Often times, and you can already see it, you hear a statement like this:
"Well, women are often the targets of sexual assault, which take place on the ground. So you need a ground/wrestling style, like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu."
Newsflash: BJJ is not the only style that teaches ground techniques. Many, pretty much all arts, in their completed form of course, teach ground techniques. Many styles teach defense that could work for a sexual assault, if anything with a much more self defense aspect than BJJ.
Another Newsflash: Sexual assaults are not the only crime against women. Women get mugged, jumped, attacked, robbed, etc. They're half the population, so half the time someone is mugged or jumped or whatever, it is a woman.
All martial arts are effective for everybody in pretty much every situation as long as they are being taught correctly. All you need to do is look into the schools in your area and pick the one with the best instructor. Don't worry about the style, all you need is a good instructor, that's it. Good luck with your training.
1st no art is perfect. If you look at where attacks on women usually happen it is alone against a known person who usually has committed the same crime before. People will always market their Martial arts but let me break down the reality of it. Before that, Please remember that chains are usually the worst places to get training.
1. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a great ground game but how long are you going to hold someone if you are alone or if they are with other people. Or will you go for breaking something.
2. Aikido, if used correctly on someone who is not following you can break the attacker unfortunately there are many you want to rely too much on mysticism.
3. Judo is the parent style for most military and modern martial arts (Russian, Israeli Krav, yes even BJJ is a spin-off of the old Judo...) If you can find one that avoids Olympic competition and deals with the old art. Judo means "the "Soft" way" as you are using body mechanics against a heavier opponent as the original Judo did not use weight divisions. you will learn more throws, joint breaks (now used in BJJ) but it starts from standing.
4. Muay Thai Kickboxing great sport but I would have you find a true Muay boran it is more fight less sport unfortunately most MT studios are now glorified aerobics. The other problem is that most of the MT methods leave your body destroyed by 40.
5. Wing Chun and Kung fu can be effective if you find the right school but as it has been hard for me to find good places (found one in Arizona 300 miles from where I live which was great) I do not feel qualified giving advice on this one.
6. Hapkido, this will get me some heat but historically speaking it is Aikido with some Shotokan Karate as good as any if you find a good instructor.
7. Okinawan Karate, Have you noticed that almost all styles claim to be Karate? The true karate comes from Okinawa, the frefecture of Japan farthest from the mainland. Karate, is a Japanese word that did not become a name for martial arts until the 1920's. The Judoka EJ Harrison who was a boxer, wrestler, 1st non-asian Judo Blackbelt, and an officer in the British army said Karate "did not qualify to become a sport." (Fighting Spirit of Japan 2nd edition) In his time, he would have seen Dempsy and he said that boxers would not stand a chance. The nice thing is that the Prefecture monitors Okinawan Karate, if it is not recognized by the prefecture it is not real Okinawan Karate. If an instructor is licensed the main Dojo in Okinawa will have his name on their website.
It was made to be used as last resort with the intent being that one move should end an encounter. (Ikken Hissatsu)
Everyone will be bias towards the style they do and it is best to visit many schools, avoid contracts, and see where you feel most comfortable and are learning what you feel you need.
I don't think there's a single "best" one.
I'd say the escapes and reversals that BJJ teaches from the bottom are invaluable to anyone, but particularly to women. Unfortunately, the crime of rape happens at an alarming rate, but sweeps and submissions from the "guard" position- on your back, with your attacker between your legs- can not only surprise an attacker, but potentially end the fight with a choke or joint break.
The close-ranged tools found in a number of systems, including elbow strikes, knee strikes, head butts, and various hand strikes, would also be useful. Fights take place at close range. I tend to emphasize palm strikes, hammerfists, and elbows when I teach my female friends some basic SD, because those striking tools aren't as fragile as the knuckles. In this case it's less a matter of "what martial art" and more a matter of how they're trained. For my money, the best way to train these skills is akin to full-contact systems, like boxing or Muay Thai; I'd say if the subject has more than a couple months to train, that looking at these systems would be preferable to training primarily palm strikes and hammerfists, because making a proper fist and punching the correct target takes practice, and these systems will give you that.
