I want to learn to defend myself.

[Rough2k2]

Hey all, I thought this forum would be the best place to come for this. I'm currently 18 years old, and I work out a lot. I'm putting on some muscle and size along with some strength but I still lack any knowledge of self-defense or fighting in general. After reading many stories of gang violence and with attacks in my province increasing I feel that is becoming necessary for me to learn to defend myself.

Can anyone suggest the best way for an 18 year old to get into martial arts or suggest any other self-defense technique? Even any basic tips would be greatly appreciated, such as why not to punch with a closed fist? (I really have no idea)

 

[theoak01]

glad to see you want to learn this to protect yourself from trouble and not find it.

my first suggestion is research a few different arts you are interested in, personally krav maga and brazilian ju jitsu would be the two id take if anything,I take krav now and love how its very practical. but anyways once you find one your really interested in find a good school in your area and take a few classes to see if you like it before you commit,it will probably cost 10 bucks a session but its worth it.

as for punching with a closed fist,thats more a way so you dont get legal problems,I say if ya know how to punch properly and its in self defense give them all you got with a closed fist.

btw no martial art will make you superman,dont take on a gang you will die it is that simple,they have guns and knifes and will use them,along with the numbers game.

 

[Rough2k2]

Thanks for the reply bro. I'm not sure what the martial art scene is like around here, though after reading some posts on here it seems like BJJ is the way to go. I will do some checking around to see if there's any lessons available around here.

 

[Judo Tom]

yeah check out a few schools and see what fits you best.. you need something that you will like and you will be interested in.

you need to like the class structure, instructor and class in general

ask if the instructor teaches any pure self defense techniques..

good luck

 

[Rough2k2]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately there is no Brazilian Jujitsu where i live. I'm about to call around to some martial arts places and ask some general questions and see how things go.

 

[Judo Tom]

what is offered?

 

[Witold]

If you get in a situation where you have to fight, you have already failed to protect yourself. Your head and choices you make before the conflict are your best protection on the street.

In regards to schools, you need to find one that spars hard, and spars often. No amount of bag work and training will prepare you for facing your opponent and getting hit.

 

[theoak01]

If you get in a situation where you have to fight, you have already failed to protect yourself. Your head and choices you make before the conflict are your best protection on the street.

In regards to schools, you need to find one that spars hard, and spars often. No amount of bag work and training will prepare you for facing your opponent and getting hit.

I disagree man,Im a bouncer and sometimes a fight cant be avoided,even if your the most diplomatic person out there,sometimes people are hell bent on fighting,Ive saw guys totally back down after they bumped into someone on accident and the guy didnt accept the appology and he ended up having to defend himself. it sucks but in this world everyone should be able to defend themselves,women included

 

[Judo Tom]

especially women..

every girl i know worries about self defense in one way or another.. but i know 2 that took classes of any type? WTF

i love not having to worry about self defense.. i dont care if i can beat someone up or not... but i really like not having to worry about going to the hospital at the end of the nite

 

[Dirk Howat]

Can anyone suggest the best way for an 18 year old to get into martial arts or suggest any other self-defense technique? Even any basic tips would be greatly appreciated, such as why not to punch with a closed fist? (I really have no idea)

Do not get into karate, kung fu and anyother bullshit.

You need to spar for real.

Boxing, Muay Thai kickboxing and BJJ is the way to go.

Knowing how to throw a straight punch (closed fist) is the fastest way to be able to kick most anyones ass. Condition your knuckles to inflict maximum damage.

95 percent of men do not know how to throw a straight punch and therefor cannot knock you out. If you can do this, you can knock somebody out if you hit the chin squarely.











.

 

[NineInches]

Hey all, I thought this forum would be the best place to come for this. I'm currently 18 years old, and I work out a lot. I'm putting on some muscle and size along with some strength but I still lack any knowledge of self-defense or fighting in general. After reading many stories of gang violence and with attacks in my province increasing I feel that is becoming necessary for me to learn to defend myself.

Can anyone suggest the best way for an 18 year old to get into martial arts or suggest any other self-defense technique? Even any basic tips would be greatly appreciated, such as why not to punch with a closed fist? (I really have no idea)

If you are serious about learning to defend yourself.. look into a traditional japanese martal art form like jujutsu, ninpo, or kenpo. I'd suggest you stay away from the do's as they are for sport and not ment for combat (killing). Check out e-budo.com forums for possible training groups/classes forming in your area. Also ninpo.org has some good info as well. Watch out for scammers.. lot of people claiming they are hot stuff.. when they are just trying to get your money. Stay safe.

 

[PICK3]

Boxing and/or Muay Thai is a good start, but if you can't fight on the ground ... you can't fight. Look for a school that includes submission wrestling or BJJ.

