Striking based martial arts and self-defence systems are generally quicker and easier to learn than joint based martial arts like Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Aikido, Judo and Hapkido. Joint based systems, ie those that predominantly use joint locks, holds and chokes for self-defence, tend to be very technical and much slower to learn. This is illustrated by the fact that it typically takes about 12-14yrs to get your black belt in BJJ vs 5-6yrs in Taekwondo or Karate. When you think about it, it makes sense. A Taekwondo practitioner might defend themselves by kicking an attacker in the groin. It doesn’t really matter if the attacker is bigger and stronger, that’ll still hurt!.. and it’s relatively easy to learn. By comparison trying to get a bigger and stronger person into a lock of any description, based on the strength discrepancy alone, is much harder. The other question in this scenario is, what are you going to do with the person after you’ve put them in a joint lock?… as opposed to the groin kick example where you can escape while they convalesce. This is of course not to suggest that joint locks aren’t effective and don’t have their place in self-defence, just that they are more technical and take longer to learn, and even longer to be able to use effectively in a real street self-defence situation against a bigger, stronger, heavier attacker.
For many people, the other part of the above question, what is the easiest self-defence to learn?… is often, I want to learn something fast. The truth is, despite anything you might see on the internet, there is no martial art or self-defence system that you can learn fast. Some take more time than others like we talked about above, but they all, without exception, take time. If you’re doubting this, just ask yourself a few simple questions. What do I mean by ‘learn self-defence’? Do I mean, learn self-defence techniques so that I’m good enough at them, that I could use it in a real self-defence situation on the street? For most people the answer is, yes. Think about what this scenario means for a minute. Usually it means having to defend yourself against a bigger, stronger, more aggressive attacker, which means you’re at a size and strength disadvantage before you even start, so you’ll have to have a higher level of skill than the attacker to overcome that disadvantage. Your next problem as the defender is, what will you have to defend against? There are many many many different things an attacker can attack with from punches (what type of punch and how many), to grabs, strangles, chokes… then what if they attack from behind… or you end up on the ground with them standing, or you both end up on the ground, or they have a weapon (what type of weapon), or there are multiple attackers… or or or… not so simple is it. So not only do you have to learn defences against all of those things (unfortunately there is no magical technique that works against every attack), you have to do them often enough to remember them, under pressure and stress, and be able to hit with enough power and accuracy, as part of that defence, on a struggling opponent who’s fighting back, to stop them. By now common sense starts to tell you that it’s not really possible to ‘learn self-defence fast’, no matter what the internet says, and no matter which style you choose. Another way to think about – if you accept that when you are learning self-defence you are learning a skill, compare it to learning other skills like learning to play guitar or learning Chinese – are you going to learn to play the guitar in a weekend or even in two months… could you play happy birthday 6 months later at a party in front of 50 people after a weekend guitar course? Probably not right, because things that are skills take regular practice and time to learn, and because an attacker can do many things, it’s not having to just learn one song, but many songs!
Turning back to our question, what is the easiest self-defence to learn?… like we touched on at the beginning, striking based martial arts like Taekwondo and Krav Maga tend to be easier and quicker to learn. I’d also mention, that it is important to have at least a basic knowledge of ground defence, grappling and wresting, both of which we teach in Taekwondo and Krav Maga, but using the Taekwondo as an example, they are not the main defence method, it’s moving, striking, blocking, knees, elbows, kicks etc, so overall something like Taekwondo or Krav Maga are going to be much quicker to learn and gain skill at than something like BJJ.
If you’re not sure which martial art is right for you and fits with your learning goals and personal preferences, give us a call and come and try a class 🙂
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. We teach self defence from the specialist martial arts of Self-defence Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Krav Maga, and offer classes for everyone from beginners through to advanced.
As well as teaching martial arts techniques that prevent personal harm, BTC’s self defence classes help with these valuable health and wellbeing benefits:
Classes for Everyone: No prior fitness level, flexibility or martial arts experience is required to learn self defence at BTC studios. Highly Qualified Trainers: BTC’s instructors are highly qualified martial arts professionals. They are experienced Black Belts who bring a world perspective and global experience to 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. 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!