If you’re looking for the best martial arts for self defence in Leeds, this post might be of interest. This was exactly what I was looking for as a teenager. I began my martial arts journey with Judo at the tender age of 8. It wasn’t until 10 years later that I took up the interest again with Karate – which I trained at for two years. After moving to Leeds, I struggled finding the same style of Karate class I was training in. I eventually began Taekwondo – which very very similar to the Shotokan style of Karate I had been training previously.
The styles were in fact too similar and it was frustrating trying to follow the Taekwondo when parts of my Karate kept surfacing and getting in the way! My instructor was rather frustrated with me because of this – telling me I was doing my Shotokan style numerous times at classes!
One day a new student punched me and I was knocked back hard in class. I began to lose faith in my training and wondered whether I needed something else more suitable for self defence. I was enjoying Taekwondo, but felt that something was missing.
Best Martial Arts For Self Defence – Sport Versus Martial Arts
I was also told off a few times in my Taekwondo class for low kicks! It became apparent as time went on that I wasn’t looking for a sport martial art, like the one I was practicing. The Taekwondo classes, while enjoyable and had some applications for street self defence, were more geared for sport. I was looking for something which had a focus more on self defence. Something which would be useful in a real fight, as opposed to a sport environment with strict rules.
A little while later I saw a poster at Park Lane college where I was studying for Wing Chun Kung Fu. This was a style I had never heard of. I was intrigued, and since the classes were nearby, I rang the number and arranged to go along. On my first class, the instructor Sifu Colin Ward, asked me to throw a punch at him. I assumed my Karate/Taekwondo stance to pre-warn him of my intended strike and went for the hit!
Rather than a hard block, that I might have seen in my previous styles, I was surprised at the fluidity of his movements. His contact was light, rather than a hard block. He evaded the strike while using both hands to lightly read my attacking arm as it came in. It was something so subtle and majestic I remember it to this day! It was enough to hook me in and I became a devoted student from that day to this.
Best Martial Art For Self Defence in Leeds
Wing Chun was something I have trained in passionately for over 30 years now. I became hooked on Chi Sau – a powerful “game-like” exercise which allows you to “play” with fighting positions and learn close-quarter combat without the risk of injury.
During my early years of learning Wing Chun, a friend of mine was also learning Ninjitsu, from a guy who was a 5th Dan in the art in Barrow – Trevor Robinson. Trevor had even trained (and graded his 5th Dan) in Japan with the founder of the art Masaaki Hatsumi.
Of course I had to go along and see what all the fuss was about! Dave had showed me some of what he was learning from Sensei Trevor, while I was sharing my Wing Chun training with him!
I found Ninjitsu was much more geared for Martial Application – for real life fighting, or self defence, rather than for sport. Trevor was an excellent teacher who also inspired with his stories and knowledge of NLP. He even hypnotised me in the pub! Still, there was a lot of travelling involved with the classes and I would often come away black and blue from the hard training. Since I was still struck on Wing Chun, I gravitated back to it and eventually stopped training in Ninjitsu.
Best Martial Art For Self Defence – Aikido & BJJ
Despite my interest and passion for Wing Chun, I did keep on trying out other arts. I particularly found Aikido to be an inspiring art which was for self defence. I attended several Aikido classes over the years and have found myself training it again in Bradford. Leeds and Bradford have some great teachers in the art and I highly recommend trying it out.
Aikido is based on battlefield conditions, and on sword work. The wrist locks, manipulations and pins are all useful against someone with a weapon.
Aikido takes a lot of flack from the latest craze of MMA. much like Wing Chun. But it is the traditional arts which can be the most effective, depending on what aspect of self defence you’re training in. I did enjoy Gracie JuJitsu when I tried out a few sessions but I was well into my Wing Chun training by this time, and had little time for other arts then. BJJ (Brazilian JuJitsu) is a great art for grappling on the floor. But you have to think about whether you would want to be on the floor in a self defence scenario. It’s great for the “end-game” of fighting, if it ends up on the floor, but with self defence you really want to remain on your feet, so you can run!
Kali Escrima
Having recently re-started training in Kali (Filipino Martial Art), I can definitely attest to its effectiveness for self defence. Kali trains with double sticks which can enable you to understand most weapons. The sticks represent machetes or knives and are interchangeable for knives, empty hand techniques or any weapon of similar length.
Kali has similar drills with Wing Chun – the drills allow you to train to a point of unconscious competence. You automatically react given a stimulus. In Wing Chun the stimulus is the attack; an arm pulling on yours, for example or a punch coming in. This is similar with Kali only you’re adding more distance when using the sticks/weapon.
Without the sticks the same techniques can be used empty handed – so Kali is a useful all round martial art for self defence, not just for weapons use.
Which Is It?
Which are the best martial arts for self defence in Leeds? So there’s a number of martial arts for self defence which are effective and useful in a real life situation. Training in any martial art gives you regular exercise and keeps you fit. So I would also add here that finding a club you can stick with is a top priority.
All arts have their strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a quick break-down of some of the best martial arts I think are most suitable for self defence and why:
- Wing Chun – Best for close quarter striking and defence. Wing Chun is a no-nonsense martial art designed for combat, not sport. It uses simple principles of minimum movement and economy of motion to counter attack to the weakest parts of your opponents body and cause the most damage with the lease effort.
- Aikido – Best for controlling an attacker to the ground/locking or pinning and for weapons attacks since it is based on the sword work of its time. Designed for multiple attackers with weapons.
- Kali / Escrima – Double weapons system using double sticks which can double for any weapon or even be used as an empty hand system too.
- BJJ – Brazilian Jujitsu – often cited as the “best” in a cage fighting situation but this scenario favours the style. Great for groundwork and if you end up on the ground. But doesn’t have a standing practice so not so good when faced with a punch or standing fighting scenario, or multiple attackers.
- Ninjitsu – Ninjitsu has 9 schools/arts within its syllabus and covers a range of disciplines including ground and standing fighting. Not a sport martial art so is more focused on actual combat.
Which Are The Best Martial Arts For Self Defence in Leeds?
So which are the best Martial Arts for self defence in Leeds? A martial art is only as useful as its practitioner. So depending on your length of training and quality of the instruction, a martial art’s usefulness will vary. There’s also a context to combat situations which vary according to the situation. Some ground martial arts will be useless when standing. Standing arts may be useless on the ground. So decide what situation you are most concerned about, find a martial art that fits and a teacher you can get on board with!
I have personally found that a good teacher is hard to find. But if you find someone you can respect and enjoy the training, it’s a good start!
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