Shotokan, Goju Ryu, and Judo: self-defense effectiveness

[y2_sub]

If i am in your place , i would go with judo . Aikido and goju ryu are good for self defense as well but judo is quick and simple .

[y2_sub]

Ah, but the key is to stay off the ground if at all possible, and to get up as quickly as possible. I agree with some of the others that knowing ground work with a striking style is best. But I want to avoid the ground as much as possible. Too many things can go wrong while on the ground. Stomping comes first to mind. Attacks from people you don't see, etc.

Of the three styles listed, I'd probably choose Goju. As I understand it,(and this is based on my limited knowledge of the style) it has many similarities to Uechi which has a lot of grabs, and trapping. And come to think of it, if someone is going to the ground, I'd prefer it be the other guy!

I belive that what MadMatt meant by "using the ground as your weapon" is to throw your opponent to the ground , not to take the fight to the ground , and he got a point there : Imagine yourself hitting the concrete after a good hip throw .

Judo contains lots of ground fighting techniques ( Ne waza ) , however , those techniques are designed to finish the opponent and quickly get up on your feats not to take the fight to the ground and stay there .

Plus , karate's grappling in general is designed to be used against a non grappler

[Menjo]

Judo has very effective practicle applications for self defence.

Striking arts utilize body parts as weapons and although useful at times, this can cause injury to yourself as well as your attacker (ie broken hand, foot or shin etc).

The goal of Judo is to break balance and use the ground as your weapon. Please try to punch, kick or even grab someone when you are off balance, it is very difficult if not impossible in most cases. Then imagine your body hitting the ground at around 70kph (from a good hip throw), the consequences are devestating.

It is a tough MA to learn and rather scary (IMO) at first, injuries are common but that is a part of the art, you just have to learn from them and condition your body to deal with the punishment.

True but i find its getting harder and harder to find a real good quality judo dojo out there, because of its commercial success.

[elbows_and_knees]

Judo has very effective practicle applications for self defence.

Striking arts utilize body parts as weapons and although useful at times, this can cause injury to yourself as well as your attacker (ie broken hand, foot or shin etc).

The goal of Judo is to break balance and use the ground as your weapon. Please try to punch, kick or even grab someone when you are off balance, it is very difficult if not impossible in most cases. Then imagine your body hitting the ground at around 70kph (from a good hip throw), the consequences are devestating.

It is a tough MA to learn and rather scary (IMO) at first, injuries are common but that is a part of the art, you just have to learn from them and condition your body to deal with the punishment.

It's not so much is commercial success as it is it's goal... judo as a whole really isn't that popular in america at all. But, the goal of most judo clubs these days is to merely continue the tradition of judo... and naturally, this is best done through kids. I'm lucky enough to train at a gym with some serious competitors - guys who compete on national, international and world levels - but there are many great gyms. Actually, given the nature of judo - lots of randori and drilling - I bet even the hobbyist guys are well suited to defend themselves.

True but i find its getting harder and harder to find a real good quality judo dojo out there, because of its commercial success.

[italian_guy]

I selected goju but I think that also shotokan it can be effective as well. Why not Aikido? Because it takes longer time to be self defence effective and why not Judo, because it is mostly a sport even if it has self-defence application, if I need to learn a grappling MA for self defence my choice would be either JJJ or BJJ. I think that with Jiu Jitsu you are better prepared to defend from strikes.

[Kasumi27]

i would still stick with aikido cause i'm an aikido practioner and in the long term, its more worth the while.

but ultimately its still up to you.

if you want to master the art quicky, then aikido is not gonna be your cup of tea.....

[shotokanwarrior]

Judo is great but you also want an art that will teach you how to use and deal with weapons, if you are talking about self defense.

[Simo]

yeh id go for goju, its more of a inclose fighting style.

[Whitefeather]

In my opinion, it is all in the instructor and the dojo. I would say, that, if tought correctly, Shotokan or Gojo would be the best for personal defense, but, unless you have a perfect (with respect to the style) dojo nearby for each of the styles you listed, then it is not really the style, but the instructor and his/her teaching philosophies and methods that make the difference. There are TKD schools out there that teach better self defense than most Karate schools, and visa versa. You can put any two types of MA in that sentence, and, it almost always holds true. I personally think that you should try out ALL of the dojos in your area, or, if nothing else, all of the dojos of the four styles you specified. Find a dojo that, firstly, you can fit into, because if you do not fit in, I can guarantee that you will not last, and, secondly, a dojo with a knowledgable instructor that ranks practicality above being traditional or pretty. Basically, go to a bunch of dojos, watch a few classes (especially advanced classes, as that is how you can see what you will become if you join), try a few classes, and chat with the instructor(s).

Good luck,

David

[Menjo]

Plus it has a lot of energy training and deeper things you are unlikely ever to see in a Shotokan dojo (not "bashing" Shotokan per se...it's just not where their focus is).

I dont mean to argue and I'm sure you know this, however I believe that the deeper things are acheived through the simple things. If the deeper things are given and not achieved, then the deep loses its depth. Also, simple things are often overlooked, as they(yes i'll say it)...always... have a deeper meaning . I know what you mean though, it just takes time to get to those "deeper" things.

Just some thoughts.