How can I certify my style of Self Defense as a new Martial art?
107669
Give it a name and bam! you have a new martial art style. Since it's new, you'll need to make all the certification rules and what not.
440478
The answer is yes, no and sort of.\n\nFirst of all, you never have to register your hands as lethal weapons aywhere.  You never have to register anything as a lethal weapon.  That's all just some sort of movie myth.\n\nSecond, there is no difference between being unskilled and skilled when it comes to combat.  Skilled people are allowed to defend themselves just like the unskilled.\n\nThat being said, there is some difference.  In self defense, you are basically only allowed to use an amount of force reasonably calculated to save you from the threatened harm.  So, if you are shooting a gun at me, you are using a great deal of force and I can probably shoot back at you to try to repel you even if it kills you.  But if you are chasing me with a feather duster, I can't shoot at you.  A feather duster can't kill me so I can't kill you to save myself from your feather dusting attack.  I could punch you in the nose, maybe.\n\nThe skilled fighter must follow the same rules.  If you are capable of using your body to inflict deadly force, you may only do so to repel deadly force.  You can't snap my neck for coming at you with a feather duster.  But you probably can throw me to the floor and disarm me. \n\nAlso be aware that in many states, you have a duty to try to escape before defending yourself.  If there's a way to just get out and avoid the confrontation, you may be required to take it.
135200
There are a few things that you need to be aware of before going down this path. There are lots of people who will try to convince you that system X or system Y are the most effective, and that you can learn these systems in days or weeks. Not to put too fine a point on it, but these claims are utter horse poopoo. If you want to be skilled in a system, it is going to require some effort on your part. That being said, it is quite possible to become quite effective in relatively short order IF AND ONLY IF you are willing to put in the effort to get there. Also, before I go any further, please understand, I'm not saying these systems are better than others. Some systems have a different focus than others. That's not better, it is just different. Much like comparing apples and bananas, one isn't better than the other, they're just different.\n\nOk, with that out of the way, let's dig into the meat of your question. The first thing you need to decide is what is  it you want to get out of it? Are you looking to be able to protect yourself and others quickly and effectively? Or are you interested in competing in full contact fighting? Or are you just interested in doing it for yourself because it is something you think you'd enjoy? How you answer the above questions will dictate to some degree the best answer for you. \n\nIf you are strictly interested in effective self defense, there are some suggestions that I would make based on my personal experience. The Filipino systems of Kali, Escrima, and Arnis really hit the ground running, so to speak. They, along with the countless flavors of Indonesian Pencak Silat (pronounced pent-jahk see-laht), and some of the Chinese systems such as Wing Chun, Chung-I Chuan, and San Soo, are very much focused on turning you into a multi-faceted fighter in relatively short order. I prefer these systems because they don't focus on just one particular area. They incorporate bare hand techniques, weapon techniques (sticks and daggers are particularly common), and grappling techniques. If you are interested in primarily bare hand techniques, you could also include Muay Thai (aka Thai boxing). The big difference between these systems and similar systems is their overall philosophy. One of the systems that I do personally is Taiji Quan. Very, very effective combat system. However, the guiding philosophy is that they expect that you'll be studying Taiji for the rest of your life. As a result, though you do become extremely effective in combat, it comes with time and isn't a major focus from the start. The systems I mention above, though, focus on making you at least competent in as short of a time as possible. \n\nIf you are interested in full contact fighting, then I would recommend going in the direction of something like Shootfighting or Brazillian Jiujitsu (aka Gracie Jiujistu). I've known people who practiced both of these styles and can attest to the fact that they became relatively skilled rather quickly. The big distinction between these styles and the first group of styles that I mentioned is that the self defense oriented styles include many, many techniques that would be patently illegal in full contact fighting. \n\nI hope this provides some information that you will find useful. Again, I can't advise you strongly enough to avoid the systems that will tell you that they will teach you to become a whirlwind of death in 30 days or similar nonsense. Anything worth doing takes effort and practice, and if it was easy, everyone would do it. I've spent most of my life in the martial arts, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It has been a great experience for me, and I hope it will be for you, too. Good luck!
