Self-Defence

[IBrake4Rainbows]

for a weapon on the cheap try Trolley poles.

the plastic/metal pole that you push trolleys around with are readily available and hurt significantly when they connect.

[Zytek_Fan]

Carry around a katana and you'll be fine

[CHEESE-TACULAR]

hand held weapons? you guys are so weak.

i always carry around 2 guns 24/7, one on each upper arm

[Cyco]

Silat for the ultimate in self defence.

If you feel the need for weapons then low yield nukes can work well

[my porsche]

Just build up your muscle mass or if you dont have the time get a gun, I did both and no one has ever touched me. Plus the fact that I can sue them with a high priced lawyer always helps .

dude, you'll never believe this, i got arrested yesterday...

for two guns and a six pack. Beastly

[d-quik]

People, when you give a choice you should back it up.

Okay man. The thing about martial arts is that it doesn't make you invincible and, technically, there are is BEST one. If you are a master of any martial art, chances are you can kick ass. Bruce Lee used to say that martial arts systems don't make a good fighter, they make a better one. All martial arts allows a person some potential. Without initiative, a person can not exploit the potential of an art in order to become better. Of course, you do not wish to master an art, but merely just defend yourself adequately. For this, you do not necesarily want to commit a large portion of your life to an art. You are looking for a quick fix, right?

People learn martial arts ussually for these reasons: self-defense (short-term), discipline (as a learning experience), actually love the arts (long-term commitment), competition (medium-term but intense training), and lastly for health reasons (to stay active, as a learning experience as well).

Tai-Chi is an extremely complicated and old art so it is probably not the best choice for your self-defense needs. In the long run, this could have the most potential out of all the other arts. However, in the short run, it is just good for health, not self defense. Tai-Chi is a complicated internal martial art that really doesn't require an athletic practitioner; but a skilled one. Only long term martial benefits, immediate HEALTH benefits though (not that you care now).

Taekwondo, as you probably can tell, emphasizes a lot kicking. This Korean art is very popular for MMA competitions along with Brazilian Jujutsu and Muay-Thai. For self defence, I guess this is average. BECAUSE of the art's competitive nature, it doesn't really incorporate many "cheap" techniques needed to defend yourself (ie. biting, headbutting, crotch striking/grappling, and other techniques illegal in competition). There is no honor required when defending yourself against five attackers. This art isn't the best at close ranges. Taekwondo practitioners ussually use their feet to keep the attacker away at kicking distance; useless when cornered. Unless you want to enter a competition, don't really pick this one. Taekwondo gives me an uncomfortable feelign that it is more of a SPORT like capoeira than a martial art like My Jhong Law Horn.

Karate is an Okinawan art that is probably has the most popularity out of everything else you have listed; and for a good reason too. Karate is a very broad art that is almost has a bit of everything: grappling, locks, kicking, striking, cheap tactics, discipline, health benefits...probably forgetting many. Jack of all trades but only a master of a couple. When I studied Shotokan Karate when I was younger, I knoticed that karate really uses waist rotations and yelling to generate more power from a regular punch. Very good for the long AND short term. Very scientific and technical, but thats because the dojo was heavily regulated and if you do not preform a regular punch with 100% efficiency, you can't get promoted. Now that I think back they were a bunch of nazis...

I don't know shit about Bagwhaahahahahahaha .

Aikido is "harmonous" in the sense that it doesn't really require a lot of brute force. Other than that theres nothing harmonious about it. It is nowhere near as "soft" or "internal" as tai-chi. You don't see a lot of Aikido competitors in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitions for a reason: a lot of their practical techniques (head locks, grapples, joint locks, joint holds, etc...) are illegal. Think of this as Karate, but without the striking and the competitive nature. More practical, but less potential in the SUPER long-term due to the lack of offensive strikes. But hey, you don't care about the long-term now.

In all reality, in a street fight (especially if its not 1v1) there is not "honour", okay? The shortest fix is (as someone said) getting a knife. If 5 people attack you and you have a knife... thats really an ODD-EVENER. And please, never been afraid to boot someone in the sack, punch to the eyes/neck, headbutting, or jewelry ripping. Pick up a rock even, hurl it at the bastards.

In the end, I guess I would recommend Aikido or Karate. Aikido has some obsolete kitana training though, which is kinda useless. Again, this is considering I don't know much about Bhagwa okay? If you do want to learn Karate, make sure that the dojo you go to is recognized by some karate "federation" or "assiciation" or whatever to avoid black belt mills.

Spi-ti-tout, what I am about to reveal to you is like... gold. I don't even know why im sooooo nice but I sent you a personal message on a quick fix. It is so golden taht I can't even post it here.

[NuclearCrap]

Jeet Kune Do: Bruce Lee's street fighting style, takes the best of the trapping and short-range punches of Wing Chun, the kicks of northern Chinese styles as well as Savate, the footwork found in Western fencing and the techniques of Western boxing.

Chuck Norris: Grow more testicles.

Gangsta: Pull out yo Colt and pop that foo.

[RazaBlade]

...Wing Chun...

