Replace Fear With Knowledge of Martial Arts Styles

A combination of fear and ignorance is what keeps people away from checking out martial arts styles. This is a strange choice seeing as they are picking a different kind of fear as an alternative. The fear they feel from attempting to learn martial arts is based on the fact that they are scared to invest time and money in something they think will not work. The fear they have because they cannot walk the streets seems to be ok. If you could overcome this thought process and looked for a self defense DVD that showed you the merits of certain styles in street fighting situations you may change your attitude.

An obvious aspect of self defense is basic striking. You may encounter a thug who rushes at you straight away, arms flailing or you could come up against someone who is more circumspect in their approach. Instead of charging, they stay at distance in an attempt to analyze your strengths and weakness. Either way, it is necessary for you to know the basics of striking and one of the best martial arts styles for this is Muay Thai. This is similar in some ways to kickboxing but it is a devastatingly effective style for close quarters fighting. As well as being able to strike powerfully with knees and elbows, practitioners of Muay Thai are also adept at throwing and clinching.

Most attackers will aim to get you on the floor at some stage during proceedings so it is imperative that you figure out how to win the ground battle. Even if you are strong on your feet, being deficient in this area could see you get badly hurt. It is not uncommon for people to have their limbs and even their neck broken in grapples on the floor. You should be able to find a self defense DVD that shows you how to perform Judo moves. Certain martial artists make derogatory remarks about Judo but the fact is, if it is incorporated into a self defense program containing strikes, it is very effective and could be the difference between winning and losing. Of particular use is the ability of Judo trainees to break falls.

For an all round self defense system look no further than "Krav Maga". This was created by the Israeli Defense Forces who are renowned as one of the best units in the world. It is much newer than other popular martial arts styles, some of which are thousands of years old but Krav Maga is hailed as an effective street fighting tactic. Aside from moves that can disarm enemies with knives and guns, another feature of Krav Maga is the force of its counter attacks. Someone proficient in this form of self defense could make mincemeat of an attacker within a few seconds.

So instead of being afraid of wasting your time learning some new martial arts styles, discover a world of pride and confidence that you never knew existed. All of the above styles are fine in their own right, but learning how to combine the striking of Muay Thai, the grappling of Judo and the counter attacks of Krav Maga will ensure that you are not an easy target for any thugs roaming the streets.