What martial art...?

Question

Is good for a person looking to defend themselves, get into better physical shape and most importantly increases confidence?

I deal with difficult people frequently and often feel threatened. I want to learn to defend myself if some thing should happen. Also how hard is it to learn martial arts? What kind of physical training does it take? I know that it depends on the person, but how long does it take to advance in general for an average student? If I do this I don't want to be a beginner forever, I want to advance, be confident in my ability and be good at it.

I have looked and ninjitsu, tae-kwon-do, and judo appear to be prevelant in my area.

Great responses for the most part...I will have to let this one go to a vote since I feel most every one gave good advice.

I appreciate every ones input. I really have a feeling that Judo may be my choice to start. I have been researching information on line about area martial arts training and have found the pickings small in my county, while in a nearby county there is an judo facility that has a ton of information on their web site regarding their offering as training. They touch on much of what I have found here. The only problem is they are not close by. before I make my choice I will check out those listed in the phone book in my county.

Thanks every one!

Answer 1

I'd say of the 3 you mentioned, Judo would be the better choice, All that throwing and falling can really give you one tough workout plus it increases your stamina and endurance as well as teach you some good basic defense.

Answer 2

Karate or TKD are good all rounders.The weakeness in many such styles though is that once you are wrestled to the ground, all those kicks, punches, strikes and blocks won't do you one bit of good, that's where Judo and Jujitsu come in.

Therefore if you're serious about self defense, I'd advise a primary martial art of karate / TKD and some training in judo and/or jujitsu. Karate is a good place to start. A traditional school is better than a kick-boxing type setup (nicer people in it too).

Re your other question about advancement. It's normal for young males to want to advance quickly, but by doing that you deny yourself the skill of having an "automatic pilot". The training helps you to be able to react spontaniously and automatically to a threat. Fast advancement may get you a pat on the back or a new color belt, but you won't have that very neccesary skill.

There is a Zen saying "With one eye upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the way". It's very true. Good luck with it.

Answer 3

I highly recommend Judo. I have been a yellow belt for abut a year now and have found it absolutely amazing. Much of the physical training involved in Judo will involve running( either regular or stair laps) and mat work to practice proper breakfalls. Advancement depends on age and experience. Younger Judoka(17 and under) have more belts to go through than senior(18+). It generally takes about 6 months to a year for each belt, but the more experience you have at a belt level the better. I would also recommend taking another martial art such as shodokan so that you can learn proper punching and kicking techniques.

Answer 4

Any of the disciplines you have mentioned would be excellent and would offer you some good information, techniques, and concepts to help you achieve your goals.

The more important thing though is the instructor/s who will teach your classes and the students you will train with. Take some time to talk with the intructor/s and students at the clubs or classes you are considering and make sure that you are comfortable, happy, welcomed, and encouraged to participate. You need to look forward to going to classes, and you need to trust and respect your instructor in order to learn and advance.

How quickly you will advance, as you already know, is entirely up to you. It is not something anyone here can provide an answer to that will be worth anything at all. The first step to that potential advancement though, is finding the right place and just going regulalry. So start your journey as quickly as you can, and you may be surprised where it takes you in the end.

Good luck

Ken C
9th Dan HapMoosaKi-Do
8th Dan TaeKwon-Do
7th Dan YongChul-Do

Answer 5

It is completely ignorant to think that you could safely defend yourself in every situation just by being in good shape. Most martial arts are specifically designed to give the smaller, weaker person the advantage in a fight.
That being said, it is still vitally important to exercise and stay in good shape.
Any martial art if practiced routinely will give you an advantage in a fight. The only thing I would recommend is to have an ace up your sleeve. Make sure you have some sort of ground fighting (I recommend Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) to go with your stand up fighting. On top of that, learn pressure points and how to take advantage of them. I recommend Shaolin Chin Na or Hapkido for this.
You can stop many fights from escalating if you know how to inflict great pain on an individual. I have ended several fights before they started with simple wrist and elbow locks.
As far as advancing as a martial artist, don't stress too much. A belt is just a belt. I have known several people who just do what they need to do to get a black belt, and get sent to the hospital after someone picks a fight with them on the street. The key thing is to have a good school and a good instructor.

Answer 6

If its possible take all 3.

Ninjitsu for balance, coordination, vital point striking and some joint manipulation.

TKD for speed and knockout kicks when the rare opportunity arises for a clear kick to the head

Judo for when the opponent is too large to damage with strikes you can throw him on the ground and use the taught submissions along with the ninjitsu ground moves.


Ninjitsu and TKD would make the best combo because most TKD kicks have pretty bad balance from the constant fast chain kicking that alot of times they themselves slip and fall on their butt trying to get off a head shot. Bad move. Ninjitsu would cover you there so you can deliver a fast KO and be able to recover on your re-landings.


What a deadly mix.

Answer 7

any martial art is good, they all teach what you are looking for, however ninjutsu is more for stealth than actual fighting, and i have no idea how long it takes to get to black belt in that (if there even is a black belt). taekwondo is good for stand up fighting and you will learn a lot of speed, flexibility and balance, as well as strength. Judo is good for ground fighting and will teach you more upper body strength than taekwondo. taekwondo takes between 3-5 years to attain black belt. judo takes about 6-8 years. they all help give you confidence as well. you will also learn how to avoid combat before it escalates. the best martial artists walk away if possible. however if unavoidable, they will also teach you how to defend yourself. main lesson if you're attacked is this: subdue your attacker, then run. dont try to win the fight. getting away with no injuries is winning, not beating up the other guy.

Answer 8

I noticed that someone said 3-5 years to get black belt in tkd, depending on how dedicated you are to it, it doesn't have to take that long. i'm allowed to test every two months and must wait 6 months at red belt (belt before black) needless to say, i'm now a brown belt (just before red) and its only been about a year and two months, i should be testing for black in june, so about 1.75 years, but again, you have to want it

Answer 9

Any of those will be fine, though I'd pick Taekwondo or Judo over 'Ninjitsu. '

Answer 10

Just lift weights, run and ride a ten speed long distances. Then if you want to learn techniques, just watch the ultimate fighter. You will be able to emulate the moves. The key is to just stay in top shape. There is no way to overcome someone in top shape. By the way, when you are in top shape, anyone who tries anything will be sorry.