Where can I learn street self defence is one of most common questions I’ve had since I set up this site. There’s a balance between people looking for self defence classes they can attend and others wanting to home study. Can you learn such a physical skill from DVD’s and books? Absolutely! As a keen all round martial artist I regularly attend aikido and other classes but I know others either don’t have the time or simply want to learn how to defend themselves in a practical way.
Best Ways to Learn Street Self Defence at Home
There are many excellent self defence courses and I’ve followed studied and followed hundreds over the years from classic books like Gozo Shioda’s Total Aikido to a range of books on Krav Maga. Although I still believe actually testing out techniques in a dojo or training room with other people is the best way to learn it’s perfectly possible to learn from books, DVD and online video courses. In fact I would say some classes and dojos can do you more harm than good – if the training environment isn’t friendly and co-operative you may be better off learning at home!
Some martial arts like aikido do require that you work with a partner and you need to ‘feel’ techniques but it’s possible to do this at home to at least grasp the basics. A course which offers real, practical self defence tips and techniques can be followed without ever having to ‘fight’ or even face another person.
Best Self Defence Course for Home Study
The best online video course I’ve seen is Real World Protection Even after years of martial arts training I’ve learnt an incredible amount from watching these videos and it’s really interesting that many of the techniques and moves are recognisable from arts such as aikido and krav maga but are more simplified and direct. In particular, the videos on dealing with knife attacks bear strong resemblance to aikido knife defence techniques but you will learn the versions shown here in minutes, not years.
The Real World Protection course covers a range of attacks and situations and everything is explained and shown very clearly. Sujbects covered include -
Punching – Make your punching safer for you and much more effective
Releases – Getting away from an attacker when grabbed and held
Locks – How to apply and disable an attacker
Kicks – Techniques and how to add power. I can see Taekwondo roots here and the basic kicks are fantastic!
This is one of the most comprehensive and easy to follow self defence courses I’ve seen and it gets my 100% recommendation whether you are a beginner or looking to add to and build on your existing skills. Follow the link below for full details -
Bruce Lee must surely be the World’s most famous martil artists. Not least of because because of his huge Hollywood movies but there is far more behind Lee to explain why his legacy lives on. Coming from a very tough background, Lee was forced to learn a practical combat style to be able to survive a live surrounded by street gangs. The legend has it that he was beaten badly in a fight at age 13 and this motivated him to learn self defence. One of the little known facts about Bruce is that he was part German! Because of this mixed background other students refused to train with him and he was forced to find his own teacher. The rest, as they say, is history…
Secrets of Bruce Lee Fighting Style
Many people ask what were his secrets and this is all part of the mystery surrounding Lee, particularly relating to his early death. My personal view is that Lee’s secrets were actually pretty stratighforward. He was incredibly disciplined and an amazing athelete. You may recall the photo poster for Enter The Dragon where every inch of his body is pure muscle. His fighting style – Jeet Kune Do – is a very hard practical style much like today’s krav maga or street self defence. Although you will see fancy flourishes in Lee’s movies these were of course all for the camera. When it came to a real fight he used direct strikes and techniques as we use in street self defence.
Jeet Kune Do for Self Defence
If you can find a class and a good teacher I would say Jeet Kune Do would be excellent for real self defence. Unfortunately I think most of us will struggle and in my experience there is still an issue in some parts of the world finding a Chinese class which will accept Westerners. You may be forced to look for an alternative but don’t be disappointed – many other martial arts and forms of real world self protection employ similar moves and are just as effective.
I’m often asked if it’s fair to use dirty fighting techniques in a street fight. My response is what do you mean by dirty fighting? In street self defence I believe anything goes. That’s to say if someone attacks you or seriously threatens you it’s fair and right to use whatever self defence moves you need to survive.
There is a need to stay on the right side of the law of course but making a fair judgement on what was ‘reasonable force’ after the event is itself pretty unfair! Certainly when it comes to self defence for women and children I’d say anything goes. We aren’t talking about using weapons here of course – other than the body’s natural weapons.
So what dirty street fighting moves would I suggest? First of all attack the weak and vulnerable spots or soft targets.The groin, throat, eyes, kidneys, knees and neck are all good spots to target. Striking as many blows as possible to these area will shock and disorientate an attacker which is exactly what you want! A fast series of kicks, blows and jabs will deal with the biggest opponent even if the technical aspects may not be great. I’ve trained in martial arts like aikido and taekwondo and the conclusion I’ve come to is that in a real street fight speed and aggression are the best response.
