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

[lklawson]

I did Hock's Dos manos system there for a bit.

I think it is the concept that is fraught with danger rather than the application.

If you think that Gene Lebell looks like Hochheim then you need your eyes checked. If you think that Judo looks like Dos Manos then you need your head checked.

(mobile)

 

[drop bear]

If you think that Gene Lebell looks like Hochheim then you need your eyes checked. If you think that Judo looks like Dos Manos then you need your head checked.

(mobile)

Pretty sure they are the same guy.

When have you seen them together?

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

First, welcome to MT. As you see, advice is easy to get here.



I've never studied BJJ nor Judo, so my opinion of them needs to be taken with that in mind. But my thought is that BJJ wants to go to the ground too often. Any BJJ practitioners please correct me if I am wrong. From what I have seen of Judo, that is not true. Both teach a lot of joint manipulation which can be good.

Can you tell us what arts are taught close enough for you to easily go to them?



I am not aware of any martial art that is 'easier' than others. Maybe you mean something different by easy than I understand. As far as I am aware, all MA will require commitment and hard work to learn to a point they will be useful to you. To do otherwise could in fact, be dangerous from over confidence.

I think @Tez is correct that you should expect training specific to your job. My impression from those in those fields is that most officers don't want to spend off duty time ensuring they really know how to use what they are taught, to the point it is second nature. They should. And you may wish to supplement your training by MA training anyway. It can be enjoyable in its own right.

But advice usually given here, which is good advice, is to visit different schools in your area and see what art interests you most, and which school makes you feel most comfortable and able to learn in (students and instructors).

Thank you. And tell that to those who say things like Aikido is easier for women because they don't require as much strength etc.

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

Going to the ground is bad for cops and we don't do it if we can avoid it (I'm former, not current). And understand that our hips are where our weapons are, so we want to avoid getting arrestees anywhere near there. It's a whole different set of problems, most don't experience the issues.

Hi, that's actually good to know. Do you mind telling me why the hips are your weapons?

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

I agree. I think a lot of people have forgotten the OP said she is small in stature. That is why said earlier she needs to learn the mental side of the game more than "quickly learning a martial art". I do not think she is going at this the right way.

I agree you need to be mentally tough as well. But I already have that and I'm only interested in the physical side now. Would you rather I keep putting off martial arts? Isn't it the earlier you start the better? It's not about being able to quickly learn martial arts, if someone can then good on them. If you put it that way, then it can't be that hard, can it

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

Shooting them might work, i think New Zealand police are armed as standard. (and by extension i think they have firearms in their prisons)

Nobody is armed 24/7. Lol. I think it's really useful to be able to defend yourself without weapons.

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

You 100% need some sort of grappling based for Security, LEO, and CO. Most of the cops I've known went into Judo, followed by Brazilian Ju Jitsu, and some went for Aikido. For most of the stuff surrounding Sec/LEO/CO, standing based grappling should be on a priority over ground based but do not neglect ground. It's stupid easy for an idiot go barnacle on and drag someone to the floor. Striking should be used with caution in all three of these directions. Striking "looks" aggressive and can turn into law suits and official complaints.

I also very strongly recommend buying the Verbal Judo book & videos by George Thompson. Youtube has an old video set by Thompson which is helpful but not as in-depth as the video series. Verbal Judo is originally intended for LEO but fits very well with CO and Sec.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

Verbal Judo? That's something new, thanks.

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

Martial Arts? Markmanship, quickdraw, and baton fighting. Less snarky though, as I think by martial arts you meant unarmed martial arts, wherever you can find a good self-defense focused school.

All effective martial arts requires some degree of physical conditioning. While some might say Jujutsu is good for people who are less strong, I've found the exercises in Japenese Jujutsu to be much more exhausting and strenuous than anything I have done in Shotokan Karate so far.

But as some people have pointed out, the skills that will be most useful for your job will be de-escalation skills, then training with firearms, then training with melee weapons, and then unarmed training.

Seeing as you will likely always have some form of melee weapon on hand, I think that the most likely scenario that you would be deprived of using your weapon is if you were being grappled, so I would suggest a good grappling school if you can find one. I have heard that Judo was originally created by a very slight and petite man in order to defend himself from stronger attackers, so maybe that would be ideal. But I would suggest prioritizing a good school of a style you are less interested in over a bad school of a style you are interested in.