820937
Train by yourself to perfect your techniques.\nDon’t do anything in your technique your instructor hasn’t required of you.\n\n Martial arts development, especially in taekwondo is about character, so take this as a good lesson in patience.\n\n I dont know what academy you are with, or even if it is an ITF or WTF class, but perhaps if it is one with several different classes or teachers you could attend at a different time or class.\n\n I would not recommend you stay down an extra term, but I think you will find, that as it is early days yet in taekwondo for you, they may well leave soon, as the training gets harder they will be less willing to continue if they do not have the necessary character traits.\n\n If you have a large class you could perhaps have a quiet word with your instructor after class, as there are three of you and the first blue grading drills are all in pairs, he or she may be able to ensure you are always partnered with a senior student instead.\n It would definitely be of benefit to your martial arts for you to ask for this anyway.\n Especially if you are showing natural aptitude it is almost essential you are paired with a student who has a greater or comparable ability, you will learn very little sparring with someone who doesn’t challenge you at all.\n Equally, sparring with someone who is unskilled and or overagressive -(im sure you know the type) is a bad idea, it will be a waste of time for you and could result in you damaging a joint, finger, ligament or getting useless bruises.\n \nIf there are three of you and you are doing well in competition i would definitely have a word with your instructor about the pairing for your drills, it is such a simple thing and so easily fixed without dramas.
1083758
Not sure what you mean by "real fighting."  The martial arts you mention as well as others can teach you a lot about technique as well as very useful moves and combinations all while conditioning your body and mind.  There are also hapkido or aikido for grappling and joint locks.  So, there is nothing "fake" about any of those.  An individual who is proficient in any of those arts would be a very good fighter.  You could also take the route of someone like Bruce Lee who found those arts limiting and developed his own style by transforming what he learned into something he found more useful.  In any event, there is no "most effective" style of fighting in my opinion.  It depends on the individual's skill in whatever style he knows.
96630
Ok, I'm gonna stop this one with one fell swoop. There is NO cure-all one move to win anything. Period. With that said, I can direct you along a path of finding a martial art that fits you:\n\nKarate: Okinawan. Covers Percussion. Civil Art. Kara- meaning open or empty depending on translation. -te originally meant Chinese Hand but they later changed it to just hand after the Chinese were driven out. Derived from White Crane Kung Fu. Believes in hardening the body against strikes and striking hard is the key.\n\nKung Fu: External Chinese. Most cover percussion, projection, and armament, with a few covering immobilization as well. Usually either martial or civil art. There are SO many systems within the term kung fu that it is hard to describe this system effectively. To say the least the best Kung Fu I have seen was in Dallas, and was translated to the Water-Fire Kung Fu.\n\nAikido / Aiki-jujutsu: Japanese. Covers immobilization with slight touch on projection. Civil Art. Was originally derived from Nihongo Jujutsu or Japanese Jujutsu (honestly I hate that I have to specify WHICH jujutsu compared to Brazilian or American… as if you would get an French taco or Russian sushi). Aikido has sadly become one of the snobbiest “styles” out there and they insist that what they do would work in real combat, although only about 10% of EVERYONE who is involved with that system knows what they’re doing. Though I will admit those that do, can do some beautiful Aiki.\n\nJudo: Japanese. Covers projection. Sport Art. Another derivative of Nihongo Jujutsu. A sport derived from the throwing system used in Japan’s combat. As with all sports, there are certain things that they threw out as “illegal moves” due to their effectiveness therefore making the “style” weaker.\n\nBrazilian: Japanese origin. Covers a portion of Immobilization and Projection. Martial Sport. This “style” was made famous by the Gracie family after they were originally taught by a Japanese man who refused to show them any more than the grappling section of Jujutsu. So they concentrated on the art of ground fighting. Most people that do Brazilian are extremely competitive and aggressive in nature.\n\nTaekwondo: Korean. Percussion. Sport Art. This is a primarily kicking “style” and is considered one of the most famous “styles” in use. Another system that is sport / competition based they rely heavily on flexible and fast legs. Originally a derivative from a certain school of Karate which name eludes me at this moment.