Good martial art for teenage girl?

Sadly this seems to be a growing trend. We've come so far that our girls are acting like the more idiotic of our boys.

Who talked about innocent defenselsss females? There was one mention referring to teenage girls typically being somewhat small. I think one would want to train for the least favorable attacker. While I'm sure Teenage girls can be vicious, I think a male attacker is likely to have the upper hand.

Can you tell me about why you prefer combat sports as a means of self-defense training?

Good Advice.

I wouldn't argue with the physical end--I think there are a lot of excellent things to learn there. Mentally...I don't think I agree, but I would acknowledge that few martial arts are geared to this in a way that I think is sufficient. I don't think sports prepare you to have your head slammed against concrete disabling you in one fell swoop. That is an example with the point being--you cannot allow yourself to get to that point.

No doubt it is valuable to have one's daughter able to perform physically, but I maintain the mindset for self defense also needs to be trained, and while some people can certainly become paranoid it isn't any more likely than becoming a swaggering braggart because you train in sport-fighting. Reasonable people can avoid both.

BudoStudent

 

I wouldn't say that there is a singular "sport mindset" nor a singular "self defense mindset." However, if you watch anyone who engages in sports they display emotions that aren't the same as those of a self defense situation. Does any sport-fighter have ANY expectation that their opponent is going to try and kill them (excepting accidents)?

I often hear people say "you fight like you train." I'd say that's largely true, and the same holds true for your mental attitude. If you are trained mentally to view a fight as a contest that's how you will likely react. Someone who is highly proficient in let's say Boxing might overcome an attacker sheerly because of his/her physical superiority...or maybe not.

Is the Sport mindset any better or worse than that of any other MA club...not sure. I'd say that on par, both are probably insufficient. Better or worse--relative terms doesn't matter vs reality. Sufficient or not sufficient is really the question. If you are saying neither are sufficient, I would tend to agree.

BudoStudent

 

I really can't disagree with you. I think it is hard to teach, and you aren't likely to stumble onto it or naturally develop it by training for Sport or in a Traditional MA. And even if you do...it doesn't mean you will succeed. What I'm saying is that I think it is important to try and develop this as much as possible (short of becoming paranoid and jumping at shadows). Hopefully, you will never have to find out.

That's where I disagree with you. If you've ended up in a situation where you are trying to beat the other guy while he is beating you, then you've gone very far down into the danger zone in regards to self defense. In a self-defense situation, you want to AVOID things getting to this level at all costs. Granted--sometimes you cannot help it and you had best be prepared to fight for your life if it does go this far.

I touched on an example above. Let's say for a moment that a criminal is intent on attacking you (let's assume no weapons for the moment). Can you really afford to clench with them and hope that your head doesn't hit the concrete? Is a criminal going to have any hesitation to grab a hand full of your hair and bash your head into the ground? Mutual engagement is very dangerous in self defense. Mutual engagement is exactly what you train to do in Sports.

Now, are your physical skills good enough to overcome the attacker? If so, great, if not, then the "beat them up before they beat you up" mindset is not looking so beneficial. Can you disengage from that trained mindset? Maybe, but I hear "you fight like you train" from Sport fighters quite often, so apparently the answer is no.

BudoStudent

 

Nice to know that you can do something about it when it does all go down.
Fighting, even in a contolled enviroment, is the best practice for fighting, the skill of being able to avoid being hit and then unleasing with more power than most people have ever experienced, being able to work with the adrenaline and the ability to think whilst in combat.

Where do we find all that?

 

The fighters here also work the doors on the weekend as the instructor used to run a security firm. Fighting farmers is good training.

 

Martial Dad put it better than I did in post#106.

Your point regards avoidance is a good one, that's where reading a situation clearly, honestly, realistically and well becomes your best friend. The whole point for me in training fighting for self defence is to come out better for it past the point of no return - when things kick off despite your best efforts at avoiding trouble.

If you train an art with wrestling in it and the other guy is untrained chances are he will be in a worst position than you if you do end up in the clinch.. I don't think being in a clinch or on the floor is ideal. Ideal would be to use striking and quick exit to retreat, get out of dodge.

But for the very reason you should be prepared for the worst - the best way to prepare is through sparring at all ranges of combat. Then if you can spar in multiples and training weapons all the better.

