Muscle Tiger & other Martial Artists

[Iapetos]

I've studied Goju Ryu, Tae Kwo Do, Judo, Kung Fu, Ju jitsu, Ken jitsu and American Karate over the last 15 years and I chose Aikido for my 7 year old daughter and would like my wife to take it. That is my choice for any female just starting out. Aikido will teach all the fundementals needed to progress to a more offensive style and provides a great deal of defensive knowledge/skill. I'm not looking for my daughter to put a classmate (2nd grade) in a hurt locker. I just want her to be able to let anyone know they need to think twice before taking another swing. Of course when she gets older I'll move her on to a different style and my wife much sooner. My wife will definately know how to stop an agressor.

I'm dying to try Pankration, just hard to find a school where I live.

- Iapetos

[Sachet]

Thank you Iapetos

It seems logical to me that your best defense is to be aggressive offensively just long enough to stun someone & run like hell.
Especially if you're under 120 lbs & a 190 lb guy is trying to whateva..

[Iapetos]

Very true, especially in California. I've been arrested for fighting until the other was out cold. The court said that after a certain amount of training you are considered a weapon....I disagree. Anyway, the judges main arguement was that I knew enough to incapacitate the other guy and should have stopped there. Friggin courts.

Either way you decide, I wish you the best of luck. Any martial art will improve your overall wellness.

- Iapetos

[Sachet]

This is a response I got from another site I visit.
Thought you guys would enjoy reading a woman's perspective on the topic


As far as martial arts for women goes, it all depends on the individual physiology, strengths & weaknesses, and - usually - attitude. It wouldn't be very fair to ask a "dainty" extremely feminine type to learn how to gouge a man's eyes out, and then rip the bridge structure of his nose via the sockets. It also wouldn't be smart to tell a short person to take up a hard, direct, force-oriented martial art that would suit someone taller.

Someone who doesn't mind a little violence to brighten their day could take up American Kempo.

Someone who wants to build discipline while learning self-defense can study Shotokhan Karate and Judo.

Someone on the smaller side, or with wide hips and strong legs, can take judo or jiujitsu.

And the list goes on.

Something to remember, though, is that studying a martial art is not enough. One has to practice (and by practice, I do not mean "no contact". Find a friend who also wants to practice, and have fun with it. Learn different tricks that work for you, and practice techniques that you may be having trouble with.

An example is myself. I have very small hands, so a one-arm grab doesn't work with me. I have to improvise on most techniques (being 5'5" and female). My favorite levers on an attacker are his fingers, ears or hair. Fingers are great but a little vicious. A small child can break a grown man's finger, and it's easy to lead someone to the ground by their index finger. And it only takes 7 lbs of pressure to remove a human ear. >:-)

My last point for now (since I have a class to run to) is attitude. Someone with perfect technique but low confidence, or even a tendency to not pay attention to what's going on around them, will run into trouble. Avoiding trouble is far better than having to kick some jerk's butt (from sexual harassment to being mugged: these situations happen, and it's every person's responsibility to pay attention and avoid such problems). And also keep in mind that the police aren't going to like it if you break some guy's arm/collar-bone/knee/nose/jaw for smacking you on the butt or grabbing your arm or leg. Guys can be jerks sometimes, but control is always a good thing. If the situation comes up, feel free to kick ass, but also let the punishment suit the crime.

Hope this was something along the lines of what you were looking for.

[Sachet]

Originally posted by Iapetos
Very true, especially in California. I've been arrested for fighting until the other was out cold. The court said that after a certain amount of training you are considered a weapon....I disagree. Anyway, the judges main arguement was that I knew enough to incapacitate the other guy and should have stopped there. Friggin courts.

Either way you decide, I wish you the best of luck. Any martial art will improve your overall wellness.

- Iapetos

WoW!
The only thing about that argument that's crummy is the fact that if the guy fighting with you gives you a run for your money.. you're gonna think he's got the same amount of training.
So, naturally you're going to be 'safe than sorry' & do some damage.
It's true about hands being registered as lethal weapons then?

Thanks for the luck. I'm gonna need it :p

[darmadoc]

Although I study a traditional Korean art (Kuk Sool Won), if you are looking for a strictly self defense art I'd consider Kickboxing, Muy Thai, regular boxing or a filipino art such as kali where you will learn to use a stick or a knife. You don't want to take some 190 lb guy to the ground no matter how good you are at BJJ. His weight will be a problem and he may have freinds. You want to knock someone down and get the hell out of there. If he can't get back up, so much the better.

The problem (or advantage) with most of these arts is that you are going to actually have to practce hitting people and getting hit in full contact drills. This is sometimes a problem for people.

[MuscleTiger]

Originally posted by Sachet
WoW!
Thank you for taking the time to respond, MuscleTiger & everybody!
May I have your permission to use your advice on one of my boards in another forum?

Ya,you may use my advice.

[Sachet]

Thank you..

The board deals with a sensitive topic, but since I do alot of PR work for my job, I tend to try to suggest solutions to problems.