Surprised no one mentionned this before. A good friend of mine does this. He started it for self-defence, and what he tells me (and tests on me) its perfect. It basically uses the other person against themselves, eg using their momentum to hurl them. He's the little one (height) out of all our mates, but we dont mess with him any more, we know we'll be flat on our faces in a flash.

Luckily Ive never been in a fight, so really cant give advice. But agree that no need for honour in it, do anything and everything!!

[SlickHolden]

Bruce less first fighting style is perfect, Can't think of the name but.
It was made by nuns i think who had some women that were raped and bashed, Anyway it used the hole body and doesn't take much strength it's very good to i was trying it myself the other day the blocking is the best as it used elbows arms etc and combats the blocking with striking at the same time.

[2ndclasscitizen]

for a weapon on the cheap try Trolley poles.

the plastic/metal pole that you push trolleys around with are readily available and hurt significantly when they connect.

Bogan style, the weapon of choice for drunken yobs/teenagers fighting at Wagga Beach

[IBrake4Rainbows]

How true.

But it's also cheap, readily available, and effective.

There's no honour involved, but if you only want to protect yourself there's no cheaper option.

[Vaigra]

Jeet Kun Do
That was the fighting style pretty much invented and honed by Bruce Lee. He took all the best points from many varied fighting styles and used them to devestating effect. Fluid movement combining the best of all styles.
If you can find a JKD instructor, I thoroughly recommend you do that, though you'll be lucky to find one. There isn't one in Birmingham here so I'm hoping to find one when I move to London in September.
Good luck Husain

[McReis]

Unfortunately I never practised any martial art, although I like the idea of it as an healthy sport (in the days we're living self-defense is an interesting perspective too, of course). From what I've heard from a girl friend of mine who is a long time practitioner, I think Kung-Fu is great. Mainly because you have to learn a lot about concentration, about your own body and about your mind control. And when you come to the point in wich you predicted you'd use the force, maybe you end up not needing it, because in the meantime you got wiser and more self-confident, finding ways and reasons to avoid the conflict.

As a kid I wasn't the most self-confident person, so I always avoided conflits even if the cost was to play the chicken role, because I always thought that even the most innofensive guy could beat the crap out of me.
In my life, as an adult, I only had one real fight (of wich I'm really ashamed). But self-confidence made some difference. It was with a very, very rude and brutal man (and much wider than me) on his 40's who mistreated my girlfriend because of a parking space. He didn't knew I was around. I only told my girl to walk away and ignore his stupidity, but that made the guy furious. I told him to calm down several times as his behaviour was a shame for a guy of his age. When someone came to between us to avoid a predictable fight, he tried to kick me, hoping that the person in between wouldn't let me answer. It was not the case, because although I'm not fisicaly strong, the nerves can make you pull out some strengh you never knew you had. I lost the plot and punched the guy several times. We felt on the sidewalk and the guy hit the ground with his forehead and still came after me, although he didn't manage to hit me once after his first kick. By that time I was dangerously out of control. When he came back on his feet I made him land over the hood of my gf's car and just couldn't stop punching and kicking the guy. Actually it was a friend of mine who helped the guy to get rid of me.
In the end of it, I was ashamed for the show I had put up on a street where everyone knew me, and a bit scared by the way I acted (although relieved by the idea of having made some justice).

The point of admiting that I had this kind of behaviour is to make you aware that this kind of fight should be avoided even when you have the skills or strengh to win. Because in the end, noone wins. And if you lose control, you can end up losing more than the other guy, and he can become the victim.
So, whatever you do, forget knives and such. If you decide to go into martial arts, be aware that you have to be very careful with your skills.
If you get a punch or to, you may end up forgeting it sooner or later. But if you really hurt someone badly, you'll live with the guilt forever, no matter how much the guy seems to deserve it.

Almost everyone, as a kid, has suffered humilliation or mistreats by older guys or groups of guys. Forget it and avoid it. They are losers. You are much more grown-up inside than them and you are a respected person, for example in this community. You are better than them, and when you get older you'll probably be a well succeeded man, while they will probably be using their brute force carrying boxes from and into trucks.
Life is long and our ways cross many times. Maybe one day those same guys will be begging you for a job or something.

Revenge, sometimes, comes in a cold and very refined plate.

[McReis]

None of the Above.

I've had 3 students enrolled in the Rockefella Defense Technique. They've combined for 4 million deaths since 2003.

Wow!

[spi-ti-tout]

Revenge, sometimes, comes in a cold and very refined plate.

Mate, like I said I don't want to hit anyone. I just sit in my corner reading a book and they come on me. You make it sound like I want to hit them. If I knew they'd stop now I'd work on just my arms but I know they won't so might as well end it on the positive

And guys I am talking about an oridinary school classroom, not a narrow alleyway at 2AM.

how about just plain boxing? and work out

The only work out I'm doing now is pushups, pullups etc because anything major would screw my back. Then again can't do any of those with a broken wrist can I...

Buy a knife or a gun, maybe even both, problems solved

I have a small pocket knife around my neck that I'm very efficient at removing, though I wouldn't say it's best hour would be in a classroom

because enveryone in the UAE carries them

If they did, believe me you wouldn't know

I've had 3 students enrolled in the Rockefella Defense Technique. They've combined for 4 million deaths since 2003.

I don't want to train for acrobatics