Haddock

That's excellent advice, Meguro, and I try to do that already. I also agree with Marc completely, I avoid fighting by any means possible and never pick fights. Even then, there are some situations when fighting is unavoidable, and that's what I want to be prepared for.

Thanks for the reply, I'll definitely take that advice when I start. I definitely want to avoid going to a "McDojo". I should also mention that I live in England, if that makes any difference to how dojos teach etc. So if I get taught real karate by someone properly qualified, I'll be able to defend myself well if I get attacked on the streets?

Hi all, I'm new to the forums. I'm considering taking up a karate for self-defense. I did karate with my brother before for a few weeks when I was young but my brother quit so I quit too. I enjoyed it for the brief time I did it, and I've decided to take up martial arts again. I've been told by a few people that karate isn't practical for defense in real life situations (ie getting attacked on the streets). Is this true? Have you ever had experience with using karate to defend yourself in a real life situation, if so, how did it go? Thanks.