That's good to know. Thank you for that

 

[JR 137]

Hi, that's actually good to know. Do you mind telling me why the hips are your weapons?

Weapons, ie gun, pepper spray, etc. are ON the hips of law enforcement officers. They hang off the belt.

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

Weapons, ie gun, pepper spray, etc. are ON the hips of law enforcement officers. They hang off the belt.

Oh.... I thought there was more to it than that but all good

 

[jobo]

I agree you need to be mentally tough as well. But I already have that and I'm only interested in the physical side now. Would you rather I keep putting off martial arts? Isn't it the earlier you start the better? It's not about being able to quickly learn martial arts, if someone can then good on them. If you put it that way, then it can't be that hard, can it

Go and do one, any one really, it rather depends who is likely to attack you and for what reason, sometimes just fighting back is enough to put them off, no one wants to be beaten up by a girl, other time wacking them on the nose and legging it is a very good choice, if on the other hand you want to be able to completely distroy them then it's a far taller order.

When my youngest sister, who is very girly, turned 18 and was going out and about, I took her weight training to build up her physical conditioning and then to Lau gau kung Fu, 6 months later her physical conditioning was extremely good and she could most certainly break someone's nose or kick then hard enough to make them limp, but the odds of her actually wining a fight against a big determine guy were still quite low, but then she got a big tough boy friend, so it was less important that she could walk round town in safety

 

[Whispered_Freedom]

Go and do one, any one really, it rather depends who is likely to attack you and for what reason, sometimes just fighting back is enough to put them off, no one wants to be beaten up by a girl, other time wacking them on the nose and legging it is a very good choice, if on the other hand you want to be able to completely distroy them then it's a far taller order.

When my youngest sister, who is very girly, turned 18 and was going out and about, I took her weight training to build up her physical conditioning and then to Lau gau kung Fu, 6 months later her physical conditioning was extremely good and she could most certainly break someone's nose or kick then hard enough to make them limp, but the odds of her actually wining a fight against a big determine guy were still quite low, but then she got a big tough boy friend, so it was less important that she could walk round town in safety

Haha, must've encouraged her to get a tough dude to protect her

 

[jobo]

Ye

Haha, must've encouraged her to get a tough dude to protect her

Yea she wasn't going out with anyone who could only bench press twice what she could,

I watched a young slim girl at the gym, doing boxing pad work , ok no one was trying to hit her, but her movement and punching power were really impressive, and I thought she is going to give someone a really nasty suprise one day

 

[dvcochran]

I agree you need to be mentally tough as well. But I already have that and I'm only interested in the physical side now. Would you rather I keep putting off martial arts? Isn't it the earlier you start the better? It's not about being able to quickly learn martial arts, if someone can then good on them. If you put it that way, then it can't be that hard, can it

Certainly do not wait to start learning a MA. It will have value regardless of your profession. I do not know the climate in New Zealand at all but from my LEO experience in the U.S. additional training is needed. I am not talking about just being mentally tough. The art of dealing with people, in public and in private is vital.

There were officers I worked with that had exponentially more resisting arrest charges. It wasn't that they were making more arrest, it was the way the arrest were handled. Through observation, I learned it had a lot to do with how they dealt with the situation. A few of them just loved the power trip of being an officer and a few just loved to fight. A few had a submissive character which led people to think they could resist and win. But most of the officers with high resisting arrest rates just did not understand how important their demeanor and how to speak to a person was. Even speaking with authority can be done right or it can come off abrasive, elevating the situation. Also speed is usually a valued quality. The quicker an officer surmises an arrest is to be made and gets the cuffs on the better. Especially if the perp is under the influence. Cuff 'em before they really know what is going and get pissed off.

It is still one of the best assessments a person can do when evaluating something. Being totally honest, make a few lists. One would be the positives and negatives of becoming a LEO. One would be you current skills and ALL the areas where you are lacking knowledge/experience. A third could be the lifestyle and economic +/- 's of being a LEO. They are real and should be evaluated.

Know this, the last thing I am trying to do is sway you away from this path. I am just trying to help you prepare and have an understanding of the ammunition you need going in. Yes, some of it you will learn on the job but that is a very bad approach given the inherent risks of the job. I wish you the very best. Keep us in the loop.