Krav maga is an excellent martial art for street self defence and uses many techniques some would call dirty. One of the guding principles of krav maga is “there are no rules in a real fight.” Some who want to follow gentler martial arts like aikido may not agree with this but you can appreciate it’s a solid foundation for a real fighting method! Krav maga techniques include ways to deal with choke holds and grabs as well as against the full range of weapons including knives and guns.
We can all improve our punching and striking skills with a little practise and you’d be amazed how much more power you can deliver if you learn the correct way. A punch starts in the foot and comes up through the leg with the force of a twist of the hips adding even more power before contact. If this blow is delivered to a soft target it can be devastating.
Martial arts taught in traditional classes may touch on dirty fighting moves but they will usually be explained as ‘this is not how we do things around here.’ Personally I feel you have to be prepared to do whatever it takes when it comes to the crunch.
A simple and effective guide to self defense for anyone of any shape or size that actually works!
This is one of the best martial arts and self defence home study courses I’ve come across and is highly recommended.
7 Most is suitable for absolutely everyone – regardless of age, sex or fitness and is a perfect form of street self defence. The martial arts techniques described are -
Instantly effective
Quick and decisive
Surprisingly simple
This is exactly what we need for an effective, practical self defence system. The moves aren’t complex to learn like aikido throws and won’t take years of study in the dojo or formal martial arts classes to become effective.
Terry Lyon, the developer of this course, is a 5th degree black belt in Goju Ryu Karate – one of the most powerful and oldest styles of karate. Goju Ryu Karate is known for it’s close range fighting techniques – it’s not a sport style or based on winning competitions it’s about real self defence.
The 7 Most Effective Self Defence Techniques approach is based on secret techniques that, until now, have been verbally passed from grandmaster to grandmaster. It teaches you to unleash your body’s potentialwithout the need to practice complicated moves or strengthen your body in a dojo or gym for years! All techniques have been perfected and simplified using physiological principles that will power-charge your ability and even as a long term martial arts student I was amazed at some of the techniques and their simplicity to learn.
I’m often asked what’s the best martial art for street self defence and it’s not an easy question to answer. As a long time student of aikido I love this art but don’t feel it’s very effective for street self defence unless you have trained for many years.
In my view throwing arts like aikido and judo have little place on the street and I would prefer striking arts like taekwondo, choi kwang do and karate. Wimg chung is another excellent option for street self defence but it’s very hard to find a good class or instructor in most towns and cities.
One of the newer martial arts I would also recommend is The Keysi Method. The Keysi Method is very much a striking defence style and has very few kicks. It uses extreme close-quarters combat using every weapon the body can quickly wield in such a small space which is exactly what we want in street self defence. The bodies natural weapons of fists, knees and elbows are all used to devastating effect.
The Keysi Method works from a single basic stance and it’s a highly effective position for both defence and to launch an attack. It uses strikes with the elbows and hammer fists which are very powerful and more effective than straight punches.
The Keysi Method is a hybrid style combining the best elements of grappling from Jiu-jitsu and Aikido, ground fighting from Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and strikes and from Wing Chun kung fu. The Keysi Method is an excellent all round street self defence method and teaches students to deal with multiple attackers which is often the reality of a street fight.
There are many options then and it’s a case of looking at local self defence classes in your area and considering the best available.
In the martial arts world we generally think of Taekwondo as a sport and many clubs focus on winning trophies and competitions. That’s not to say it isn’t a very effective martial art – with training and dedication I have every respect for Taekwondo students and see it as one of the more effective striking martial arts. What many people don’t know is that there is actually a more brutal combat based form of Taekwondo with its origins literally in the battlefield.
Some 70 million people study Taekwondo but the vast majority follow the sport style and don’t know the hidden truth about the real self defence form. Taekwondo hasn’t always been a sport – it has origins the military and has kicks, blocks and moves too brutal for competition. Many instructors teach the watered down version and the real battlefield Taekwondo has been lost.
Learning the traditional style is fantastic in itself but if you want to learn the street self defence version of Taekwondo the number of classes and instructors is very limited. The following course is highly recommended to about these forgotten highly effective techniques. The credentials of the author are second to none and this is a superb course teaching a complete video encyclopedia of real world Taekwondo.
Real World Taekwondo
Everything is broken down into easy to follow sections from warm ups and stretches to stances and the strikes, blocks and kicks. Patterns are a key part of Taekwondo and the course covers these in detail. Techniques are explained incredibly well and this is one of the best martial arts home study courses I’ve ever seen.
Crucially real world Taekwondo is just that – real world self defence! The course isn’t about passing belts and grading – lethal techniques used in combat situations are explained as well as the foundations.
Before I even begin this article let me stress I don’t recommend or endorse what I’m about to say. Even in no holds barred MMA and cage fights there are ‘rules’ but some would argue when it comes to real fights on the street those rules go out the window and anything goes.
