What martial art is best for a beginner, petite female working in a risky industry?

[Whispered_Freedom]

I hear Aikido is good for women because it doesn't require as much strength.

I hear Jiu Jitsu is good for short-statured people.

But I'm basically looking for a martial art that teaches self defence skills and all round skills but without finding it too hard and demanding(especially for someone inexperienced). This might be asking for too much but if such thing exists, please let me know. Cheers

 

[JR 137]

If it’s not difficult and demanding, it’s not going to be effective. There’s no substitute for hard work. Anyone who tells you you don’t need to work hard and be challenged is either selling you a load of BS just to get in the door or is dillusional.

A good teacher will make it challenging while not making it overwhelming for a beginner. A good teacher will make very difficult things easier to learn. But you have to put the work in. No other way around it. Forget easy. Forget too hard too though. Find a school that you can afford, doesn’t conflict too much with your schedule, has a teacher you want to learn from, and has training partners you want to work out with. Keep showing up, and everything will work itself out.

 

[lklawson]

I hear Aikido is good for women because it doesn't require as much strength.

I hear Jiu Jitsu is good for short-statured people.

I'm going to recommend Judo or Brazilian Ju Jitsu. A bit of boxing would be good too. There are several others which might fit your bill but can be varying levels of difficult to find. Judo, Boxing, and BJJ are dirt common.

But I'm basically looking for a martial art that teaches self defence skills and all round skills but without finding it too hard and demanding(especially for someone inexperienced). This might be asking for too much but if such thing exists, please let me know. Cheers

Few things in the arts I've recommended are hard to understand but they all take work to learn to do right. How hard did you have to work to learn how to read, drive a car, or, frankly, any other skill?

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[spidersam]

I hear Aikido is good for women because it doesn't require as much strength.

I hear Jiu Jitsu is good for short-statured people.

But I'm basically looking for a martial art that teaches self defence skills and all round skills but without finding it too hard and demanding(especially for someone inexperienced). This might be asking for too much but if such thing exists, please let me know. Cheers

I think you should ask yourself why you want to take a martial art—your goal. Is this for fun or strictly self defense? Krav Maga is good for modern defense. Do you want to kick more? Punch more? Grapple?

Also don’t limit your options on being female. There’s women in every martial art that I know of, and that doesn’t stop them. You never know what you’re capable of until your try!

 

[ShortBridge]

It would help to know more about your risky industry and/or some thoughts about scenarios in which you feel you might need to defend yourself physically. I'm not being coy, this is what I ask people when they contact me about self-defense and it's a question that I force my students to revisit frequently

Personal safety is usually about tiers of awareness, avoidance, and resolution. Most any martial art is going to focus on resolution. If you boil down all of the skills and tricks and techniques in any style, you basically have tools. If you go to Home Depot and ask what tool you should buy, they're going to ask you a lot of questions about what project you're planning.

Are you in unsafe areas alone and worried about street criminals? Do you work stadium security? Are you employed in law enforcement? Does your restrict your options? Can you use force? Can you carry weapons? Are you obligated to restrain bad actors or is your goal escape?

 

[Martial D]

I hear Aikido is good for women because it doesn't require as much strength.

I hear Jiu Jitsu is good for short-statured people.

But I'm basically looking for a martial art that teaches self defence skills and all round skills but without finding it too hard and demanding(especially for someone inexperienced). This might be asking for too much but if such thing exists, please let me know. Cheers

Realistically, and I know this might not be a popular opinion here, but for a smaller woman only BJJ will give you a real chance against someone both bigger and stronger than you.

 

[Deleted member 39746]

Define risky industry.
Edit: Just read somone ask the question now i need to flesh this out.

Without the specifics, generic fitness building helps in all situations and i would avoid Aikido as i don't think it has the reputation for being good at self defence. I would go with kickboxing above normal boxing though, that's just me in viewing learning to use your legs effectively as better than just hands. You can then at least if its more fitness based get used to moving around and punching and kicking etc.

 

[JR 137]

Realistically, and I know this might not be a popular opinion here, but for a smaller woman only BJJ will give you a real chance against someone both bigger and stronger than you.

Judo will too. All about leverage and body position and mechanics to throw your opponent. Hit him with the planet and then choke him out or dislocated a joint or two.

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

If it’s not difficult and demanding, it’s not going to be effective. There’s no substitute for hard work. Anyone who tells you you don’t need to work hard and be challenged is either selling you a load of BS just to get in the door or is dillusional.

A good teacher will make it challenging while not making it overwhelming for a beginner. A good teacher will make very difficult things easier to learn. But you have to put the work in. No other way around it. Forget easy. Forget too hard too though. Find a school that you can afford, doesn’t conflict too much with your schedule, has a teacher you want to learn from, and has training partners you want to work out with. Keep showing up, and everything will work itself out.

I just mean, it's not always about working harder but working smarter.

