Will any MA teach me how to defend myself?

[youlikeadajuice?]

I opened up the phone book and checked it out, and it appears that there is only karate.

I was interested in anything that would teach me how to kick a little ass if I need to.

What are some common disciplines that I may be able to find, that would help me achieve my goals?

 

[Ganryu]

IMO, it varies when it comes to Karate. Some sensei are very interested in katas and tournament fighting. Some are not. Also, it will depend on how well you can adapt the techniques you learn to defend yourself. Do you know what style of Karate it is? If you are just looking for a little self defense, there are many options. Boxing being the easiest to find.

 

[Big Rick Rock]

I was interested in anything that would teach me how to kick a little ass if I need to.
QUOTE]


What you are looking for is something you can take just for self defense purposes not necessarily sport... I would suggest Krav Maga.

You don't sound like you want some heavy commitment MA, in some Karate schools it may take several Months before you become combat effective.

 

[LARGELI]

If I had to rely on one art for self defense it would be Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
I took Karate for 2 years when i was younger, and i recently started BJJ and i can honestly say i had more confidence in defending myself after 1 BJJ class, then i did in 2 years of karate!
In karate you practice self defense moves against someone who you know what there gonna do. Example, you practice blocking and countering a punch. You know what is coming and what youre going to do to defend it. In a street fight you do not know whats coming and the attacker wont move as slow as your sparing partner in karate.

In a BJJ class you spend most the time applying moves youve learned against someone who is trying to do the same. your partner is not putting his hand out there for you to grab. he is trying to beat you and is resisting fully. After you submit someone you are confident that it works b/c you have just proved it! Not to mention that 90% of all street fights end up on the ground and 90% of the people dont know what the fuck to do once they get taken down.

Basically in karate you get promoted based on how long youve been ther, and in BJJ you get promoted based on how good youve become. I know white belts in BJJ who could whoop some TKD or karate black belts.

 

[youlikeadajuice?]

Thats correct that I'm not in it for the sport/competition.

Karate just seems to me like a money racket, where its treated like an after school activity, and not treated as a serious means of defense. ( I could be wrong- too much Karate kid when I was young)

Although boxing or kickboxing were the obvious choices... I was thinking the same thing that largi said, and that being what happens when the fight goes to the ground.

Although I would love to be the next tito ortiz, or hoyce gracie - I'm not really interested in training for years.

I'd like to get the endurace, learn to defend, cardio benefit.

 

[ErikZ]

Thats correct that I'm not in it for the sport/competition.

Karate just seems to me like a money racket, where its treated like an after school activity, and not treated as a serious means of defense. ( I could be wrong- too much Karate kid when I was young)

Although boxing or kickboxing were the obvious choices... I was thinking the same thing that largi said, and that being what happens when the fight goes to the ground.

Although I would love to be the next tito ortiz, or hoyce gracie - I'm not really interested in training for years.

I'd like to get the endurace, learn to defend, cardio benefit.

It depends on the Sensei you have... It is true that many karate schools today are more worried in making you learn Katas and make you go into Tournaments and stuff like that...
My Sensei though, discourages tournaments entirely... He says that the "soften a karateka". He says that tournaments are irrealistic... He enfasises what karate was all about when it began: A free hand way of self defense...

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

Any martial art where you apply technique against a resisting opponent in real space and time will help you.

 

[rodneyabs]

"90% of all street fights end up on the ground"

Not true. The gracies would like everyone to believe that there are hundreds of thousands of EVIL ex-olympic caliber wrestlers out there who are going to shoot a double on you at the onset of a streetfight.

I've cross trained in bjj, shootwrestling, and am Instructor level in Muay thai. Guess how many times fights have gone to the ground? About twice out of 30 or so street fights.

I've bounced in 5 different nightclubs and the only time I see a fight go to the ground is when two fat idiots get tired and pull each other to the ground.

BJJ is a GREAT art that everyone should train in. However, try using bjj in a packed nightclub or when there are 3 guys who want to kill you and you are alone or with your gf. PUts a totally different paintjob on things.