 

[tbuz67]

Closed fist striking isn't encouraged in real combat because of the possibility of breaking one's knuckle(s) during a strike. If you make a fist and look at the back of your hand, you can kinda picture how bones go from your wrist to the knuckle, 4 bones, one for each knuckle. These can break if your knuckle smashes into something a little too hard, like someone's skull. The knuckle itself will push back towards your wrist and the bone will snap or shatter. You may see a bump where the broken bone protrudes out, along with swelling. This is known as a "boxer's break" and once this happens, it may have a tendency to break over and over in the course of future fights. It seems more common in the pinky bone more than the other 3 knuckles, but can happen anywhere. Of course, getting something like this set at the doctor could cost thousands of $$$s, depending on how severe the break is. Many fighting disciplines will stress hitting with the index and middle finger knuckles, as opposed to the more vulnerable pinky and ring finger knuckles. An example of this type of striking can be seen in many Royce Gracie fights, where Royce hits primarily with these two knuckles. In boxing, the gloves worn are to protect the hands as much as the other fighters. In MMA events, the smaller black gloves you see the fighters wearing don't do much to protect the other fighters, they are there more for knuckle protection. On the street, many people would rather not risk any chance of breaking their knuckles (and limiting their fighting abilities due to an injured hand) and limit hand strikes to open palm strikes and such. Many fighting disciplines don't teach close-fist striking because of this possibility.

Hope this answers your question, rough2!

 

[Judo Tom]

did you go look at any classes yet?

 

[Kane Fan]

Thanks for the reply bro. I'm not sure what the martial art scene is like around here, though after reading some posts on here it seems like BJJ is the way to go. I will do some checking around to see if there's any lessons available around here.

if you are worried about gang violence BJJ is not the way to go (and neither is any other grappling style) BJJ is a great addition to a fighter but on the street it can be dangerous to use it
if you are outnumbered you are going to get the shit beat out of you by the friends of the guy you are grappling with
if it's one on one grappling is a fine option
if there are more then one of them you need striking options, and even those shouldn't be used to try and have a movie fightscene where you defeat multiple opponents and then say something witty after
strike to create an opening to run

 

[USMC fighter]

Hey tbuz, i had a boxers fracture on my right hand and had to have surgury. i couldnt train for allmost 3 months, and if i wasnt in the military the surgury would have cost me about 5 grand, so excellent point

 

[shamrock11]

Closed fist striking isn't encouraged in real combat because of the possibility of breaking one's knuckle(s) during a strike. If you make a fist and look at the back of your hand, you can kinda picture how bones go from your wrist to the knuckle, 4 bones, one for each knuckle. These can break if your knuckle smashes into something a little too hard, like someone's skull. The knuckle itself will push back towards your wrist and the bone will snap or shatter. You may see a bump where the broken bone protrudes out, along with swelling. This is known as a "boxer's break" and once this happens, it may have a tendency to break over and over in the course of future fights. It seems more common in the pinky bone more than the other 3 knuckles, but can happen anywhere. Of course, getting something like this set at the doctor could cost thousands of $$$s, depending on how severe the break is. Many fighting disciplines will stress hitting with the index and middle finger knuckles, as opposed to the more vulnerable pinky and ring finger knuckles. An example of this type of striking can be seen in many Royce Gracie fights, where Royce hits primarily with these two knuckles. In boxing, the gloves worn are to protect the hands as much as the other fighters. In MMA events, the smaller black gloves you see the fighters wearing don't do much to protect the other fighters, they are there more for knuckle protection. On the street, many people would rather not risk any chance of breaking their knuckles (and limiting their fighting abilities due to an injured hand) and limit hand strikes to open palm strikes and such. Many fighting disciplines don't teach close-fist striking because of this possibility.

Hope this answers your question, rough2!

Actually the four bones you are talking about are called metacarpals and they are hard to break. When you break your hand on someone you end up breaking the smaller bones called carpals or you crush your knuckles.

 

[shamrock11]

if you are worried about gang violence BJJ is not the way to go (and neither is any other grappling style) BJJ is a great addition to a fighter but on the street it can be dangerous to use it
if you are outnumbered you are going to get the shit beat out of you by the friends of the guy you are grappling with
if it's one on one grappling is a fine option
if there are more then one of them you need striking options, and even those shouldn't be used to try and have a movie fightscene where you defeat multiple opponents and then say something witty after
strike to create an opening to run

It doesn't matter what kind of art you take. If you have to fight more than one person you are going to get your ass kicked period. No art can prepare you to fight more than one person.

 

[Judo Tom]

It doesn't matter what kind of art you take. If you have to fight more than one person you are going to get your ass kicked period. No art can prepare you to fight more than one person.

thats definately not true

the odds are stacked against you against multiple opponents but it is not a definate that you will get beat

 

[Kane Fan]

especially women..

every girl i know worries about self defense in one way or another.. but i know 2 that took classes of any type? WTF

i love not having to worry about self defense.. i dont care if i can beat someone up or not... but i really like not having to worry about going to the hospital at the end of the nite

you should encourage the girls to get invovled with self defence
you dont have to be a crusader but if a girl you know says something invite her to one of your classes or something