Which martial art is best for a woman wanting to learn self-defense?
October 26th, 2008I was perusing the martial arts blog scene, when I came across this gem of a post at Think Combat about which martial art is best for a woman looking to learn self-defense.
It was such a refreshing change from all the blogs and comments out there that are all “karate is better than muay thai” or “boxing is better than jujitsu…”
He clearly lays out a system for determining which martial arts (or non-traditional martial arts) would be best in the general scenarios he provides. Some important women-specific factors he considers (paraphrased):
1. As a woman, you should not go head-to-head against a man who’s bigger, stronger, and tougher than you are, because you will more than likely lose.
If you don’t know already, I’m all about girl power and equality (and all that jazz), but I fully believe he’s right. Chris and I have done some light sparring and although I might be faster and lighter on my feet than him, he would only have to hit me a few times and I’d be out. The name of the self-defense game is to defend against an attack and quickly deliver your own blows so you can safely get away. Not to dilly-dally in a fist fight. Defend! Attack! Get out!
2. The martial art you choose should be realistic and relatively easy and fast to learn.
Taking the time to learn some martial art forms could leave you unprepared if you were attacked in, oh say, the next three months (some forms take years to learn well enough to use in a street fight).
So it all came down to three martial arts that would be effective for a woman learning self-defense. You guessed it! One of them was Krav Maga. Head on over to his post to check out the other two systems.
Learning other methods in tandem will probably make you stronger and more prepared for an attack, but finding the best system for your current needs is imperative.
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October 28th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I agree - I did Savate for 8 years. I am great when I am up against an opponent my size, in a ring, and we are both following the rules of the sport. These sport rules do not work in Krav Maga…..Krav Maga is basically balls out agression to save your life and not a three minute round of figuring out where your opponent is weak. Dont get me wrong….savate is great, and I love it! Its my first passion most definitely. It has helped me have an upper edge on things in Krav because I already know movement and boxing and kicks. Its all about putting them to use with a different strategy.
Krav is great for defense, as it works for anyone of any size.
October 29th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
The Think Combat article is interesting, with lots of things to consider. I’ve been thinking abbout studying martial arts for awile, mostly to work on self discipline and stay physically fit. But after reading your site a bit, it seems like it would also be a good idea to think about self defense too. There are some weird men that hang out in the alley behind my apartment and I would feel a lot better going out there if I knew that I could defend myself if need be.
Krav Maga and Wing Chun are the only two forms of martial arts suggested that have studios near me. Did you consider Wing Chun before choosing Krav Maga? I’m sorry if I’m asking a question you already posted about, I just discovered your blog.
October 29th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Fern,
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Anyhoo, I didn’t consider Wing Chun before choosing Krav. To be perfectly honest, I’d never even heard of it before. I chose Krav out of shear dumb luck!
From what I’ve seen, Wing Chun looks so smooth… The pros make it look like a walk in the park!
The Krav Maga gym near you should offer a free class so you can try it out… see if the Wing Chun gym will allow you a free class too! And let me know how it goes!
June 4th, 2009 at 5:10 am
I usually do not comment on blog posts but I found this quite interesting, so here goes. Thanks!