Clinching tactics, like those found in Muay Thai, various wrestling systems, Judo, and more, could prove VERY useful. Again, most fights take place up close and personal. Knowing how to fight in the clinch can put you in a position where you can hit the opponent without getting hit back, and also helps fight off throws and takedowns.
Aside from the specific attack of rape, none of this varies from advice I'd give ANYONE about self-defense. Learn how to throw upper-body strikes, learn how to fight in the clinch, learn how to escape being pinned. I've seen a few systems that have claimed to do all this stuff equally, but except for systems heavily influenced by modern MMA, I really haven't seen any single system that was able to do it as well as simply studying two or more "specialty" systems.
I think you had most arguments already in your question. There is a myth that women are weaker than men. Not true in my opinion. Our culture is oriented in a certain way to makes the women less likely to be athletic, but until you reach higher competitive athletics I think a woman can be as strong as any man. So in that sense any style that is good for a man is good for a woman.
However I do suggest starting with bjj to women because rape is more of a threat for women than men. The logic behind bjj for rape defense is rather simple one. Absolute worst and last place for a women wants to be in rape situation(think guard and back mount) is rather just one of the position in bjj(minus the act). So no matter what part of rape oriented attack you are at bjj would likely have an answer for that. Other style may only have an answer if you were aware of the attack earlier on, but have no answer if you were caught unaware in closer stages(think waking up to someone already on your bed). Sorry that point was so graphic, but you get the idea.
But I also encourage you to go out there and explore the teachers available to you. Even if you find the best style it doesn’t matter if the teacher is horrible and you can’t learn anything. So do check out a local bjj place, but also check out other styles that is close and affordable around you. The place you feel most comfortable and enjoy is the place you should be.(More fun you have, more you’ll train, and stronger you’ll get.)
Martial art training is not gender specific. Fans of this or that art will tell you what they like, not what is best for you. The instructor is far more important that style or other embellishments. You should also read this:
When you decide to begin training in martial art you have some questions you have to answer for yourself. Are you looking for a sport to play, an art to dedicate a lifetime to, or a quick fix method of self defence? Some combination of that perhaps? Most of us are, or were all three at times. Where do your priorities lie? You must first decide martial art , or fighting sport. The two are worlds apart, although they overlap in several areas, their mindset, and intent are opposite. You have to know also what is available to you. If you have Uechi-Ryu, and Bak Mei in your area, wanting to do TKD would not help you. Of the available options you must decide which one(s) interest you. Then you have to decide (take your time, it's important) which available instruction is the one for you. You can change or quit if you don't like it, but better to stay with the program right through (providing the program is a good one) for the best training. Style-hopping has in my experience cost many a martial artist their potential, so choose wisely, nobody here can tell you what to do for you. So do your homework well. Talk to instructors and students, watch classes, take 'free introductory' classes, make your decision. One more thing, good luck
Assuming you are learning for the sake of health and self defence.
BJJ - does not work well in realife. its proned to eye guaging and biting (only do for MMA and for the joy of it)
Akido,WinChun,Shaolin Kungfu(shaolin is good, but its hard to find a LEGIT traditional trainer) -Traditional martial arts that has many steps to their techniques usually are not the best.(If he does this i will do this...)
Judo- use gravity and their momentum against them. You can judo throw your rapist
..(lol )and run
Now
MuayThai/Kick Boxing/Taekowndo(lots of TKD fighters are Parkour freerunners)is good because its a *free* fighting style, no steps limited to it, you can open your own opportunity in a fight.
Krav Maga best! selfdefence against a Non fighter
i hope my honesty helped
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu hands down. Women are often the targets of sexual assault and this tends to happen on the ground. And often in a rape situation the rapist will often attempt to place himself between the victim's legs and BJJ teaches a lot of techniques from this position (the guard).
Also women tend to wear more clothing styles that hinder them from being able to perform techniques that require a good deal of athleticism. I'm sure no woman will like trying to throw kicks while she's in a skirt and high heels.
