What self defense should i learn?

hi, i am 5%26#039;11%26quot; and i weight 130 lbs. so i am not really bulky at all and do not have a lot of power. what is the best self defense pratice i should learn? is there one that is more suited for skinnier people? i have never taken a martial arts class before and im tired of thinking that everyone can kick my ***.|||Just carry pepper spray|||learn Aiki Jujutus self defence|||learn how to run fast... good self defense|||I have been doing Martial Arts for 30+ years and Womans Rape awareness and Kids karate are my speciality. I like the can of mace idea some one had. Did you know you have to train to do that right also. Anyway do 2 things. 1) Go to www.dillman.com and look up Kim Dillmans Womans self defense tapes. No matter how big and muscular you are all men have weaknessess. These are kyusho pressure points. Kim will teach you how to access these points to where a 12 year old girl can put to sleep a weight lifter. 2) Go to ebay and but Master John Tsai%26#039;s how to defend yourself tapes. They are one on those AS SEEN ON TV thingys. He has some good basic structure on pre-emptive strikes against aggression. Coupe them togeather and you may suprise your self. Of course a good School is prefferabel but in case you want to experiment before you spend a lot of bucks this is a good start.


Hope this helps|||Ninjitsu is my art of self deffence. they teach quick simple methods of making a fight go your way. quick strikes, effortless take downs and good ol joint locks! I do some kickboxing %26quot;maui thai%26quot; sparring with pros and good students, helps build alot of confidence in your stand up game. I%26#039;m primarily a jui jitsu student and all the ground work comes in handy so you can keep your cool if a fight goes to the ground. I%26#039;m really lucky to have such an awesome sensi that trains us on all these aspects %26quot;Impact Martial arts%26quot; if your ever in Newark Ohio. Otherwise go to a Dojo and get things started you will gain so much in your self. %26quot;iv became my own hero%26quot; trust me any discipline will help you gain more hope in your self. the other posters too have posted great arts!|||Kung fu and if that doesn%26#039;t work a gun.|||I think it would be best if you studied


MUAI THAY with a little bit of Aikido and some JUDO basics =)





Karate-do (especially Kyokushin), Taekwondo are also good options...


but Muai Thay focuses a looooooooooooooot on body conditioning and it is mostly practical application, and not just your normal Kata. So not only will you have killer defense, you%26#039;ll have really great looking biceps and abs to go along with =P hehehe! INTIMIDATION.. the first best line of defense!





JUDO and AIKIDO are good if things get a lot messy and you end up in a drastic ground and pound situation|||I think karate or tai kwan do would be good for you.|||No matter what martial art you choose, make sure you choose a school that will really teach you to apply it. There are so many martial arts whose training does not involve sparring. If you don%26#039;t fight (or simulate fighting), you%26#039;ll never really learn to fight. Boxing, kickboxing, judo, and jiu jitsu are a few of the martial arts out there that will teach you to actually apply their techniques to a resisting opponent.





A lot of other martial artists are offended when they hear a statement like that. They%26#039;ll say that fighting takes the %26#039;art%26#039; out of martial arts. It%26#039;s not true. The art is in the combat. You learn how to truly use skill to control another person. There is also no higher state of awareness that I have experienced than during sparring. You are truely focused in the moment, thinking only of what is happening and what needs to be done.





You%26#039;ll also hear a lot of other martial artists make claims like %26quot;jiu jitsu doesn%26#039;t really teach self defense. You won%26#039;t learn how to fight multiple attackers or disarm someone with a weapon...%26quot;





Those martial artists fail to realize that their black belts have been defeated brutally in MMA competitions such as the UFC. If the techniques aren%26#039;t proven effective against a single opponent, what makes you think they will be effective against multiple opponents?





One of the things that blew me away the first time I visited a school that taught one of the styles above was that they offered me a chance to test its effectiveness. They allowed me to participate in a class and offered me the chance to spar lightly with an experienced student. I tested my tae kwon do against a kickboxer. I used my wrestling experience against a judoka and a brazilian jiu jitsu grappler. I saw first hand how well the instructors had trained their students to fight.





Good fighters don%26#039;t need self defense. Their attackers need self defense.|||Jujitsu has dominated the U.F.C.|||I resent the fact that David Carradine played in Kung Fu not knowing it, but I%26#039;ll never forget the episode title;





%26#039;The Chi Is The Warrior%26#039;





Chi. The soul. Check what Napoleon said: %26quot; In the end, the sword is always overcome by the spirit. %26quot;





Hope this helps.|||pull their nose or kick em in the stomach hard for defense yust get out of the way|||You have had a lot of answers. Most good, a few recommend the wrong type for you.


First, given your size you will want to have something that is less physical stregth-on-stregth. And you have stated you are looking for defense -- this immediately eliminates Tae Kwon Do (TKD) and, IMHO, Karate, Kempo, and a few others.


Akido is good, but, as stated non-lethal. I would look along the lines of Hapkido which employs joint locks with aggressive strikes. Consider also training in JKD, Jeet Kune Do and Jujitsu. JKD is ver well rounded and a good alternative to Hapkido or (as another person mentioned) Krav Maga (which is isreali and very good). Jujitsu is for ground fighting, however, a good martial artists will also tell you that once on the ground in a real fight you are able to gouge eyes, bite etc that would negate some Jujitsu.


As to Judo, again..this is a sport and no longer really self-defense in today%26#039;s more aggressive street fights. The key to doing well, after you begin, is train, train, train and practice fighting.


Another person mentioned chi -- learn some of the thoughts behind martial arts. I believe this allows people to become even better martial artists and fighters.





Two more things...Kung fu would be good too as a good Kwan (school) will teach pressure points that will be highly effective. I have also learned this in Hapkido and less so in Kempo.





My 10 yr old daughter has 1 yr of hapkido under her (trains 6 hours plus a week) and she can toss me like a sack of potatoes..sure I give her the chance to grab me but i resist afterwards like any 6%26#039;4 215lbs adult would.|||Yes Aikido is very good, but its all non-lethal. Its just tossing your opponents out of the way, flipping them over, etc. If you are looking to take someone %26quot;out%26quot; fast and hard then Krav Maga would be good, Problem is though, it is very lethal.|||I practiced Muay Thai for years and was only a little bigger than yourself. It%26#039;s an ancient art and a great workout. And, if you%26#039;ve ever seen a match from Thailand, those kids are really young and really skinny.





I was taught by Duke Rufus, Kongponga and Kunpahl. Duke is a former super heavyweight champ and does some promos/announcing now (and his brother is Jeff - also a skilled fighter). The others were straight from Thailand (w/ records that weren%26#039;t recorded)!|||Go for something that%26#039;s not about strength and power, but about using the oponnent%26#039;s strength against him. Now, the better shape you%26#039;re in, the better any art will work.





I%26#039;d suggest something like Aikido.|||I think you should try To-Shin Do, a modernized version of ninjutsu, because it is very practical. For more info go to http://www.skhquest.com|||Jiu jitsu is the best. The best way to win a fight is to get them on the ground and break their bones or dislocate their joints. That is pretty much what jiu-jitsu teaches. It is gentle on the body to learn. You will enjoy it alot!