Advice please

Dear Sir/Madam.

I hope you didn't mind me sending you this e-mail. I came across your magazine by chance and thought I would get it as I would like to ask for your advice. I would like to join a self defence class, I used to do Ju-Jitsu but gave up when I had my son. I have curvature of the spine but I would still like to learn. I have been told that Akido is the nearest to Ju-Jitsu or Karate. Please can you advise me? Many thanks.

Yours sincerely

Aura (miss)

Karate involes little to no throws, but contains standing techniques that include kicking.

Aikido involes wrist and joint malipulations, joint locks, throws and disarms. The theorys behind Aikido are aimed at defence.

My advice would be to talk to your doctor, I don't know what limits, if any, your condition would bring to your study of jujitsu or other martial arts.

If you would be unable to participate in practicing throwing, or being thrown by your fellow students, I would recommend finding out about an instructor that might be able to adjust their syllabus to properly represent your abilities in other techniques.

If however an arrangement cannot be made, possibly a martial art involving standing techniques such as karate would be more suited to your self defence.

The other possibility is with brazilian jiujitsu. This heavily consentrates on ground fighting, gaining dominant positions and submissions such as joint locks, cranks/crushes and strangulation whilst on the ground. With typically a more modern approach to training, you may have more luck finding a professional instructor in this martial art able to adjust the syllubus to suit the needs of the individual.

ninjutsu is also an art to look at as i have seen people who are blind and disabled training

Then the question is posed, were they blind and disabled before they started? :-/

some were before they started i think the style of ju-jutsu makes a difference a self-defence style can be adapted to suit the person and let us not forget they compete in judo at the disabled olympics

Yes, judo is well suited to the blind, but you're missing the point. I can't judo with a bad back, so I don't expect others to be able.

the point i was trying to make was that a art can be studied regardless if you keep at it does not have to be judo

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