martial arts
I started in the local Golden Gloves program when I was young, then did a year with a tang soo do instructor who had returned from military service and was enrolled at the local university. My freshman year in college I started ****o ryu karate - still at it after 35 years in the same organization.
I am a co-owner of a dojo where we teach ****o ryu and ryukyu kobudo (Okinawan weapons). In addition, I built a training facility at my home. I started study of Japanese sword arts around 1991 - I now study 2 styles, one of which is very straightforward, with a focus on clean, powerful cutting strokes, body movement to avoid your opponents cut while striking, etc. The other style is one of the hereditary classical arts, very aggressive with both long and short swords. I teach a small group of students in an advanced program that is focused around sword, but also involves escrima and jujitsu (I have an instructor who comes in weekly to teach these) as well as firearms. The firearms is primarily pistol, as that is my thing. We also do some really intense physical training. This group is limited to a maximum of six, and is really where I do my training. During the summer, I usually have one or two of the students living at my house. We train daily, as Musashi advised: "The Way is in daily training".
The important thing is that I do it because I love it - not to get to a certain rank, not to lose weight, etc., etc. I simply enjoy training more than other activities.
IMHO, if what you are looking for is some empty hand ability to supplement your range and options in connection with CCW, traditional martial arts are not the path to go. They will get you there, along with a lot of other benefits, but by far not the most efficient program. A good conditioning program, a training program that integrates mental training and conditioning with some straightforward striking / grappling defense.
Just because an organization has the words "self defense" in their advertising doesn't mean they are providing either reliable information about themselves or training that will make you competent at defending yourself.
· They are selling you something – the idea of a competent physical answer to interpersonal violence. To support this, many schools focus on only the physical piece, building the belief that the best response to violence is a physical response rather than awareness, prediction and avoidance.
· The techniques taught are both untested and unreliable against what you are likely to encounter – most importantly, how criminals and predators really operate.
· The training typically plays to preconceived ideas, unfounded assumptions about how violence actually happens in the real world, and how things happen on TV and in the movies.
· Most fail to consider what happens when the violence is real: adrenal stress and the ingrained moral/ethical inhibitions against violence (see Grossman).
Here is what you may have to deal with in the real world:
open hand – striking and grappling
Impact Weapons
Edged Weapons
and
Pistols-up close
A BG can use anyone of those – and often if things go physical you will have to deal with transitions in a fast moving environment. Even if you are armed, you may start with your open hands. You definitely need the skill to get your weapon out and be able to use it after you are engaged.
To complement basic personal safety/defense and to complement CCW, I think your training should:
Emphasize the study of pre-assault indicators and how to avoid being selected as a victim
integrate methods of deployment for your weapons
utilize realistic defenses to realistic attacks, the type that are likely to occur
utilize practice against a resisting partner who is not “playing along”
doesn't assume that people will always play in your best skill set.
For well rounded training, the muay thai / jujitsu route is really pretty good for a solid training base.