Hi, I'm a short guy and wish to learn a martial arts that I will be able to defend against tall people.
All martial arts are potentially valid answers, but my first choice -- like Knee Rider's -- would be judo.
I was once told that I'd be good at taekwondo but I didn't understand why because I'm average height erring towards kinda short lol. Besides, not really into striking anyway
First off why? Do you get attacked a lot off tall people? Why not just learn an art that isn't focused on vertically advantaged assailants? Second, ANY art will fit the bill - just pick one that you enjoy with a club that teaches it well....the last bit is the tricky one Self defense is 90% non physical anyway, so go for what you like Boxing, Wrestling, BJJ, Judo and Muay Thai are all solid choices for if things "go physical" and have a long, proven history....if you venture outside these and go for "traditional" style arts be prepared for the fact that most are lots of hype and little substances combatively, but can be fun nonetheless
Well maybe not the kinds of Aikido I saw What I mean is, it seems to not have a heavy emphasis on punching and kicking the way other martial arts do. I could be wrong lol.
You post about your interest in aikido a lot. That gives me a crazy, radical idea. I know it sounds daft but hey, I'm going to throw it out there anyway. What if, no I darent say it, oh go on i will. What if you actually go to an aikido class and try it?
Yeah, maybe it's a good idea. Lol There's a studio up the road from me that teaches Judo, Aikido and Yoga but I'm in Greece and don't know the language 100 percent so it may be a communication nightmare especially when it comes to explaining the more technical stuff as you can imagine. Also, I don't mind a class but I would really prefer 1 on 1 training from someone who's experienced and maybe have private lessons but that could be difficult to arrange this side...or maybe not, I don't know. I'm just a private kind of guy. I'm not antisocial or asocial or anything like that but I just prefer 1 on 1 learning more I guess. Solutions?
I don't mean to sound harsh, but the solution sounds like you need to find reasons to train instead of excuses not to train. Look for your ideal situation, if it isn't available, go to the closest thing available. But stop talking about it and start training. It really is that simple.
Bruce Lee was 5ft 7in, my JKD instructor was 5ft 6in, Grand Master Danny Guba is even shorter. I'd pick a class you enjoy and not worry about anything else.
In one of the schools in attend, we have the occasional honour of a visit from a very senior master. English is not his first language and besides, he is so softly spoken that I struggle to hear or understand him when he speaks. Fortunately martial arts is not really about talking. It's more about doing. Instruction is largely about showing and learning 8s largely about replicating what you've been shown. Instructor will notice when you get it wrong, and will correct you by either manually adjusting you, or showing you again. But I don't think that's your worry. I think you are scared either that you'll be laughed at for getting it wrong, or you'll get hurt. In a decent school neither will happen. A master with 50+ years of experience was once a novice in a white belt. He/she will remember that. Nowadays, everything is by consent. Nobody will push you to do something you're not ready for. I have no idea how old you are. Some believe they are too old to start. I've known people start at over 50 years old. I have no idea if you have any physical challenges. There are videos on YouTube showing wheelchair users doing aikido. There really aren't many genuine reasons not to do it if that's what you want. 9 times out of 10 what stops us from trying something is our own imagination.
Don't forget Guro Dan! Here he is at about 5'6" with Erik Paulson at about 6'2" [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQmh9l6KsQc"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQmh9l6KsQc[/ame]
My sifu is about 5'2" actually. Short guys abound! Although I still find short instructors to be the exception. Most any school I've been to the instructor is at least a few inches taller than average.