Is self defense class and martial arts the same thing?

I was in a self defense class for awhile and didn%26#039;t enjoy it. I was thinking martial arts would be more of my interest but im not sure if they are the same thing or what?|||All responses to an attack must be without thought instanteanous.THE BUBISHI BIBLE OF KARATE





The above requires thousands of repititions of the moves so I would say any art where the intent is to strike and counter strike move and counter move will give you self defense skills with time.





The difference is arts designed to counter street type methods will do it better leaving less room for failure.





Most instructors wont devote time to self defense skills but would rather have the students work on getting another trophy in the dojo window.This cheats the students who will never be or dont want to be tournament fighters but anybody can learn to defend themselves when taught the methods and are willing to do the reps. required.


Quickie self defense courses are useless and you forget the information as quickly as you learnt it not to mention they are boring besides.|||It really depends on the martial art that you may be considering. Some martial arts concentrate on self-defence while others are merely for show and still others are for real fighting.





some martial arts to consider: brazilian jiu-jitsu - ground fighting/grappling (one of the most effective)


tae kwon do - kicking, forms, (depends on place, some teach self defence others are more show concentrated)


krav maga


kickboxing (muay thai)


MMA - mixed martial arts (combination of the above)|||Yes and no. The skills you learn in martial arts carry certain applications for certain self-defense situations, but not all. True self-defense is common sense (not wearing a 50 dollar shirt in the heart of a ghetto, not going to bars alone, etc.) and a few months in cross-country or track and field to develop those running skills.





Martial arts will teach you to fight, and subsequently, the ability to hold your own should a fight arise, but you could avoid that situation entirely by not *being in it* in the first place.





If you want to compete, hit people, or just get in better shape, take up boxing or wrestling, or go to a good karate/tkd/judo dojo. If you want self-defense, carry a gun, or learn to avoid bad situations. Self-defense suffices very well for the average person. To compete or study a martial art requires a little something more.|||Self defense workshops/courses are typically designed as basics courses. What you learn in them is not all that in depth but practical for a typical scenario of attack.





Martial arts, while encompassing self defense, involves more dedication and as such is more in depth concerning both technique and understanding.





Depending on the school, and most should do this, you will likely gain a better understanding of the originating culture as well as become educated in the human anatomy other than %26quot;kicking in the groin can hurt him%26quot;. You%26#039;d learn more about what to strike, why, how, and what it would typically do to someone.





I%26#039;d highly recommend, before signing up for any martial arts classes, going to a studio and checking it out. Many schools will let you try a class or two for free if not just observe at the very least. You should check out multiple schools if there are multiple schools in your area and ask about their lineage (who taught them) as it%26#039;s a good indicator as to whether they are authentic or not as well as observe how they treat their students during the class.





Find something that fits you.





I guess I gave you a long answer....short answer: self defense is a small piece of martial arts. Martial arts is a much wider and, in my opinion, beautiful world of defending yourself/others as well as growing personally.|||yes and no.





most if not all martial arts started out self defense but now quite a few martial arts now are combat sports: taekwondo, contact karate, brazilian jiujitsu, judo, [western/thai] boxing, kickboxing etc...have competitions and train according to rules and regulation of their sport.





self defense classes usually have no sport aspect because its used to disable an attacker so you can escape with your life sometimes using tatics that are illegal in a sport(low blows, head butts, eye gouges, biting etc...) and are usually focused on specific scenarios that you would encounter on the streets





am i saying you cant defend yourself with lets say muay thai or judo? of course you can! participating in these arts you get to train against resisting people, improve timing, speed, strength etc... i have a friend who is a few time golden gloves champ and has been in many street fights in which hes won due to his boxing training|||some would say yes, some would say no.





I%26#039;d say that they%26#039;re pretty much the same thing.





Martial Arts is a form of fighting designed for the military (martial). It%26#039;s a science really. Knowing where to strike, the logical attack patterns, how to evade and intercept (that%26#039;s where the art comes in)





I could go into detail about the different styles to try and impress you for the 10 points but I%26#039;m not going to.





Lately martial arts has taken a more commercial route. It%26#039;s more geared toward people who want to be fit, or practice it as a sport, rather than geared more towards the military and learning how to kill people.





Krav Maga is a great example of a martial art, as it%26#039;s taught by the Israeli military. It can be used offensively or as self defense. Even in self defense, you%26#039;d probably leave your attacker a mushy pile of goo on the ground...wish I could find a local school haha!|||Self defense can incorporate martial arts but they are definitely two different forms of defense.