What is a good martial art for girls to learn? Any recommendations?

by True North 19 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  willy_think

  Judo

  The problem with many fighting arts is that they are unregulated. there is no national organization overseeing the training that Jujitsu instructors receive for example. A blackbelt in one place is not a blackbelt in another and safety considerations vary. In most cases you need to go by word of mouth as to how good or bad a particular Dojo is. but as an olympic sport Judo is a very structured and well regulated envirnment from the local to international levels. a brownbelt in the US is a brownbelt in the UK thay have the same siklls, only technique varies what you need to do and know to advance is the same. most Judo clubs are non-profit so the price tends to be lower in Judo. that aside it's real fighting every night, this is the real thing, my daughter (14) could throw most anyone if she caught them unaware I don't encourage it, but it's kind of nice to know she could in case some boy trys to grabbed her. as far as excerise goes it's one of the best, full cardio, resistance training, balance, stamina, teemwork, individual acomplishments, respect, certified instructors, the works. My daughter thinks she plays Judo for the sport and i love it too, but in my heart of hearts it's for the self-defence that i'm happy to take her to the class and meets and pay the 50 dollars a month.
• 

  Markfromcali

  First question: How old is your daughter?

  You would also want to consider your daughter's temperament, but I'm guessing she is fairly young if you would be making the decision for her. For arts that would prevent injury which also has health benefits, you're looking at internal arts for the most part. Aikido and Tai Chi fall into that category. There are some external styles like certain types of kung-fu which is also healthier like some have already pointed out, but what it comes down to is whether the teacher has an understanding of the internal principles. It would be a bit of a stretch for kids to get into the internal arts anyway, but there are definitely additional benefits especially if you do. Internal arts also tend to take longer to learn in terms of being proficient in self defense application. Whatever you decide, consider the quality of the teacher. There are many McDojo's out there, and it's questionable whether you learn anything useful at all from the typical generic school.

  BTW, for those with an interest I wouldn't mind taking Bagua at some point in spite of the fact that I am no longer interested in the martial arts in general. I am particularly interested in the relationship between the art and the I-Ching, (wooo, deminz!) and I understand it is good for fending off multiple attackers in terms of the combat value.

  I've looked into Aikido online. it sounds very good but it also seems that there can be a quasi-religious or heavy life-philosophy aspect to it that makes me a little leery of it. (Don't want to be going from a religious cult into a martial arts cult after all.)

  Yeah, let me tell you about that aspect - its probably either because the people who try to do it out of respect don't actually get it, or it is your perception from having been a JW. I remember when I first tried Tai Chi, I was so anxious about having to bow to pictures because of the whole idolatry thing, but it's really just a matter of respect. Obviously any reluctance to do so is just because of the way you were taught. I wouldn't hesitate to bow to any of you, it doesn't mean you are worshipping anyone or even that they are better than you as a person. A lot depends on how you hold it. As for the whole overly polite propriety business, I've found that is simply the confusion of well meaning students. Anyone who actually gets it would know that bowing in itself doesn't mean anything, and you can't force anyone to show respect - at the most they would just show you the ritual and tell you why they do it. You always have the option of just not taking it so seriously like they do, that is not getting overly caught up in it.

  Specifically regarding not wanting to get into some kind of cult, remember it takes two - you gotta buy into it. Being afraid there may be some cultish element would be like the whole fear of demon thing, if nothing else the demon is in your own mind.

  The fact is even those without a 'heavy life-philosophy aspect' will have something to say along those lines, it would probably just sound like Tony Robbins Personal Power instead of something more traditional. If nothing else they might just have a little code of conduct like Mr. Miagi's "karate for defense only" deal. The interesting thing is the ones I know that has the least to say in this regard and just kind of seamlessly teach without a lot of artifact in this way are actually some of the most spiritual people I know with a specific path, but that's the Taoist way - they don't tend to get preachy and haven't much use for ceremony.
• 

  Markfromcali

  Oh yeah - internal do also tend to be 'softer' in a way, which is not necessarily just for girls or women. A particular type of kung-fu to consider is wing-chun, I understand it was invented by a woman but I'm not expert on martial arts history. This is the style Bruce Lee learned.
• 

  Englishman

  Willy_Think,

  Absolutely correct. I did Judo for quite a while. I had a couple of minor injuries while I was learning how to fall properly, but I quickly learned enough to be able to at least put up a reasonable accounting of myself in case of an attack.