Seeing as I'm bald, I would insist that if I ever had MA students they go bald too

But isn't defending yourself engagement ?

Well put it this way, if someone is intent on having a go and you aren't in a position to get yourself out of bother that's when that mindset should be employed. Not everyone will exhaust all opportunities at avoidance before they answer a threat with an attack, this might be good or it might not be so good. Impossible to answer this, but everyone must take the consequences of their actions - including those made in self defence.

I think the underlying message there is to employ optimal methods of training. You can either avoid the fight or you are in a fight, and that's where your training will either show up for you or when you realise you have been employing the less than optimal ones. Even then there are no guarantees either way..

But we might be on to something by stacking some odds in our favour. It's not that I think combat sport for all is the way- I mostly train tai chi chuan myself . But I'm a big fan of combat sports of all kinds though and I would say i'm a advocate of sparring in all Martial arts regardless. Competing should always be a personal thing.

 

My 2nd home at the moment

www.russwilliamsmartialarts.co.uk

 

judo or bjj

I totally agree. Judo or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu would make awesome introductions to martial arts.

 

Yes, and let me be clear--I've got nothing against training to fight. I see it as vital.

No disagreement.

Also no disagreement.

I suppose that any sort of interaction is technically engagement, but defending oneself against an attacker is a different situation from engaging in a contest with an opponent with the same goal that you have. In self defense the attacker is trying to hurt you and you are trying to avoid being hurt. In a sport, both are trying to succeed at offense. Many MMA fights (as an example of sport) are very short of defense in terms of Self-defense. Taking shots to the face regularly as you set up your opponent for a takedown or your own strikes isn't something you would do in a self-defense situation--for example. If you are dancing around your opponent looking for an opening to strike--to engage, then you aren't defending yourself.

Certainly, and there's no doubt someone can get you when you won't be able to avoid them or make a quick escape, and you are forced to fight. In fact--I'm quite sure criminals would prefer to take you unaware.

Yes, that's true. One can only hope that their training (mental and physical) will carry them through.

I think that TMA training and Sport training both have their own beneficial elements. I would love to be in the shape that pro fighters are in, but I'm not and I never will be. I wish I could take the blows to the face that they do, but I can't.

I'm guessing the impression I'm leaving is that I am Anti-sport, and that's not really the case. I just don't think that it the end-all answer to self defense. Many martial arts fail in that area, and I'm hardly a paragon of Self-defense training.

Here's the bottom line. If I had a daughter and she was going to learn to defend herself, I would teach her or have her taught to defend herself in that context. Not in a sport context (or any other). She could engage in sport training if she liked, but I think it is vital to understand sport is not reality. It doesn't emmulate reality and doesn't even attempt to. Sport competition is like a written test in school compared to performing a job in the business world. The principles may be applicable and it is valuable, but it isn't the same.

BudoStudent

 

I've retired from training now as I developed some stupid condition that affected my legs, some days I had problems walking. They never did get to the bottom of it after a couple of years of testing and treatment. Gradually they've got better but I doubt I could train with any intent, to do it half-heartedly wouldn't be right for me.
It's my baby's main art together with judo (he's on the front page kicking badly)
My wife trained there up until recently when she had a nasty fall in a leisure centre visiting another club.

The reason I'm there so much is that I'm helping with the refurb on the new gym, you would not believe what goes into that.

So to keep it on topic :star:^^^great place for teenage girls to train^^^:star:

It'll keep my son happy

 

Who's the blond on the bottom right hand corner? He's got a good stance, but he looks like he's going to break his foot, or miss the target, unless he's holding a kick (which he might be doing).

I like his upper body position though, slightly leaning backwards, guard up.

Of course I'm not MT buff, just my observations.

 

to be honest with you it really does not matter as long as she has a good teacher any place is a good start. but maybe wing chun if you can find a school that would teach her at that age. my older kung fu brother is teacher his 12 year old daughter wing chun and she fough 3 kids across the street and did a really good job fighting them all so it can work for kids. i would say kung fu in general. one reason is the self defence. everything everyone has said up to this point is in most kung fu styles. also the artistic value. kung fu is on of thoes arts that can keep you into it unlike alot of these other styles. she is a kid and learning more on a regular basis is important. hope this helps.

 

That's my baby at 13. I think that photo looks terrible but it it a left footed kick on grass. He'll have kicked pads, he couldn't miss a static target like that.