How long does a person need to stay in martial arts for self defense? I have been in Judo for 1 1/2 years,?

Question

Aikido for 1 yr., self defense 6 months, Jodo for 6 months, and boxing 1 month. I intend to go back to boxing for 1yr. I have all green belts in all my martial arts. In your opion do you think I have enough for self defense. How many years should a person stay in martial arts for self defense? I am the type of person that I may be ready, but Im always unsure.

Answer 1

u have the tech to fight but u need to blood driven spirt. i would need to sparr with u to tell u if u are ready. you train to fight but u dont fight the same way u train.

Answer 2

No one can answer this question. If you have to ask it then you are not there yet. There are just to many variables to consider. To give an answer to this amounts to opinion based on no definable facts.

Answer 3

It's all about the confidence.

You can know how to throw a punch all day long, but if you get scared and hesitate your going to get spanked real fast. You don't need to have a huge repitoire of techniques to be a decent fighter. Know how to throw/take a hit, a few joint locks, and a few takedowns and your better equipped then most would be muggers.

Answer 4

I'm of the opinion that you need to have a fighter's instinct to be capable of defending yourself effectively. Obviously techniques from martial arts can be very effective, but if you lack the fortitude to stand up to people they can be worthless.

I'd say with the training you've had, you have plenty of techniques in your arsenal that 90% of people you come across won't have. How you implement those techniques under the stress of a real threatening situation is something only you can know.

Answer 5

Self defense is more about mental preparedness than training.  If your mind can stay calm, and you can apply the judo / boxing you've learned - while being attacked - you'll be fine.  

It is my opinion that a person will never be 100% prepared for a situation that requires "self-defense", but that the more you train, and the more you prepare the better off you are.

There are "reality-based" training schools like krav maga that will put you in simulated attack situations and teach you how to defend yourself under immense pressure.  

The truth is that until you're knocked in the back of the head in a dark alley in an unfamiliar city, you can't predict how prepared you are.

I'd say keep training, keep progressing, keep enjoying your martial arts - and hope you never have to find out if you are ready for a real self defense situation.

Answer 6

First, I am a little discouraged about the root cause of the question.  90% of altercations that could result in the necessity to defend ones' self can be (and should be!) diffused without violence.  That being said, the most important aspect of ANY self defense program involves you being ready, able, and willing to due harm to another person.  Violence of action is the single most imprtant aspect of effective self defense.  The hair trigger response of being able to identify and react to a threat effectively will in most cases determine whether or not you will be safe.  The second aspect of this is in how you react with being hit.  If you can remain calm AFTER being hit, and have the fortitude to react without hesitation, training is secondary.

If you must rely on a violent solution due to your being threatened, do not buy into all the BS about only stunning or incapacitating an assailant.  Though it has been extremely rare (thank god!) that i have had to defend myself I thank my military training more than my martial arts training for the proper mindset to END the conflict rather than control it.  Your self confidence and wits are going to take you further than any amount of training.  Remember, training is simply trying to create instinctive response, regardless of the number of techiques you have.

If you are confident you can maintain your wits and are willing and able to do damage if necessary, you probably wont ever have to find out for sure.

Answer 7

You'd have enough even if you were white belt. Trust your training.