What Martial Art?

Do whatever you can. If it's Judo, or Akido, or Kickboxing, if that's all you have access to, do it. I'm not saying it's necessarily going to teach you how to fight well, but any workout system like that is going to improve your strength, flexibility, focus, and balance. Those are all things that will help you out tons when you do get the chance to learn a technique for fighting well. I kinda agree with Zimmer on this. Don't learn a martial art. Learn how to fight well and defend yourself well. If it means taking a bit of Judo, Krav Maga, Tai Chi, yoga, boxing, and a little parkour for when you realize you need to run, then so be it. Don't tie yourself down to one technique because no single martial art is going to fully cover what you need to know.

If you're a "tank" I'm assuming you can put on a decent amount of muscle (I'm a tall "tank" and I know I can). Use that to your advantage. Most people don't expect a short girl to pack a punch.


Random side note, love the quotes in your sig

~Rogue

Rogue wrote:

Random side note, love the quotes in your sig

~Rogue

Thank you Rogue.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I'll take the classes that I can get my school to offer and aim for more dojos once I get in an area that has good ones, which will hopefully be when I can afford to study at one.

If you pick up aikido, make sure you come to understand irimi nage. There is a lot to learn from it, defently my fav.

Real Shaolin kung fu, any style, because each is a complete system to cover any mode of attack and defense, both unarmed, or with any kind of weapon.

@ Night Stryder: have you seen "Deadliest Warrior"?

Shaolin took down Maori

Flora V. Arbor wrote:

@ Night Stryder: have you seen "Deadliest Warrior"?

Shaolin took down Maori

I've never taken that show seriously before. I usually just watch it when I want something to laugh at.

I personally don't have a style, what I do have is a mix of karate, greco-roman wrestling, and military cqc(more specifically marine corps line combat). To me this is probably the best mix to have, but since I employ stealth tactics in my work I really try to avoid confrontation. Take out the guys one at a time, zip tied, usually the last guy is so freaked out he's not so easy to drop. This is when a confrontation usually occurs. But its one on one, and easier to focus on without other guys interrupting.

This works for me and I do teach it to kids who are victims of bullies.

But if I was to suggest a martial art, it'd be a defense art like wrestling(lucha libre if you want some flash), sumo is actually useful even for women, sambo, or the like.

You obviously don't advise kids to hunt down bullies commando style and zip tie them, right? In what ways do you modify that strategy so that minors aren't committing felonies against other kids?

Gauge wrote:

You obviously don't advise kids to hunt down bullies commando style and zip tie them, right? In what ways do you modify that strategy so that minors aren't committing felonies against other kids?

Obviously I dont teach dangerous stuff such as that. But, I do teach how to throw a punch, defense, and general takedowns.

Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiujitsu are in my top two, the edge to Brazilian Jiujitsu. Less Killtastic than Krav Maga.

Judo, Boxing and Escrima.

For the sheer Zen of it Kyudo.

My Papa taught for me to use Aikido. However, I never use it. Babies make no time for fighting.

Babies are like that. We're you born in Krefeld?

The Jinn wrote:

Babies are like that. We're you born in Krefeld?

Berlin, I move to Krefeld when I was married. My Grandparents left Lebanon with my mother when she was a girl. My mother married a German man and had me and my brother Ali. My mother is Muslim, My father is Atheist, but he is kind and my Grandfather gets along with him.

For Americans, are not there many guns in America?

many guns, many rules, many rules broken

Red Falcon wrote:

My Papa taught for me to use Aikido.

Good. To few teach how to use aikido. Most sensei teach how to preform aikido.

unfortunately i have no formal ma background. fortunately for me i taught myself

to put it simply my best friend is in kung fu. he is the best at his school. right now we are evenly matched. although his body size tilts the number of spar wins in his favor, its tough being small

I don't know much about kung fu, but chinese MA seem to favor physical training over training effective technices.

hmmmm... kung fu is actually good about that. its easy to learn, after all they teach it to their children. its fun and it keeps you in shape.

on that note its lethal as well.

I've experimented with many martial arts forms in my self teaching. for those who cannot afford to take lessons or don't have time, just study online, watch instructional videos

yah, Tai Chi on-line is totally accessable more so than other forms

Physical training is important with any fighting skill. The focus falls there because a regimen of working out builds more than muscle mass and strength. It builds discipline. Tai Chi is a great start if you haven't gotten into any martial arts training yet. It's harder than it looks! You'll work muscles you forgot you had!

Flora V. Arbor wrote:

@ Night Stryder: have you seen "Deadliest Warrior"?

Shaolin took down Maori

Yes, however I was not impressed by how petty the Shaolin exponent was. I was expecting the Maori to get a "Zen slap" for all his big mouthing, but the Shaolin guy was just as bad if not worse.

RedLight wrote:

Physical training is important with any fighting skill. The focus falls there because a regimen of working out builds more than muscle mass and strength. It builds discipline.

I have no problem with physical training, but when a MA is based on getting strong and fit, I'd rather spend my time training effective technices and find other ways to get stronger.

Night Stryder wrote:

Flora V. Arbor wrote:

@ Night Stryder: have you seen "Deadliest Warrior"?

Shaolin took down Maori

Yes, however I was not impressed by how petty the Shaolin exponent was. I was expecting the Maori to get a "Zen slap" for all his big mouthing, but the Shaolin guy was just as bad if not worse.

It was also just a simulation. It totally takes human emotion out of the equation as well as conditional factors of each warriors life. Those shows are basically a comparative of weapons.

The Jinn wrote:

It was also just a simulation. It totally takes human emotion out of the equation as well as conditional factors of each warriors life. Those shows are basically a comparative of weapons.

But their methods for testing weapons are also a joke, since they never test any of the weapons on equal terms, and often the weapons that are tested are quite crappy. Every time a sword came on to the screen I'd roll my eyes.