drowning | 1-in-8,942 |
| Air Travel Accident | 1-in-20,000 |
| Flood (included also in Natural Forces above) | 1-in-30,000 |
| Legal Execution | 1-in-58,618 |
| Tornado (included also in Natural Forces above) | 1-in-60,000 |
| Lightning Strike (included also in Natural Forces above) | 1-in-83,930 |
| Snake, Bee or other Venomous Bite or Sting | 1-in-100,000 |
| Earthquake (included also in Natural Forces above) | 1-in-131,890 |
| Dog Attack | 1-in-147,717 |
| Asteroid Impact | 1-in-200,000 |
| Tsunami | 1-in-500,000 |
| Fireworks Discharge | 1-in-615,488 |
| Shark Attack | 1-in-3,943,110 |
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