Dude, your only question at this point should be when you're coming to see me and my associates either for a class or private sessions. In addition to the fact that I'm not the greatest physical specimen on the block, we've had more than a few students with limitations of some sort or another. It doesn't matter why and we don't judge anyone, except perhaps by their behavior.
You've expressed some of the same concerns and issues I had when I started my involvement in this area of study. In addition to real physical limitations, I knew I would be judged (sometimes harshly) because of those sometimes just because of my appearance. The idea of a 3-day class in the August heat scared the crap out of me. So far I've not let that stop me. Yeah, I take a seat with me so I can sit when I need to sit. So what? I'm in a much better place because I tried, did my best, and persevered than I would have been had I focused on why I couldn't do it instead. Some things I've had to just say "I can't do that," and some have forced me to find a different way to achieve the same results, but even if a different path, things are better for me.
One of the reasons we chose "Adaptive" for part of our name is because we specifically wanted to be able to adapt to the needs of students. If there is a skill a student can't do safely for whatever reason, we try to find a way for them to accomplish the same goal working within their capabilities. If someone needs to have sessions that are shorter in duration, we can handle that too. In fact, I prefer to do shorter sessions for a variety of reasons. We don't try to force anyone to do anything they can't do safely or that they don't feel comfortable doing.
The reason why I am posting this instead of sending a private message is because there may be others reading this who are hesitant to commit to formal training because of their limitations, whether real or perceived. We want to make this kind of instruction accessible to those people, many of whom are the most in need of defensive skills because they may lack the ability to retreat altogether. It's one of my personal goals to do this and even to help some come to the realization that they can participate in the "regular" classes as well.
Great post!
