Personal defence kit ?

[Tonka]

I've done a few but there is only one I still practice.

I did Judo as a kid. It's safe... but it's a sport. Good for holds and throws... no punches or kicks.

I did muay thai (kick boxing) in my youth. Good for physical development, but is more about power and high kicks. Lacks subtly.

I dabbled in Karate ... kind of like kick boxing without actually being able to block properly... your left had is always low, so allowing everyone to punch you in the head a lot.

The one that worked for me is Taijutsu. It is 'supposedly' the unarmed style of the Ninja... but in reality it is just Ju-Jitsu in a more flexible style, that enables you to adapt to an opponent better.

For example in Ju-Jitsu yo learn kata that are linear, one move after another. In Taijutsu the kata are more like a troubleshooting diagram, where each move has a string of options to follow depending on what your opponent does.
Other than that it's pretty much Ju-Jitsu moves ... but it also has a lot more rolls in it and you get to wear black rather than white.

I would recommend a good Ju-Jitsu class or find a Bujinkan Ninjitsu school if you can. You may feel a bit of a nob playing at being a ninja, but you learn some pretty brutal stuff in a good way that works. I have run a number of successful real life experiments as a bouncer, and that was only the tame stuff.

I was sold on it in my first few months practice, I was about 20 years old, 6'2" 16 stone of muscle, and I had my arse handed to me by a 5'9" 50 year old with a beerbelly kids could use as a bouncy castle. I was no novice at the time, I was a pretty good at kick boxer, but it was like he turned to water and just flowed around me. It's disconcerting when you throw a punch and your target appears behind you tapping you on the shoulder. I later learned that that is 'the flow'. I still haven't fully mastered it myself though.

You even learn how to tackle someone pointing a shotgun at you from across a room. Imagine a man 10 foot away pointing a shotgun at your face... you are unarmed and they intend to kill you... what do you do? I wouldn't have believed it possible if I hadn't done it (not real life this time... just tried it out with airsoft).