Deep Singh

Wondering if some experts out there might be able to help. I want to start a martial arts/self defence class and need to pick the right one. To put things in context I am not a spring chicken and have the odd pain here and there and am not as flexible as I used to be.

Saying that I'm not a stranger to the gym and actually did Karate ( in a style similar to Tae Kwon Do) between the ages of 13-16 but that was many years ago

I'm not interested in competition and don't want to do endless kata. I need something really practical that will help if I'm attacked by a couple of scumbags on the street with a knife, not if I'm attacked by a blackbelt or boxing champion ( as that will be game over for me anyway!)

Krava mag is something I've read/heard about. Any thoughts?

hux309

Krava mag hmm ive heard that is just a tad brutal, could be wrong though i believe it is similar to judo

Have a look at aikido, saved my **** on a couple of occasions and my sensei was a bouncer but yet looked like your average guy

Think steven segal but less of a show off emphasis, it's based on real life situations and you get taught to use the enviroment around you not just what is in your hands

Just avoid tommiki aikido as that is more sport based, the more practical is budo and traditional aikido

YouTube - Budo : Aikido Shioda

WRXSTU

iTrader: (1)

mauy thai.

Bonehead

Krav Maga?
I've been doing it for the past two years. It's exactly what you're looking for. No nonsense, realistic practical self defence.

If you're worried about your age then dont. We've got all ages in our class. The symplicity of the system means it works for anyone

This is the website for the UK Krav Maga. There's a list of all the classes.
International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF) UK - Home Page

Matteeboy

Kickboxing could be good too - Did it for many years and competed nationally. Great for fitness, no faffy katas (did Karate for years before it) and a very "useful" thing to know in a real situation!

demonsurfer

try tai chi or jujitsu

hux309

jiujitsu is most definitely brutal i know, i got thrown royally by 7th dan billy doak, if it wasn't for me being good at breakfalling i would have most certainly had been injured

Cracking art for causing maximum imjury but for outright defense id rather have aikido

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

thai boxing , i did it for a lot of years and its great fun , there are no belts and its pretty informal so its easy to just enjoy yourself and get really good when you are more involved

paulpaulpaul

Tae kwon do is all about self defense and after 1 year of doing it I would like to think in real life situation I would be better off than before i started,

I guess all self defense arts make the same claim but its ppresented to us a being a last course of action when somebody is getting agressive and attacts then you defend back faster and harder.

RichardS2005

How is TKD all about self defense....?

Simon 69

The trouble with Krav Maga (pronounced kraav My-ah), is that youll probably have to travel. I had to drive from Sheffield all the way to Bolton!

Simon

njkmrs

My wife and kids do jujitsu ,and it is all about getting away from attackers ,hit and run basically.Plenty of women and older people in the club as well .
She stopped me in my tracks once ,but thats another story .
Regards

Luan Pra bang

Wing Chun

Fastest way to learn to fight. Not to much rolling around on the floor like judo/jujitsu do good for your old bones. Instant effectiveness and you don't have to be really fit like kick boxing.

LG John

Even if you've been doing martial arts for 20 years if someone attacks you with a knife the best advice is run like f*ck!! It's not worth the risk that you screw up your disabling technique and get chibbed when you can run away!

Matteeboy

That's why I stopped it after a few months - I need a workout when training!

Luan Pra bang

In Wing chun you learn in the lesson and train at home if you have a good teacher.

Deep Singh

TKD is not all about self defence unless I'm mistaken. Its similar to the style I did as a young man ( Ren Shin Kai)

Thai boxing is not for me. Fitness levels seem too high from what I've seen and very high kicks.

I have no issues with the style being too brutal as I would only fight if it were life or death, otherwise I would walk (or run) away. Or do you mean that I may get injured whilst training?

Any other suggestions welcome

Luan Pra bang

Research james sinclair and the UKWCKFA.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

From what you describe, the style of Jiu Jitsu that I practise could be just what you're looking for - practical self defence designed to help ensure that, if you can't talk your way out of a fight or escape by running away, that you're the one who comes off best.

We say you don't need to be fit to do Jitsu. It's a lie, though - what we really mean is that you don't need to be fit to START Jitsu. Train a couple of times a week and you'll get fit quite quickly - it's not that the session itself will be that intense, but the 20 minute warm up will be quite hard work. You don't need to be flexible, and if a particular technique doesn't work for you (because of your body shape or whatever) then there's usually an alternative that will.

Serious injuries are rare, but martial arts are contact sports. In my experience you're as likely to stub a toe putting the mats away as you are to get hurt in training, though.

Check out www.jitsufoundation.org to find your nearest club.

Simon 69

SN is never the place for low-bravado common sense like that Kenny!

Luan Pra bang

martial arts can't really make you hard but they can make you significantly harder than you are now. If you really want to know how to fight train at a martial art and then go to the roughest pub in town and practise getting beat up by local nutters untill you start to win. or not as the case may be.

warrenm2

another vote for wing chun - only martial art devised by a woman - hence is not focused on strength and is quite "soft" in many respects ie using opponents strength against them, feeling their movements etc.

Can recommend National WingTsun Organisation of Great Britain

Matteeboy

We had a good teacher but going from bi weekly two hours mega workouts (I often instructed) to an hours technique only put me off - sure it's effective but that's only part of my reason for going.

I think I learnt enough to be able to use the techniques in certain situations but even the really good students struggled to know how to defend against certain kickboxing kicks.

Mk2_heaven

i always wanted to learn Capoeira, looking at classes in nottingham, if you concentrate less on the rythym and dance it can be devastating

nuts video --> YouTube - Capoeira Mestre

Hol

iTrader: (1)

I took Karate back up 5 years ago, after a long break. The reason being that my young son had started traing with my old sensei and I got the 'competitive bug' back from watching him train.

We often visit and receive training from sensei of other disciplines and I was very impressed in the everyday and real-world practicality of Jiu Jutsu, which incapacitates people with minimum effort and strength.
Unlike Karate, you do not need to be flexible and stretchy and you do not have to be particuarily fast.


It was on the back of one of these visits to other clubs that I also started Iaijutsu recently, but that is no good in the real world. (Unless you are Mad Max).

Bonehead

Krav Maga (actually pronounced Krav maGAR - That's how Amnon Darsa was pronouncing it when I did a grading last saturday. He's one of the top Israeli global instructors so he'd know)

It's all you'll need mate, whereabouts in the country are you?

Poor Guy

I like wing chun. but stopped going a couple of months ago as it was a long way out of town and has moved further away. With wing chun I found the techniques were good but would be useless on the ground so took up judo at the same, time late 2005. I think in a fight I would be using more judo but wouldnt rule out wing chun because the style is very effective in the right situation. Im also going to my 1st brazilian ju jitsu class tonight. Ill tell you what I think!

Judo is a heavy sport though, and does sometimes hurt. Wing chun is less dangerous to your body.

SiPie

Don't know if my now rheumatic knuckles agree with you there



PS Lau Gar as opposed to Wing chun, but not hugely different styles

Matteeboy

Actually which other SN martial artists have cracky bones?

Almost every joint in my body cracks and my knuckles sounds like someone walking over seashells.

Taking fish oil but I think it's too late - oh well, doesn't hurt yet!

SiPie

We eventually got a qualified anatomy and health sort of person to advise us on our training procedures etc....

Seemed very coincidental that 3 of the highest grades could all hardly train due to arthritic hips etc

Knuckles may ache a bit these days but they've stayed hard .... at least something stays hard as the years progress