My take: To be good at kickboxing, you need power, speed, and lots of youth. Things I don’t’ have. And if you are young, strong, and fast, you probably have less need for martial arts for self-defense. Kickboxing is not for me. Maybe it’s for you.
Boxing: Useful for self-defense with relatively little training. But you do need speed and power. I would say, you might want to add some boxing skills and training to your arsenal of martial arts training.
Krav Maga: developed for the Israeli military to use against vicious opponents, including those armed with a gun or knife. This is some serious shit. Very practical for soldiers.
But I think that some instructors in the U.S. have failed to adapt the techniques to more common self-defense scenarios for civilians. Let’s say some guy pushes you and says something vaguely threatening. Well, you are not thereby justified in treating him like an armed terrorist and beating him to near-death with krav maga. Force used in self-defense needs to be proportionate to the threat.
Also, some of the krav maga techniques are designed for an armed attacker. Unless absolutely necessary, you should not be trying to use a martial arts technique against someone armed with a gun or knife. The skill level needed to successfully defend yourself is high, and there’s always that “anything can happen in a fight” factor.
Sumo Wrestling: great for self-defense — if you weigh 500 lbs and are attacked by another multi-hundred-pound guy trying to push you out of a circle drawn on the ground.
Tai Chi: I’m not sure if this is a martial art or not. It’s that slow-motion highly-stylized sequence of movements you sometimes see in movies (like that old Patrick Swayze movie Roadhouse). I suspect that it’s of very limited use in a real world fight. It’s a good pseudo-martial art for old people and pacifists.
Taekwondo: the real serious form of taekwondo is a Korean martial art that draws techniques from many other martial arts. It’s what MMA would be, if it were designed by traditional martial arts experts. The discipline involves various strikes with the hands and feet, from a mobile stance. There are also some take-downs, holds, and joint locks. However, the emphasis on speed and high kicks might keep some older and slower would-be martial artists from pursuing the discipline.
Iaido, Kendo, and Kenjutsu: These martial arts all use some type of sword.
For iaido, the sword is a “live blade”, a sharp metal sword. Here’s my take on this martial art: WAY TOO DANGEROUS!!! One wrong swipe and you or your practice partner needs a new limb (or a funeral). And in what real world scenario is someone going to attack you, when you happen to be carrying a sword?
Kendo has the opposite problem. The sword is a flexible bamboo stick, and you fight while wearing protective plastic armor. OK. I’m sure it’s good exercise. You can use your high level of fitness, when faced with a real world attacker, to run away. Not practical.
Kenjutsu uses a wooden sword. The lethality is not so different from a well-swung baseball bat. But in a real world situation, you need that wooden sword or bat. Of the three, kenjutsu is more practical, but it’s far from the ideal self-defense training.
Doge-do: A new marital art that I just invented in my brain right now. You buy a couple of well-trained dogs, friendly to your family but also very protective. And if attacked, you release the hounds. You let slip the dogs of war. It’s less work for you. And most bad guys are more afraid of dogs than they probably should be. It’s a good martial art for the very old, the very young, or the very lazy (two of which apply to me).
Judo and Jujutsu: These martial arts are based on throws and different types of holds. Some of the individual techniques are useful. I just think that you need too many years of training in these techniques to defend against a strong attacker who punches and kicks. I’d like an instructor in some other martial art, who might add in a few judo or jujutsu techniques.
Mixed Martial Arts: MMA competition fights have become popular in recent years. The sport developed in reaction to the lack of real world practicality of many martial arts. Attacks and defenses are taken from different martial arts disciplines, and include strikes with the hands, elbows, knees, and feet, as well as grappling techniques. It’s also very aggressive martial art.
If you are good at MMA, I’m sure that you are good at self-defense in real world scenarios. But from my point of view, it has the same problem as kickboxing. It’s a sport for the young and strong. I would prefer an approach to self-defense where I don’t have to be punched and kicked hundreds of times in order to protect myself from punches and kicks if I am ever attacked.
MMA classes are also highly variable in quality and in the techniques that are taught. Since it is an amalgam of different techniques and styles, there is no set format. It depends on the particular style preferred by the instructor.
Self-defense Classes: Same problem as MMA. The classes are highly variable in techniques and quality, depending mainly on whatever the instructor decides to teach. Some self-defense instructors also teach one or another style of martial arts. They then adapt some martial arts techniques to a course designed to impart useful skills in as few lessons as possible. It’s a good option, if you can find the right instructor.
Notes and Cautions:
Black Belt Factories: Some martial arts studios are “black belt factories”. They can tell you how long it will take to obtain a black belt, often only a year or so. You learn a series of techniques and take belt tests frequently, going up the ladder of belt colors until you reach brown and then black. If you take the classes and the tests, and are not a complete klutz, you’ll get the belt.
A less expensive and time-consuming path to the same end would be to watch a bunch of Hollywood martial arts movies, and then just buy a black-colored belt. Your level of training will be about the same.
Black belt factories are for-profit companies, whose main interest is in stroking your ego in exchange for money. Then when you are faced with a real self-defense situation … well, they’ll have to find another student to replace you. Having the designation of “black belt” doesn’t mean much.
A long time ago (too long to be of use to me today), I took some martial arts classes. They had a different attitude toward belts. You could take classes without ever testing for any belt. Once the instructor decided you were ready, you would move up from the beginner classes to the intermediate and then advanced classes without needed a particular belt level.
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