choosing a type of self defence..

[gregimotis]

sadly they can't fight, But what's worse they know it. It would be one thing if they at least thought they could fight..and then had to one day and realized that their spinning backfist strike doesn't quite work like they thought..that at least would show some courage and spirit and could be excused. But no..most martial artists deep down, know they can't really fight

This is absolutely true. Take it from me, I have been the guy he's describing.

One of the main reasons people don't train realistically..is that its too hard.

This is one of the most insightful statements on this forum. Dang, this Hermosa character is almost as smart as me.

[Tom Yum]

One of the main reasons people don't train realistically..is that its too hard. They are lazy, they want to throw some nice kicks, swing the nunchaku a bit and call it a day. But if you are willing, You can laugh at those guys and walk tall all of your days.

Just to use wrestling as an example again. Imagine if you absolutley KNEW, that you could take any guy off of his feet and sit on his chest at any time?!
...How could you know this..because you would have done it 1000 times against guys trying to resist you on the mat. That kind of experience doesn't lie!

Hermosa has hit the nail on the head. Realistic training is tough - really tough. Training realistic also means training smart. For example, if you spar full contact every day with no protective gear, you might not have all of your mental capacity in a few years and might have injuries. If you go fast and light some days and hard on others, you will reap huge benefits.

Likewise, you need to train with people who are real and not on video and who will challenge you and push you now and then so that you can improve.

The confidence that you build from doing what you've allready done many times is priceless.

[Ryu (JKD?)]

Stronghold,

Wrestling is going to take a dedication, strong will, competitive edge, and one hell of a work ethic. When most young teens see it for what it really is it can become intimidating. I do think wrestling is invaluable. I wrestled for just a year or two in my high school, and was able to take down and ride quite a few BJJ players when I first started doing BJJ. Wrestling will give you a crucial ingredient to "self-defense," Aggressiveness.
That being said, wrestling is not everyone's cup of tea. I went on to eventually focus more on judo, BJJ, and later JKD. But I do agree with these guys when they say it will be a good skill for a young man to have.

Now, if it's not your tea, that's fine. There are others that people have mentioned.
The one thing that has not been mentioned is this.
What is your motivation for training? When you say "self-defense" what do you mean? Is self-defense fighting school bullies or dealing with assault situations, robberies, etc?
If it's a school bully thing, then I think wrestling and or judo is your best bet.
If you want something that places more striking into the art but keeps a good grappling base then look into JKD concepts or MMA.
If you're talking about self-defense on "the street." then a martial art so to speak is not really the way to go.
In the past I was looking for an "art" that was some kind of magic pill to defend against real life situations, and put myself in some dumb and dangerous situations to find out... Right now I've been involved in Security and Law Enforcement work, and I've realized how limited "martial arts" are in real self-defense situations. You of course can use punches, kicks, and takedowns in real life encounters, but you being 13 years old places you in a tremendous disadvantage against adult offenders who are biggger then you, meaner then you, etc. (most of us are at a disadvantage to them).
If these are the kinds of people you want "self-defense" for, then I'd advise you to talk to your local police department about civilian seminars, etc. for avoiding violence, escaping violence, and legal options a minor might use to actively defend himself.
That kind of self-defense I hope is not something you're worried about. If it's just defense from school mates, etc. learn judo.

Ryu

[47MartialMan]

I say join ur high school wrestling team and learn how to wrestle for free,do it for all 4 years 

Stronghold..as you can see, everyone keeps approving of this idea. My apologies up front if you already have a good understanding of wrestling---I don't mean to assume that you are ignorant---Let me tell you however; wrestling is a very beautiful art. Its not all attack and its not all defense. It's technical and it's REAL!

I can't tell you how many of us adults look back on our lives now that we train BJJ or Submission and go "AHH CRAP! why didn't I wrestle in high-school"

The guys that did wrestle..always have a tremendous advantage. What's more is that wrestling will turn you into a beautiful well conditioned athlete with a great body!

If you need more proof..I myself, after years of paying top $ for BJJ instruction..befriended a wrestling coach who invited me to come and work out with the team one season. So there I was at 27 yrs old, going back to highschool and getting taken down by 13 & 14 yr olds!

Being a wrestler..especially starting at 13 is ABSOLUTELY one of the best things you could do for yourself! And it will set the stage for ANY art or type of training you may go on to in the future...Look at Randy Couture!

Please wrestle...do it for all of us who would like to be in your shoes

Nicely put. Being at your age, how many MA schools are nearby?

[jubaji]

.......................bump

[GQchris]

[QUOTE=Hermosa;130500][PHP] What's more is that wrestling will turn you into a beautiful well conditioned athlete with a great body!
QUOTE]

Wha... LOL... he's not trying to Win a Male lover, he wants to learn how to fight...

[Tant01]

I musta been drunk... telling my bear story...

Boy, I'll tell ya... I relate the dates of threads back to certain events with my late wife. I really needed a distraction.

...still like to wrestle.

[Marksmarkou]

Its probably a good idea to first check out what is around in your area. If there are only a couple of places to train then you probably wont have much of a choice. If you are lucky enough to have many places avaliable, go to each of them, tell the trainer there what you hope to achieve by studying martial arts and hear what they have to say. Choose the school which gives you the answer you are looking for.

[DSA]

Try finding an art that applys the three elements of combat. STAND UP, TAKE DOWN, and GROUND. MMA uses all three elements of combat that can be applyed to the street.

[bodhisattva]

Aikido

hello everyone,

i'm new, so please go easy on me especially if i make a mistake which i most likely will. Firstly, i'd like to apoligize if i'm creating this thread in the wrong area but anyway.

I'm 13 and would like to start some sort of self defence. I'm prepared for any intense training. But what i am having troulbe is choosing the type of defence i want to learn.

I'm leaining towards Aikido as i don't like to be the main attacker, and dont want to producee the force but use it instead. But i hear that Aikido is only for self defence, but i also would like some sort of attacking skills. I dont just want simple punches, i want like really defined skills, that can kill, if you know what i mean.

I don't have a big knowledge about differnt types of self defencee etc. so i hwas hoping someone may help me choose which type i preceed with.

thanks a lot guys

Other forms of martial art (in my opinion - much better than Aikido) that use your attacker's strength and movement against him:

Judo
Wrestling (high school / college / folk / greco / freestyle)
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu


And while Boxing doesn't teach you to use your attacker's WEIGHT against him, it will teach you to use his mistakes to your greatest advantage, and to maximize your ability to punch and defend punches.


I highly recommend any of those systems above Aikido