IMO muay thai is the best followed very closely by BJJ. BUT i'd recommend people train in both.

 

[Griz1]

"90% of all street fights end up on the ground"

I've bounced in 5 different nightclubs and the only time I see a fight go to the ground is when two fat idiots get tired and pull each other to the ground.

QUOTE]


LOL!!!!! Total agreement!

I had a fat guy do that to me once (just stormed me, wrapped his arms around me and drag me down with his 300 lb frame) and my buddy told me that on the way down I was asking the guy "What are you gay or somethin?"

Being an old ex-wrestler I got up and behind him in about 2 seconds though, I was laughing the whole time too. Felt like I needed a shower when it was over though...ICK!

 

[Warpath]

Karate is absolute BULLSHIT! Its just a bunch of pussies who think they have some fuckin magical kungfu power. Boxing, muay tai, brazillian jju or greco roman are the best, a combo of striking and grappling. Everything else is just a bunch of deluded fuck ups hallucinating that they can take on 20 guys at the same time.

 

[Frango]

Aikido is pretty effective too. I wish I had time to learn that in addition to BJJ.

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

"90% of all street fights end up on the ground"

Not true. The gracies would like everyone to believe that there are hundreds of thousands of EVIL ex-olympic caliber wrestlers out there who are going to shoot a double on you at the onset of a streetfight.

I've cross trained in bjj, shootwrestling, and am Instructor level in Muay thai. Guess how many times fights have gone to the ground? About twice out of 30 or so street fights.

I've bounced in 5 different nightclubs and the only time I see a fight go to the ground is when two fat idiots get tired and pull each other to the ground.

BJJ is a GREAT art that everyone should train in. However, try using bjj in a packed nightclub or when there are 3 guys who want to kill you and you are alone or with your gf. PUts a totally different paintjob on things.

IMO muay thai is the best followed very closely by BJJ. BUT i'd recommend people train in both.

So when you hit your opponent they never fell to the ground? Did they just wave their hands and shout, "No mas" after a couple of hits? The statistic the Gracies quote is somewhat misleading.

 

[karde]

Why would you want to take a real fight to the ground? If the guy has friends with him, then your head is about to get pounded....especially in a bar or club. For self-defense, people don't fight fair, or follow rules. Very very few fights i have seen in clubs were "man-to-man".

Learning ground fighting is important, in case it does go to the ground. Yet, I agree with rodneyabs, learn some stand up style, and some ground fighting, ignoring one aspect puts a big hole in your capabilities.

 

[hub5326]

I agree 100% that the ground is a bad place to be in a real fight. Waaayyyy to many variables, most of them aren't on your side and wear steel toes...

 

[jubei]

the effectiveness of karate depends on the sensei and the style. I have seen schools and individuals who were devestating as well as those who were a joke. Best for self defense imo would be bjj,mt,kickboxing in that order.

 

[ZacTargac]

I learned some brazilian jiu-jitsu from a foregin exchange friend who worked with me lifeguarding.

He showed me some awsome moves and told me a lot about it.
I hear it takes a very very long time to make black-belt.

 

[jubei]

^^it should.

 

[eitan27]

hehe this is fun

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

I agree 100% that the ground is a bad place to be in a real fight. Waaayyyy to many variables, most of them aren't on your side and wear steel toes...

Who is better able to understand how not to go to the ground than someone who practices the takedowns and takedown defense? Frankly whether you know bjj, thai boxing, western boxing, krav magna, dim mak, or Smith and Wesson three men determined to shit stomp you into oblivion in closed quarters have the advantage. You have the same limited field of view whether you are mounted or facing off against someone.

 

[Roidboyz]

No offence, you tran=ined in a shity dojo. I train in both karate and bjj. good and bad to both but the can be very complementary. So many Karate schools are all kata and point sparring, if thats what your after its cool but if you look you can find some very talented fighter out there to teach you what you want to know. Just my .02

 

[Skeeter101]

NO one style by itself is good you need to cross train!

