which is better for self-defense? aikido or taekwondo?

Question

hey this coming summer im gona learn a martial art...which is i dont know which one to pick...i want to learn martial arts because i want to be able to protect myself since im here in the philippines one of the most dangerous country cause of kidnapping and robberies...so i want someone who has experience in martial arts to answer my question ty

Answer 1

Neither Aikido, a soft Japanese style that focuses on using the opponents energy against him/herself, nor Taekwondo, the national "sport" of Korea will serve you best in self defense in a society such as the Phillipines. If you are interested solely in self defense, and you want to achieve some level of competence quickly, then I would suggest looking into a mixed martial art as well as firearms training.

The real point here is training for "real-life" situations. Neither Aikido, a most respectable traditional art for which I have a great deal of respect, nor Taekwondo, a highly developed sport, train you for real life situations. You need to train hard-core if you want to be able to quickly learn some basic fighting skills to defend yourself. Also, becoming skilled in emergency use of a handgun can be an invaluable tool to protect yourself and your family if you truly feel that your environment is threatening.

Personally, I have been a student of both traditional and "evolved" styles over the past 29 years and have found benefits in all paths, but it is really the goal that you must be focused on. If you wish to pursue a path of self development, physical conditioning, and eventually skill at self defense, then choosing a traditional path can be a very rewarding lifestyle. However, if you are only getting one summer to prepare yourself for what you perceive to be a dangerous environment, then you need hands-on experience and real-life training in self defense; not a beginning on a path toward self development.

You want to protect yourself? That's the high priority here? Get a powerful handgun and train to use it if ever necessary.

Answer 2

Both Aikido and karate are good forms of self defense, Aikido has more of a focus on grappling while Karate relies heavily on strikes. Yes several people do criticize Aikido on it's supposed unrealism but this criticism is unfounded. the main detractors of Aikido are MMA'ers who are more used to ground grappling which is easier to pull of but also mostly useless in real life. All martial art's take a lot of time to get familiar with. There is no quick fix. it will be a long long time before you will be able to use the techniques you learn in a real life situation. Aikido also focuses on not hurting the opponent much which is usefull from a legal point of view but those techniques can also be used to inflict immense damage on an opponent with great efficiency.

Answer 3

If you only have a summer to learn, I would suggest Tae-Kwon-Do for you. Aikido can be just as effective, but the techniques tend to require more mastery to be effective. An Aikido throw that's badly performed has very little effect. A Tae-Kwon-Do punch or kick that's sloppy will still at least make your attacker think twice.
If you intend to learn for many years, Aikido can also be interesting for you, but that's the main problem with it: It takes a while until beginner students become comfortable enough to be really effective.

Answer 4

Real aikido is not just the mastery of martial arts defensive skills, it is also the art of offensive skills derived from defensive katas, used with non-aggressive motives to subdue the opponent quickly and painfully, thereby removing the aggression from the attacker. It's also a complete study of the religious aspects of this excellent form. Taekwondo is also a good martial art thats mostly a contact sport now and is highly popular and more chosen.

Answer 5

The martial art you feel comfortable with and do better at is the one that is better for you, Grasshopper. Aikido is close-quarters, soft style and TKD is more of a hard, striking style. Soft style moves with the attacker's energy. A striking style meets force with force. TKD practitioners generally have long, lean bodies. Other body types are better suited for Aikido or Hapkido.

BTW if you're in the Phillipines, learn some stick and knife fighting. I heard you guys are wicked at that.

Answer 6

Aikido is better for self defense. Tae Kwon Do just uses flashy moves.

Answer 7

Both are good. TKD is better at long range & is much better against multiple attackers. Aikido is better in close & on the ground.

BTW don't expect to learn enough in 1 summer to make yourself invincible.

Answer 8

I personally like Akido but in an open street fight with everything going a million miles a second, you might get eaten alive. I like artfuldr's answer, he really took the time to talk to you. if you ever get in a fight in the Philippines they don't fight one on one, there are no rules and most of them have had many more years of training in stick and knife styles than you and I will ever see. I was based there in the Navy and the most effective style you'll ever learn is peace.

Answer 9

i think that akido is better in self defense and taekwondo is better in offinse because there is not that much fist punching in akido than there is in taekwondo. Really in akido you learn how to protect yourself. I have taken both of them before.

Answer 10

Sorry, I'm not answering any more of these "what's better" "Who wins" questions.

Done!