What would be the best self defense class for me?

I am a 22 year old female. I am only about 100 lbs, 5%26#039;4. I am going to be living alone and would feel better if I could defend myself. How long will it take for the defense class to actually be useful?|||If all you%26#039;re looking for is self-defense, I%26#039;d consider a women%26#039;s self-defense class. They%26#039;ll take away a lot of the formality and just get to the point as to what works and how.


Aikido is also good for self-defense, but takes some time to acquire. Karate and Tae-Kwon-Do, etc... can also be good, but they involve some actual fighting off of your attacker (which is not necessarily what you%26#039;re trying to accomplish).|||For just self-defense it only matters to let the common offender (ie: purse snatcher) think that you can defend yourself. If you can throw and connect any kind of kick or punch on him/her, then that would be enough for them to back off. In order for the self-defense to actually start kicking in, it all depends on your proprioception which could take a few classes. You can also just shadow box in front of the mirror before jumping into the shower every night/morning. After a while, this%26#039;ll help turn the strikes you practice into reflexes.





For more extreme situations I suggest taking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It concentrates more on leverage then actual strength which would be good for a person your size, and that it usually takes away the other person%26#039;s striking (punches, kicks) ability.|||Look on the website for your City. Most cities/townships offer various classes. Simply taking the class should help you have peace of mind that you%26#039;ll know what to do if a situation occurs.|||Start with a simple one or two week womens self defense / rape prevention class. That will give you some basics quickly. I would then suggest learning a real martial art. You should go and watch a class or two from a few different styles. Ask questions of the teachers after class. If the school has a lot of very young black belts, leave. Its most likely a McDojo / blackbelt factory. Find the one you like best. Make sure they don%26#039;t have excessive hidden charges, and that the price is reasonable.


Here are some styles you may want to look into.


Kajukenbo


CHA 3 kenpo


jujitsu


judo


san soo


karate


choy lay fut|||Avoid a full blown tae kwon do or Kung Fu class. They%26#039;re big on movement techniques and (controlled) competition but light on effective self defense. You want to get substantial defense techniques in a short amount of time and it IS possible.


Consider a true self defense class. If you find a good one, you%26#039;ll be taught fast and effective techniques (such as sharp, direct strikes to areas such as the groin, the throat or the eyes.)


Remember, also, that you%26#039;ll have to be MENTALLY prepared to defend yourself so before anything happens, CONVINCE yourself that ANY person that behaves aggressively towards you could potentially want to injure or even kill you. With this in mind, you%26#039;ll want prepare your mind to defend yourself as if your life was in danger. You can work on attitude ANY time.


You%26#039;ll want to keep yourself in reasonable physical condition, too.


In either case, you don%26#039;t have to get a 3rd degree blackbelt or be a gym rat. You just need to learn a half dozen or so techniques designed to surprise your assailant just long enough for you to get away or to call for help and you have to have a little strenght so that you%26#039;re not as weak as a kitten.


Also, rule number one is to always be aware of your surroundings. Don%26#039;t go anyplace that might put you in dangerous situations. Always be aware of where or how you might get help. Your goal is NOT to defeat an assailant, your goal is to catch him offguard and make a quick getaway.


To summarize:


Learn a half dozen techniques


Stay in shape


Work on a self defense %26quot;attitude%26quot;


Stay out of dangerous situations.





Your local police department and/or city parks department might be able to guide you in this area or even to get a license to carry a concealed handgun.





Hope that helps.|||Although they are well meaning, the peole that answerede you are, how can I say this nice, I don%26#039;t think I can so I won%26#039;t. Just don listen to these people.





The answer is there isn%26#039;t. The honest truth is that if somebody wants to hurt you there is NOTHING that you can do about it.





The other people on this forum, taking classes and the like, are deceiving themselves, they live in a sort of delusion, others like them contribute to their delussion. None that I can see even know the difference between what is sport, what is real self-defense and what is martial art. They are too young, too inexperienced, too baffled by their instructor%26#039;s bullshit. They don%26#039;t know what the law tells them regarding self -defense, they don%26#039;t know what a use of force continuum is, etc...


Your answer is there isn%26#039;t ANY course out there and it will never be useful.





Now, if you can understand why that is so, why presidents die when they have an entire tstaff of trained secret service agents, then you are ready to start to understand what it takes to protect yourself.





Forget self-defense. It is mostly a bunch of egotists in pajamas.





Learn mental and survival strategies for self-protection, learn what your body does to you in a real self-defense situation (Fight or Flight Syndrome). Take a course on firearms and carry a handgun, but remember this, the media exploits and sensationalizes to sell papers. That means that the chance of that being a rapist in the bushes is quite small compared to that being little Johnny in the bushes. That is why hand guns kill more relatives than the real bad guys.





Take care and don%26#039;t take any self-defense classes. 99% have no clue!|||No matter what style you take, it will take at least a month before you master the basic self defense moves. I would recommend Soo Bahk Do.|||There are many self defense classes, and while they%26#039;re not useless, they are not overly beneficial either. (also, mace doesn%26#039;t work on everyone) You%26#039;re better off taking a martial art, 3 years once a week without fail will be enough to defend yourself in most situations. Karate, Kenpo, Kungfu, Judo.. any of these will be good, but there%26#039;s no instant solution to civil self-defense. Take the class, but if you really want to feel safe, take martial arts for a period of time that will get you to an acceptable level of skill.