vinnie

check out demibarbito.com

I have a few of his stuff and it is very practical and realistic. Highly recommend his stuff.

He doesn't teach fighting on tree tops.

If you want to train with him, you will have to travel, but his videos are a good building block.

dnowell

I've done about four years of Wing Chun style kung fu - at a school with a more fighting-oriented approach than most. Bottom line is that most martial arts schools are full of BS and simply teach dogma.

If you want to find a good school you'll probably have to visit 10-20 of them. If you want to get good at it you'll have to sit through a moderate amount of crap and learn what you can, then move on to another school that teaches other things.

Krav Maga is a great option for hurting the other guy a lot and putting him out of action quickly. Jiujitsu is great for close-in grappling situations where you don't want to kill/maim the other guy (bar fights, drunk relatives, etc).

Think about the situation you're trying to address. Also realize that it's really a lot of work and you have to put an incredible amount of effort in to get really good. It will involve sacrifices in the rest of your life. Most people who joined our school quit after a few months.

jahwarrior72

i studied jujutsu for many years (the real deal, not the brazilian stuff); it's practical for self defense. penjak silat, kali, escrima, western boxing, muay thai, and krav maga are all excellent choices. steer clear of "MMA" gyms; they train for ring fighting and point scoring, not self defense.

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I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. (J.R.R.Tolkien, The Two Towers)




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jahwarrior72

+1!

__________________
I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. (J.R.R.Tolkien, The Two Towers)




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Daddy Warcrimes

I study Aikido. I find i practical because:

The techniques don't require a lot of strength, in fact if you exert yourself it means you're doing it wrong.

We train for multiple attackers.

We practice defense against weapons (knives and sticks, not nun-chucks or fans)

We seek to end the conflict without injury to the attacker, which could help avoid lawsuits.

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glembe

You are on the right track by sitting in and checking out classes. It is the only way to find the right school, class (group of individuals and level), and instructor that works for you. Some schools have one or two week tryouts, make the most of it and try to go to every class you can in that time period. It is like picking a handgun for CCW you just have to shop around.

Knuckledrager

Sorry to hear that! Most defensive training is only as good as the instructor. Don't write KM off after seeing only one school. If you let me know what part of the USA you are in, I can point you toward a quality instructor. Hint...any instructor that lets you sit in on a class without having you participate is falling a bit short of the mark! Self defense class is not a sewing circle.

packinnova

I have to second this one. I took my classes from an affiliate that was up here in Northern VA. I started in MA in high school with Hapkido for 3 years. While off at college I worked out unofficially with a roommate who had spent a good 6 years studying kenpo. After college I tried Taekwondoh(to which I rapidly said DOH there goes the DOUGH$ -what a waste). I realized a few years ago that I was out of practice and needed something to sharpen my skills and maybe pick up a few new ones. So I eventually found the FIGHT system a few years ago. It is EASY to learn if they teach it correctly and it's designed to get you to a point where you can hold your own in a fairly short period of time. There's no bs belt or ranking system and it's about as practical as it gets(the more advanced training covers knife and gun work-among other things).

I'd suggest checking out some of the other threads on here that already cover this topic. There are a large number of folks on the board that have decades of experience in various styles. One for example:
http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulle...tar#post412226

oh yeah...here's another thread too:
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Krav Maga?

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ruertar

Thanks everyone for the informative reponses.

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AutoFan

Definitely check out as many schools as you can, and hopefully you will find a good fit. Unfortunately martial arts seems to attract more whacko instructors than any other activity I have participated in personally.