I want to take SELF DEFENSE CLASSES....?

Question

does anyone know where i should look for a GOOD CLASS....yellow pages???......any experience, please tell.......tnks:P

Answer 1

Yellow pages will work so will a search engine and may I make a few suggestions, first, look for a non sport karate school and I'd also recommend staying away from those larger chain schools. Second, it you are really looking for a "self-defense art" check out kenpo if in your area. If you look into kenpo on the net check out those technique video clips.

Answer 2

First , do not listen to anyone who says "My art is better". Instructors can be better , but a good fighter will be a good fighter no matter what martial art they choose. Try to find a school where the instructor has a good reputation and certification in whatever martial art he or she teaches. Also , the Instructors comunication skills are important. They can personally be the best fighter in the world , but have no abilities to convey their ideas to you. If they have students who have succeeded , then you will too , to the best of your own abilities. I predominantly teach Tae Kwon Do which is a good striking art , but also know the value of other martial arts and incorporate them into my teaching. On Sundays I bring in other instructors to show HapKi Do , Jui Jitsu , Muay Thai , Philipine Stick fighting to name a few. As an instructor I am open to other ideas , not stuck on "My art is better"

Answer 3

You're local phone book or internet search engines should help best. but they can't tell you how good the class is going to be (see last few paragraphs, for a few tips)

first: research local schools by looking in the phone book or internet search engine for websites to find out if there ARE any Martial Arts schools in your area.

Second, if you can find at least 3 schools that interest you, watch a few classes at each one and decide which one out of those 3 schools that interested you the most.

Third, the next thing you should do is find out if they have some trial classes (up to a weeks worth to help you make a decision, hopefully without being hassled to join or sign a contract to join the class), and if you find that you like the school, then enroll in the class.

You just need to find a Martial Arts School that will provide a safe, "family like" environment for you and that the instructor(s) are going to help you become the best Martial Artist that you can become.

The discipline you may wind up studying DOESN'T MATTER because there is NO discipline that is better than another, because they ALL have their strengths AND weaknesses

What matters is that you feel comfortable in the classes (and like the classes) and feel comfortable that the instructor (and the instructor's TEACHING style and not the discipline itself) can properly teach you self defense without the "smoke and mirrors" .

The instructor should also like to do it more for the teaching aspect rather than the "making money" which it is a business to make money after all; but it should not be the only reason for teaching the discipline.

The biggest problem you should worry about in finding a school is being aware of schools that're a "McDojo's" or "belt factory" type of school.

These schools usually do a lot of boasting; particularly about how soon their students make their 1st degree black belts. A prime example of this: having several "young black belts" that're usually 9 or 10 yr old kids, which should be a rare thing to see unless the child started learning the discipline when they were 4 yrs old, or promising that as a student you’ll be making your black belt in about a year’s time (the average should be between 4 to 5 years or better) which often means that they have a high student turnout rate. This is a Red Flag

They may also try to get you to commit to (by signing) a contract, usually one that's 6 months long or more or try to get you to pay down a large sum of money for that kind of time period. This is a BIG red flag

And don’t be fooled by these schools telling you about how many tournaments or competitions their students have entered and placed in or won a trophy, which is NOT a necessity in Martial Arts. Tournaments/competitions can be good to test your own skills at point sparring but again, it’s not necessary because they are the LEAST important aspect to concern yourself with in Martial Arts.

Long story short, these schools will basically "give" you your belt ranks every few months as long as you are paying the outrageous fees per month, and you won't really learn self defense.

ONE final Note: Many people fail to realize that certain Martial Arts do not cater to "certain types" of people, that there isn't a particular "brand" that is a "best fit".

There IS NOT a Martial Art that works for people with SPECIFIC body characteristics (height, weight, body type, gender, etc.) they work for everyone, it just depends on what YOU want to get out of studying Martial Arts

Because the fact is that when people ask "what's a good Martial Art for me to learn?" or “what’s the “best” Martial Art to learn” has 2 big (and often recurring) problems:

1st: these questions just beg for the majority of people here to start blurting out names of disciplines that are probably not even available in your area.

2nd: Just because they recommend a Martial Art that they may (or worse MAY NOT) have studied and it just happened to become THEIR favorite Martial Art because they’re interested in studying it or it worked for them** doesn't mean that it's going to work for you or that you’ll find it interesting.

good luck and good hunting for a good school

Answer 4

Google martial arts in your area first and read up on the different arts so that you can find one that really interests you. Then choose one in your area you are more likely to stay in class if you really enjoy, or find interest in what you study.

lr

http://www.pacificwingchunassociation.com

Answer 5

We have this integrated into our classes of Tae-Kwon-Do. I have taught women, kids, police handicapped people, and so on. I believe most Karate classes, will have some form of self defense integrated into their program.

Answer 6

quicksilver and vincent's replies left me with nothing to add but...


"exactly"