But anyway, I cannot stress BJJ too much. You'll learn how to get a much bigger and stronger person off of you and in the event you're grabbed in an assault, the attacker will learn he just entered your/BJJ world.
EDIT: there will be people who come on here claiming all styles are equal or that all are good for women or something along those lines. Forget those answers. It shows those people really don't care about yyour safety because they know very well what they say isn't true.
There are a lot of martial arts I like as much as BJJ, but for women in particular, I can't think of anything better.
I'd go for a aggressive self defence style of bjj. 90 percent of self defence is how aware you are and how good you are at avoiding conflict. The other 10 percent is what you know when it all hits the fan. I've herd of judo and boxing to be the best combo because if you find a less Olympic judo club and more traditional club they basically teach you ju jitsu not bjj but the kind the Japanese used to fight wars but this has been adapted into the mordern world best and most famously through judo. It's doesn't matter what you know or how bad *** you are it matters how much you don't use it outside of a club. My choice would be a combo of a good teacher for either self defense bjj or Japanese ju jitsu or a combo of two good teachers in a boxing or old style judo club. Btw no art is suited to girls or anyone some are just more practical or reliable than others.
I think you really need to find somewhere that focus their training towards combat. I spent some time training in bujinkan budo taijutsu with a guy who was a contractor for the D.O.D. at one point to train solders in hand to hand combat. Look for a bujinkan dojo or any other type of combat oriented martial art in your area and try a few out to see which best fit you.
Best for what? If you mean self defense, I'd have to agree with Aikido or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The idea that they don't "want you to harm your opponent" is nonsense. They give you the control to do what you want with your opponent, including breaking things. They just teach you to do the minimum needed.
All forms of Kung Fu are generally worthless in real life. Bruce Lee realized that early.
You obviously need to learn the difference between somebody's "goal" and the real world. Please, don't ask questions like this if you think your know the answer. Ueshiba had little patience with people who thought they were smarter than they were.
I've heard a lot of people say Brazilian Jiu Jitsu because of the ground techniques. Others that were popular were Aikido & Judo, but that doesn't seem like the best considering the fact that they don't want you to harm your opponent, and Judo focuses strongly on subduing your opponent with your body eventually pinning them.
Other recommendations included Muay Thai Kickboxing, because it gives you an all around athleticism, but I'm not sure how well that would suit someone in a real situation based on the videos alone. Hapkido was another one, I hear that some law enforcement tactics were derived from this art, but I wasn't sure if it was the best for women.
I've heard of Wing Chun & other Shaolin Kung Fu studios offering classes, but I'm not sure how traditional their methods could be. How can anyone be sure if they are just selling the course to you b/c it's a popular art, how do you know that they are good at what they are doing? Anyone can really join a tournament, and i've seen little kids that have black belts.
Another opinion was that you could pick any martial art, and as long as you stick to it strongly it's the best advice. But I would really like to know which martial arts are suited best towards women against the sort of things women would have to defend against in a real life situation.
Thanks for your opinions.
Aikido is completely fake. Wing Chun was designed for women but isn't applicable in our culture because its completely open and vulnerable to grappling. Getting grabbed is the first thing that happens to women being attacked.
With that said Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are good options. Judo is a sport but real judo technique is scary. Mal intent usually results in breaking an arm or colar bone when or before they hit the ground. BJJ is pretty nasty too. Both allow you to fight someone bigger than you while taking minimal damage. The weakness is fighting more than one person. In that situation you are pretty much screwed without pepper spray and a fast sprint regardless of the martial art.
Not that I believe BJJ is a bad idea...but the way people word it makes it seem so. A guy is trying to rape you...so you're going to go to the ground with him.... ... .... makes no sense. How do you know he doesn't have any buddies?
Ever hear of a gang rape? Happens A LOT
Just a thought.
martial arts in my experience has zero value
for a woman
let me explain
women are genetically inferior to men and thats just a fact
their best weapons are their nails and biting and hair pulling
i would never advocate to a women to self defend against an
assailant, better to not be in such and such place or have a boyfriend
with u or pepper spray
and woman vs woman is virtually non existant
its just the make up of our genes ,leave the fighting to men
wing chun
