What are the most effective forms of self defence?

Question

What are the most effective forms of self defence?

Realistic ones say against knives, guns, bottles, in and around cars against mulitple mugger who if you end up on the floor kick your head in...Maybe in a subway train, bus bar etc not a nice clean dojo and one that can teach you to be resourceful and utilize whats around you ie pool cue

Street fight dirty not sport. Ideally one that can get you aggressive enough to psychologically be able to fight and willing if you are too nice.


Plus how to you do 'anit freeze' as in anti when you get into reral trouble freeze up and go cold and weak like a bunny in headlights reagardless of how well you did in class?

Answer 1

I will offer a few suggestions (and really rough sketches):

Jeet Kune Do (developed by Bruce Lee - taught to general public, military and law enforcement - not really an art with belts and not traditional, more of a system and way of thinking about self-defence - you choose which arts you want to specialize more in depending on your liking, keep the good parts of different arts, throw out the bad parts ie. stuff that doesn't work). You may learn stuff like Kali (filipino stick and knife-fighting), Wing Chun, Boxing, grappling, etc.

Krav Maga (Israeli self-defence taught to their military, also to military and law enforcement in the US, also no belts or tradition) Very simple and effective hand-to-hand combat (close range), deal with knives and other weapons too.

You have to understand that there are different ranges when it comes to fighting - kicking range, punching range, grappling range and ground-fighting. You need to know how to defend yourself in these different ranges. You can do different things in each range ie. in kicking range, all you can do is kick, too far away to throw a punch.

I think another very important thing to consider besides the system is the instructor. Is your instructor open-minded, willing to adapt the technique to different situations, does he allow you to ask questions, will he show you the advantages and disadvantages of different techniques in response to different types of attack? Does he train you under realistic scenarios where you are stressed and the adrenaline is going? The psychological preparedness in training is very important because even if you have the physical tools, without the proper mental mindset, you won't be able to use the techniques in real life. This part relates to the last part of your question. All these things can be trained if under the right instructor.

Answer 2

I think the answer to this question is different for everyone. You have to find a form of self-defense that works well for you, something that is fun as well as practical. First and foremost you've got to learn how to use your brain, the best defense against an attack is being alert, and knowing how to handle yourself in any given situation. The other thing is, you have to find something you will stick with. I've been taking Tae Kwon Do for almost 4 years and I have seen so many people quit after a few months. If you stick with it, you get over that fear of confrontation. You learn how to remain calm and react appropriately for the situation. You learn to hold your head up high and have the kind of confidence that makes you less of a target. I've heard from many other students that there are a lot of dojo's where you spend much of the time kicking air, and practicing forms. If you are involved in self-defense where you aren't being hit and aren't learning the consequences of being sloppy..you can learn techniques that look cool, but you'll get your butt kicked on the street. I recommend that before you sign up anywhere, go in a few times (not on a day when they are doing demo's) but go watch some real classes and find out what these people are all about before you commit yourself to a contract. It would also be a good idea to ask the master instructor to see their dan certificate...in some cases, classes may be being instructed by someone who isn't really qualified to teach.

Answer 3

I did Wing Tsun, after trying a few other systems, and can highly recommend it. Briefly, it's a modern, realistic version of a highly efficient kung fu system - which incorporates traditions of wrestling and boxing.
http://www.wtdefence.com/
http://www.ewto.com
Everyone says that their style is the best, but here are some reasons why WT stands out:
1. It's a 'living' system - it's always being fine-tuned, and works in today's society. Various police and special forces around the world use it.
2. It's tried and tested against other styles and all types of attack. How many styles can honestly say that? There are a lot of deluded people out there...
3. It's based on principles - you can learn these, and the basics, very quickly. In a short time, this will give you an edge over the average idiot on the street. It's not about drilling endless techniques into your head, and then hoping you can recall the right one quickly enough in a pressure situation.
4. It's not a sport. It's not about sparring. It's about taking your opponent out of action in a short time.

You raised some other points, which I'll try to answer briefly:
Anyone who tells you that they have a fail-safe defence against a knife or a gun is acting irresponsibly. The best defence is to not be there.
The 'freezing in the headlights' syndrome is due to a rush of adrenalin in your body. You are in a tense situation - in our evolution it could have been something like stumbling across a wild beast - and to survive, your choice is 'fight or flight'. Getting used to that adrenalin rush (i.e. not freezing), and using it effectively takes time and training.

