Hello!

What do you all think one's "self-defense fitness" goals should be?  If you had to choose 4 from the following and rank them in order of importance...how would you order them?

01 Muscle Strength
02 Muscle Endurance
03 Muscle Power
04 Aerobic Capacity
05 Aerobic Endurance
06 Lactate Threshold
07 Anaerobic Capacity
08 Anaerobic Endurance
09 Agility, Balance, & Coordination
10 Flexibility

Definitions (quite a bit of overlap!):

01 Muscle Strength: usually expressed in terms of 1-rep-max (1RM).  How many muscle fibers can you recruit to perform work (lbs moved).  Usually enhanced by weight training.

02 Muscle Endurance: usually expressed in how many reps you can perform of a particular exercise (often bodyweight like pushups).  Usually enhanced by performing many reps of a particular exercise (like pushups).

03 Muscle Power: Ratio of work / time.  How much work can the first recruited muscle fibers do?  Usually enhanced by plyometrics, quick-rep training, & low-rep training.

04 Aerobic Capacity: The ability of the body to produce energy through a process that uses oxygen (and little lactic acid).  Often expressed as VO(2) -max.  Commonly enhanced by LSD (long, slow distance) running or long intervals.

05 Aerobic Endurance: The ability to perform work at below "Lactate Threshold" levels of exertion for a long time.  Commonly enhanced by LSD running.

06 Lactate Threshold: The level at which the body must switch from aerobic-fueled activity to anaerobic-fueled activity...meaning the body begins to produce lactic acid in the muscled (the burn you experience while sprinting).  Usually enhanced by "threshold runs" (running beyond the ability to talk/sing) or running intervals.

07 Anaerobic Capacity: Almost the same as muscle strength but would be expressed in the form of work performed (i.e., sets * reps * weight).  Usually enhanced by sprinting or strength training...especially weight training.

08 Anaerobic Endurance: Ability to perform work at above "Lactate Threshold" levels of exertion.  Commonly enhanched by circuit training, high-rep/low rep powerlifting, and running intervals.

09 Agility, Balance, & Coordination: Ability to control and propel ones body through space and across time :) with precision.  Space meaning environment and time meaning for a period of time.  Usually enhanced with running, leaping, and movement drills.

10 Flexibility: Ability to manipulate the body in a wide range of motion.  Commonly enhanced by static or active stretching.

Here is how I would rank them...

1 09 Agility, Balance & Coordination
2 03 Muscle Power
3 06 Lactate Threshold
4 08 Anaerobic Endurance

I placed Agility, Balance, & Coordination first because nothing will make a defensive situation worse like stumbling, falling, or generally not being adept at avoiding actions by another.

I placed Muscle Power second because the ability to produce enough power for a crippling strike or to redirect aggressor energy will also be key in reacting defensively to an agressive action.

I placed Lactate Threshold third because training to improve this threshold will improve my body's ability to process the chemical changes that it will endure under a life-and-death scenario.

I placed Anaerobic Endurance fourth because any attack will be way above and beyond "aerobic" activity and endurance in this area will tilt the fight in my favor if that fight becomes protracted.

How would you rank them?

1. Agility, Balance, & Co-ordination--As you said, the ability to remain in control of your body and move rapidly while retaining your footing/balance, is of great importance. If you are busy collecting yourself(physically), you aren't fighting back.

2. Muscular Power--The ability to act explosively and powerfully combined with that action being precise (co-ordination), will most likely be necessary to end a situation as quickly as possible.

3. Anaerobic Endurance--This is essentially the same as lactate threshold, but not exactly. Improving on one will result in similar improvements in the other. Should you be unable to end the confrontation quickly, this will prove vital to you ability to continue to fight, and do so effectively.

4. Muscle Endurance--By training for maximum muscular endurance you teach your body to focus its efforts in as much of a combined manner as possible, aerobically and anaerobically. This will increase your bodies ability to incorporate all of its energy production methods to sustain high levels of exertion, again this may prove to be the difference is a life and death struggle.

You really have a lot of overlap in the options you provided. There are three methods of energy production used by the body. Aerobic, using oxygen as a primary component of the reaction producing energy, and two forms of anaerobic energy production, both using various chemicals stored within the body as the primary component of the reaction. That said you can cover all three methods by training in two ways. A good balance of cardiovascular exercise (aerobic training) and strength training (anaerobic endurance) you should have your bases pretty well covered. This assumes a balanced program.

There is a lot that goes into designing an effective work out program, and the fact is that you can overcomplicate things quite easily. You seem pretty well informed on this and I am sure you know what I am saying.

[8D]