 

[Druid11]

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

While there are martial arts that are better and worse for self-defense, my suggestion is to pick a martial art you actually like and not to worry so much about which is most "effective". If you don't enjoy practicing it eventually you'll quit regardless of how effective the art is. You also won't want to push yourself to get better if you don't enjoy it. There is no magic martial art that will make you invincible. Aikido isn't probably the most practical martial on the planet, for example. But if you really like practicing Aikido and work hard at getting better, that's a better plan then taking a couple of BJJ classes that you hate and get nothing out of.

I took BJJ for a little while and it just wasn't my cup of tea. I dreaded going to class and to be honest because of that I didn't get much out of it. Now I practice Isshinryu Karate. We incorporate some limited groundwork and standing judo throws and I enjoy doing that stuff now, because I enjoy my art in general, I enjoy the dojo I practice at, and I enjoy the people I practice with. I feel like I get more out of class because I love going now. I want to practice, and I feel comfortable doing so.

So my suggestion would be to first find out what schools are in your area and then try classes in different martial arts. You might love one of them, you might loathe another. Pick the one you enjoy, not the one that considered the most effective, because it will never be effective if you don't train it and don't retain the material. As for a martial art that isn't "too hard," everything is hard when you start. A good teacher should make it less hard (as others in this thread have mentioned), but if you really enjoy something then it doesn't feel "too hard." It just feels like a challenge that you want to overcome and you'll be willing to work to overcome it.

 

[oftheherd1]

Thank you. And tell that to those who say things like Aikido is easier for women because they don't require as much strength etc.

I think some people look at Aikido demonstrations and decide it must be easier due to the way they perceive it is employed. They make that assessment never having darkened an Aikido dojo's door.

That said, any martial art may seem difficult at any part of the study. You will likely think so when you begin studying. Later it may seem more fun and easy, but you may reach plateaus and think to yourself you aren't learning anything any more. But when you stay with it suddenly one day, without warning, you realize you have gotten past that plateau and have learned more and it is easy again. At least that is how it was for me in TKD, but not so much in Hapkido.

 

[nino.ciani]

Go learn CQC with a competent instructor.


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[drop bear]

While there are martial arts that are better and worse for self-defense, my suggestion is to pick a martial art you actually like and not to worry so much about which is most "effective". If you don't enjoy practicing it eventually you'll quit regardless of how effective the art is. You also won't want to push yourself to get better if you don't enjoy it. There is no magic martial art that will make you invincible. Aikido isn't probably the most practical martial on the planet, for example. But if you really like practicing Aikido and work hard at getting better, that's a better plan then taking a couple of BJJ classes that you hate and get nothing out of.

I took BJJ for a little while and it just wasn't my cup of tea. I dreaded going to class and to be honest because of that I didn't get much out of it. Now I practice Isshinryu Karate. We incorporate some limited groundwork and standing judo throws and I enjoy doing that stuff now, because I enjoy my art in general, I enjoy the dojo I practice at, and I enjoy the people I practice with. I feel like I get more out of class because I love going now. I want to practice, and I feel comfortable doing so.

So my suggestion would be to first find out what schools are in your area and then try classes in different martial arts. You might love one of them, you might loathe another. Pick the one you enjoy, not the one that considered the most effective, because it will never be effective if you don't train it and don't retain the material. As for a martial art that isn't "too hard," everything is hard when you start. A good teacher should make it less hard (as others in this thread have mentioned), but if you really enjoy something then it doesn't feel "too hard." It just feels like a challenge that you want to overcome and you'll be willing to work to overcome it.

Sort of. There is an element of pushing through hardship that is required required to be a competant fighter.

 

[Druid11]

Sort of. There is an element of pushing through hardship that is required required to be a competant fighter.

Sure, but generally if you loathe something it's hard to push through that hardship. I think the general consensus here is the style matters less than how you train. You will never train an art you hate practicing as hard as you train one you really enjoy.

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[drop bear]

Sure, but generally if you loathe something it's hard to push through that hardship. I think the general consensus here is the style matters less than how you train. You will never train an art you hate practicing as hard as you train one you really enjoy.

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My view is you do what you need to do to get the result. We are suggesting this as a skill set for a job.

You will train in an art you hate if you need to get good at it. People do it all the time.

Oh and if there is a fitness test for the cops that involves running. And you don't like running. Go do swimming instead. Same thing really.