The “which martial art is best”for self-defense” is ongoing argument, to the point that people are often mindkilled by it. However, for purposes of self-confidence in dealing with other males it shouldn’t/doesn’t matter. I have a black belt in judo, and I can anecdotally confirm that there is a strong influence on self-confidence. But this is about perception of relative prowess, not measurement of actual prowess. You will know the level of your own martial training; you likely won’t know whether other men have had more or less training, so your heuristic is still going to be mostly on the appearance of strength (maybe a little bit on fluidity of motion if you know what you’re looking for). If you saw me and my teachers on the street, you would guess that I was the most dangerous—I’m both taller than they are and visibly extremely strong. But you would be wrong; either of them could tear me apart in seconds.
Moreover, I think that most martial arts as taught and practiced in the West instill a false sense of confidence since most fighting is limited sparring with strict rules. People are trained to pull their punches and not make contact or make a very light contact (this is worse in striking arts and better in grappling arts). People get completely used to the idea that some body areas (e.g. throat) should never be attacked in sparring. People do not have experience of being hit or having to fight through pain.
So, confidence, yes. Practical fighting skills, not so much.
The “which martial art is best”for self-defense” is ongoing argument, to the point that people are often mindkilled by it. However, for purposes of self-confidence in dealing with other males it shouldn’t/doesn’t matter. I have a black belt in judo, and I can anecdotally confirm that there is a strong influence on self-confidence. But this is about perception of relative prowess, not measurement of actual prowess. You will know the level of your own martial training; you likely won’t know whether other men have had more or less training, so your heuristic is still going to be mostly on the appearance of strength (maybe a little bit on fluidity of motion if you know what you’re looking for). If you saw me and my teachers on the street, you would guess that I was the most dangerous—I’m both taller than they are and visibly extremely strong. But you would be wrong; either of them could tear me apart in seconds.
I’m not so sure whether Aikido which doesn’t includes competitive fighting is as good at creating confidence as something like Krav Maga which does.
I think it does.
Moreover, I think that most martial arts as taught and practiced in the West instill a false sense of confidence since most fighting is limited sparring with strict rules. People are trained to pull their punches and not make contact or make a very light contact (this is worse in striking arts and better in grappling arts). People get completely used to the idea that some body areas (e.g. throat) should never be attacked in sparring. People do not have experience of being hit or having to fight through pain.
So, confidence, yes. Practical fighting skills, not so much.
That doesn’t seem to be relevant, as krav maga exactly teaches you things like targeting the throat (or groin).