a friend studied a few and also taught police training for a while, and when I said nah I never did any martial arts , but I wrestled in High school he said what do you think wrestling is. his emphasis was do one any one make it one that you enjoy and that there is a facility training it near by. learning more than one is ideal because once you know the form you know the next counter , but if your switching it up with multiple forms your a harder book to read.

but that if you need it your not likely to be going against anyone trained so most any will do.

75% is balance , learning your body and keeping on your feet.

now If i could find a school for it I would like to learn Fairbain-Sykes method that developed a mixed method simplifying down and mixing forms to then teach to OSS and Marine Raiders.

How about the Apostle Paul. He got his butt whipped pretty bad a couple of times as I recall.
And weren't all but one of the disciples murdered?
Stephen was stoned to death by an angry mob.
Johnathon, David's friend, was faithful to God but was killed by the enemy.


David has already been mentioned. He relied completely on God and then went hand-to-hand, stacking up dead Phillistine like cord-wood. God prepared him for battle in advance by bringing him the lion and bear to practice his fighting skills and build his confidence.

God enabled Samson with supernatural strength who then went full live Gonzo slaughtering Phillistines.

Peter was a pretty salty character. Jesus told his disciples that if they didn't have a sword then they had better go get one.

I'm all in favor of depending completely on God's strength. But God usually accomplishes his purpose through ordinary means. He sure raised up some pretty bad-to-the-bone killers throughout history.

Psalm 144:1

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle

Kickboxing would be a great class to take. There are fighting gyms and excercise gyms that teach it so make sure you’re in the fighting gym.

You can learn to fight right away but you are still going to lose: learning to fight and win takes time and experience. Experience is expensive, broken nose, facial scars, potential head injuries and broken bones. Suggest you learn to beef up at a gym, like cross fit. Taking a hit is as important as giving one. Most street fights last less than 90 seconds. The military teaches minimal hand to hand in about 2 weeks, they know you have less than 30 seconds to live through it. Beef up, get smart and learn to evade confrontation. learn to live to fight another day: learn to survive. Even if you win, your gonna hurt and maybe in jail for a long time.

BJJ.

I learned some basics from my old man.Strike first,fast and hard,and better to fight and get away and be around to fight another day.(in other words get the job done and get out of dodge before the cops show up).

No need for all of that broken stuff and injuries and beef up guys are the first one to quit on SEAL teams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvbuT3mxrNY&t=24s

Beefing up did nothing for me the last time I was doing Muay Thai. Glass jaw here. One stiff shot and lights out for me. And I was about 225 and pretty cut at that point

My sons and I already in pretty good shape. I'm not bulky or muscle-bound by any means but I jog, bike, work out with dumbbells and do lots of calisthenics like push-ups, chin ups, dips, squats, situps, etc. I'm a better trapper and firefighter because of it, too. I'm never going to be an imposing physical presence - especially as I get older. And I don't think just being strong is going to automatically make us effective fighters, either.

I do eventually want to learn to take a hit. I don't want to get beat up but I think some boxing sparring or an equivalent would be great experience.

I heard that in Krav Maga, one of the first things they teach you is that "I can run faster scared than you can angry". In other words, running away is an excellent self-defense technique and should be one of the top options. I'm not looking to be a bully or to get into fights. I think most all martial arts teach you to avoid a fight whenever possible and also show you how to do that. I hate confrontation and conflict. But I want to be as prepared as possible if the need to fight comes along. Confidence for my sons and I that we can make a decent showing for ourselves if we have to is very important - whether we ever have to use it for self-defense or not. Mentally, running away because its the smart thing to do is completely different than running away out of fear when there was something worth fighting for. A brave man might die once but a coward dies a thousand times. There are worse things than dying.

There have been quite a few suggestions listed here and I thank you for them. I've never heard of most of those so if there is some reason you think they may be good options I'd be interested to know why you think they are a good option.

Unfortunately, not living close to a large population center, it seems my options are limited.

im getting older. if I have to use my hands or feet its going to have to end fast. im not trying for a knockout or pressure point. I will walk away as my first choice. if that wont work it aint gonna be pretty. no way I could trade punches with a young guy even if I was inclined to

Sadly, there's a Gracie Academy not far from where I work. But its about 50 miles from where my sons live and go to school. And this is something we need to do together. It would be completely impractical for them to train there.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the whole point of learning a martial art is to avoid having to trade punches. I don't care how good of a fighter you are, standing up face to face an exchanging blows is dangerous and stupid.

Yeah, you can enjoy your video's; 27 years combined service between the Army and the Navy (retired Navy): I turned 50 in Iraq in OIF II. I have been in over 50 countries. It takes 10 to 30 support people and a lot of technology to put in a team of door kickers (Army, Marine Navy). Do not compare the average Joe to to any military person yet alone an operator or what ever is your favorite brand/flavor of the month based on TV and youtube. Do not compare apples oranges and lemons as there are alot of 3rd world people dressed in rags with old AK's that have put a thumping on a lot of professionals since Indo-China. What I said was true. Chief Hanson USN retired.

My friend you are not wrong. In time, with training you gain the confidence and carry yourself in a way that they know to leave you alone. The point is to avoid fights and make friends. The truth is there is some very bad people out there and like a gun, it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Ground work is very important.
The other main point, it's fun to train and keeps you in very good shape and make new friends. For kids, it benefits them in every area in their life. Teaches to eat healthy, keeps in shape, builds confidence and list goes on.


Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the whole point of learning a martial art is to avoid having to trade punches. I don't care how good of a fighter you are, standing up face to face an exchanging blows is dangerous and stupid. [/quote]