What is the best martial art for a woman to learn for self defense?

November 24, 2009

A Martial Art For A Woman?

I have the time, money, and desire to learn. I'm 5'2", 34 years old, 150 lbs. (but I have started a diet and am working out now, so the weight will go down). I have no medical problems that I know of at this time.

I don't want to only take a simple self defense class, I want to study a martial art. I know that it maytake years to get really good at a martial art, but I plan on being around for awhile, so I don't mind.

Thanks.
LOL! Love your answer, Liz. I have a jumbo cannister, but I really do want to learn a martial art as well.

Answers in Comments below..

Written by SelfDefenseWatcher · Filed Under Self Defense Q and A

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24 Responses to “What is the best martial art for a woman to learn for self defense?”

Edward on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

If you want to take a martial art for the "art" aspect, I suggest you take some form of karate or kung fu.

If you want to learn how to defend yourself, against men (most likely) who greatly outweigh you and are taller and stronger than you, I suggest you take brazilian jiu jitsu.

BJJ is an art where you use leverage and technique to defeat opponents of any size. I can pretty much promise you that if you try and go toe to toe with a man, no matter how much karate or kung fu you know, you will lose and it can and will end horribly for you.

BJJ is also an amazing rape defense. Let's face it, a lot of the BJJ moves are done while in "that" position.

In the year I've been taking BJJ, I've seen many meat heads walk through the door, get owned by a 5'4" 130lb dude and then never come back because their ego can't handle it.

The moral of the story? BJJ is all about technique and not size and strength.
wandering_canuck on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

Karate or Judo. Both are very good for self defense.
ros_0123 on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

judo I herd is really good, and you pick up some really good moves to defend yourself.
Jimmy on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

I suggest the art of kung fu san soo . It is an art of speed, deception, and leverage. You dont need to be strong to do it you just need to pay attention. It's really easy to learn as well and it also teaches you to use weapons such as swords, staffs, and batons.
liz on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

just invest in some pepper spray and stilletos
Victoria on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

Kung Fu I think is best because it is effective but easier on the body than many other martial arts.

However, most martial arts that aren't primarily geared towards sport ought to be effective. I think there is far more difference in the quality of individual instructors than the martial arts themselves in terms of effectiveness.
Chuck Dhue on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

If you live in Texas, you should take martial firearm arts.
Nosy Parker on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

Judo is good for women because you don't hit, and you use the force of the other person against him.
Also, as a short person I can say that a lower center of gravity is a real help in this sport.
Keiron on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

Look into aikido. It's a purely self-defensive martial art and it's good against bigger and stronger foes, as it uses their energy against them. Hopefully, you will be able to find a good master near you.
karen v on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

I think if it were me, what I would do is try maybe one or two then pick the one that I was the most comfortable with. You can never know about something like this and I would hate to tell you to pick one and then you get hurt in someway then this would make me feel real bad. Do whats best for you. Happy holidays.
Kirk T on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

There are so many good ones to choose from, so I guess it depends on what you are looking for. I would suggest that you decide if you are looking for exercise, discipline or self defense. Traditional Japanese arts like Goju-Ryu or Shito-Ryu offer a good combination of the 3. Kenpo is more for self defense and learning to hurt people (or defend yourself) in a street fight type situation. Kung Fu style also offer a combination of self defense and discipline. The best thing would be for you to visit several studios both Chinese and Japanese styles and choose one that you feel will offer an instructor that will take the time to spend individual time with you (at a reasonable price) and challenge you to practice self discipline. I would suggest traditional Okinawan style karate (Na ha-Te) or traditional style Chinese (Kung Fu) if you are willing to spend years of learning and devotion. If you put in the necessary time you can not be disappointed with your choice, just find the right program for you, this will take some upfront time and research in your area.
a_l_m_o_s_t_famous on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

jujistus but only if youre cute and look good in shortie shorts or spandex. This way you get to wrap your legs around guys bodys and get a workout that way.

I like not wearing underwear when I wrestle with girls.
they like it too.

\Cause I pack the heat
7 1/2 is all I got to say
ihopeusleptwell on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

Hello,

I don't know about other martial arts as judo or samba or capoeira, but I can tell you about my experience with the Martial Arts that I did take.

Tae Kwon Doe is a sports oriented MA, so it's not for you. Not too god for self defense but one hell of a workout with the right trainer. Its great for health, getting stronger and more focused but I think that can be said for any Martial Arts. I took Tae Kwon Doe for two years before I had to move, and I enjoyed it greatly.

Juijutsu. This might be somethign you might want to a look at. Juijutsu is grappling and throws. They teach you how to get out of holds and locks and turn your opponent harmless. I did Juijutsu for two years also and I think it is very good for self defense. When a fight breaks out, first 2 seconds its punches and then you hit the ground and this is where Juijutsu comes into play. Tons of fun. Great Martial Arts.

Currently I am taking Aikido, Karate, and Kung Fu.

Aikido is great and I enjoy it greatly as a Martial Arts. A way to train my mind, my body and my movement, but as a self defense, you wont find it too useful in the first 2-3 years in my opinion.

Karate is very strict and relies heavily on discipline. It uses wide grounded stances and relies on power. Good Martial Arts, has potential to train great power and focus, but as a self defense, in my opinion it is not too practical, unless many years have passed.

Kung Fu. This could be what you are looking for. It relies on smooth motions and physics rather then on pure power and strength. It is amazing for your health. Gives good focus and trains your breathing properly. Kung Fu was originally designed for close quarter combat and can be used almost anywhere. Really cool and I like it so far.

