Where to Begin?

[anaha]

First I wanted to say hello as I am a n00b here.

Ok with that out of the way..... where to start?

I have been looking into Self defense and have met three types:

Traditionals who say mma / sport is no good as you age and a "sport"
and not effective for smaller guys hence the reason for weight classes, power based toe to toe skills are not the smartest route.

MMA Sport Guys... who say their way is best and traditional is dead, cross train, forget katas, locks and throws from aiki arts or traps like in wing chun just wont work in america on the street, it isnt how we fight.

Combat /Rbsd guys who say neither of the above is "alive" and defence is not fighting like mma it is defending, it should not rely on power or tradition (yet it seems that alot of their tactics are from japanese arts).

They also speak of the adrenaline dump and gross motor skills saying when push comes to shove you will not be able to do locks and such, and they train in scenarios to get you use to them, interestingly an Aikido person told me they do it different keeping a calm mind, one point...something like that.

I was carjacked 1 year ago and I can say I could not hear, tunnel vision, my swings felt like a baby was throwing them, felt drunk, very bad experience.

?????

I am 37, 5'6 145 lbs, (yes small I know) looking for something practical that will get me in shape and allow me to get better with age not loose what I have gained, something where you train realistically..

Around my area:

goshin jujitsu by calvin lester
aikido kokikai
kenpo school
kissaki kai karate (vince morris)
wing chun kung fu
bagua-hsing-i-tai chi school
tons of korean karate schools
mma school
jkd / muay thai school
tiger shulmans
damian ross / carl cestari (up north though but drivable I guess)

Thanks for any advice...btw I live In Southern New Jersey, looking for a teacher.

Ron Walters

[william northcote]

Go try them out and decide for yourself. It is pointless asking us as we are all biased in our view of an efficient style or system.

Now go forth out into this world and have fun.

[Prince Loeffler]

To Paraphase Will, Its like driving to a BMW dealership and asking them if they prefer to drive an Audi

[MikeWilliams]

If you're really worried about self-defense - and it sounds like you have good reason to be, given your recent experience - I would forget about learning physical skills, and concentrate on the more intangible side: situational awareness, escape routes, de-escalation skills, coping with adrenaline. Then (assuming you are in the US) I would look at getting a firearm.

For just being able to handle yourself in a scuffle, I reckon a combination of Muay Thai, Boxing, Judo and BJJ - any decent MMA school will cover all those bases. Or if you just have to do one thing, do Judo. Then top it all off with Aikido.

This, of course, is an entirely personal bias - Prince and Will didn't share theirs, boooo where's the fun in that?

[william northcote]

This, of course, is an entirely personal bias - Prince and Will didn't share theirs, boooo where's the fun in that?

The fun is in knowing you are bias towards your own sytem/style.

I did not recommend mine as the list he produced does not include Budo Taijutsu. So I never said for him to go look for it, unless he is willing to travel out of his home area.

[Prince Loeffler]

Kama Sutra always works

[william northcote]

Kama Sutra always works

Only for you as you look at the dirty part of the Sutra.

J/K

[Prince Loeffler]

Only for you as you look at the dirty part of the Sutra.

J/K

Its the only way I could get my Judan in this art ! There are no good teachers anymore..

[william northcote]

Its the only way I could get my Judan in this art ! There are no good teachers anymore..

Ooooh I say! You kinky little He man.

I see a thread drift starting.

[Prince Loeffler]

Ooooh I say! You kinky little He man.

I see a thread drift starting.

Oopsie, Awright folks back to your regular programing !

[Dale]

G'day Ron,
Welcome!
Just though I might chime in with a bit of advice because the answer seems pretty obvious.

You have listed 3 categories of Martial arts that specialise in different areas.
Traditionals, MMA / Sport, and Combat / Rbsd. Well I think that if you need a tool to hammer a nail then don't reach for a screwdriver!

The personal example you raised was a car jacking!
Lets look at it systematically:
1) Traditionals: Although the theories, philosophies and techniques may prove useful, cars were not invented when Traditional martial arts wer being developed!

2) MMA / Sport: Car jackings don't have weight limits, time limits, rules, and again although many MMA techniques might be helpful most sports clubs don't allow cars on the mat or in the ring!

