Which Martial Arts to Learn?

[roo_ster]

After I became disabled, I started looking for some instruction in the defensive use of a staph (don't know how to really spell it, but use of a defensive stick). My legs are toast, and I have one, so running is not an option. I almost always carry my cane, so I figured that I should learn how to use it to my advantage.

None of the martial arts instructors I knew or worked with could point me to a reputable instructor. I have contacted a number of martial arts studios within about 25 miles, just getting the same response, "... sorry, we can't help you ..." Sadly, I have given up that quest. I don't know if the folks I approached didn't want to instruct someone that was disabled, didn't want to deal with someone that knew what they wanted, or what!

I wish the OP good luck in his quest!

Stick fighting is nigh universal. It is also nigh impossible to find instruction outside of a few metro areas.

There are some MA styles/systems that work with folks with limited mobility. There are some that teach weapon use: bo, jo, sai, chucks, tonfa. I once spent a couple years in a dojo that did both. PM me for more info.

If doing it on your own, there are a couple of systems/paradigms that might help:
Jo Stick
Single Stick
Pugil Stick / Bayonet & Rifle

I built up a nice cane from a hard wood stockman's cane that I have brought into non-permissive areas. When I practice with it, I use pugil stick / rifle & bayonet technique. The curved handle of hte cane serves as hte rifle butt. Used with vigor, you can lay a hurting on someone. A practice aid is one of those skinnier 6' tall heavy bags. Do your best to find a sparring partner and pad your canes or get some pugil sticks.

 

[snubbyfan]

At another Toyota Parts department, I worked the back counter and there were a fair amount of Vietnamese mechanics. There was one fellow named Hai Nguyen, we just called him High Noon.
He was one of those fellows that has been training in Kung Fu since he was in diapers.
Anyway, we used to play a game called, "try to touch Hai." He was so quick you couldn't lay a finger on him.
Watching these fellows sparring for fun convinced me that these little Vietnamese fellows could kick somebody's butt three times before they hit the ground once. A coupla of them were professional fighters.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Why lawyers are sometimes so clever.......

Moo Goo Gai Pan has a long history and has always been my go to.
I'm 63 and I think martial arts training would be a waste of time for me as in the end I would be a 63 year old man with a certificate and some fancy jammies with a belt of some color.

I love that! I did like my fancy jammies and belt of some color back in the day, I admit that.

So, speaking as a fellow member of the bar, first, I do know a guy here locally who runs a security and personal protection business and as a part of it he teaches his officers all manner of hand to hand self defense techniques and I don't think he has a name for any of it - he just knows ways to beat you in a self defense mano a mano situation. He also teaches cane techniques. I make him show me those sometimes whilst I still limp around with a cane due to my knees.

I have gotten so accustomed to the idea of my stick being my first line of defense that I take it everywhere. Let everyone feel pity on the old dude with a cane. Just don't annoy him! And it's good on air travel - bear that in mind!

That reminds me of a social outing of a few months ago in a part of town that is heavily frequented by the younger set. I wore a ball cap of a certain political persuasion and one of my friends suggested that it might not be the past part of town to be wearing that. My response? "Have you ever seen a Millenial with his head laid open by an old man with a cane?"

You do not always need a gun if you are mentally prepared!

 

[Chief Wiggums]

some tough guys that I know state that wrestling and grappling skills are the most beneficial when faced w an altercation.
Get him to the ground & pound , use positioning skills , arm bars , choke holds ect..
BJJ or something similar

 

[Mister X]

Sparring. If you want to be good in a fight, you gotta go full contact every once in a while. Most people don't want to. Most of those that do it once say "Eff this noise." The patty-cake that is most sparring in MA is nigh worthless and dangerous to many who come under the delusion that they are competent. Especially the gals. Bigger guys can deal out more punishment and they can take more punishment.

What are you referring to when you say full contact and could you provide an example of patty-cake sparring.

While I'd agree that pressure-testing techniques against reacting, resisting opponents and learning to deal with momentum in particular is beneficial, I no longer see putting on the gloves and going at it like a boxer or kickboxer as being necessary or even all that useful in the context of self-defense. You could even say it actually contradicts the whole purpose of the training. There are better and safer means to achieve our goals. Plus, actual street attacks don't usually resemble sparring or consensual street-fights(dueling). I for sure wouldn't recommend full contact sparring for a female interested in personal defense not only because the risk of injury, but also because the techniques she would be learning wouldn't actually likely be very practical or effective for self-defense unless she is exceptional.

