What's the best form of martial arts/self-defence to take up?

Answer 1

People keep asking the same question over and over. There is no "best" form of martial arts. There is only the ones that interest you and that you work at becoming proficient with. Take some free lessons, do some research on the internet, and don't take anyone's opinion except your own on what to take. Take the art that you like and want to continue in.

Answer 2

The best self defense would be a combat style that revolves around simplistic moves, like what would be used in the military.

Most martial arts take 3 or 4 years before you can hope to be effective on the street, whereas professional combat arts can be learned in a few weeks. The reason for this is that soldiers don't have years to learn combat so they are given the most powerful moves that are easy to learn in a short time period.

Anything Israeli I would look at, they have a good reputation, although I'm curious how much difference there is between the military and civilian versions.

Another combat style to be considered is Hikuta. It can be learned in a short period of time. I learned it from Al Abidin. Many of his students hold high level black belts in other systems.

Answer 3

Jerry L has a point.

I've answered this question before. No martial art or self-defense technique is considered to be better than the other.

First you got to assess you physical condition then you have select a martial art that's best suited for you.

If your not that big and physically ripped:

aikido
ju-jitsu (brazilian or japanese)
judo
tai-chi boxing

If you got upper body strength:

western boxing
karate

If you're fast and well-coordinated:

Tae Kwon Do
Muay Thai
Jeet Kune Do
Savate (French kickboxing)
Sambo
Krav Maga

If possible, you can also try mixed martial arts. The point here is to assess yourself then select a martial art that's best suited for you.

Martial arts isn't about points or submissions. It's about disciplining yourself thereby making you prepared for any possible situations which you might encounter.

Peace.

Answer 4

They are two very different schools. Do you want to be an artist or defend yourself? Competent martial artists can defend themselves, but to reach a level that can be relied on could take years of work -and many styles limit their teachings to strict doctrines. Fighting someone in the street has no set rules, is brutal and not fair. Running really is the best option but if you fight it needs to cause maximum damage/pain/debilitation as quickly as possible. Don't go for a style or school that greatly involves kicking or too much kata(the practice of solo technique repitition). As others have mentioned, any of the styles used by various world armies are quickly learnt and effective. The Russians use a style called Sambo, the Israelis have Krav Maga. Try the internet for schools near you, alternatively, find a training partner and get some books - Geoff thompson is a reknowned bouncer who has a decent range of books that are simple and effective. But i'd recommend profesional tutoring if it's practical.

Answer 5

Alot of different answers. Mostly people answer with the art that they do and say it's best out of pride. Whats best for one isn't always best for you. That's why there are still so many arts. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Before you choose one from this site, I would go around you area and see whats available to choose from.
Some of the major ones are...
Tae-Kwon-Do - Korean - uses alot of kicks and screaming
Hapkido - Korean - uses locks and throws as well as kicks
Karate - Japanese - uses blocks avoids and punches with some kicks. effective in real life situations.
Aikido - Japanese - a soft art that has no attacks, just defensive moves. It uses the opponents movements against them to throw, guide and lock them into submission.
Kung-Fu - Chinese - a flashy art that uses animal movements and cool weapons. Not very effective in real life but very good for tournaments.
Brazilian Ju-Jitsu - Originally Japanese but improved upon by the Gracie family of Brazil - The strongest and most effective of the ground arts. If you are in a fight and you are rolling n the ground then this is what you want. It's sort of like wrestling.
Krav-Maga - Israeli - Not a major art and may not be available near you, but something worth looking into if you want the most effective real life self defense art. It was developed for the Israeli armed forces to use to take out an opponent by hand, quickly and effectively. If you want an art simply for self defense then look into this.
Hope this helps. Go and watch some classes of each and take what interests you the most.
Have Fun!