\n\nKrav Maga: Israeli. Um… Percussion? Military wannabe. I REALLY don’t suggest this system unless you’re looking for a Billy Blanks on steroids kinda feel. This system was built to teach the foot soldiers of Israel a quick, brutal and less than effective hand-to-hand fighting method in a matter of a week, so seriously, don’t bother.\n\nThose Russian arts: Mainly knife junkies who think they know what they’re doing. More flashy than anything else, don’t fall for the hype.\n\nPilipino: Mostly Stick and knife, and they are not for the faint of heart, although not much art to the system, it seems those whom you can find who actually know what they’re doing are pretty good with a knife and stick but that’s it.\n\nMMA: Mixed martial arts. Probably the worst thing that has ever happened to martial arts besides Krav maga. The concept of mixing martial arts is taking a system that is inferior and mixing it with another inferior system to hopefully make up for the gaps left by the other one. For example: Karate doesn’t have Immobilization, so lets throw in Aikido and Brazilian, and those don’t have projection so lets throw in Judo, and all of those don’t have armament so lets throw in Pilipino. \n\nThere are zillions of others that I’ve missed because in order to catch them all, I’d have to write a book, which is stupid, but here’s the names of a few so you can look them up: Savate, Kenpo, san shou, shuai-chiao, gr
336611
Like underpants, karate do styles are not one-size-fits all.\n\nYour best bet is to do a little research on the history of each style (wikipedia, for instance). Once you have a sense of which style sounds better suited to what you're seeking, locate some dojos. Call ahead and make appointments to visit each dojo to observe classes. While you will start in a beginner level class, check out higher level classes too. Visit the dojos you like a couple of times at least. Arrive to your appointments punctually, conduct yourself respectfully (no food or drinks, turn off cell phone, stay until class ends). \n\nWhen you're researching styles, be aware that even the same style can have numerous governing organizations. Which organization your school/chief-instructor is affiliated with influences everything from the educational style through events (tournaments, training camps, etc.) students will participate in.\n\nLastly, "Karate" means "empty hand." As such, be wary of styles and schools that seem flashy; full-contact sparring (protective gear), arsenals of weapons, and more emphasis on physical acrobatics rather than a balance of the body with the mind (concentration, calm, focus, etc.). . . unless of course that's what you're looking for.
1085141
There are books yes. Well there is a place nearby where I live that sells martial arts supplies such as swords, dvds, books, weapons, training manuals, weapons kits, and so on. It wouldn't be wise to do it on your own, but you can. I have a friend that has developed styles from watching others, he is quite skilled at martial arts.\nwww.wle.com
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karate and as you become fit judo and/or ju jitsu is just awesome!\nEither of these will teach you to defend yourself immediately.\nkarate in particular emphasizes self discipline.\nTae-Kwon-Do  is the commonist type of karate taught in the US. Kung Fu is also one type of karate.\n\nBruce Lee does karate. Hitting, punching and kicking.\nSo does chuck Norris.\n\nju-jitsu involves using pressure points on your opponents body to control him. You do not have to move much. but it is harder to practice alone so requires more classes.
33384
Go to a martial art class.\nAfter that he will come here and ask the same question.
520086
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Hapkido, stuff like that. You'll learn wrist locks, pressure points, submission moves, stuff you'll need to arrest perps!
3075
Quickest to learn for Self Defense – Judo\n\nIn 6 weeks to 6 months you can learn to defend yourself. Highly recommended for females. The bigger your opponent is - the harder they fall. After two / three years of Karate you're still a danger to yourself, it’s not easy to fight with your feet.\n\nBest for sports education – Judo and Tae Kwon Do\n\nYou are likely to find Judo and Tae Kwon Do offered in College and of course they are Olympic sports. \n\nIn general Korean Karate is 60/40  - feet / hands and Japanese Karate is 40/60  - feet / hands. A young man already taught boxing would find Japanese Karate easier to learn for this reason. \n\nThere are many soft styles of Martial Arts (i.e. Aikido) that are effective but by design take a very long time to master. \n\nThere is no “Best” style. The individual athlete is more important than the style. \n\nWhat to avoid – \nAmerican created Martial Arts, often with a Kung Fu type name. Such as  - Jim’s Kung Fu and Karate’.  (There is authentic Kung Fu, but Americans often plagiarize the name).\n\nGood Luck and Have Fun!
