I am interested in taking some sort of self defense/fighting class so that I can be able to defend myself if I ever need to (like when I had a gun pointed at me).  Ever since the incident I always carry a knife with me and I have a very basic knowledge of knife based self defense but I would like to expand on it or just leave the knife at home and use my own body as my means of self defense.  I'm not talking about the fancy kicks and flips and stuff I want some down to earth training that will actually work on the streets against a person larger than me/guns/knives etc.   I am a small guy (6'1" and a 145 lbs) and I always feel vulnerable becuse of my small size.

Any suggestions and what type of martial art to study?

EDIT: I've got 10 months before I can get a CCW.

It really depends on whether you want to "take some classes" for a while, or make a serious study of self-defense.  And then it depends on what you are trying to achieve, and your personal inclinations, and so forth.  It's a complicated question.

That said, next on my list (or close to next) is Krav Maga, which sounds like it might be for you.  Very modern, very practical, and specifically includes and focuses on dealing with opponents armed with guns and other current/modern weapons.

Ultimately, however, I have found that the "style" is less important than the particular school and instructor.  Most current martial arts share common roots, and it really comes down to how they are taught.

Evil Elvis wrote: Join the Marines, they will teach you MCMAP and even pay you for it. Will also help with that 'im puny' attitude.

Will also take you away from likely mugging situations for a few years as an added bonus.  Unless you considers IEDs "muggings".

Evil Elvis wrote: Either way either of those Places are safer than Baltimore.

True - people in Baltimore get annoyed when you respond to an attempted mugging with the main gun on your Abrams.

Crybabies.

two things you need to learn for street fight defense in real world.  Muay Thai and Ju Jitsu.

Roweazie wrote: two things you need to learn for street fight defense in real world.  Muay Thai and Ju Jitsu.

Nope. Muy Thai is useless if grappled and Ju Jitsu is not going to help you against a hand held weapon, like my favorite, the car antenna.

im going w/ Evil Elvis, MCMAP is de best

but learning at least just the basics in several different artforms would do you alot of good as well seeing that almost all martial arts forms have some type of flaw or dont teach ceertain ways of fighting that other artforms will

.357 Magnum wrote: 6'1 is not small.

No, but 145 pounds is. I'm 5'7/5'8, weigh 140 and I don't look bulky, add 5 inches and 5 pounds and that turns TINY.

Judo. It's a basic system of grappling and throwing, designed to incapacitate (Read;quick get away) Or you can just do what everyone else does and take Karate classes at the Y.

Not to get all geeky here, but I can't help myself.

Much comes back to what I said in my earlier post - are you looking to take a couple of classes, or spend a lifetime?

The military styles - Krav Maga and MCMAP, for instance - are specifically designed for quick results.  Do a stint in the USMC and you will be exposed to the basics, plus you will (hopefully) acquire a certain toughness that will help.

A year or two of aikido, on the other hand, will teach you nothing useful at all.  Aikido and family can be astonishingly effective (as proven beyond reasonable doubt by Steven Seagal, of course), but require much more training and immersion.  There is no quick payoff.

Judo is great stuff, but is very difficult to learn and takes lots of time before you are good at anything but falling down.  And even then it takes a the right school to teach you how to apply what is basically a sport to a self-defense context.

Boxing/Muay Thai, on the other hand, go straight to application - you learn skills right away that have immediate usefulness ("punch him really hard"), but they suffer from weaknesses due to their narrow focus.

Crosstraining is great, but only if you have the time.  Spending a year each in four different schools will likely just render you useless in four different styles.

The one thing you want to keep in mind when it comes to defending yourself is not to stay in an engagement for very long.  The longer you're in the fight, the better the chance you'll be injured.

Take a self defense class that suits you.  When you do, don't go bragging around about it.  If you get into trouble, use an appropriate technique that will surprise your assailant.  Then run.  Running is the best self defense there is.

Evil Elvis wrote: and if all fails ...

As a master of Tae Bo, I can testify that aerobics can kill.  Don't make me punch, punch, punch, and kick, kick, kick - again, together now! - you.

rednekk98 wrote: ...someone with a decent amount of Muay-Thai and Brazillian Ju-Jitsu will still likely kick your ass.

Which goes back to "what are you trying to achieve?"

Unless you are naturally badass (or really big/strong), a few classes of ANYTHING will not make you able to successfully take on anybody with a legitimate amount of training - in anything.