So what sort of self defence and street fighting techniques am I talking about. The raw, brutal, dirty fighting tactics most of us wouldn’t dream of using. I would include headbutts, eye gouges and biting. I said it was raw! Much as we might shy away from such fighting techniques if you do find yourself in a potential ‘life or death’ situation they could make the difference. If you want to learn these fighting tactics and moves I would recommend the guide below -
If you really want to survive on the streets these could be the street fighting moves for you. These aren’t ‘nice’ gentle techniques designed to pin your attacker to the floor or take them down gently. Let’s face it if someone really is out to attack you they will use whatever fighting moves they know and they won’t worry about how much they hurt or injure you. If you accept this harch reality take a look -
I am often asked by friends interested in martial arts ‘where can I find a good self defence class or instructor?’ Most towns and cities have a range of classes and you will usually have a local karate club, judo class and taekwondo class. The first decision is which one of these martial arts is right for you?
To help with this decision you need to ask yourself why you want to learn self defence. Is it to develop your fitness or confidence? Is it learn about the culture of another country? Do you want to enter competitions? Or is it simply to learn how to defend yourself from attack?
Once you have thought things through the best advice is to visit any local martial arts classes of interest. Talk to the instructors and students and you will very quickly get a feel for the club. How welcome do you feel?! Are these people you could mix with and get to know … And would you trust them in situations where physical injury could result!?
Martial arts classes for womena and children are another issue. Some clubs are very open and run family-friendly classes open to all. Sadly, there are still some macho clubs out there where it really is a male environment. More modern martial arts like Choi Kwang Do are very inclusive and encourage students of all ages and abilities. If you have a Choi Kwang Do school in your area I would certainly recommend a visit there.
The club instructor is key to finding a good self defence class. They must of course have suitable experience and skill in their martial art but they must also have the abilitiy to teach it to others! Patience is a key skill for any martial arts teacher.
Street self defence may be the path for you and this is something you can home study so no need to even find a local club or class. This is a combination of martial arts and self defence techniques designed to get results in real situations. Whatever marial art you choose to study I would also recommend looking at street self defence moves to add to your abilities.
As an experienced martial artist I love the traditions and history of arts like aikido and karate but I also know their limitations in ‘the real world.’ Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying traditional martial arts wouldn’t ‘work’ in a real street fight but it’s possible to pass on years of training and attending lessons and still get the same results.
If you have the time and are interested in pursuing a martial art I would recommend you look for suitable martial arts classes in your area. There’s no substitute for going along and watching a class and talking to the instructors and students. Don’t be affraid to ask questions – the more you ask the more likely you can drill into things to find it if this martial arts school is for you.
But what about if you have limited time or interest in martial arts training? It really is possible to learn some highly effective street self defence techniques without formal lessons. I’m not just talking about the correct ways to punch or block an attack – this is almost the last thing to learn. A good street self defence training should start with mental attitude and how to control your fear. The best most highly trained fighter with all the technical knowledge in the world will fall apart in a real situation if he or she doesn’t understand how fear will affect them.
Books and DVDs are a good place to learn foundation techniques and to pick up self defence tips. Although I spend a lot of time in formal martial arts classes I supplement my knowledge with self study and have learnt some excellent tactics and moves this way.
Street self defence moves are generally direct and simple to ese. This is the entire point – you dont want something complex and hard to remember as under the stress of a real situation your memory and body will let you down! If you see a real street fight it’s generally a scrappy affair with lots of grabbing and verbal confrontation and the best techniques to deal with this the simple ones. Forget the Bruce Lee style kicks and elaborate ‘flourishes’ you see in the movie. Our goal is simply to get away in one piece and that could be as simple as a slap to the side of the face buying as time to move.
Sadly in today’s world we need to have an awareness of and be prepared for violent or threatening encounters. Street self defence is an effective way of dealing with these and to be blunt ensuring survival!
Many traditional martial arts simply don’t prepare us for real street fights and attacks. The techniques and moves they teach us are generally based on those from a different time and world – nowadays we need short, sharp and effective techniques. In street self defence our aim is to break away from and get away from our attacker – we aren’t out to show off our martial arts prowess!
More modern martial arts like Krav Maga have taken my points above onboard but I still believe many don’t give us the mindset for survival in a real attack. Street self defence is as much about attitude and knowing yourself as it is about delivering punches and kicks. Responding with violence should of course always be a last resort but it’s a fact many of us will find ourselves in this position one day. In the old ‘fight or flight’ dilema I would always suggest ‘flight’ but there are times we don’t have a choice.
Street self defence combines practical, effective fighting techniques with the mindset and attitude you need to deal with real situations.