  I'm now thinking of going for my black belt in origami.

  Englishman.
• 

  Markfromcali

  Sorry to be long winded before, but I should point out one more thing. As far as Aikido goes, I think it would be fair to say that the philosophical aspect is simply a reverence for life. You can just tell your students to not hurt people, but that's far less effective than it actually being part of the art and what you teach. This isn't limited to Aikido only, but maybe it is more explicit there and would again depend on the teacher.

  So it's built in often times, like in Tai Chi they talk about not using force against force. I guess this principle is talked about in many martial arts, but when you look at the actual application the mechanics DO involve force against force a lot of times. So you can just tell by the way they move in some of these internal styles that it is essentially different, the circular movement is there to redirect the energy.

  Anyway, suffice it to say it depends on how far you want to take it, but there is a big difference in quality.
• 

  Abaddon

  The best 'martial art' for girls is their being able to walk and act assertively and with confidence so a potential attacker decides the next women will be an eaiser target and doesn't even approach them.

  Another fine 'martial art' is being able to non-physically (i.e. voice, stance , attitude) convince a potential attacker who actually approaches you that he's made a bad choice of victim and there's likely to be eaiser prey round the corner.

  The 800m is another very useful 'martial art', as getting the hell out of there is almost always a good if not the best option... the way of the rabbit may not be dignified, but screw that...

  ... and I'm not being sexist, I think the same 'martial arts' are just as good for men ...

  Any situation where you actually make physical contact with an attacker is one which has already gone very very wrong, and the physcial contact just means it could get worse. Men are on average taller, heavier and stronger than women. They also normally have more experience of violent physical contact, which in itself is shocking to experience for the first time. Trying to remember what defensive move you should make when you've just been punched in the face by someone who weighs 30% more than you and is 50% stronger, for real, for the first time is a little difficult.

  If you're interested in self-defence, a specific self-defence course for women will teach you how to hurt someone real bad simply and effectively. It will focus on dealing with a male attacker and wider safety issues.

  In the same amount of time, a specific martial arts course may not address the very issues that are most important for female self defence, as it's instructional program is not neccesarily focused in the same way. By the time you get to remember how to do your belt properly and when to bow and how to do a basic routine in the air, a more focused course will have taught you how to convert testicles to ear ornaments and what if feels like to be attacked by a man from behind... an exaggeration, yes, but you get the idea...

  Once you've covered the no-nonsense basics, you can decide whether a specific martial art is something you'd want to get into.

  Apparently there are some which are specifcally designed for women, like this;

  http://www.ebmas.net/usa/wt-wing-tzun.htm

  Any grappling-based martial art is a bad choice for a woman as it is exactly what you want to avoid happening when faced with a larger, stronger attacker.
• 

  Markfromcali

  Good advice Abaddon, and thanks for the link.

  There is always the pitfall of having false confidence, and on the other hand you don't want to be immobilized by fear either. You want to be realistic about a potential confrontation - as enjoyable and informative as the school environment might be the streets are not dojoland.
• 

  shera

  Damn shera...thanks for telling me that after I join..in my class there are several guys and girls who have been going two to three times a week for 7 to 12 years with no major complaints...maybe it's that Nova Scotia Tae Kwon Do...ya know...where you drink two shots of Captain Morgan first.

  Hehe,sorry..what type of style of TKD to you take? ITF or WTF?

  I took WTF and I did kickboxing thre as well,WTF doesn't involve alot of punching and hand training,but is more agressive than ITF,that is one reason they took the hands out because they didn't want people being knocked out in the olympics...WTF is olympic style. There is other type of TKD,just make sure to stay on the balls of your feet while pivioting.When you are learning spinning heel kick,don't do it on your heels,You can twist your knee and tear it.

  I also took kung fu for a short period of time and I found that was better on my joints.
• 

  shera

  If you're interested in self-defence, a specific self-defence course for women will teach you how to hurt someone real bad simply and effectively. It will focus on dealing with a male attacker and wider safety issues.

  That has been something I have been thinking about,I think a good swift kick you know where is better than me punching an attacker in the face.

  One thing,if I was ever attacked,I would forget sparring techniques,well perhaps some,but I would think about how to get this person away from me before I have a standoff with him.
• 

  ohiocowboy

  I think Any program that teaches self-defense could come in handy for anyone. Pick one that sounds good to you, then you can always learn another to learn other things.