3) Combat / Rbsd: Self defence in a real situation is best practised with realism based self defense (rbsd)! Defending yourself from carjacking is combat, not sport and not necessarry of a lifetime of dedicated study to a specific warrior tradition.

All Rbsd stuff is based in traditional martial arts or combative sport somewhere. Often it is a mix consisting of many "tricks" from Judo and Jujitsu combined with other techniques and strategies deemed combat effective. Either way the emphasis is on self defence or self preservation above all things. This sounds like the way you might want to go.

From your list the "stand outs" seem to be Goshin Jutsu (literally "self defense art"), and Carl Cestari. I am an Aussie so I don't know much about the Goshin Jutsu standards or the person teaching but I can say that Carl Cestari is a well known authority and an international "go to guy" in the realism based self defense field.

I would suggest go to Carl Cestari and check out the Goshin Jutsu, discuss your needs, and see if they provide what you are looking for. This may well give you the incentive and foundation to inspire you to branch out into a sporting or traditional art at some stage in the future.

All have huge amounts to be gained from studying them but when you have a specific task in mind you need the specific tool for the job.

[Neil Hawkins]

What Dale says has merit, but I tend to agree with Mike Williams, the mental side is more important than the physical.

Street crime can range over a wide variety of scenarios and consequences. It doesn't matter what you train or how good you are at it, you may well still get mugged. If the attacker has a gun or any other weapon he has a huge advantage, if you can give him your wallet and he goes away, that is your best survival option.

Resisting increases your chance of either getting hurt yourself, or having to front a judge to explain why you seriously injured the guy.

Of course there may be situations when you have no choice but to act but those are generally rare compared to the situations when compliance works best.

You obviously survived your last encounter, so evaluate that what happened, why did it happen, what could have happened...

You have to remove the emotion and look at it objectively, in your normal day to day life how likely is it that you will be in the same situation again? If it is likely, are there things that you can change to reduce the likelihood?

I can't advise you on this, but it comes down to where you live and work, where you travel, and so on. There are many thousands of people who have never been attacked or mugged, in my mind the average person doesn't need self defense training, but everyone should have awareness training.

I'm not saying don't train, but objectively decide what you are training for, talk to a range of instructors and find something that you enjoy, don't take any notice of the promises that this is better than that, or whatever. Practice because you enjoy it, because it helps your fitness, flexibility or whatever, if you start to get bored, try a different one and see how that goes. Anything you do is adding to your armoury.

If and when you ever get into a situation where you need to defend yourself, you do what you have to, with what you've got. (and that is rarely a clean technique!)


Regards

Neil

[DDATFUS]

I would suggest that the most effective martial art is the one that you enjoy the most. If you find a good dojo with a knowledgable, dedicated instructor, friendly, serious students and a healthy learning environment, you will train harder and get more out of it. A fun class that you stick with for ten years is going to give you much better preparation than a class that leaves you so frustrated that you quit after six weeks. And if nothing else, a martial arts program that you do regularly should keep you in great shape, which isn't a bad thing at all. Shop around, talk to the instrucors, and pick the school that gives you the best feeling.

In addition to that, check to see what programs in the area might help you with situational awareness. A good martial artist isn't a guy who wins a fight against a group of tough-looking punks; a good martial artist is a guy who notices that there are some unsavory-looking characters lurking down the street and takes another way home, avoiding the danger.

[JamesD]

To Paraphase Will, Its like driving to a BMW dealership and asking them if they prefer to drive an Audi

I say it's more like asking "What do you want on your pizza" to a group of people and getting 20 different answers.

But I agree with Will, observe the classes, talk to the students, and maybe even see if you can "try before you buy"

[cxt]

Ron

First off let me offer you a sincere "congrats" for getting out of rough situation without serious injury.
Carjackings are very dangerous situations that can and have ended up with people dead.
Its no small thing to walk away for such a situation.

I got to go with Mike here.

No martial art is going to beat a gun and the best means of "real" self defense is common sense and awareness.

As far as which art?

Again I have to go with the group, finding the right teacher and school is more important than the "style."
So take your time and "test drive" a few before you make you your mind.

Please let us know how it goes.

Good luck!!