If you plan on fightin' trained folks, you will need serious training.  If you plan on surviving an encounter with an incompetent drunk, less training is needed.

Fighting skill isn't a binary matter.  You don't suddenly wake up and say "I know karate now".  So unless/until you know what you are trying to achieve by taking classes, you won't know what kind/how many to take.

Sorry about my repeated ranting, but "self defense" is one of my biggest pet peeves...

Kayback wrote: I wouldn't suggest someone joins the Marines just to learn to defend themselves. If they want to join the Marines for other reasons I'd say it's a good idea.

Absolutely.

I'm a great supporter of cross training, especially if you can start out young. You'll not only have a large data base to fall back on, you'll also be able to more or less develop your own style. I'm not saying you will become the next Bruce Lee, able to design a martial arts, but I've adapted pretty much all I've learnt into something I'm comfortable with. For example I use the same stance when I'm fighting with bare hands, knives or guns. Ofthen with knives this means my knife is clolser to my body than most styles suggest, but it is a "natural" pose for me.

Agree.  My point was that you have to learn SOMETHING properly to do anything properly.  A few years of judo, for instance, will give you an understanding of body mechanics, and a set of base skills, that will allow you to make better use of training in other areas, and to learn other things faster.  Those weekend seminars can be useful - IF you have a good foundation to build on.

But you need that foundation first.  And in my experience it is difficult to get that foundation without spending a fair amount of time with a focus.

I'm also a great supporter of continual training. And you pick things up as you go along. I started with Judo, and the basic falls and throws are still useful in many situations. Building on that I have Jeet Kune Do, boxing, grappeling, weapon based training. It has been a "life long" learning curve, but not like Aikido or Karate like life long training. I'm not trying to perfect an art, I'm learing how to fight. ... Quick and dirty solutions are good, but you should really take it seriously.

Agree again.  If you treat it as a life-long effort, then almost any training is good.  My annoyance is with the "teach me self defense in one hour, please" crowd.  Not saying that is what the OP is after, but I have seen far too much of this attitude.  It will never cease to amaze me how many people get disgusted when I tell them they have to practice - a lot - and that they won't suddenly be mugging/rape-proof.

More geekery - "jujitsu", much like "kung fu", describes a family of fighting styles that span a very wide range.  Declaring that they are "all the same" is completely and utterly false.  Jujitsu basically encompasses nearly all Japanese unarmed fighting styles.

Some styles of jujitsu are primarily striking styles, others are primarily grappling, and yet others are primarily joint-lock/balance styles.  Daito-ryu aikijutsu, for instance, gave birth to aikido, which is hardly "the same" as BJJ.  The same range can be found in kung fu as well.

Bunkered wrote: Learn all the martial arts in the world, and I then I'll pose you this question: What are you going to do against a .45 at a range greater than 5 feet?

dodge it matrix style duh

Klaus wrote: Learn Gat-Fu

The thing about your hands, feet, and other body parts, is that they, unlike your gats, are always with you.  And the best weapon for any occasion is always whatever weapon you have.

Susan Storm wrote: Klaus wrote: Learn Gat-Fu The thing about your hands, feet, and other body parts, is that they, unlike your gats, are always with you.  And the best weapon for any occasion is always whatever weapon you have.

A bit insensitive towards amputees...

And who doesn't keep a gat on them?  If theres any reasonable chance of danger, I keep a gat on or near me.  For any unexpected danger, I'll just beat them to death.  How many rapists know judo?

Evil Elvis wrote: Indeed you should join the Marines to learn Mass Murder and to piss off the Hippies in Burkley CA.

A bit overkill, don't you think?  All you have to do to accomplish that is wear a GOP button in public or something...

Bunkered wrote: Rambino wrote: Evil Elvis wrote: Indeed you should join the Marines to learn Mass Murder and to piss off the Hippies in Burkley CA. A bit overkill, don't you think?  All you have to do to accomplish that is wear a GOP button in public or something... I've honestly contemplated flying out there to join just to piss them off. I'd love to see their reaction... I'd like it even better if one tried to stop me from entering and I got to beat the hell out of him.

I would love to roll around that city in dress blues just to piss them off.

If all else fails, there is Rex Kwon Do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlmIYHUxVA4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlmIYHUxVA4