Self Defense for Women
- Thread starter BraxLimbo
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So you view self defence as waiting until you are attacked and then fighting back, completely ignorant the 99% of SD skills that are geared towards avoiding attacks in the first place?
That's like teaching children to cross the road by ignoring all the skills they need to avoid getting run over and instead just telling them not to bother with that, just learn this stuntman roll for when you get hit by the car.,
As for which martial art is best, there is no martial art which is best, otherwise we'd all be doing it. The best martial art is the one you enjoy the most, as then you are more likely to stick at it, and hence get good at it.
That's like teaching children to cross the road by ignoring all the skills they need to avoid getting run over and instead just telling them not to bother with that, just learn this stuntman roll for when you get hit by the car.,
As for which martial art is best, there is no martial art which is best, otherwise we'd all be doing it. The best martial art is the one you enjoy the most, as then you are more likely to stick at it, and hence get good at it.
oftheherd1
Senior Master
That isn't the way BraxLimbo phrased the question. But it probably should have been. If one doesn't learn those aspects of self defense that prevent one from having to fight, one risks having to do a lot of fighting. That might sound exciting, and perhaps it even is. The problem is that on any given day, any given martial artist runs the risk of being defeated by any opponent, no matter that opponent's skill.
Run-Fu and Chic-Chic-BANG are excellent choices.
Beyond that, it doesn't really matter. Focus on situational awareness and avoidance. If it becomes physical, it won't matter what art you train in. What will matter is how effectively you can apply what you studied.
Beyond that, it doesn't really matter. Focus on situational awareness and avoidance. If it becomes physical, it won't matter what art you train in. What will matter is how effectively you can apply what you studied.
GiYu - Todd
Green Belt
BraxLimbo, I'm glad you're on this forum to ask. Some of the others may appear a bit critical, but they have lots of good experience.
There is no BEST art form. Some are sport oriented, self defense oriented, grapping, weapons, punches, kicks, or other. Almost any form will increase your awareness and skills if you stick with it for long enough to develop your abilities.
I don't feel there are any that are specifically better for men or women. There are many "women's self defense" courses out there, but all tend to be short term and only focus on a few highlights... and more importantly, aren't typically seen as very effective to those of us who have spent years training. At most, I'd say they're better than nothing. There are also a few schools that teach women only classes, but without training against a larger variety of body types (specifically stronger/taller), your skills in a real scenario may be very limited.
Before making a recommendation, there are several variables to consider. What is your level of physical conditioning, and how heavy/tall/strong are you? What schools are available in your area? How long do you anticipate committing to training? What are your primary goals for learning martial arts? These will help determine what might be a best fit for you.
I think all the advice given so far is pretty good.
Something to note is that in general, fighting back is worthwhile when a woman is assaulted. That doesn't mean that fighting back will always produce the ideal outcome, but more often than not, it will.
As others have said, situational awareness is actually a big part of self-defense for anyone. Being aware of where you are, who is around, risk factors, and so on. Staying in a group, paying attention and not walking with earplugs in and your concentration on your phone, etc. Simple stuff anyone can (and should) do, but so many do not...
As also as others have said, there are many good martial arts that can teach a woman or a man how to defend themselves. Legal concealed weapons are also a valid option, depending on your personal view of such things.
One thing that I think is true no matter what you decide to do is that any form of training, even choosing to carry a weapon rather than train in self-defense, requires dedication. There is no 'one and done' solution to self-defense. You can't take a seminar or watch a video or read a book or buy a gun and figure you're prepared; in fact, chances are you're in an even worse position, because now you think you can defend yourself, but you cannot.
So if you decide on a martial art; then take it seriously. It's a long-term investment of your time and effort. Otherwise, it's not worth even starting, in my opinion.
If you decide to carry a weapon such as a firearm, train with it regularly and learn how to safely carry it, clean it, keep it working, and know the laws of self-defense and deadly force in your area. Again, just buying a gun and thinking you are good to go is a huge mistake.
Best of luck no matter what you decide. Martial arts training is fun, good exercise, and can certainly help you to learn to defend yourself. It becomes a way of life for many of us. Maybe you're someone who would enjoy that lifestyle as well.
It doesn't exist. The best type of martial arts is one that does 2 things.
1. Works well with a person's natural abilities.
2. That trains from the perspective and focus of self-defense.
Because of #1 the answer will be different for every woman and dependent on that woman's abilities and capabilities.
