JKD, the bruce lee technique.

the father of ultimate fighting.


or a .357 auto.

do whatever you need to do to win. hope you never need to do anything!

Originally posted by SFlowers
that would help her get out of a genuine life-or-death situation without causing any extreme or lasting damage to her attackers?

and is good to know if someone that was very dangerous dangerous, say, came to your apartment and tried to kill or hurt you or your family.

ummmmm........... in a 'genuine life-or-death' situation you're probably going to want to try and inflict as much extreme lasting damage as possible, as fast as possible.
I'm no expert but as a woman who may be somewhat lacking in brute strength there's a combat system called 'tactical edge' you might want to look into but first you're going to need to accept the fact that survival might mean gouging somebodies eyes out.

HI I am black belt in American Kenpo and brown belt in brazilian jiujitzu, I've also practiced boxing, kickboxing and muay thai, always compete in grappling tournaments and MMA.

Those who practice and compete in combat sports know that they must be prepared, in addition to technical and physically, psychologically, so think a bit how hard it is to remain calm and clear mind in this situation, where it is assumed that all controlled and rules to prevent damage or serious injury to the participants (grappling or mma which is what I compete), with this in mind before choosing a martial art for self-defense, think about whether they can meet someone in a life or death situation, where there are no rules and no one knows how you can finish, learn the proper techniques and gain control over your fears takes time, no good and effective martial art learned in months, need years. Martial arts in the Army are used as a form of companionship and camaraderie, not wanting to be racist or xenophobic but, have you seen some Israely fighting hand to hand without weapons, not me, but if you want to practice Krav Maga also give him a look at Systema The self-defense is practiced in Russia

I think that depending on the situation any martial art will do, but I've come to understand with many years of practice and combat, is not the style or martial art is better, everything depends on the preparation and ability of each practitioner

PD: remember to fight in the street does not go to the floor because most of the time is not a one to one situation, should also be clear that there are no rules and blows to the groin, eye poket, even bite is "allowed"

i really enjoyed Judo and it helped me out on a couple occasions. although i can see how a combo of judo,jiu jitsu and krav maga would be useful. i also read about a chap called Bill Underwood;he had his own system.there is a fancy picture of him bringing the late great Johnny Carson to his knees. bill was in his 80's and 80 something years old. but that feeling you get when something silly [violent] kicks off is to be avoided. more i say!

Since you are a girl why not you consider learning some Capoeira? While not considered a real martial art you will get yourself a very tough body and very good looking too. Capoeira is making martial arts moves slowly on Brazilian music. And trust me, if you master Capoeira very well you will be able to defend yourself.

Or, if you are inclined towards the occult why not consider Tai Chi Chuan? This will help you stay young too.

Something more tough would be Krav Maga a very efficient, practic israelian fighting style, derived from traditional Jiu Jitsu, but with no rules (you are allowed to attack the groins for example).

I don't think you will wanna do BJJ or Muay Thai. You are not becoming a professional fighter.

That being said, there is no "best martial art". Ideally you would wanna learn a little bit of all and master what you like and develop your own style. After all, all these styles where created by someone, which previously learned other styles and so on....

Personally I think a little bit of all is the best way to go if it is financially possible for one. I know the question is primarily the most practical meaning just one, but I never found just one to be the best solution. Over time I've taken some courses in Aikido, Ninjutsu, Karate, and a few lessons in Tae Kwon do. I could definitely see the pros and cons of each and certainly felt them. The biggest factor in saying that is simply having a way to handle a variety of situations differently. For me I like options and though Aikido gave me a lot of non-confrontational options there are times when I simply can't keep doing that so the others come into play. I'm just having a bit of a hard time explaining it but hoping the gist of what I am saying is getting across.

I've got three suggestions and I'll put them in order of preference with explanation:

WTF or ITF Taekwondo: Both are suitable since you are looking for a method of self defense and that you pointed out specifically that you had strong lower body strength. Taekwondo will teach you how to use your legs to render your would be attacker powerless.

In addition or as a complimentary I would add Jet Kun Do or JKD, the Bruce Lee martial art considered one of the most complete martial arts of all time. Working with your advantages and disadvantages and using both to help you strike and get away.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: this is always a nice one to have in your back pocket, will help you tremendously in close quarter situations.

Hope I could help and remember that any and all martial arts start with an open spirit and acceptance of who we are and what we can accomplish.

If you want to defend yourself using Martial Arts you must train diligently before you can defend against someone who is bigger and stronger than yourself.

It doesn't matter which Martial Arts you choose, as long as it's one that you enjoy doing. If you don't enjoy it, then you will not train enough and you will not be good enough to defeat a stronger opponent.

Another thing you might consider is a weapon. When fighting is about survival then you always want the upper hand. While training Martial Arts is a good way to gain the upper hand, it is a very long and difficult process which requires a lot of effort. A weapon can equalize the situation or give you an advantage much faster and effectively.

The counter arguement to a weapon is the legal situations you can get yourself into if you actually end up using the weapons on an assailant. In the country I live in self defense is only allowed with "equal and appropriate means". This means if he attacks you with his hands, and you shoot him with a gun, you will probably go to jail.

In the end I would recommend doing any Martial Art you enjoy doing. Also, add running and isometrics to whatever it is you train in order to gain speed, strength and stamina.

Being in good shape and being able to run/sprint can save you from most dangerous situations.

Oh, and stay away from Aikido; it's completely useless, unless you enjoy LARPing japanese culture.

hard to beat boxers hands for striking with your hands, muay thai for kicks, knees and elbows...akido requires that you wait for an opponent to give you his hand or arm so you can throw him, brazilian ju jitsu is good against a single attacker but is seriously flawed against multiple opponents. (your rolling around the ground in your undies trying to strangle a guy and his mates walk up and soccer kick you in the head) wing chun like most chinses arts are impressive to watch but is really impracticle in real life. you should follow the master's philosophy and embrace elements from different arts that suit your physical and mental attributes. if your in australia BJC offered a good variety of tools.

Typically you want a good mix of styles.

Find a hard style and train with that for a little while. Tae Kwon do and japanese style martial arts are good. You want to learn how to throw punches and kicks effectively.

A soft style like chin na or aikido that will let you learn how to redirect your attackers strength against them. Also they show you effective holds or locks for taking out your opponent.

And you want something that teaches you some ground techniques. Gracie or brazilian jujitsu or even judo is awesome.

do some research. see what suits you. talk to the sifu at the dojo. get informed.

just remember one thing. your greatest weapon is your mind. learn to train that too.

I would go with Krav Maga. Its easy to learn basics with no fancy kung-fu moves or locks.

They say most fights end up on the ground in a scuffel, however Krav Maga is simply to get your target disabled so you can escape to safety. Its not to prove anything but its effective.