 

[Judo Tom]

the best thing you can do is read up on a few styles than go visit a bunch of schools and see how lessons are run..

then go join a judo club!!!!

im serious that is what will keep you with something

 

[Sasuke]

just cross train with a grappling art and a striking art.

 

[bullykilla]

hey guys,
great thread.
i just found this which can be quite helpful...
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Defend-Yourself-Front-Choke-Release-3330906

 

[bluejay]

hey guys,
great thread.
i just found this which can be quite helpful...
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Defend-Yourself-Front-Choke-Release-3330906

Who the hell really chokes someone like that anyways? Andre the Giant?

Hehe PLEASE don't take offense to this because I know you mean well and any info should be looked at...

But I guess coming from a BJJ background it just seems ludicrous to try and choke someone like that. You have no leverage there whatsoever and have to rely on pure hand strength. Now that I think about it, I guess there are some brain-dead meat-heads out there who could possibly attempt that.

 

[redsamurai]

coming from a bar background, BJJ isn't terribly effective. I still want to eventually find a bjj school here in Toronto because I think it's good to be well rounded and there's always a chance to find yourself on your back. But in the kind of melee that can insue in a bar or more often than not, directly outside.......going on your back is a no no and if you find yourself being shot on, best to grab the dude's head and twist......he'll abandon that shoot pretty quick when he realizes that it's going to cost him a broken neck. Of fuking eye gouge, whatever...we're talking street fighting. For standup, something that's close and dirty. There's alot of value in muay thai knee and elbow strikes. At the risk of sounding redundant, because I'm sure it's been said here over and over...........avoid the schools that have you jumping in the air and spinning and shit like that. Those kind of techiques are useless unless you plan on going into theatrical martial arts. Judo probably teaches you the best techniques for gaining leverage in a scrum, and leverage is the golden chalice to winning fights.

 

[SofaGeorge]

the best thing you can do is read up on a few styles than go visit a bunch of schools and see how lessons are run..

then go join a judo club!!!!

im serious that is what will keep you with something

Bruce Lee made a brilliant statement many years ago. It went something like:

How do you beat a man with 15 years of experience in the martial arts? Simple. Take boxing and wrestling for one year and he is yours.

(I wish I knew the exact quote.)

It is the truest statement ever made. You won't ever use any of the nutty stuff you learn in most martial arts schools. If you ever actually get in a fight... you will use boxing and or wrestling/judo. I stress the judo because judo throws are just like boxing in that in the real world.. YOU USE THEM. And once it goes to the ground... wrestling/judo are semi the same... but I'd sure rather be judo trained and choke the guy out.

In stand up fights... it is going to be boxing boxing boxing.

I've been studying martial arts since 1974.. and YES I have used kicks in fights... so don't get me wrong... knowing and being good at the basic kicks is a huge plus... and I've done KO kicks to the head in street fights... but for every one kick you throw there are going to be a thousand jab crosses.

Boxing and judo rule when it comes to real world fighting. Everything else is great to know. Krav maga.. muay thai... TKD.. all these styles teach you great things... but get your fundementals down first.

 

[bvlgary]

Apologies bvlgary. I accidentally deleted your post. Feel free to repost.

 

[Djimbe]

SofaGeorge :

Bruce Lee was an actor with only ONE fight against a reesisting opponent in his adult life . His opinions about what "works" and what does not are/were Armchair at best . The fact is that he , like most who speak like he did , never stepped foot inside a Karate or Judo Dojo anbd humbled themselves enough to take a lesson . Mas Oyama was a Contemporary of Bruce , as was Judo Gene LeBelle Either would have handed him his ass and choked him with his own Guts .

 

[calyptus]

SofaGeorge :

Bruce Lee was an actor with only ONE fight against a reesisting opponent in his adult life . His opinions about what "works" and what does not are/were Armchair at best . The fact is that he , like most who speak like he did , never stepped foot inside a Karate or Judo Dojo anbd humbled themselves enough to take a lesson . Mas Oyama was a Contemporary of Bruce , as was Judo Gene LeBelle Either would have handed him his ass and choked him with his own Guts .