I've used my Wing Tsun training twice, when confronted on the street at night - but I didn't need to throw a single punch.

For general street survival wisdom, check out some of Geoff Thompson's books. He knows what he's talking about.

Hope that's of some help.

Answer 4

The single best self defence is running. If you are not there, your attacker cannot hurt you.

If someone is comming at you with a knife/gun/glass, run faster.

Always make sure someone knows where you are, and what time you should be back. If youre not where you should be, or youre late, people who know you will start looking for you.

Try not to attract anyones attention. If your (possible) attacker doesnt notice you, you wont be attacked.

Not martial art will make you invunerable to attack. If you want a better chance of defending yourself, have a go at every type of self defence you can find and see which suits you better.

I, personally, prefer Taekwondo. It has a lot to offer for street self defence, as when its taught correctly you should be instructed when/how/what to do over and over and over again. Repatition is the key. Over time your techniques will come into play without you thinking about them.

As for the idea of "antifreeze". Thats just the tripple F problem. In a stress situation its a case of Fight, Flight or Freeze. Freezing as caused by not knowing what to do and so you keep cycling throught the available ideas, if you find yourself in this situation MAKE YOUR MIND UP - freezing is the worst thing that can happen. Fighting you way out or running away will hurt less.

Answer 5

Look into grappling before striking.

Each grappling art has advantages and disadvatages. Also, a certain grappling art only teaches you moves that are allowed in their sporting competitions.... remember that.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is good, and is effective on the ground. However, face reality. Do you want to be on the ground in a street fight? Is it a 1 on 1? Or are his mates ready to kick you when your vulnerable?

There are a lot of questions, variations and scenarios on the street, so beware constantly.

My advice is to learn Freestyle Wrestling, Catch Wrestling, Sombo Wrestling and BJJ. You dont need to go to classes, you can get book and intructional videos also...

Also learn where to bite, gouge, etcetc. (plus other dirty tactics like kicking the balls..... people underestimate the kicking in the balls, but that wont be enough against some people..... trust me on that)

Remember that watching or reading books is still no comparism to practicing these moves for real. (obviously you wouldnt bite a practising oponent!!!!)

One thing I want to say (and I have said this a few times on Answers now) is that it is always best to walk away from a fight. Walking away means that you were the bigger person, and more of a man. This method mean no-one got hurt.

I am not a bad person. I dont get into fights. I dont act hard or pretend to be hard, but if I had NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE *BUT* to fight, I will do everything that I have learnt..... and I wont stop at anything!!! I have learnt many things and I am very confident with my skills.... street fighting.

If you go up against knifes or any other dirty weapons, I suggest to walk away also.... however, I would do what is right at that time. Again, find out some books that cover techniques on handling weaponed opponents (if it comes to that).

Aswell as learning this great grappling moves and submissions holds, Cardio and fitness is another important factor.

Lastly, I said that grappling is more important, but dont 'totally' ignore striking, etcetc.

This is just a guide.... and good luck in your studies and research!!

Answer 6

If you intend to learn to stop any kind of abuse the you should have this program of Bruce Perry, Patriot Self Defense , a program that you just will get it here https://tr.im/GbfNX
Patriot Self Defense will educate you on a highly effective self-defense process that's been field-tested in homes, at government functions and on a number of the meanest roads in the world against probably the most questionable, cunning and dangerous criminal.
With Patriot Self Defense you will find out that is easier then you definitely expected to protect yourself because you do not have to be an expert or have energy, you just have to learn how to do specific techniques, easy actions but deathly.

Answer 7

I would like to preface my answer by stating my definition of "effective" is what works in a street fight. Not in a controlled setting. If it were what is effective in the ring my answer would be different... Every Style of Martial Art has it's Strengths & Weaknesses. Personally I train Muay Thai, I think it has some components that are effective in Street Fighting (Knee's, Elbows, & Boxing) Krav Maga in many respects might be one of these most effective, by design. Krav was developed by the Isreali military to get an average person proficient at hand to hand combat in a short amount of time. In creating this fighting system, they borrowed elements from other martial arts that worked, and skipped the one's that didn't. A great deal of Krav incorporates the strikes of Muay Thai, grappling of JuJitsu, and Boxing. Good luck