Answer 6

If I were you I would try Judo, although this is not strictly a martial art. I started judo when I was 11 years old and enjoyed every single moment as a player. it has a great social life and you will make many good Friends from all backgrounds. Although I no longer practise men/women are still practising well into their mid sixties. When you become past competition strength there is still refereeing and official duties and of course there is still the veteran tournaments. Judo is a full contact sport and not for those who cant take getting hurt occasionally.
If you live in the south east of England try ''Dartford Judo Club'

Answer 7

If you intend to discover ways to end almost any abuse the you will need to have this program of Bruce Perry, Patriot Self Defense , an application that you only can find it here https://tr.im/2AV5m
Patriot Self Defense can educate you on a very efficient self-defense system that's been field-tested in properties, at government events and on a number of the meanest streets on the planet against probably the most callous, shrewd and dangerous criminal.
With Patriot Self Defense you will discover out that is easier then you definitely estimated to guard yourself since you never have to be a professional or have power, you only have to learn how to do specific moves, simple actions but deathly.

Answer 8

Ok like others have said this questions has been asked and answered on an almost daily basis. Many have already covered what the best form is. There is no best form, its a matter of your school and how much effort you put into the form you are studying.

The reason I am writing is to once again tell people to stop bashing Kung Fu. I see it time and again..... do this, do that but don't do Kung Fu its not a valid martial arts for defense, fighting, or whatever other application you might want it for.

If you don't know about a form don't bash it because of your ignorance. If you don't know the forms then just say so and don't talk about them. Are traditional Kung Fu styles flashy, no. Is Wu Shu flashy yes, but that is also not a combat form it is a show form and nothing else. If you are basing your judgements soley on the aspect of Wu Shu then your leave your ignorance behind and don't talk about Kung Fu.

Now if I was to use the same methodology as everyone else on here and go with what I see instead of learning, I would actually argue against taking most TKD and karate forms. Why? A vast majority of TKD forms are for sparring competitions only, they do not teach you to fight. (have a friend who took TKD so he could fight in competitions and learned Kung Fu so he could defend himself) Karate forms seem to be more about atheltic ability to do various twisting jump kicks and scream loudly. Watch the competitions and you see these blackbelts that just yell loudly and throw a bunch of kicks and spinning kicks in as quickly as possible without actually doing anything. I mean come on can you honestly think these would work on the street? Try a flipping spinning kick on someone and see what happens.

Now do I believe this is true of all TKD or Karate forms, no. I know there are legitamate schools out there that teach students in the old styles that are based on combat and self defense and not on show or sparring. These schools are a lot harder to find as most of the schools are not very traditional and don't teach that way because they would not keep as many students. They teach what they teach because thats what people want to learn.

Yes Kung Fu is a very valid form for self defense, because unlike a majority of forms (and I'm not taking this from my knowledge but from reading everyone elses posts) Kung Fu will teach you a little of everything to make you more rounded in your martial arts and more able to better handle multiple situations. The emphasis on the style varies what you learn, many styles emphasize strikes and kicks over grappling and joint control. The best part is even the most heavily laden punching and kicking style in Kung Fu will still teach you joint locks and throws as you advance in the style. Kung Fu is probably worse for competitions than other forms since most points competitions you see nowadays are based on TKD or Karate formats and thus wearing the heavier gloves and not being able to hit to the head limits many of the Kung Fu forms.

Kung Fu forms did not develope for style or competion, they developed out of the need to defend oneself in combat situations. The styles were designed and have changed little from the times when they were used in combat. There is talk about it being impractical in todays society. Well tell me what is the difference of taking a knife from someone today and a knife from someone 2000 yrs ago? No there were no guns years ago but the same principles are applied and thus the form is very practical.

Unlike the majority of people here I will not say Kung Fu is the best, it all depends on your teacher and the amount of work you put into it. Could a Kung fu student who just learns the basics and just does what is needed beat someone who has spent years training hard and learning TKD, no. If they both trained as hard and were very knowledgeable in their forms who would win? It would come down to who was better able to apply their knowledge in the fight.

There is no best form.

Answer 9

Depends on what emphasis you would like. A good all-round self-defence is JuJitsu. It offers defence against punches and kicks, grabs, and weapons such as knifes and broken bottles. The aim of Ju Jitsu is to use your opponents weight and momentum against them rather than strength so it is also ideal if you are light, short or a woman. See the link for more info and where to find clubs.

Answer 10

Krav maga - that a simple one to answer, thanks.

Um didn't quite read your question with to much attention; I took up\the martial art I study because it is convenient, near were I live, on a night I have free, people are welcoming enough. Not the most philosophical answer I know but honest and from the heart