What Style is Best For Real Self Defense?

[macher]

I know there are different styles and schools. I visited a school last week and it was all Tai Chi like training for spirituality / health and wasn’t martial focused.

Is there a style that’s martial focused? Thanks!

 

[Headhunter]

The one that teaches it the best and the one you enjoy most

 

[Dirty Dog]

I know there are different styles and schools. I visited a school last week and it was all Tai Chi like training for spirituality / health and wasn’t martial focused.

Is there a style that’s martial focused? Thanks!

Only a hundred. Or more...

 

[pgsmith]

It all depends upon what you're after, and what you consider 'real self defense'. Personally, I learned the great majority of my self defense skills years before I ever started doing any martial art.

Before looking at martial art schools, you need to carefully examine just what it is you are looking for "martial focused" is pretty vague. You need to be much more specific by asking yourself questions ... Do you want to spar? Do you want to compete? Do you want to study striking or grappling, or a bit of both? Are you planning a career in law enforcement or protection services? Are you looking for something to provide cardiovascular fitness also? Do you bruise easily?

These are all questions that can help you to narrow your search. Ultimately, it almost always come down to doing a martial art that you enjoy going to and practicing every day. If you can do that, the rest will come. If you don't like doing that, it won't matter how awesome the art is because you'll end up quitting.

 

[Kababayan]

There are a lot of great martial arts out there, but like pgsmith said it would be good to reflect a little more about what you want to achieve from the martial arts. Some people come into a dojo looking for balance, fun, confidence, camaraderie, fighting skills, sport, stick-fighting, grappling, stand-up, physical training (kickboxing), want to learn to protect family, etc. It's best to find a dojo that you enjoy because the instructors attitude and/or philosophy makes a huge impact on whether or not you stay involved. If you are looking for a good all-around martial art, I would suggest any type of Kempo/Kenpo/Kajukenbo. The art has a little bit of everything. If you are looking for just personal protection skills, Krav Maga, Tony Blauer's Spear System, or Kick Boxing, or a general MMA school (not just bjj) would work well. Kickboxing is more sport oriented, but you would learn some very effective self defense skills. If you would like more in-depth responses, feel free to post the dojos in your area and let people chime-in on their thoughts. Good luck.

 

[marques]

Start one that you enjoy and is convenient, affordable... if you think it is worth the time, effort and money.

No style has all the answers. Specially when the objective is self defence. In combat sports you know what are you training for. In self defence... we can predict very little and skill level is hard to check (no competitions).

Start something. If you are really motivated.

 

[drop bear]

Styles that fight each other. Will better reflect self defence skills.

And. No you may not enjoy the process you might enjoy the result.

I dont enjoy being on a diet. I do enjoy not being fat.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I know there are different styles and schools. I visited a school last week and it was all Tai Chi like training for spirituality / health and wasn’t martial focused.

Is there a style that’s martial focused? Thanks!

Training approach is probably more important than style. By that, I mean that style differences can matter, but two schools could teach the same style and get very different results.

I assume you're talking about physical defense (what happens once an attack is imminent, rather than what avoids attacks). For that, decide what you want to be able to defend against, and make sure what you study (single style or collection of them) covers it, in principle.

There are folks who will say competition arts/training isn't good for self-defense. I'm not one of them, though there is some problem with transferring competition skills to a self-defense context. There are other folks who will say competition is a necessary tool for self-defense training. I'm also not one of them, though it can be a useful tool.

I believe self-defense training needs intensity and committed resistance from your partners. The higher their skills at attacking, the better you'll get as you learn to stop them. The closer your drills are to what you're preparing to defend, the better your skills will convert to defending against that.

Personally, I'm a proponent of either cross-training or working out/sparring with folks from other styles (and not the same school). This helps reduce the chance of you getting a false sense of your ability, based on the way folks in your training hall/gym/dojo/dojang move.

IMO, self-defense needs both strikes and grappling (both standing and ground) to be complete, but being really good at either will reduce the risk presented by not having the other.

 

[macher]

Training approach is probably more important than style. By that, I mean that style differences can matter, but two schools could teach the same style and get very different results.

I assume you're talking about physical defense (what happens once an attack is imminent, rather than what avoids attacks). For that, decide what you want to be able to defend against, and make sure what you study (single style or collection of them) covers it, in principle.

There are folks who will say competition arts/training isn't good for self-defense. I'm not one of them, though there is some problem with transferring competition skills to a self-defense context. There are other folks who will say competition is a necessary tool for self-defense training. I'm also not one of them, though it can be a useful tool.

I believe self-defense training needs intensity and committed resistance from your partners. The higher their skills at attacking, the better you'll get as you learn to stop them. The closer your drills are to what you're preparing to defend, the better your skills will convert to defending against that.

Personally, I'm a proponent of either cross-training or working out/sparring with folks from other styles (and not the same school). This helps reduce the chance of you getting a false sense of your ability, based on the way folks in your training hall/gym/dojo/dojang move.

IMO, self-defense needs both strikes and grappling (both standing and ground) to be complete, but being really good at either will reduce the risk presented by not having the other.

When I said I visited a school and about different styles I’m referring to Aikido not MA in general.

