Self-Defense

Kung fu covers hundreds of arts. The material is often real; the training method usually isn't tested. Honest answers from two decades inside wing chun.

BJJ is the most publicly proven martial art there is - and the ground is the wrong place on concrete. A practitioner's honest verdict, plus the get-up test.

Judo's throws, grips, and falling skills are proven under full resistance every class. A practitioner's honest case for judo - caveats included.

Karate spans full-contact fighters and belt factories under one name. An honest audit of the most famous martial art on earth, school by school.

Taekwondo spars for real, and its Olympic rules reward habits that misfire up close. The honest verdict on the kicks, the gaps, and how to close them.

Aikido's techniques are real and its training method usually isn't tested. An honest, respectful verdict - and what to train instead if self-defense is the goal.

Is wing chun effective? The principles are, and I use them every time I box or clinch. The way most schools teach it isn't, because they never test it against anyone who's resisting. Wing chun is a real martial art...

There are four main types of martial arts: striking arts like boxing, Muay Thai, karate, and taekwondo; grappling arts like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, judo, and wrestling; hybrid systems like MMA and krav maga; and traditional or internal arts like wing chun...

How long does it take to learn self-defense? Awareness habits: a few weeks. Basic striking that holds up under light pressure: about three months of twice-weekly training. Escaping grabs and pins reliably: six months to a year. Real, calm competence...

Can you learn self-defense at home? Partly. You can build the fitness, the striking mechanics, and the awareness habits that matter most, all at home for free. You can't learn to handle a grab, a clinch, or the ground without...