Answer 8

If you want to kill your opponent then I would say Karav Maga. It;s the best for street fights but is very violent and designed for soldiers to kill quickly.
If you want to control the situation so you can get away unharmed then it would be Karate, Aikido, Hapkido.
If it gets out of your control and ends up on the ground then theres nothing better than Brazilian Ju-Jitsu. (you should never let it get to the ground)
Tae=Kwon-Do, Kung-Fu, Kickboxing, Muai Thai are all sports and would not help much in real life.
To get over the deer in the headlights effect it takes training. You have to train so much that the defensive moves come naturally without even thinking about it. It has to be second nature. War heros that do great things often say that they don't remember what they did because their body just took over and did it. It takes years of training to get to this point.

Answer 9

i like that line one guy wrote earlier...
they all work and none of them work.

Martial artist usually have to much respect to be a street fighter ect...blah blah blah what he said...
but i mere seek to add another line or two...

I was taught to walk soft but carry a big stick.
Relax and respect...but if im put in a questionable situation.... use necessary force to escape... and ENSURE your escape... however that may be. ;) IE... Be a Jedi.. but put your dark side, your WRATH, on a light switch... and learn how to flip it...
when its on, you do it to it... when its off.. you half *** it, or dont.

How to anti freeze. Not give a sh-t.
Its better to go down doing something... even if feeble, and atleast show this asswipe you wouldnt go down without a fight, you will not be broken down mentally. They wont get the same satisfaction. They can pretend, but deep inside, they really want some one crying and begging at their feet.
if it didnt work, atleast you did SOMETHING.
Lots of times, if you just DO WHAT YOUR TAUGHT, at a martial arts class, it will save your ***. IF YOU DO IT TO IT.
so if you just do something, and it happens to be what your taught,... it just MIGHT come out of that thick skull and go into action without thinking about it.


Im willing to bet, a martial artist, that practices what they are taught(provided the school has legit lineage and a half *** instructor and the student is a half *** learner) could wreck shop easier than a person who doesnt practicing breaking things and people all the time.



it all works or none of it works.
keep a "kill mode" button on standby
and a "God mode" that prevents feeling injury and pain(just like in the video games)...
and if you start getting your *** kicked... you can flippem both, and atleast go crazy and take out hte other person before they can inflict enough "feelable" pain to stop you cold.
if your focused on "getting" them enough, you'll have it done quick enough what ever they do, will not stop you from being victorious. I know soldiers that use this type of mind set... Oh **** I got shot... but I gotta outta here... I gotta war to fight... gotta get the job done.... some died... some lived...
no ones invicible physically forever... maybe just long enough to ensure compensation for your passing, or to ensure safety of others...

did I have a point?
oh yeah...
beware that pissed off guy in the funny looking silk uniform that moves like a fairy thru the air with the sword... hes trying REAL hard not to turn you into hamburger.

Answer 10

for defending yourself on the streets or in a public area the best self defense system (not neccessarily martial art) is krav maga: http://www.kravmaga.com/krav01.html...
there are also dvd available that are comprehensive and easy to use: http://www.centuryfitness.com/webapp/wcs...


Krav Maga is the official self defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces, and has been taught to hundreds of law enforcement agencies and thousands of civilians
in the United States. Krav Maga is a simple, effective self
defense system that emphasizes instinctive movements, practical techniques, and realistic training scenarios.

for instance... someone grabs you by the throat... where do your hands instinctively go? to the area of danger, right.. they go to the throat..

so in krav maga, you use that instinctive response and turn it into a defensive movement.. you use that as a pluck, you pluck the hands away slightly to combat the initial danger of being choked out..

simultainiously you knee strike to the groin (a person has their hands at your throat they will be in a squared stance, primed for a shot to the groin)..

two shots to the groin, followed by multiple strikes to the face, the person will be to injured to continue the assault, giving you a chance to retreat...

honestly i think if you are looking for self defense this is the best system for that, which includes basic defense, defense against a gun and defense against a knife. it's all about defending and escaping..

as for adrenaline dumps (freezing up like a bunny in headlights) that never really goes away.. its something you learn to work through.. the more you practice the moves the more ingrained they become into your psyche, the more they become reaction instead of response.. what i'm saying is the movements become automatic..



good luck!