What self defense form is quickest to practical aplication? DO NOT ANSWER WITHOUT READING FULL POST!

I have Social Anxiety Disorder, with Panic attacks and P.T.S.D.
mostly from watching my mother getting beaten by boyfriends and me getting beaten up at school.

As a method of therepy I've decided that self defence training is absolutely necessary.

Which form will be functionaly usable in the shortest ammount of time.

LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR!!!!!
First I need to learn how to defend myself, then I can, at my leisure, learn other forms for focus, discipline, and grace.

(I'm very interested in Aikido, however it is not generaly considered practicaly functional the first 2-3 years.)

I'm thinking something like is taught to soldiers, basic hand to hand. Something quickly learned that will give me somekind of self confidence of being able to handle myself in public.
(You know, the kind of thing thats helpfull when Mr. X is told by Mr. Z that I have been saying things about his sister, because Mr. Z is bored and wants to be entertained. You know, like a Hutt.)

I do not need to hear the typical responce:

\"Faster is not better\", \"Nothing easy is worthwile\", \"you get out of it what you put into it\"

I need serious information, not preprogramed idiums.

Any \"on subject\" responces with actual thought behind them are welcome.

OK - dont discount martial arts classes as such for your purpose - hear me out

Many such venues offer 'street fighting' style self defense courses - ie - keep you alive sort of thing - they are generally aimed at women for personal safety but most classes will accept a male or two (if your willing to be a guinea pig usually) other than that - the same sort of lessons paid for on a one-to-one basis.

Other options include various books - but the problem with books are many fold - especially with self teaching 0 you can teach yourself the wrong form and bad habits - and besides - such info can instil false confidence - all martial arts will teach you to respect your opponent and to assume they are better and or more knowledgeable in the 'field' than you are.

I could give you books and isbn numbers etc - but my concern is your 'reasons' for such information so the best advice I am willing to give in terms of such info look for books by ex-special forces type people.

MTFBWY - A

The simple fact of the matter is that being street wise will keep you safe most of the time - and being able to defuse a situation verbally is much easier all round and violence should always be last resort - whether your a Jedi or not.

Violence breeds violence - just because you can do xyz doesnt mean you should

In the United States Army they teach a sort of combined martial arts they call \"Combatives\" in which they consider 'effective for non combat specific soldiers' after only a few lessons.

After I got out of BCT I took Aikido training classes.

The training that we received as part of BCT Combatives was a \"shortened\" version of the Aikido training I took.

I would recommend training in Aikido. If you can find an Aikido training class, you can talk with the master there, tell him your situation, and ask if he can help you train in a non standard format.


Or, an alternate.


In some places they hold non-specific martial arts, self defense training. Out here (Omaha, Nebraska) we have a high enough crime rate that there are now multiple one week training classes on how to defend yourself from any non-trained attacker, in a few different situations, including bag snatching, mugging, sexual assault, etc.



In short: Pick up the phone book and find a non-martial arts specific self defense training class, call the local police office and ask if they know of any they can recommend.

Otherwise go for Aikido, it might take a little longer, but it WILL be worth it.

Also: Good luck, and MTFBWY.

One last point (from me) keep within the law - that includes not attacking first

Karr,

One must becareful when choosing a martial arts. All will offer the self defence and confidence that you are looking for.

I have was in Tae Kwon Do for 15 years and my situation was somewhat similar to yours in the aspect of family abuse. It gave me the inner strength, confidence, and the ability to protect myself physically if I must.

I agree with GM Kana that martial arts is for defense only and never to attack first, there are other ways first before attacking.

Visit different dojo's and workout with them on a trial basis and then decide which feels best suited to you.

Thank you for your replies. Some good points here and some that I had not considered.

I am currently doing a \"trial\" month in a mixed martial arts class, and plan on checking out all in the area before I make my final decision.

Thanks

and MTFBWY

Karr MMA is a good thing to learn for it combines many elements of martial arts. Alot of work.

I wish you well in your trial period.

All the pervious replies cover what is out there Karr. Speak with the Sensei, I have never known one that was not willing to listen to a students needs. The two styles I was involved in, namely Chito Ryu and Shotokan had a portion of the class devoted to simplified techniques for the street. I had the good fortune that the instructor for that segment was an acive Ontario Provincial Police Officer so we got the 'moves' as well as the legal side.

Standard Martial arts take some time but usually you learn something from every class. Just watch out for the Dojo's that focus on traditional kata, while a part of tha Art, Kata is not going to immediately give you what you are looking for...look for at least a balance of Kata and street level applied self defence.

Give your trial period a shot and good luck.

Warning preprogramed idium...

Be patient, good things take time :dry:

It took me and my wife (who suffers from about the same as you described at your opening post) almost seven years of constant training 2-3 evenings a week plus seminars and compititions to earn our first blackbelts. It is as much a part of lifestyle as it is the physical.

MTFBWY

Karr- I myself have anxiety issues.

Unfortunately I've been in a situation where self-defense knowledge would've come in handy- I was attacked by a stoned guy on a train.

Please keep us updated if you have found an effective form of training for your issues. Thanks.