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

I think you should ask yourself why you want to take a martial art—your goal. Is this for fun or strictly self defense? Krav Maga is good for modern defense. Do you want to kick more? Punch more? Grapple?

Also don’t limit your options on being female. There’s women in every martial art that I know of, and that doesn’t stop them. You never know what you’re capable of until your try!

Self defence and gaining a variety of practical, fighting skills. I like the idea of kicking but definitely know I need to work on my punching skills

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

It would help to know more about your risky industry and/or some thoughts about scenarios in which you feel you might need to defend yourself physically. I'm not being coy, this is what I ask people when they contact me about self-defense and it's a question that I force my students to revisit frequently

Personal safety is usually about tiers of awareness, avoidance, and resolution. Most any martial art is going to focus on resolution. If you boil down all of the skills and tricks and techniques in any style, you basically have tools. If you go to Home Depot and ask what tool you should buy, they're going to ask you a lot of questions about what project you're planning.

Are you in unsafe areas alone and worried about street criminals? Do you work stadium security? Are you employed in law enforcement? Does your restrict your options? Can you use force? Can you carry weapons? Are you obligated to restrain bad actors or is your goal escape?

Hi. In the security industry and planning on joining either the police force or corrections industry. So being able to manage individuals and groups if need be.

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

Realistically, and I know this might not be a popular opinion here, but for a smaller woman only BJJ will give you a real chance against someone both bigger and stronger than you.

That's a realistic opinion though. Thanks.

 

[JR 137]

I just mean, it's not always about working harder but working smarter.

It’s about working harder and smarter. Too many people want to believe working “smarter” means they don’t have to put the work in. Too many people think knowing how to do something is enough to make it work. Not when you’ve got someone going at you full strength and speed. And if someone is going to attack you, they’re going to be stronger and faster than you. People like weaker targets, just ask Charles Darwin.

I’m not saying you’re what I’m describing. I’ve never met you and most likely never will. I’m just stating what I’ve seen.

 

[Tez3]

Hi. In the security industry and planning on joining either the police force or corrections industry. So being able to manage individuals and groups if need be.

If you go into the police or prison service you will be taught what is effective for that job. they have a certain way of working that they will want you to stick to.

I have to say I've seen quite a few NZ police programmes (professional interest) as well as some in the prisons, they look like good jobs. Your police are much the same as ours using humour and banter rather than guns! The roads seem scary though!

 

[Buka]

Welcome to MT, WhisperedFreedom. Hope you enjoy it.

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

It’s about working harder and smarter. Too many people want to believe working “smarter” means they don’t have to put the work in. Too many people think knowing how to do something is enough to make it work. Not when you’ve got someone going at you full strength and speed. And if someone is going to attack you, they’re going to be stronger and faster than you. People like weaker targets, just ask Charles Darwin.

I’m not saying you’re what I’m describing. I’ve never met you and most likely never will. I’m just stating what I’ve seen.

I've always believed working smarter means doing what you can without feeling drained or using more energy than required. So yes, of course I agree, working smart is by no means expecting easy. Although I'm aware some martial arts are easier than others

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

If you go into the police or prison service you will be taught what is effective for that job. they have a certain way of working that they will want you to stick to.

I have to say I've seen quite a few NZ police programmes (professional interest) as well as some in the prisons, they look like good jobs. Your police are much the same as ours using humour and banter rather than guns! The roads seem scary though!

Yeah, de-escalating a situation/person rather than provoking or intimidating.

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

Welcome to MT, WhisperedFreedom. Hope you enjoy it.

Thank you so much

 

[spidersam]

Realistically, and I know this might not be a popular opinion here, but for a smaller woman only BJJ will give you a real chance against someone both bigger and stronger than you.

Can you explain to me—I would genuinely like to understand... how does BJJ end a fight? So say someone assaults a woman, she has studied BJJ, and she locks him up in a position. I’m assuming they’re not all choke out positions. What then? What if no one’s around and he doesn’t pass out? I’ve never learned ground game, so I really just have no clue what happens then.

 

[dvcochran]

Yeah, de-escalating a situation/person rather than provoking or intimidating.

@spidersam and others have made some very good points. Being in law enforcement is so much more than knowing how to protect yourself. Actually, by the creed that is second on the list. "To protect and serve" is still on the side of many patrol cars. I would encourage you to learn how to protect yourself mentally as much or more than being super physically adept. Learning how to manipulate a person when they are really pissed off is an acquired skill. It takes time to learn and certainly some are better than others. I cannot speak to what is the norm in New Zealand but in the U.S. for officers who are killed or injured in the line of work, the large majority of them made a mental error or took someone too lightly. Assistance and backup are much more available, even in the smaller towns like where I am from. Again, calling or waiting for backup falls under the prudence/common sense category.
Welocome to the forum @Whispered_Freedom. I hope you find a good program. You are headed down a tough road. Thank you.