When you are looking for a school of any style that you pick, do make sure you take a few classes and see how it is. Most schools will give you a week or two trial period where you can attend full classes and check out if you like it or not.

All of the statements above are of my and my opinion alone. Do Martial Arts in your own will and decision.

I want to congradulate you on your awesome, amazing, fantastic, super, wonderful, incredible, astonishing, marvelous choice of learning in Martial Arts! You are in for a treat. Trust me. In less then a month you will see great improvement in EVERYTHING you do. Your movement will be smoother. You will feel stronger and more self confident. Your mind will be quicker, sharper and more focused. You will start to marvelous at little things like a ray of light hitting through leaves or the smell of an early morning, or the way your food tastes. It's amazing!

Anyways, I hope that was helpful. Feel free to email with any questions you might have.

Good luck with your Martial Arts education!
Cnote on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

self defense definitely jeet kune do, krav maga, or san soo. these hybrid arts do not focus on brute strength and it excellent for self defense. if you have a good teacher such as in krav maga they will simulate real life attacks to get you prepared for a real encounter. they teach you how to attack vulnerable spots. since you seem more into studying the whole martial art then maybe you should lean towards a good jeet kune do school, bruce lee was a great philosophier
ninedemonsgod on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

Definitely Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

It's a very hands on training, you'll get to try out what you learn in the class everyday. It'll let you train much more and become much better at it. Also most of the BJJ people are really friendly and very helpful.

I would avoid striking art if I was you. Stand up and strikes with men is the most dangerous thing you could do. Also on ground, size and weights doesn't matter because BJJ is all about leverage, tactic, and skill. So once you're skilled, it's extremely unlikely a average Mr. Joe will be able to outgrapple you on the ground. Take a class and see why, you'll learn why quickly.

Also BJJ will definitely help you lose weight fast!

Edit: Go to youtube and find Debi Purcell highlight. She's a very famous female fighter who do Brazilian jiu Jitsu too.
curtisdavis15 on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

Aikido or judo/ jiu-jitsu.
they both are fluid non violent, unless you want them to be arts, for striking kung fu or muay thai.
bigdawg on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

Brazilian Jiu Jutsu …..
go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGSg0Wlj5RE
see what you think
mac-won on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

A kick to the NUTZ
eastern NC Sensei on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

First of all, I think it's great that you are interested in any martial arts! Good for you! Realistically, the best defense is NOT to be there!! Be more aware of your environment and the type of people as well as the situation. Never put yourself in a precarious unpredictable potentially dangerous situation!!

On the street anyone can be deadly. Although I have black belts in both Tae Kwon Do and Goju-Shorin Karate Do, it was probably my wrestling and judo background that helped me realize you can have a 250lb man/woman be weaker than the 150lb man/woman. I am just a simple health care worker but few people know that I have an extensive martial arts background, have benched 300lbs, and can still run 10 miles in ~1hr 15minutes, and yet I only weigh 148lbs. So my point is that you can never underestimate anyone! So walk with others and know your situations/environments!

As for just the art…. well… I have found that all the ones I studied actually gel together once you get advanced. We still do joint locks and ground techniques in addition to traditional kicks etc in Goju-Shorin and most others too. The best thing to do is just watch some classes in different styles and find the class with others you enjoy as company as well as an instructor that meets your personality. Besides, the key is sticking with it so you can learn the fun stuff. So choose the friendly learning environment which is functional to your needs versus the style.

Good luck!
Merry Christmas!
Sensei
ninja on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

quit taking martail arts just carry a knife or pepper spray
Ben P on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

There are many styles of kung fu that would fit you. Some are a bit too "external" and rely on physical strength (hung gar, tiger) so beware unless you like hard physical contact. Dragon style is a good mix of internal and external styles for women. Wing chun was actually invented by a woman and is very effective.

There is a lot to learn in kungfu and the continuous challenge keeps things interesting. It is also great mental exercise.
bluto blutarsky2 on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

If your goal is to learn self-defence then your best bet is to learn to use a weapon. Get a ccw permit and learn to use a firearm or knife fighting (where they teach you to attack with a knife, not some unarmed defence against one malarkey) or stick (jutte).

supplement it with an unarmed fighting course.

If your goal is to become a good fighter unarmed, then I suggest you find a school that teaches and trains with fully resisting opponents.

Certain arts such as TKD, most chinese martial arts and aikido are more likely to have bad schools and if you aren't aware of what to look for or have no prior background in martial arts then I suggest you avoid those.

The most likely schools where you will recieve adequate training at least would be sportative martial art schools whose arts are tested in the ring full-contact fights where bad schools that don't produce fighters or give poor training will be exposed quicker.
Arts like Muai thai, boxing, san da/san shou, western kickboxing, brazillian/graciejiujitsu, judo, sambo, pankration, kyokoshin karate (generally, they spar bare-fisted but disallow head shots when doing so).

No one art is perfect, they all have different focuses and advantages in different situations, hence the concept of MMA or Mixed Martial Arts and cross-training.
James M on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

Krav maga. Its simplistic and proven effective for self defense.
timberrattler818 on June 8th, 2009 9:49 am

Look into Aikido, a very good style to learn,one of the best if you ask me ,it is made from Judo and Jui-Jitsu

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What is the best martial art for a woman to learn for self defense?

A Martial Art For A Woman?

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