[musclestrength0203]

My young children and I would like to learn a martial art/ self defense. What is the best martial art for this? If there are no classes in my area, does anyone know any step-by-step instructions on line somewhere? We just need to learn how to get out of a bad situation fast if we have to

[BlackKusanagi]

Depends. Theres a lot of good ones. But Judo seems like a good one.

[stmercy2020]

It depends on the goals of your training.  As a clarification- Jujitsu is a good self defense martial arts; judo is a simplified form taught primarily for sport.  It still teaches a lot of good techniques and information, and if the amount of time it takes to become proficient is a concern, it is also faster than jujitsu to learn, but jujitsu is more well-rounded.

I would also recommend looking at how you are already comfortable fighting; if grappling isn't your thing, consider a martial arts like karate or tae kwon do.  If you are concerned about your attacker being considerably stronger (and most martial arts will address that issue in several ways) look into aikijujitsu or aikido (similar to jujitsu, aikido is not as complete a style as aikijujitsu.)

Ultimately, I would strongly recommend observing a class or two at any dojo/dojang that you are thinking about training in- see what they do, ask them for some information about their style, and determine if you think it'd be a good fit.  Any school that won't let you observe a class is not a school you want to attend.

I currently hold black belts in three distinct martial arts; feel free to PM me if you have any further questions (there's a bunch of people around here with martial training- ask around and I'd bet others would be happy to help out, too.)  You might also consider checking out Martial Arts Planet- I don't remember if it's dot-com or dot-net- as there are a whole bunch of people there that are extremely knowledgeable.

[unkn0wnx]

Taekwondo is more a sport than self-defense.  I would rcommend traditional Karate if you like striking.

[kuner]

Muay Thai or if you can find a trainer Muay Boran (hardly tought anyware, though some claim they do) are probably the most effective fighting styles. Very effective in that one doesn't need much raw strength to knock out an opponent with your elbow or knee and it's offensive nature means you do not wait for an attack to counter.

Krav Maga is good for training real life situations and teaches some easy and extremely effective techniques to really hurt someone. I wouldn't call it a martial art in the strict sense of the word, but if you only want to defend yourself and not show off to anyone, it's probably the way to go.

[Holiday]

It really does depend on your goals and then finding the right instructor. Attitude is very important in your self-defense goals. I recommend you learn the local laws before you consider any lethal action. Even a good hit could be enough to scare away an attacker but really need to consider your goals first. 

[TC2]

I'm definitely interested in a Martial Art that will teach to defend against multiple attackers from behind.  I had a bad experience walking home late at night, so I'd definitely want to learn something that let's me take on people trying to attack from behind.

[stmercy2020]

I'm definitely interested in a Martial Art that will teach to defend against multiple attackers from behind.  I had a bad experience walking home late at night, so I'd definitely want to learn something that let's me take on people trying to attack from behind.

One of the first things you learn in almost any martial arts (every one I've studied, anyways) and every self defense course is something called situational awareness; beyond that, though, the next step is making yourself a less inviting/tempting target.

When dealing with multiple attackers, the trick is to control their approach so that they can't, essentially, dogpile you.  Aiki styles teach a variety of ways of dealing with multiple attackers, some of which are rote and some of which are more freeform.  The karate I study also does 2-on-1 improvised self-defenses.  The biggest problems with being attacked from behind are (1) you have reduced mobility and (2) you don't really know what, exactly, you're facing.

Taekwondo is more a sport than self-defense.  I would rcommend traditional Karate if you like striking.

Tae Kwon Do is, generally, taught as a sport form in the US and even, to an extent, in Korea, but it is, in fact, a complete martial art.  I personally prefer karate (the style I got my first black belt in), but I respect the skill and discipline of TKD practitioners as well.

Muay Thai or if you can find a trainer Muay Boran (hardly tought anyware, though some claim they do) are probably the most effective fighting styles. Very effective in that one doesn't need much raw strength to knock out an opponent with your elbow or knee and it's offensive nature means you do not wait for an attack to counter.

Krav Maga is good for training real life situations and teaches some easy and extremely effective techniques to really hurt someone. I wouldn't call it a martial art in the strict sense of the word, but if you only want to defend yourself and not show off to anyone, it's probably the way to go.

I will confess to not being as knowledgeable about Muay Boran or Krav Maga- I've worked with a guy who studied Krav Maga once or twice; I couldn't say how skilled he was, but most of the principles he used and worked with seemed sound.  I question the utility of Muay Thai in self defense situations- in competitions, it has not proven to be as effective as traditional karate unless very stringent rules were applied.

It really does depend on your goals and then finding the right instructor. Attitude is very important in your self-defense goals. I recommend you learn the local laws before you consider any lethal action. Even a good hit could be enough to scare away an attacker but really need to consider your goals first. 

Holiday makes a good point (something I was discussing with my students today regarding knife and gun laws, actually)- if you are studying a martial arts for self defense, you need to be aware of your local and state laws regarding the use of force.  Every state permits the use of lethal force to protect yourself if a reasonable man, placed in a similar situation, would have cause to fear for his life.  Once you get beyond protecting yourself, though, and if you have rendered an opponent harmless by other means, then there's a lot more grey area.

[Solarian, aka LordDaroth]

Well, I study in the national defense university, so they OFFICALLY teach us what they teach to soldiers, but without the finishing moves. But, hey, they shiw those too:)

That's a bit of everything (Jujitsu, judo, krav maga, and who knows what else) they say that judo and jujitsu is good for beginning.

[anarcha]

Thanks for this thread and great info!  🙂 🙂 🙂
I'm a generally fit woman and have practiced tai chi for 10 years but I have a bad back and some hand/wrist arthritis that makes me feel more vulnerable in the world. I'm going to look into Krav Maga–the knee/elbow and real situation approach looks like it might be a good fit for me.

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