Originally Posted By: oldsoldier
When we were in Cuba, we had the opportunity to work with some Israeli guy who taught us Hagganah (I likely spelled it wrong).


Nope, your spelling is fine. It literally means "defense".

Originally Posted By: ironraven

As for what to learn, always unarmed. Which one is up to you, there are good and bad schools for all hundred or so different formal styles. I suggest something eventually adds stick/sword, staff and knife techniques, because those are always going to around. Fireams as well.


Martial arts involving sword/stick training tend to be a bit... artsy. That is, if you find a good Kendo or Escrima school, more power to you, but it's just so hard to find a self-defense class that actually teaches you valuable skills, I'd say weapons training is secondary.

This is coming from someone who had to shop for a staff and bokken while still a white-belt. I switched dojos just before the Shuriken group buy...
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