Because of #2, any martial arts school that does not focus their training on actual self-defense will be of little use. There is more to self-defense than fighting and schools that focus on self-defense will most likely teach the non-physical elements of self-defense. Even if #1 is satisfied, a school that is focus on martial arts training from the perspective of point sparring will fail at providing actual useful self-defense knowledge.
If I were to tell a woman about the best martial arts for self-defense for women, I would first recommend the fighting system that I take, but with the understanding that there aren't many Jow Ga school around. So in that light I would, recommend that whatever she decides make sure that #1 and #2 are covered.
There are some systems that are more refined than others but if you have no experience you wouldn't know which is which anyway. Equally as important is the knowledge of the instructor but again no experience = no clue. You might try to find a boxing school in your area, the information required to be skilled at boxing is quite low ...and by that I mean there are far less strikes, foot manuvers and no kicks. On the flip side of that you could do kickboxing which has kicks and knees but still far less info. Traditional martial arts will have a laundry list of techniques and forms you would have to learn and a ranking system, so there would be a lot of info withheld until you rise in the ranks. That being said if your willing to put in the time and effort martial arts has many benifits other than fighting. I do Parker Kenpo myself and I suppose the best way to describe it would be scientific street fighting. It can be tailored to fit any size or gender, it's basically martial arts MMA before MMA existed. I really like Russian Systema also and that's Russian military fighting. They use a lot of energy redirection and sort of effortless type small movements to get you opponent off base. Remember when in doubt kick them in the balls! Good luck
Hanzou
Grandmaster
Bjj.
If you can do more than one, Bjj, and Muay Thai.
During my time in Bjj, I've grappled with women who I outweigh by 40, 50, and in a few cases 80 lbs or more. Those women learn how to deal with someone much bigger and stronger than them throwing them to the ground, and being on top of them and attempting to control them. They have to use skill and technique to overcome it, and either throw me, choke me out, break a joint, and/or get up and run away.
If I had my way, every woman would take Bjj. It would make them so much safer.
If you can do more than one, Bjj, and Muay Thai.
During my time in Bjj, I've grappled with women who I outweigh by 40, 50, and in a few cases 80 lbs or more. Those women learn how to deal with someone much bigger and stronger than them throwing them to the ground, and being on top of them and attempting to control them. They have to use skill and technique to overcome it, and either throw me, choke me out, break a joint, and/or get up and run away.
If I had my way, every woman would take Bjj. It would make them so much safer.
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hoshin1600
Senior Master
I find it very telling and humorous when people always advise others to do the style they do.
Hanzou
Grandmaster
If that was directed at me, you should know that I just recommended Kyokushin to another poster.
Well, they can't advise people on styles they don't do or know nothing about can they? It looks pretty stupid when someone says 'well I do X style but I'd advise you to do Y style' ? Don't they trust or know what their own style is?
What martial art style do you train in and what would you recommend?
hoshin1600
Senior Master
What or how I train is irrelevant. Like many did state, you should train in anything that you like and will stick with.
It's relevant to my question and your comment. I'm curious to know if what you train is the same thing you would recommend. There's no wrong answer to this. question. If I trained in olympic style TKD then I wouldn't recommend what I train. If I trained wrestling then I wouldn't recommend what I train because those two systems have training that's not focused on self-defense.
I train in Tai Chi as well as Jow Ga kung fu and I can tell you without a doubt that I wouldn't recommend learning Tai Chi for self defense. The reason why is because the amount of training and time that it takes to actually learn how to use it in a real fight. It's not a fast process, it's complicated in comparisons to other things that can be done for self defense.
Self-defense always depends on the person. A person can't defend themselves outside of what they are capable of doing. The only things that are really universal are the non-martial arts, non-physical aspects of self defense such as, don't walk alone at night, always park in a well lit area, always be aware of your surroundings and other things like that are going to be universal. A person's health is going to limit how much can be learned and what can be deployed. Someone that isn't flexible will have trouble with doing TKD type kicks to the head. A person with one arm may not be able to do BJJ as a self defense option.
hoshin1600
Senior Master
It's not relevant because I cannot really answer that question. We would be talking apples and not even oranges but maybe apples and Van Gogh. I don't deal with styles anymore. I guess the best I could say is that I am a traditionally trained reality self defense guy. Lol. I just view the OP question from a different frame work.
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