What is the best martial art for self defense for women and kids?
It really doesn't matter what martial art you take up, all will teach you something valuable and any true art will be able to work with you no matter what your physical stature or limitations.
There are a lot of martial art that we can learn or to be taken as our self defense style.
Wing Chun is a Chinese martial art system that was actually invented by a woman (Shaolin nun Ng Mei). It is predominantly a self defence art, is easy to learn the basics, doesn't rely on size or brute strength. It is based around natural body movements and embraces ideas like economy of movement and redirecting force to make it effective. Google Wing Chun in your country for a list of reputable schools
Taekwondo. majority wins that taekwondo is a best martial art for self defense for women and kids. I assure you that taekwondo for kids is very much fan and im sure that your kids will enjoy!
“I don't know any traditional martial arts, but Ti Kwan Do seems to be a good mix of accessibility and effectiveness. My little sister took it for several years and enjoyed it. It may not be the best martial art (most people would say Jujitsu or Krav Maga due to their success in UFC), but for your intended use you don't need to know those ‘more intense’ styles.”says mr.Russ from Columbia.However, by far the best martial art available is the one i practice, and that is to get a concealed carry pistol license. Handguns are designed to give you an unfair advantage over an unarmed attacker and that is exactly what you want if you are ever in a self defense situation. Even the most skilled and talented monk who has dedicated decades of his life to his art would be at a disadvantage against a 90 pound woman with a handgun and a few hours of practice.
a mix of Kimpo and Taekwando is a good form of self defense it lets you takedown your opponent quickly but has the power to seriously injure your opponent if necessary if u live in Loncoln Jenkins martial arts (J.M.A.) it is by Lincoln's Tower mart
The real question isn't what style. For the record Taekwando isn't a style for self defense. it is a flashy sport, at best. Learning a martial art and leaning self defense are two total different things. Most martial arts of today have 0 effective and real self defense. The best thing I could say would be go to any and all schools available. Watch a class or two, ask to see demo's of their "self defense" and you decide weather it is what you looking for. In my experience any style that promotes high kicks of any kind suck at self defense. These short weekend or six week classes for women and kids don't really help much either. the best thing I'd suggest is forget "martial arts" all together if you want to learn to fight or defend yourself. talk to street fighters, thugs and the "scum of the town, ask them what and how they attack and then experiment on defending against that. Martial arts, today isn't for real self defense it is for kids and people that want to act or think there learning self defense.
Avoid step-by-step on line instructions. People are all different and what may look good in pictures or drawings may not work in a real-life situation when your attacker are bigger or smaller than the on-line example. Even a little change like the person being left-handed could be enough throw you off. Check through your kid's school, local rec center, Boys and Girls clubs, YMCA/YWCA, etc. for self defense classes. Many are taught by a local martial arts school.
As for the "best" martial art - there is no such thing. It's like trying to be a great writer by buying the best typewriter. Regardless of the style, your abilities are the deciding factor.
BTW, the best way to get out of a bad situation is to not get into the situation to begin with. The second best way is to run really fast. Using physical techniques is a last resort and is only so you can get the opporunity to run away.
Mixed Martial Arts. One specific art is too limiting. Taekwando and Karate are great for distance stand-up fighting, but if you're taken to the ground, it's useless. If you only learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, trying to fight against a guy who knows how to punch and kick might be difficult. Mixed Martial Arts combines stand-up fighting, close range clinch fighting, and ground fighting. It's good for men, women and children. Age doesn't matter.
MMA teachers might be hard to find. So maybe you can combine Kickboxing or Taekwando with Aikido or Hapkido. These are great choices for women and children.
don't focus on the style, focus on the training methods bieng realisitic.
meaning if you are doing kata work and not training realisitically- you have better odds of learning to fight by learning to play parcheesi.
If you aren't training hard, with full resistance, you aren't training to learn anything worthwhile.
obviously with kids (depending on age) you are not going to have them strap on sparring gear and go all out- in any case this is not the movies, a 10 year old is not going to be able to do anything against an adult (unless they have a weapon- but i STRONGLY RECCOMEND AGAINST OPENING THAT CAN OF WORMS with children).
perhaps if you want them to get involved early start them with more of a grappling style like judo or brazillian jiu jitsu as grappling arts can be practiced at higher intensity with more safety (generally) than striking arts. your kids might also not be mature enough to learn to hit and take a hit.
The most important thing is not the style/discipline, it's finding an instructor/s you trust, a group of students you actually look forward to training with, and a program that fits within your financial and schedule limitations.
Check out the schools in your are - irrespective of the style. Talk with the instructor/s and students. Check out a few classes. You'll know which one is right for you.
If there are none in your area at all, you may want to consider self-derfense classes and concepts instead, especially for younger kids. Such simple things as developing codes that let them know a stranger is someone you sent, teaching them how to use the phone, how to seek help appropraitely if they get in trouble etc. There are many great organization providing this type of information and advice that would probably be avaialble on-line.
Good Luck !