 

[diyj98]

I just use my chi to strike them down without ever touching them

 

[REM 3200]

Which Martial Arts to Learn?
For me at 78 YO, I think I am best served by sight picture and trigger press, several times.

 

[oldiegoldie]

sprinting.

 

[steelslaver]

Human anatomy and a couple nights a week in the ER. If you want to break something study how its put together and how it is broken.

Knee and elbow joints, small bones in top of foot, areas of multiple nerve endings.

 

[CH4]

I had that for lunch today.

What was your fortune?

 

[TripLeader]

Rex Kwan Do has always worked for me.

 

[Wise_A]

 

[Kurusu]

And now...

Something completely different.
[ame="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XnSeKHnB_k8"]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XnSeKHnB_k8[/ame]

 

[fiasconva]

You may want to just look into some basic self defense classes that may be offered by your local pd's or something like that. You know, something that will allow you enough training to quickly put an assailant down and then get the heck out of there.

 

[WR Moore]

If you can find a reasonably local instructor, Aikido is a very good tool. Since you're in the south (east?), the old address for the East Coast Federation was that followed by c/o New York Aikido, 142 West 18th St, New York, NY 10011. You might be able to find something online.

 

[diyj98]

If you can find a reasonably local instructor, Aikido is a very good tool. Since you're in the south (east?), the old address for the East Coast Federation was that followed by c/o New York Aikido, 142 West 18th St, New York, NY 10011. You might be able to find something online.

I would have put Aikido near the bottom of the list. My understanding of Aikido is that it was originally developed as defense against an opponent armed with a sword. To me many of the techniques don't seem to be as effective as some other martial arts against other trained opponents. But that's just my opinion and I don't pretend to be an expert in any martial art. I do believe ANY training is better than no training.

 

[Mister X]

I've never met an aikido practitioner who could actually apply the art against a resisting, uncooperative opponent in any type of freestyle scenarios. And yes, that includes Seagals's instructors.

It has a few elements in the footwork I do like, but as a whole, I think it's severely lacking as a method of self-defense.

 

[Peak53]

Three stiff fingers to the adam's apple, then run and draw your weapon. Nobody said it has to be fair.

 

[white cloud]

At another Toyota Parts department, I worked the back counter and there were a fair amount of Vietnamese mechanics. There was one fellow named Hai Nguyen, we just called him High Noon.
He was one of those fellows that has been training in Kung Fu since he was in diapers.
Anyway, we used to play a game called, "try to touch Hai." He was so quick you couldn't lay a finger on him.
Watching these fellows sparring for fun convinced me that these little Vietnamese fellows could kick somebody's butt three times before they hit the ground once. A coupla of them were professional fighters.

I grew up on Ft Bragg. One of the kids in my high school was from, you guessed it, Vietnam. This guy was tiny by American standards. One of the football players thought it would be fun to push the Vietnamese kid around. Big mistake. I don't know what that kid had studied or for how long but the foot ball player was out of the fight almost immediately.

I have practiced Aikido, Judo, Tang So Do, Tai Chi and Wing Chun over a significant part of my life. My thoughts regarding martial arts are: If you are not in shape all this is a waste of time. If you don't learn what it feels like to get knocked down, all this is a waste of time. If your martial art is about sport, it's a waste of time. If your instructor is not a fighter, it's a waste of time. If you can't get your game face on really go at it with someone, it's a waste of time. I have a learned distrust of any martial art who's name ends with "do". I sometimes think a pepper spray course would be more useful to me than the decades I spent in martial arts training.

 

[Mister X]

Just having trained in a particular martial art for even decades doesn't mean an individual actually understands that art well or can execute the techniques effectively in a defense scenario. Their instructor may be lacking, they themselves may lack the prerequisite athletic ability or they may studied(wrongly) for a year and then simply repeated that for 19 more. People often don't know what they don't know,

In regards to sport vs street. If you're capable of being a very good cage/ring fighter, you're also capable of being very good on the street. If you think dirty tricks will help against an athletically superior sport fighter, pretty much any MMA gym will have numerous fighters willing you to test it out.

Size does matter even if it's not everything. I'd much rather fight a 125 lb "master" of any martial art than I would an NFL linebacker.