We’d all like to take the quickest route when learning to defend ourselves but, realistically, it all depends on how fast of a learner you are and coupled with the practice you put in.
Some self-defense courses are run over a few hours or days for about 1 hour per session, while others are offered as a long term class lasting for a few months especially if this involves learning the sport behind the self-defense course in more detail.
How Long Does It Take To Learn Self-defense?
You can learn the basic principles of self-defense in a matter of 1-2 hours if your interest is just to understand quick techniques, weak areas or pressure points of your attacker and to effectively strike and getaway. But remember, being able to apply what you learn will require practice or refreshing your memory for a couple of hours every few months or attending regular classes for weeks or even years to perfect your technique.
The average cost would be around $45, get your exact lesson price here at www.lessons.com.
To be fair, how long it takes you to learn self-defense will defer from person to person, for example, someone who does a lot of sport or has previous martial art training might find it easier to grasp physical routines after one repetition and may require a shorter course lasting only a few days while other people may take a bit longer.
The duration to learning self-defense also depends on how prepared you’d like to be or to what degree you’d like to apply it. In addition to your experience, other factors are your learning ability, how much you value self-defense & the degree of threat you face every day.
For example, if you work in dangerous areas or if you utilize multiple modes of public transportation late into the evenings, it’s likely that you’ll value learning self defense more and be prepared to spend a longer duration in practice while others who are less likely to even use self defense may only require knowledge of the fundamentals of it. Whichever it is, finding the right class for yourself is very possible.
What Is The Quickest Self-Defense To Learn?
I’d say, the quickest self-defense to learn would firstly not be learning any official art of fighting at all. Rather learning how to deliver strategic and effective strikes at your attacker to disable them for a few seconds enough to get away or raise some attention of the situation.
Realistically, if you asked this question at some point of your search on self-defense, then clearly you’re looking for the steepest learning curve which is in the least amount of time because you, just like myself probably have much less time than those who can afford to spend 2-3 hours weekly at a martial Dujo or you don’t really want to learn a sport but still want to be able to protect yourself or family only if it’s wise to retaliate.
In my case, I merely wanted to know some quick and effective tricks to disable an attacker if and when I needed to protect myself and my family without me having to memorize some routine of ‘left, right, duck, left uppercut, right hook’. To be honest, I might as well say, ‘just hold on a sec Mr Attacker, I need to think about my combination first, then take my 45-degree fight stance and okay let’s fight’.
So, I’d say this is a case of less is more and if you thought about the question of which is the quickest Self-Defense to learn, then I wouldn’t recommend any official martial arts or combat sport to complicate matters.
The quickest way to familiarize yourself with self-defense techniques and strategies is to attend a more intense self defense course. These usually last a few hours, sometimes run over several days, and discuss the basics of self-defense as well as giving you the opportunity to practice with an instructor or spar with other learners.
Although intensive courses are a great introduction to self defense techniques and strategies, in a high-pressure situation most of us would find it hard to draw on what we learned without a bit more practice.
Practicing by yourself is a good start but even better if you can convince a friend to attend the course with you and practice together at home from time to time.
If you’re looking to take long-term classes, it’s best to join a club that teaches combat techniques specifically intended for self defense. Although some martial arts styles, like jiu-jitsu, are quite well suited to self defense it’s not entirely what they were designed for. Good self defense classes will draw on the best techniques from various fight styles to teach you how to use them against the kinds of attack you’re likely to encounter.
There’s also a question of what kind of attack you hope to be able to defend yourself against. While a few hours practicing how to get out of chokes and holds might work against a chancer, it probably won’t be much use if your attacker has fighting experience. To defend yourself in more complicated situations, such as an opponent with fight training or an armed opponent, would require a longer-term training.
How Long Are Self Defense Classes?
Most self-defense class sessions run between 1-2 hours. There are a wide range of class options available based on your exact needs. If you pick an intensive course you might do two or three hours a day over a couple of days. A more in-depth course would be one or two hours a week for several weeks.
Long term classes offer a similar program to martial arts, where students dedicate 1 hour or more each week to practice and improve, often with grading systems. These classes can be attended indefinitely, with more complicated and challenging techniques taught as you progress.
What Is The Average Cost Of Self-Defense Classes?
The cost of self-defense classes depends firstly on what kind of class you join, but can vary depending on where you live and your instructor’s qualifications.
- A seminar, lasting 2 or 3 hours typically costs around $45 on average.
- An intensive course totaling 5 to 10 hours spread over a few days costs around $60 to $100.
- A 20 hour course, carried out over a few weeks, can cost between $200 and $450.
- Long term classes cost around $60 – $150 a month.
- Private lessons usually cost around $50 for about an hour, but are available from anywhere between $20 and $150. Prices vary based on the instructor’s qualifications.
Get your exact lesson price here at www.lessons.com.
Are There Ways To Join Self-Defense Classes At A Cheaper Price?
Yes, this is possible by getting price discounts when you join programs that offer more value for money eg.
- Have a look online and on community notice boards if there are any free self defense classes or seminars in your area
- Buying package deals, where you sign up for a number of classes in one go, can bring the price per class down.
- Some memberships include unlimited classes whereas others are for a set number of hours per week. Some clubs offer more than one type of class, so you can take a martial arts class in addition to your self defense classes.
- You might have self defense or martial arts classes included in your gym subscription, or offered for free by your university or college.
- Searching online for coupon codes
- There might be a discount when paying upfront for your self defense course instead of in installments
Wrapping Things Up…
The duration of self-defense classes depends on how much of value you find in these classes by the risk you find yourself in day to day living. Whether it’s a longer class or a shorter one followed by just practicing self-defense at home, you will need repetition in your training to help make your reactions in life-threatening situations instinctive or second nature. Instead of flight or freeze mode, you’ll want to have the option of triggering your fight mode, only if the situation is appropriate.
