Little people can make a difference right?

[Tant01]

Ok.

You want to be able to keep your focus when the fists are flying and the shoving and stomping pick up.
....
....I'd look into the silat system. Really good intro into bladed weapons.

Peace

YES, Pentjakers are the real deal. A little woman with a karambit can easily kill a big man (and his friends) in no time...

[Tom Yum]

I am impressed in general with silat fighters empty hand skills as well as their weapon fighting.

I've met some silat fighters from tjimande style who could hang quite well in stand up. They use alot of whip & circular power that you see in Chinese arts and are not afraid to spar with it for real.

[Hardball]

In the meantime buy a pistol and take a handgun course.

[EmptyneSs]

i never said bjj was the best art for self defense. i said it it would be best only in her case, and for most women in her situation because a big part of bjj is positioning and escaping from holds and bad positions. if some douchebag tries to get on top of her she will be able to not panic, escape, or break one of his limbs and choke him out. also the gi teaches u to use clothing to your advantage and to your opponents disadvantage, this can be useful for a women trying to escape a rapists mount. also bjj doesnt rely on much strength either, strength always helps, but technique, positioning, and leverage are what make bjj work. sadly though, i think she was talking about beating up bitches fromthe hood or in bars more than she meant general self defense. so in that case, yeah go to some boxing gym in the hood and learn to box so next time some skank tries to get up on your man when ur at the club, u can drop her.

im not a gracie groupie like alot of people here either, thats just my down to earth opinion.

i also dont reccomend training if your only reason to train is to beat up skanks at the club and whatnot. its funny how people who say they hate drama the most are the ones who are always right in the middle of it.

[Yu Law]

when situations approach me, for whaetver reason, i start shaking and my mind goes black. i want to get rid of that. I was hoping MA would teach me to control all that. Does this give you guys a better understanding of what im looking for???

well to get rid of that anxiety and fear (i guess you can call it), any martial art will do the trick. The important thing is that u have to believe in whatever martial art u choose and train properly. So i suggest that u go to whatever Martial art schools u have near your home and try out 1-2 classes.

So just go to a couple karate, TKD, kung fu, bjj, self-denfese, judo, boxing or wutever and when your done go with whatever u feel fits u the most. Keep in mind that there are dojos/gyms that are crocs out there and aren't efficiently taught, so watch for those.

As far as bar fights go, try to stay clean of those cause even if you become a badass fighter and beat the crap outta someone in the bar u could get jumped by them later, they might have weapons, and an often overlooked scenario is that they could tech. sue u for attacking them if they didn't physically provoke u first.

If u train hard and enjoy what you are doing, your self-confidence will rise and you will feel more secure in tough situations. So the morale of the story is train hard, take your vitamins and stay outta trouble.

[polegirl]

Yu Law nicely put.

I am a small woman as well and I think the best approach is to try a few different martial arts, and find a dojo and art that you enjoy (if you enjoy it you will stick with it). In the majority of cases when people (especially women) are attacked the attacker will look for a "soft target". If you have the confidence to hold your head high you will generally not be attacked. As for bar fights I agree with Yu Law in that you should not go getting into those (what is the point of looking good if you are dead). In my experience people in martial arts do not go around attacking people or looking for fights and will only fight when absolutely necessary ("the best fight is the one you don't have"). In karate we are first taught how to limit the chances of getting into a fight (mainly by listening to our instincts).

As for pepper spray and guns, personally I am not comfortable carrying around either. Firstly because that would be illegal and secondly if the person is stronger than me they could overpower me and use them against me.

Do not underestimate yourself because of your size, my karate teacher is a small woman and can take on men twice her size (and win).

[EmptyneSs]

if you have the confidence to hold your head high you will generally not be attacked.

thats not true either

As for pepper spray and guns, personally I am not comfortable carrying around either. Firstly because that would be illegal and secondly if the person is stronger than me they could overpower me and use them against me.

that arguement is pretty weak, cause if u are overpowered then it wont really matter anyway, the attacker is going to do what he pleases regardless. pepper spray and stun guns arent illegal, and to be honest, for a women who is 4'11, its her best chance at surviving an attack, better than martial arts.

Do not underestimate yourself because of your size, my karate teacher is a small woman and can take on men twice her size (and win).

yeah dont underestimate people cause of their size, however dont live in a fantasy world either. at 4'11, u are at an incredible disadvantage, so much that martial arts arent going to help that much. living in denial is cool, i do it myself sometimes, but please theres no need to bs this girl.

