5 Weeks In NYC-Which Style & School?

[Turboguy]

Hi all,

I'm a 38-year-old who wants to start an effective street self defense style this summer. I spent 10 years in NYC, but like a choad I never trained there when I could have, and now I live in a tiny Nebraska town with no nearby schools.

I'll be on a 5-week trip to NYC this summer, and want to get as proficient as possible in that time with defense and strikes. After that I'll train at home and occasionally in Denver when time permits.

I have 3 years of boxing and TKD training from years back but consider myself a newbie.

If you were me, which style would you choose, and which NYC school would you attend?

I've done some Krav research and know that NYC has some great options, but you guys are the experts. Ideas?

Thanks!

 

[Buka]

Welcome to the forum.

Please...what's a "choad"?

 

[Dirty Dog]

Welcome to MartialTalk. Hope you enjoy it.

Buka, a choad is a euphemism for a penis.

 

[Mephisto]

If you're near the Bronx, check out balintawak and train with Master Zack Taco. Balintawak is a filipino system that is a good medium between boxing and more reality based systems. I look at it as a best of both worlds art that uses randomized real time training to build reflexes under pressure. I believe he teaches out of the Defense Lab.

 

[qianfeng]

Welcome to the forum.

Please...what's a "choad"?

Something u dont want to google image

 

[Chris Parker]

Hi all,

I'm a 38-year-old who wants to start an effective street self defense style this summer. I spent 10 years in NYC, but like a choad I never trained there when I could have, and now I live in a tiny Nebraska town with no nearby schools.

I'll be on a 5-week trip to NYC this summer, and want to get as proficient as possible in that time with defense and strikes. After that I'll train at home and occasionally in Denver when time permits.

I have 3 years of boxing and TKD training from years back but consider myself a newbie.

If you were me, which style would you choose, and which NYC school would you attend?

I've done some Krav research and know that NYC has some great options, but you guys are the experts. Ideas?

Thanks!

Bluntly? 5 weeks… there's nothing to recommend. You simply won't get "as proficient as possible", as you won't have anything more than a very brief, basic introduction to whatever you go into. So, really, just pick something you think you'll enjoy… and, in that sense, it's up to you and your tastes and preferences.

 

[Turboguy]

Thanks for the replies.

Mephisto, sounds interesting I'll look into Defense Lab. I'll be in Astoria Queens so will depend on subway access.

Thanks Chris, perhaps I should clarify: I'm a newbie compared to you all, but in the couple of unfortunate situations I've been in in NYC I was able to hold my own. Just looking for some quality instruction to add a few effective tools to my basic toolbox.

 

[Chris Parker]

Yeah… that really doesn't matter. How much do you think you'd be able to cover in 5 weeks? To do everything once only in my systems, for example, let alone get any good at all of it, it'd take some 10 years plus… 5 weeks is really not much time to do anything. We rail against 10 week "self defence courses" because, well, that's not enough to get anything of value out of. Really, the best thing you could do is to find a school or gym that will allow you to train for such a short period of time, and that teaches what you're already experienced in. That way, you'll be actually refreshing old skills and refining what you're already doing or have done… and is the only option if you're looking for a skill-based result in just over a month.

I'll put it this way… if I get a new student who's been trained in something already, it's usually the best part of the first 6 months just to get some of the old habits out of them before we can even begin to look at anything that I actually have to show them. 5 weeks is simply not a realistic time for anything you've asked for. It's a taste only at best.

 

[Turboguy]

Appreciate your advice Chris.

 

[yak sao]

I feel your pain being in a small town cut off from training.
I would advise looking into what is an option for you to have an instructor come to you on a monthly basis, there in Nebraska...it may not be as expensive as you think, especially if you get some friends involved.
Once you get that worked out, then while in NYC, perhaps you could find someone who teaches that particular system and get a 5 week intensive course on it as a bit of a head start.

 

[MJS]

Hi all,

I'm a 38-year-old who wants to start an effective street self defense style this summer. I spent 10 years in NYC, but like a choad I never trained there when I could have, and now I live in a tiny Nebraska town with no nearby schools.

I'll be on a 5-week trip to NYC this summer, and want to get as proficient as possible in that time with defense and strikes. After that I'll train at home and occasionally in Denver when time permits.

I have 3 years of boxing and TKD training from years back but consider myself a newbie.

If you were me, which style would you choose, and which NYC school would you attend?

I've done some Krav research and know that NYC has some great options, but you guys are the experts. Ideas?

Thanks!

5 weeks isn't really much time. There are some good schools in NYC, however, I'd suggest calling them first, explaining your situation, and see if they'd be able to accommodate you. To make the training a bit more worth while, you might also want to look into some private lessons. One thing that I'd avoid, (and I'm not saying you would do this, just making a statement) is going in with the attitude, that you can just slide right in to an advanced class. Despite past experience, training, etc, you need to walk in with an empty cup and open mind.

If you're interested in Krav Maga, you might want to check out Rhon's school.

Good luck!

 

[Turboguy]

Yak Sao, yeah it's frustrating, when I was in cities I had little time to spare with work/family etc, now out in the sticks I have plenty of time but nothing to do...good idea, I know of a good karate instructor about 1.5 hrs away, perhaps that's the smart move here.

Thanks MJS, know what you're saying and I have no plans to go advanced, like Chris said a new art will have me starting from square one and it's been way too long since my training anyway.
I looked into Rhon's school and Krav Maga Institute, a couple of great options there!

 

[elder999]

After that I'll train at home and occasionally in Denver when time permits.!

Find a school in Denver before you go to New York. Find a school for the same style in New York as in Denver.

Train there.

 

[Turboguy]

Thanks elder, Krav Maga Institute has lots of NYC locations and affiliates in Denver:
KMI locations:
Locations - Krav Maga Institute

 

[Argus]

Actually, 5 weeks might be a good place to start if you find a particular system that you can continue practicing near Nebraska. I'm sure if you look around, there's something to be found within a few hours of your location.

I drive anywhere from one and a half to three hours to study WC and the FMA systems I'm doing, and I can only do that a few times a month at most. I'd love to have / have had the opportunity to get hands on instruction on a daily basis early on in my training.

So, I think it would be a great opportunity to start your training off on the right track if you decide that you want to commute to a school some distance away.

 

[Turboguy]

Thanks Argus, gonna do what I can!