You're actually at a great size for fighting and defending yourself, you've got enough bulk to pack some power in you strikes and you're light enough to have the speed that a bigger man wouldn't have. Honestly it depends on how you are learning your Karate. Are you sparring at all, or just focusing on katas? Within a year you should be able to learn the basics well enough to hold your own in a fight, but only if you are hard sparring and doing drills regularly. Without sparring, or if it's point sparring (one hit and back off) than you won't be able to defend yourself. But with hard training in drills and sparring you should be prepared enough to be ready. But lastly, it all comes down to your attitude. If you don't think you can win and are not confident and questioning, then you will lose. But if you go in with the mindset that you are going to win no matter what, you will have the advantage.

Your size doesn't really matter though it is average. I've trained many girls who are smaller & weigh less who can easily take down an armed man twice their size.





What really matters is the training. There are different types & styles even within one particular discipline. Your taking Karate but are you studying under a teacher who stresses kata & ring technique or one who actually focuses on what works in the street? That's a big difference.





I've been re-educating a few of the local instructors lately. One specialized in Taekwando & was quite good at it "in the ring". Once we had him outside fighting in the yard, well lets just say he spent more time flopping around in the fish pond then standing on the ground, LOL.





Has you instructor covered any situational tactics, Escape & evasion techniques? Has he taught you how to disarm an assailant. If not he might be a ring/tournement specialist & you should consider picking up some other form of self defense course.

You might as well quit now if you only plan to take karate for a year. Karate takes years to become proficient at it. It's a complicated art and one that can be really good for self-defense if taught correctly.

Also, no offense, but your question is a little ridiculous. Before I read it, I was expecting you to say you were only 5' 2 and 105 lbs or something.

Plenty of people are significantly smaller than you. And 20 heavier than you isn't that much of a weight advantage.

Really?

A year or two of even the best karate instruction is only going to give you basics. I've trained in Uechi Ryu karate for 12 1/2 years and am still learning a ton of things.

You probably also believe that a black belt is a master and that having one makes you a serious fighting machine.

The reality is that this looks like troll bait. Size doesn't matter. The teacher you have and what you learn in a particular style of karate does. How smart you train, and what you do with what you learn determines if you can apply it.

Here's a suggestion. DON'T GET INTO FIGHTS.

The best skill I have is knowing to avoid dangerous situations. When I am in a place that is not so safe to be aware of folks around me, to avoid dark alleys, etc. In other words, being able to defend myself if needed, but being proactive works even better.

So the "best" martial art, is the one that is going to teach you how to be confident, how to defend yourself and how to understand how to use what you've learned.

Oh and just in case it isn't clear. Martial arts take a long time to learn and even longer to master. If you only spend a year or two studying one then another you'll only have basic knowledge in a few. If you studying one as part of your life's journey and complement that with cross training, seminars, etc you'll be a well versed and skillful martial artist.

I am a female, 5'6 and 120ish lbs, very low body fat and i have successfully defended myself on the street against both larger people ( a man about double my weight) and a multiple attacker scenario so there is your answer.

For now dont consider any other style. If you have Karate chosen as your style then focus more of excelling in that, this will take many years in itself and by then you can think about other style.

First off no size doesnt matter as long as you got technique and some strength and 20 poundd isnt that much my 12 year old brother chocked out a 15 year old who was 40 pounds more than him due to bjj and mma that he learned when we go training and bjj would be a good martial art if your small

Try Learning Martial Arts Pressure Points. There are bunch of points all over your body that hurt. For instance:

-Under the Jaw

-your side

-The Neck

-The Bone under/next to your neck

-the hollow part of your should bone

-between your thumb and your index finger. (with the right squeeze this will hurt)

-Over the knuckle(for when someone holds around your belly

-The part of your arm where you take blood tests (between muscle and arm there are 2 on opposite sides)

-IF YOUR DIRTY THE BALLS LOL!

Size can be countered with training. The most seriously dangerous man I know is about 5'6" and 68 years old. Of course, he has about 60 years' of training.

No one can be too small to defend themself. And you're not even small. It's not about strength, or size, or height, or any other physical attributes. It's about skill and technique.

Yea

I am a male, 20 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighing 164 pounds, with low body fat. I recently started learning Karate about a month ago, and plan on continuing for another year. If I dedicate myself to the art, can I defend myself successfully on the streets if the situation arises, say, from a man at least 20 pounds bigger than me? Please use some personal experiences on people you know or yourself successfully defeating a bigger man in self-defense, sparring, competition, or etc. (don't use the UFC, please). Am I considered a small guy? What other martial arts should I consider learning after Karate, for someone like me?

no bro, good technique will help you win, it helped me tons of times versing bigger people

Lmfao its not the size of the dog in the fight its the size of the fight in the dog!!! Lmfao I had to do it