[HtTKar]

Reality Based Training.

fe4st1an1te,

Please excuse me. It sounds to me like you dont want to learn a martial art at all, rather you would like to learn how to defend yourself. Taking a martial art might help you, but that is a long road. You should develop basic skills first, and then build off of that. First skill being, how to deal with the adrenaline dump. There are several "systems" out there. Check out Geoff Thompson, Senshido, etc. I hope you take the time to read some of these links. I know they will steer you in the right direction.

http://www.geoffthompson.com/articles/article_real_self_defence.htm

http://senshido.com/swwd1.html

http://senshido.savi.ca/viewtopic.php?t=1405

PS. Pepper spray is a joke. It will not stop anyone determined to hurt you. better to carry a pocket-knife than pepper-spray.

[Tant01]

yeah dont underestimate people cause of their size, however dont live in a fantasy world either. at 4'11, u are at an incredible disadvantage, so much that martial arts arent going to help that much. ....
...please theres no need to bs this girl.

Dude....



Never had yer ass whupped by a half pint, eh?

ADVANTAGES of shortness include a lower center of gravity and being SERIOUSLY underestimated! Smaller folks tend to be faster on their feet and have better dexterity than big uns...

I see a tiny little woman with a knife in each hand holding off ten men, no problem...

Unless they have armor, guns or training in team tactics... Hey, ya gotta keep it real

[wardancer]

Just recently, I have come to a certain realization about myself... it was one of those smack you in the face, oh my god I need to change kind of moments. I realized my problem is is that I am a 4'11" woman. Growing up, I have been on the short side of everything which in turn made my mentality "short". What could a 4'11" girl possibly do?? nothing right? Well I realized I was dead wrong and I am looking for any suggestions to what kind of martial arts I could learn to change all this. I don't fight. I avoid confrontation at all costs, but how can I protect my loved ones, when the time comes. I have no self-confidence and I feel very weak. It's even proven to be an obstacle at work. Any suggestions on a good martial art thats good for me???? I need this more than anything!

Go for BJJ.
I have a female team member about your size and she is doing well.
Acually she is a blue belt now.
In BJJ, you will spar and practice on a daily basis with mostly males and will learn to submit them by chokes, locks etc..
Size does not matter when it comes to BJJ, it is about the techniques.

[EmptyneSs]

Dude....



Never had yer ass whupped by a half pint, eh?

ADVANTAGES of shortness include a lower center of gravity and being SERIOUSLY underestimated! Smaller folks tend to be faster on their feet and have better dexterity than big uns...

I see a tiny little woman with a knife in each hand holding off ten men, no problem...

Unless they have armor, guns or training in team tactics... Hey, ya gotta keep it real

im not dissing small people. i mysefl am not a big person, im only 5'10 and 160lbs. u can deffinately be a good martial artist regardlless of your size if u train hard enough. but what im saying is that just cause u take martial arts, it doesnt guaranteee ur going to kick ass or be able to defend yourself well on the street. it takes a mental toughness alot people dont have as well as decent training and athletic ability. the original poster obviously lacked that mental toughness, thats why she is posting. martial arts will take her alot of hard work and didication that she probobly doesnt have. i only say this cause she mentioned she just wanted to learn how to beat up skanks in bars. thats not the right reason to join a martial art. but as for truly defending herself, she probobly wouldnt reach that level of efficiency in martial arts with that attitude, so she may as well get a pepper spray, big dog, or a stun gun. even those dont guarantee protection, but hey its something. also, at 4'11 u need to have so much SKILL to overcome that hight and weight and strength disadvantage that u may never achieve it. dont anyone even try to deny this. 4'11 is like midget status. if u slam your thai kick hard into someone who is 4'11, it wont even matter if they block it, they are dust. but ey let the debate go on.

[EmptyneSs]

Go for BJJ.
I have a female team member about your size and she is doing well.
Acually she is a blue belt now.
In BJJ, you will spar and practice on a daily basis with mostly males and will learn to submit them by chokes, locks etc..
Size does not matter when it comes to BJJ, it is about the techniques.

yeah i agree. the whole reason i mentioned it is because theres a women at our school who is about that size, but is able to grapple with men twice her size and beat them. she probobly wouldnt stand a chance if she tried to box/kickbox men twice her size, but bjj allows her to grapple with them and beat them because bjj can be done without strength

im not a gracie groupie btw..

[wardancer]

anyone has an idea how tall is a 4'11 in cm?

[Sensei Saki]

Where did anyone get an idea how tall is a 4'11 in cm?

[wardancer]

Where did anyone get an idea how tall is a 4'11 in cm?

I know a 6'1 person is equivalent to 185 cm.
But don't really know about the equivalent for a 4'11?
Never mind, i think it comes up to 152 cm!