The Role of Fitness in Self Defense and Martial Arts If you do not have a physical foundation, you’re dead.   Imagine a military comprised of only extremely unfit men: Men who could not do a pushup or climb a flight of stairs without running out of breath.  What if not one of them could run 50 yards or lift anything heavy?  What if they only ate food from McDonald’s.  It would be absurd.    These are men who need to be strong both physically and mentally.  They need to be able to endure hardship and overcome an enemy that is trained, deadly and determined.  A military force like that would not survive it's first encounter.  The same is true for us.   If we are studying self defense for anything other than a fun pastime, then we need to be p...