This might seem like a strange answer, but the best self-defence or martial arts training is the one that you enjoy and therefore attend regular classes. Many people have the idea in mind that they will attend ‘a’ self-defence class or workshop and ‘learn self-defence’, but if you consider that proposition for a little longer, it becomes obvious how unrealistic that is. Consider the same scenario with learning guitar… I’m going to go along to ‘a’ class tonight or ‘a weekend workshop’ and learn guitar… really? You could say the same about learning French… I’m going to do a course and learn French on the weekend. If you follow the scenario through, would you then be able to play happy birthday to your friend at a party in a year’s time? Or confidently go about the basics of life in France on that dream trip you’ve got planned in a year’s time? It kinda seems unrealistic now doesn’t it. And that isn’t taking into account the most stressful situation you’ve ever experienced…self-defence situations typically occur with much bigger, stronger, aggressive attackers, they are not fair, they are not ‘even’ matches, they don’t do a ‘set thing’, they do anything, which makes it that much harder, and therefore requires that much more skill to successfully defend. That brings us back to our question, what is the best self defence training? Being proficient at any martial art will give you the best chance vs having a vague idea from only have done a few classes of anything, even if someone / google told you that xyz is ‘the best style’, common sense tells you being good is actually best… if I’ve had two guitar lessons every week for a year, I’ll obviously be much better than someone who had just three lessons using the best guitar in the world. In short, find a martial art and self-defence training that you enjoy doing, with nice people that you can see yourself looking forward to training with each week on a regular basis. That will give you a better skill overall, rather than just thinking about any particular style (If you’re wondering what short self-defence courses are good for, in a nutshell, it’s learning protective behaviours, ie how to avoid problems, it’s just not realistic to learn and maintain a skill in such a short time frame, just like it isn’t with guitar or French).
The truth is every style has its own strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, the way each style is taught makes a huge difference. Many clubs whether they be BJJ, Karate, Kung Fu or something else, are focussed on competitions, or are very traditional, or technical etc etc, ie they are not focussed on self-defence… and that’s fine, but not ideal if your goal is self-defence. Clubs that teach all belt levels and age groups (kids to adults) all in one class tend also not to be great for self-defence – why?… imagine trying to teach kids at school from grade 1 to the university professor, all in the same class, it’s pretty hard, what works for one won’t work for the other (5yr old vs 50yr old), so essentially the instructor typically tries to stick with very simple things, the old marching up and down the room doing basics type stuff most of the time, so that everyone can do it… or the adults students end up holding pads and supervising kids most of the time, both of which aren’t learning self-defence. Summarised, a club focussed on teaching self-defence, which has classes split by age group and experience level, along with experienced instructors, typically gives you the best chance of learning self-defence. Makes sense right…
Styles that are typically good for self-defence are Krav Maga, Taekwondo and BJJ, but it definitely depends on the club and instructor. Is it a self-defence orientated club and do the instructors have a real depth of knowledge eg some Krav clubs have instructors teaching who have done a weekend course, and are suddenly experts vs someone like Master Gav who teaches here (Martial Arts Brisbane) and is a senior black belt in many martial arts and teaches the Qld police.
We teach Taekwondo in a modern way, incorporating things from boxing, hapkido, bjj, karate, and kung fu, to give well rounded self-defence skills… something like that, will give you good self-defence skills vs a competition Taekwondo club.
The same applies to BJJ and any other style.
If you’d like to find out more about our self-defence and martial arts classes, our professional martial arts trainers create a safe, fun and friendly atmosphere where you will learn practical self-protection techniques you can use in real situations. Come and try a class 🙂
As well as teaching martial arts techniques that prevent personal harm, BTC’s self defence classes provide you with these valuable health and wellbeing benefits:
Classes for Everyone: No prior fitness level, flexibility or martial arts experience is required for women to learn self defence at BTC studios. You will progress, with professional encouragement, at a pace that’s right for you. Highly Qualified Trainers: BTC’s instructors are highly qualified martial arts professionals. They are experienced Black Belts, competitors, tournament judges and referees who bring a world perspective and global experience to women’s self defence classes. Matted, air-conditioned facilities: BTC is a dedicated and air-conditioned martial arts studio, permanently set up for the sole purpose of teaching self defence and combat-style fitness. There’s no waiting for a hall to be prepared for your self defence class and there’s enough equipment for every student. Our rooms are fully matted for the comfort and safety of beginners and advanced students of any age. Onsite Gym: BTC members enjoy use of our fully-equipped and air-conditioned onsite gym where they can exercise alone or with classmates. Take a workout before or after your self defence lesson, or visit BTC between session times and train in a familiar, social environment. So come and try a class for yourself today!