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What you must realize about Aikido is the same thing that people must understand about Tai Chi Chuan: a lot of the motions are symbolic! That is to say, if you understand what the techique is actually trying to accomplish, you should be able to defend yourself once you have a basic comprehension on how it is to be done.\nBear in mind too that a lot of MMA (mixed martial artists) will tell you that forms are useless, but forms are the application of techniques in succession. I bet MMA practice shadow boxing and kicks and all sorts of other things which are easy to see what they accomplish. Forms are more symbolic and take training to understand what is being done! \nUnderstand your forms/sets/katas/, keep practicing, spar with intent, and you should learn something practical in every class you attend.
796715
Hood_12, you have escaped the cult with your common sense still intact. awesome. TaeKwon Doughnut... ROFLMAO. that art is true BULLSHIDO\n\ngiving black belts to kids shows that it isnt a realistic thing. a black belt only shows you that they are good at TKD, not of reality. I ask parents to think about the illusions they will be feeding their kids if they put them into TKD. as a competitive sport, sure. as a self defence, no. we all need hobbies, but I prefer mine to include elbows and knees, throat chops and joint manipulation. not only punches and kicks. \n\nto limit yourself is to limit your potential. believing that a limited number of moves can be better than more is dumb, and I dont mean more moves, like kung fu animals, I mean other body tools like elbows, knees, and other target areas like knees. if you laugh at knee kicks, get one. \n\nstay safe in the McDojo, for that is the limit of your limitations power.\nno mystery there.
547619
Give Choi Kwang Do a try (one month free). It teaches practical street defense, and the instructors are very knowledgeable.\n\nHere's the thing about grappling, they have rules. when your are in a real street the rules don't apply. your attacker will not follow the rules, so niether should you. bite, kick, scream in his ear, do anything and everything to get up and out.\n\nIf you were held up and gun point, martial arts can not help you there. if the guy pulls out a gun, don't be a hero. even the best martial arts are no match for bullets.
817473
What do you want to do? Do you want to train for pleasure? Do you want to compete in something new? Do you want to use your experience in wrestling to help you get further in spoort? Do you want to stick to grappling or do you want to learn strikes? Do you want to try your hands at MMA?\n\nIf you wants to be well around and do MMA, take up Muay Thai/kickboxing but make sure to learn basic defend against locks. If you want to be submission specialist in MMA, try take both jiu jitsu and judo. Or look for vale tudo. Straight blast gym will be great for you.\n\nIf you want to compete in something new but relate to grappling, try judo if you perfer keep it stand up and don't like to be on your back. If you want to use your wrestling experience to maximum advantage, go into jiu jitsu. \n\nIf you want to compete in something complete different from wrestling and no grappling go for Kyokushin, Seido, Shidokan, or Eshin karate or Muay Thai or even boxing. \n\nIf you want to train for pleasure, I strongly suggest you look into straight blast gym since you can be both a instructor and students plus you will have few other styles you can learn. It will take time to be a instructor though but you can always give feedback and advices. Also it's a great pleasure to teach others and coach a fighter. \n\nOr you can try check around and see if you can become a coach for wrestling team or figure out  how to become one.\n\nbtw are you in high school or college?
198783
systems? like styles?\nyou can get real specific like\nmonkey style kung fu\naikido aikikai\naikido kokikai\ntaekwondo\nishin-ryu\nching style tai chi etc...\n\nstrategies? not sure what you mean.\nYou can be defensive or offensive, be a striker, grappler, or joint-locker.  Strategy has to do with the big picture, like do you want to incapacitate, kill, distract long enough to get away, etc...\n\nTactics are what you use to accomplish that strategy, so if my strategy is to kill, I would use offensive tactics, like throat strikes, or vital point strikes as opposed to grappling or locking.  If my strategy is to hold someone until the police arrive, i will use the opposite tactics.