 

[Thisposthuman]

I know there are different styles and schools. I visited a school last week and it was all Tai Chi like training for spirituality / health and wasn’t martial focused.

Is there a style that’s martial focused? Thanks!

Sounds like youre looking for Krav Maga

 

[Gerry Seymour]

When I said I visited a school and about different styles I’m referring to Aikido not MA in general.

The same still holds true, though it's a bit easier to identify some styles of Aikido that are more likely to be more SD-oriented. Shioda's Yoshinkan and Tomiki's Shotokan branches are both likely examples within Ueshiba's art. In a related art/style (with less Ki focus), Nihon Goshin Aikido has a lot of similarities to Shioda's offshoot of Ueshiba's art.

 

[macher]

The same still holds true, though it's a bit easier to identify some styles of Aikido that are more likely to be more SD-oriented. Shioda's Yoshinkan and Tomiki's Shotokan branches are both likely examples within Ueshiba's art. In a related art/style (with less Ki focus), Nihon Goshin Aikido has a lot of similarities to Shioda's offshoot of Ueshiba's art.

Thanks! I was always interested in Aikido but was always put off by the general ‘wishy washy’ demonstrations of the techniques demonstrated. Then I came across the Rogue Warriors YouTube channel and was like ‘wow’.

 

[DaveB]

Any style so long as you take what you learn and go to people and places that will let you fight them so that you can test and broaden your application skills.

 

[macher]

Any style so long as you take what you learn and go to people and places that will let you fight them so that you can test and broaden your application skills.

Thanks. Is it a general consensus that most Aikido dojos don’t promote more of a realistic approach where you can test and broaden applications? Reason I ask is because I visited 3 Aikido dojos and all 3 are wishy washy non realistic attacks. When I watched Rogue Warrior vids they are more realistic like someone pushing you hard.

 

[drop bear]

Thanks! I was always interested in Aikido but was always put off by the general ‘wishy washy’ demonstrations of the techniques demonstrated. Then I came across the Rogue Warriors YouTube channel and was like ‘wow’.

Yeah. I can't see the video. But it can't just be Aikido done fast or hard. Resistance is a different dynamic.

 

[Martial D]

I know there are different styles and schools. I visited a school last week and it was all Tai Chi like training for spirituality / health and wasn’t martial focused.

Is there a style that’s martial focused? Thanks!

In general, the answer is any style you train hard realistically with resistance that involves copious amounts of alive non cooperative sparring. There are probably aikido schools that do this, but I don't imagine they are in the majority.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Thanks. Is it a general consensus that most Aikido dojos don’t promote more of a realistic approach where you can test and broaden applications? Reason I ask is because I visited 3 Aikido dojos and all 3 are wishy washy non realistic attacks. When I watched Rogue Warrior vids they are more realistic like someone pushing you hard.

Yes, that's a reasonable generalization of most Aikido schools I've seen. There are exceptions, but they are just that, in my experience.

 

[Oni_Kadaki]

Thanks. Is it a general consensus that most Aikido dojos don’t promote more of a realistic approach where you can test and broaden applications? Reason I ask is because I visited 3 Aikido dojos and all 3 are wishy washy non realistic attacks.

I've studied at four Aikido schools, and they have spanned the gamut. My first dojo had a high-level instructor who had retired from a police department in a major city. This instructor had originally started training in karate, but switched to Aikido because he found karate hard to apply when wearing his full kit. He taught traditional Aikido, but from the perspective of someone who had used it to take perps to the ground many a time. As such, he had the practical knowledge to apply the techniques and principles.

The second school I attended, as well as my most recent school, basically dispensed with any appearance of training for combat, and owned it. In fact, one of my instructors at my most recent school actually seemed a little taken aback when I told her I would be doing training with riot batons and shields at my unit the upcoming weekend. That's not to say the training at these schools was bad, per se`, but you have to take it for what it is: theory and philosophy. The only way training in such an environment is going to prepare you for defense is if you crosstrain or otherwise train with resisting opponents.

The third school I attended was, in my opinion, the worst. That's not to say the instructor was bad (he had trained in Japan and actually was quite technically proficient, but...), however, unlike my first Sensei, this instructor taught traditional Aikido, marketed as a realistic self-defense system, but without the benefit of (to my knowledge) any real experience in violent encounters. That, to me, is the most dangerous school you can attend, because you are learning from someone who does not have firsthand knowledge of what works outside of, as you called it, "wishy washy, nonrealistic attacks."

 

[Anarax]

I know there are different styles and schools. I visited a school last week and it was all Tai Chi like training for spirituality / health and wasn’t martial focused.

Is there a style that’s martial focused? Thanks!

The training culture of the school is a more important factor than the style itself. Find a school that trains with realistic energy, that's the hard part.

From a personal standpoint, I think styles that have well defined concepts that shape their techniques are the best styles to go with. Styles that shape the way you think and react to threats around you are more beneficial in the long run.

 

[drop bear]

The training culture of the school is a more important factor than the style itself. Find a school that trains with realistic energy, that's the hard part.

From a personal standpoint, I think styles that have well defined concepts that shape their techniques are the best styles to go with. Styles that shape the way you think and react to threats around you are more beneficial in the long run.

Sort of. A sport BJJ school will train as hard as anyone. But will drill concepts that are not as applicable.