self defense sports- which sport should i try? help!?

W

we.are.broken

New member
ok so i'm just wondering about how there's all these different 'fighting' sports or whatever...boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, martial arts etc. i heard that kickboxing is really good excercise but it doesn't seem that practical. can someone explain the different fighting/self defense sports to me?

so here's what i want to know: which sport should i do...
-i don't wanna get really competitive, like fighting other people as a sport or anything.
-im a teenage girl, and a pretty good athlete
-i want something that's a good workout and will help me stay in shape
-i want a sport that actually works for self-defense...karate and tae kwo do and stuff seem to be a lot about 'spiritual health' and 'mental training' and stuff, they don't seem like they would actually help you if someone attacked you
-i don't just wanna take one of those dumb self defense classes where they tell you to poke the guy in the eyes and run
-an anger outlet would be nice, lol. when i get mad i tend to do things like punch the wall. it would be nice if i could do something a bit more practical, like beat up a punching bag or something.

so yeah. no, im not in a gang or anything, i dont fight people on a regular basis or anything weird like that. i just want a sport that's good exercise, practical for fighting and a good anger outlet haha

any advice? thank you! keep in mind i know NOTHING about any of these sports.
 
First of all you have to stop saying sport-that implies the wrong thing and second of all not all karate or TKD stress the spiritual and mental training over actual physical training. Some schools and instructors do while others don't. Some instructors that do also don't know how to relate that to their students and their training in a practical sense either. I can say to one of my fighters to "fight within yourself" and play Mr. Miagi but instead I prefer to say to that fighter you are trying to reach to far with your offense and combinations and you need to close the distance just a fraction more before you throw.

While kickboxing will give you some good punching and kicking skills and a good cadiovascular workout I really think you should investigate the martial arts schools in your area and watch several of their classes. Along with this talk to the students as well as the instructors and especially the female students. Based on that instructors approach and teaching ability along with what you find then make your choice. I say this because you can hit or kick someone like me all day but you won't stop me. That finger-poke in the eye or other simular techniques that you are so quick to discard here will actually give you a better chance given your slighter build and lesser strength. That is why they teach that and stress getting away-you don't want to sit and slug it out with someone only to find out that they are more than you are capable of handling.

So look for a good instructor that has a good approach to teaching and produces a knowledgable, skilled, individual who can defend themselves. Look at it objectively and don't be to quick to judge and discard some things like you mention here. Even the mental aspects have a purpose and there is a reason why law enforcement officers practice reacting and drawing that weapon and firing when they have a need to and that is so they don't freeze or tense up and react to slowly. Martial arts and self-defense work much the same way so shop around, do some reading on some of what I talk about here and pick an instructor and school that offers what you are looking for.
 
there are no self defense sports. because in the street and in the real world there are no rules, in sports there are rules.

for self defense martial arts i'd look into krav maga, it's a mixed style for street fighting, and reality self defense, that leaves out the non-sense of techniques that don't work in a real situation.
 
i think boxing would be good for you.but martial arts are more "situation oriented" than mental/spiritual stuff. thats movie hype. i've trained in both,so go check out some places.they let you watch for free.see what intrests you more
 
muay thai
muay thai
muay thai
muay thai

Conditioning and drills, punching and countering techniques, clinching, elbows, kicks, knees, combos, uppercuts, sparring, excellent workout, the entire body feels it and the techniques you learn are VERY applicable to fighting against an attacker on the street.

As far as the anger outlet, I have demons and anger issues and nothing feels better than hitting a pad with vicious strikes and elbows and knees.
 
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