There's a reason they call it Martial Arts, because like teaching, painting or cooking, everyone does it differently. I would suggest you start by meditating, listen to the sounds around you. Try to draw a room or something you're familiar with from memory. Focus on training your body to pay more attention to everything around you. While doing that begin a regime of exercise designed for strength, flexibility and endurance. There god knows how many different forms of martial art. Each one works for some people and not others depending on your body type and the way you move and think.

Go to you tube after practicing exercise and see which way of moving seems to match the way you move and your personality. Then focus on finding a way to learn that art.

Learn a basic left or right hook-these can be learnt with the aid of good books and video's and a bag or rubber man.

Anything further than that requires an instructor and sparring/training partner i am afraid.

Sorry, Conor. But what you want cannot happen with online studies. Learning martial art from a book or video cannot help you in a real fight. You need a living breathing teaching who can correct you and guide you.

From my experience, if you want a really practical (as in you can actually use it when you're on the street) system of self-defense, you should check here http://www.downloadita.it/r/rd.asp?gid=4...

All of the other martial arts are mainly for show (like really showy, cool-looking, and performance geared) or are philosophical (like Aikido, it focuses more on mental strength etc).

For example, I've done Taikwondo ever since I was a kid until high school (I'm in college now), and I still can't even defend myself that well on the street. All I remember from TKD training is focusing on forms and breaking boards and stuff. Things that look good when you're performing in front of a crowd, but not very practical on the street.

I've also done 2 years of Aikido. I actually really like the philosophy behind it. It's also pretty much an all-out defense art. But, again, it's not that practical when you're on the street.

I don't have anything against the other arts. I think they're great for building confidence and developing a philosophy. It's just that when you're on the street, people don't play by the rules. The attacker isn't always going to use roundhouse kicks and straight punches. That's why I recommend this technicque, which teaches you how to deal with street situations where people play dirty: knee, knives, guns, uppercut, jab, etc.

Check it out!!

Go work at McDonalds, get money, and learn some real self defense?

Take some self defense classes then.

Trying to learn self defense from internet videos is like masturbating, at the end you are only screwing yourself.

Gracie Jiu Jitsu is a great way to defend yourself. Also, krav maga. I would go with krav maga for self defense. They teach weapon defenses and all that, although gjj does too. I would still go with krav maga dude.

If you don't want to spend, YouTube would be a great place to start.

YouTube is your best friend :D

I found myself in a predicament the other day details in another qn I asked long story short I was hit and lucky me and my friends dad were not attacked I live in a rural area and have no money to drive to self defence classes does anyone know where I can learn useful moves online for free

Help would be really appreciated