Is taking karate classes can make a full impact for me to defend myself?

Question

okay.. We have a school holiday right now, and Im going to HIGH SCHOOL , so I need to take the class , So that they will not bully me...... Do taking self defense class is good to me?

Answer 1

Join your local Judo or Wrestling club. It will do more for you than Karate as far as self defense goes. And you're less likely to get in trouble if you just take a kid down and hold him there instead of trying to punch his head in.

Edit for Katana: Regardless of what you might like to believe standing grappling is NOT the primary focus of Karate. You must know that. No Karateka I've spoken to, including blackbelts who are in their 50s and 60s has tried to tell me that grappling was a large part of their curriculum. You will get some standing jointlocks, some standing escapes, and that's about it. Those are not particularly effective and made less so because they aren't trained very well because they aren't the focus of the art.

And frankly whether you prefer to go to the ground or not is meaningless. Karate has no clinch and no takedown defense, so if your opponent is a wrestler, or Judo guy, or BJJ guy, or even a Muy thai guy, you're going to end up on your back. Even a rugby player or american football player will probably put you on your butt because you don't train takedown defense against GOOD takedowns.

If you want to be able to control where the fight happens Judo and Wrestling are your best options. Period. Proven in thousands of fights. If you want to win on the ground BJJ is your best option, period. Proven in thousands of fights.

Standing is a lot more lenient, Boxing, Muy Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, some forms of Kung Fu, all KINDS of arts have shown that with good training they can handle the standup game. But for takedowns, takedown defense, and the ground there are currently definitive "Best" arts. In another 10-15 years perhaps Sambo, or Catch Wrestling will surpass BJJ on the ground, maybe some Kung Fu styleists will get their acts together and come up with an awesome clinching art that controls the takedown better than Wrestling or Judo. But RIGHT NOW Judo and Wrestling are what you want if you want to decide whether to fight on the ground or not. and BJJ is what you want if you want to win with submissions on the ground.

Answer 2

It depends on what is available in your area. Judo or wrestling would both be good at your age, but contrary to what jswent seems to beleive, Okinawin karate does teach many standing grappling motions, if it is taught right. We just prefer not to go to the ground with our opponents. I also agree that restraining somebody over a school yard fight is preferable to knocking them out.

However finding a good instructor and school like this now days in among all the Mcdojo's is extremly difficult. there are many answers on here about what to look for in a good school and instructor though, just use the search feature.

Many people do not understand that it is the school that is important, not the style.

Edit- With respect jswent you obviously have not talked to the right black belts. Standing grappling is a huge part of traditional Okinawin karate. Yes it's main focus is strikes,but consider that karate was developed in it's earliest stages to combat Japanese aggressors, many of whom knew Ju jitsu or a version there of. Do you really think the Okinawins would have been stupid enough not to include take down defense and standing grappling in their teaching? It's clinch "game" if taught right is very effective.

We could go on all day, but as a person with 18 years in a Okinawin style, under an instructor who has trained it for 38 years, who was taught by a sensei who himself had 40 years in the art and studie under the founder of the style, don't you think that I am in a better position to know what is included and what isn't, rather then somebody who has talked to people? Maybe the people you talked to never had an  instructor that was exposed to all of the grappling in karate? I do you the courtisy of not questioning your knowledge when it comes to the style(s) you take, and would never presume to tell you what is and isn't included, but can you not return the courtisy? Probably not, because you sound like one of the elitest my style or my way is the best people.

And I ask again why should I be so afraid of getting mugged or attacked by such a proficient grappler? Are they all beasts who walk around attacking people that have done nothing to them? I don't have to worry about street fights, because quite frankly I have better thinsg to do with my time. I train for self defense, and I really don't see being attacked ny a good grappler for no reason. It is far more likely I will be attacked by more then one person who want to take something from me.

You mention the stand up "game" and the ground "game" and this is where I think our phylosiphy is different. To me it is not a game, it is a set of survival skills that I train so I can defend myself or someone else and go home to my family saely, not so I can say I won.

Answer 3

Karate will give you self confindene and people that project self confindene are less likey to get bullied

Answer 4

As usual Katana has good a answer as I could give. Learning how to handle bullies is a good thing. Looking for fights is a bad thing.

Edit:

For those of you who don't think that arts such as Wing Chun Kung Fu and Taekwando are not adequate for self defense for a street fight because "all fights go to the ground" consider that The street is not a mat or fight ring, It is hard and rough. Also My Taekwando instructor has said that you do need some ground fighting techniques; however it is better to use what you have learned standing up while on the ground. There is no reason not to punch or kick or use releases or holds on the ground as well as standing up. And of course fight like heck to stay of the ground. My instructor Has a 5 Dan in Taekwando , a Red Sash in Wing Chun Kung Fu and several years of combat experience using hand to hand combat in Vietnam.

Answer 5

"It ain't the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog" (Eisenhower).

Karate will also teach 'aggressor training' what the yuppies call assertiveness training.

A lot to do with self-defense is asserting your rights over your attacker.  By aggressively asserting yourself you will squash bullying.  It seems that bullies cannot stand being bullied, and will back down to anyone who stands up to them (verbally or physically).

Karate, or any other martial art (or weapon for that matter), will help no one who is too meek to use it.

So yes Karate lessons will contain a component of assertiveness training 'aggressor training' as part of its instruction.

Go For Broke.