Defending yourself

ashers1819

Just a quick question for all you MFPers... I am wondering if any of you do Martial Arts? Or have taken up Martial Arts for defence purposes?

I know MA is really popular as a hobby and for people who want to use it for fitness.

I am wondering which you recommend to take up if you want to protect yourself/stop someone attacking you?

I might sound paranoid but I think it's better to be safe than sorry.

fitnesspirateninja

Are you just looking for basic self defense techniques, or do you want to train?

You can take a women's self defense class (usually they offer one day classes).

I've done Tae Kwon Do. I liked it a lot. I once punched a guy in the neck in self defense. It was mostly instinct, but I think the training helped.

thecanface

Are you just looking for basic self defense techniques, or do you want to train?

You can take a women's self defense class (usually they offer one day classes).

I've done Tae Kwon Do. I liked it a lot. I once punched a guy in the neck in self defense. It was mostly instinct, but I think the training helped.

punching guy in neck = you are a true badass in my eyes for that.. i love it. probably would have loved it more if it said " once punch a guy in the neck for fun"

jammyone

Hi ashers!

I think fitnesspirateninja suggestion is good - a women's self defence class is probably your best bet. The reason being is that everything is geared from a women's point of view and strength (as you can imagine). It's also the techniques that the police use.

The other alternative is take up something like kickboxing - it will give you strength and also give you a work out. The other option if you want something more technical is something like Jiu-jitsu - very much about hand to hand techniques.

I'm a black tag in Tae-kwon-do, while it has self-defence moves I probably wouldn't use it in a real life situation but that's probably due to me having large hands and quite a lot of strength. I think if you use it technically it could be quite lethal.

KrystalLight03

Like the above poster said, I would just take self defense classes if protecting yourself is what you're aiming for. If you are looking for a more permanent hobby, I would recommend Tae Kwan Do or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I haven't done either, but I go to a lot of events for both because my best friend does them. She's a 2nd degree black belt in TKD, but just recently started BJJ (she loves it...we seriously can't get her to stop talking about it). And despite the fact that I'm over a foot taller than her and she probably weighs 85 pounds wet, I find the fact that she can throw a 250 lb man across the room very intimidating. Anyone wanting to mug her in a dark alley would be in for a sorry surprise.

FitJoani

Knowing the basics is always good...i got them down I wanna actually get into doing classes...

jmecale72

Just a quick question for all you MFPers... I am wondering if any of you do Martial Arts? Or have taken up Martial Arts for defence purposes?

I know MA is really popular as a hobby and for people who want to use it for fitness.

I am wondering which you recommend to take up if you want to protect yourself/stop someone attacking you?

I might sound paranoid but I think it's better to be safe than sorry.

When i was taking martial arts lessons, I started because it was something that always fascinated me. So for me it was something for fun and for fitness. But as I started to get more involved with it, I realized how beneficial it could be for defense purposes.

I personally feel that women should be able to defend herself if the situation calls for it. So maybe if you go with the mindset that it is for defense purposes, maybe at some point you will realize that it is also fun.

Just my two cents...

LoveLilAva

I just purchased a Century Wavemaster XXL training bag last night to start kickboxing at home, workout and defense purposes! I am very excited to get started!!

TheMaidOfAstolat

I love all that is mentioned above but you might want to look into Krav Maga as well. It's a great MA as is used by military and police around the world. It was originally used by the Israeli Police (along with Mossad and Shin Bet).

RoadDog

I've been in martial arts since 1974. Several disciplines. Taught for many years.

Thhere is no one art better than the others. The advice I have is find a good teacher. Your teacher will make all the difference.

JudoJones

Obviously I am partial to Judo, but you mentioned Self Defense. Any style that you choose should be done with a trained self defense instructor. As in my case, I've done judo for many years and at a very high level. My training would be very useful in a self defense situation, ie..automatically reacting. But to train specifically for self defense requires instructors knowledgeable in preventitive measures, risk assesment, as well as some cold hard facts.

As for training & conditioning, you can't beat judo or any sport that allows you to go full speed without injuring your partner. THis also conditions yourself to reacting reflexively to unexpected encounters. Hope this helps.

Scott

CakeFit21

I love all that is mentioned above but you might want to look into Krav Maga as well. It's a great MA as is used by military and police around the world. It was originally used by the Israeli Police (along with Mossad and Shin Bet).

Yep, I second the Krav Maga suggestion. It's serious bad-*kitten* stuff.

ashers1819

Thanks for the advice, I will definitely look a little further into it and see if I can find a class near me.

RachVR6

I have a black belt in Taekwondo, and miss it soooo much. Not sure how great it'd be for defense purposes.

FearAnLoathing

I never took any kind of martial arts but my dad did,so he taught me some stuff,also I grew up in the ghetto so I can street fight.

pkpzp228

I've been in martial arts since 1974. Several disciplines. Taught for many years.

Thhere is no one art better than the others. The advice I have is find a good teacher. Your teacher will make all the difference.

+1

There is no one better, there are only better applications given the situation. Myself, I've trained in numerous traditional styles from judo to hapkido and instructed Taekwondo for many years.

If I had to suggest a martial art to someone who was interest in day to day self defence I would suggest something like judo or Brazilian jujitsu. Both of which are which are going to teach you how to mitigate threat and in this day and age that's what you want to do. Arts like krav maga are extremely effective at dealing with threat but lack utility in the civilian world for a few reasons. One being, they teach you severely injure or even kill an attacker and you have to ready to provide evidence for mortal danger. Krav maga is not how you want to deal with the annoying drunk at the bar.

In any case, any martial art is a benefit to the mind body and soul.

SoFLYFireman

Just do what I do, Take Chuck Norris running with you.. nobody will mess with you cause no one is dumb enough to mess with Chuck Norris

lkkyer

Would martial arts help a 10 year old with self control and respecting others? My son is having a few issues at school. He makes straight A's and is in the gifted program, but he can't seem to control anger or keep his opinions to himself. He plays basketball and football, but I think he needs something less focused on winning (not helping the self esteem or discipline).

KimbersNewLife

I saw a movie one time where two girls got in a fight and one girl said "I know Taebo!:" And they made it like a joke but I am telling you it really can help you there are some good defensive moves in the Billy Blanks DVDs I think a women's defense class is a good idea too but I can highly recommend Billy. Good luck girl!

KimbersNewLife

Would martial arts help a 10 year old with self control and respecting others? My son is having a few issues at school. He makes straight A's and is in the gifted program, but he can't seem to control anger or keep his opinions to himself. He plays basketball and football, but I think he needs something less focused on winning (not helping the self esteem or discipline).

Absolutely On Billy's Favorite Moves DVD Billly Blanks talks about how it taught him discipline and set him straight- Martial Arts that is- not Taebo it was created by him later in life and is based on martial arts but I would recommend giving martial arts a try as a great anger outlet and way to learn focus and discipline. Good Luck!

koosdel

Ishin Ryu and three gun.