Never set foot into a judo dojo? He actually trained with LeBelle.

Bruce won a Hong Kong boxing tournament.

Get your facts right. Bruce knew very well what he was talking about, unlike you.

EDIT: hey weren't you that guy that was ridiculed on bullshido with the bjj-movie?

All I'd like to add to this thread is, on the internet, everybody claims to be a seasoned streetfighter, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[wv_runner77]

I have trained in BJJ, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling I would not call myself great. I trained with pros boxing and some of the best kickboxers in the U.S. I got four at NAGA in OH and wrestled in high school. I have been in lots of street fights not anymore married and 31 now, no more bars. Kickboxing does not work that good in a street fight. Maybe if you wear kickboxing paints to the bar. I have used knees they worked good. I don't like going to the ground, but if I did wrestling moves helped me more. I am not a Bruce Lee fan, but I think he was some what right.

 

[Djimbe]

Never set foot into a judo dojo? He actually trained with LeBelle.

No , Lebelle carried him around a movie set while bruce shouted threats at him ...

"When I got to the set Benny pointed Bruce out and told me to go put him in a headlock or something� Well, I�m a good employee and I always listen to the boss, so I went over to grab Bruce and he starts making all those crazy noises he became famous for. As a joke, I picked him up and put him on my shoulder in a fireman's carry kind of thing, then I ran down the length of the set and back again. Bruce says "put me down or I'll kill you". So I run down the set again and he says, "put me down" and I say "I can't put you down or you'll kill me". After that I sat down and talked to my boss and the other crew members for a couple minutes with him up on my shoulder. He finally crawled off, we all had a good laugh, and we went and shot our scenes.

After wich they may have worked out together a few times , but Bruce never humbled himself and became a student .

Nice , you have a Pose From a Movie . Now JCVD and Segal are teh ultimate I guess !

Bruce won a Hong Kong boxing tournament.

Cha Cha , not Boxing . The Boxing "Tournament" he won was in HS , and consisted of 1 match with another child .

Get your facts right.

RightBackAtchYa

Bruce knew very well what he was talking about, unlike you.

Pot , meet chalk .

EDIT: hey weren't you that guy that was ridiculed on bullshido with the bjj-movie?

Wow , is that all youve got ? Name Calling from the Bullshido crowd ?

All I'd like to add to this thread is, on the internet, everybody claims to be a seasoned streetfighter, so take it with a grain of salt.

Just like Bruce , eh ?

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

Never set foot into a judo dojo? He actually trained with LeBelle.

Bruce won a Hong Kong boxing tournament.

Get your facts right. Bruce knew very well what he was talking about, unlike you.

EDIT: hey weren't you that guy that was ridiculed on bullshido with the bjj-movie?

All I'd like to add to this thread is, on the internet, everybody claims to be a seasoned streetfighter, so take it with a grain of salt.

Djimbe contributes much useful information to this board. I don't know of a regular contributor that has anywhere near his knowledge regarding the chinese kung-fu systems and has insight into the history of MMA pre-UFC.

My opinion is that on this board we should exchange knowledge, rather than debate what style or person is "the be all end all" of martial arts. This post is deteriorating from useful contemplation into flamewars and personal attacks. We've moved from the topic "Will any MA teach me to defend myself?" to accusations that certain Martial Arts icons and contributors on this board are frauds.

 

[Gordz24]

Muay Thai is great for defense. Precision striking is key.

 

[calyptus]

No , Lebelle carried him around a movie set while bruce shouted threats at him ...

After wich they may have worked out together a few times , but Bruce never humbled himself and became a student .

What are you talking about? Read the next paragraph of the article you posted

Bruce came to my dojo after that. He was a great guy, and I loved him.

"Bruce loved to learn grappling, he ate it up! He said that people would never go for it in movies or TV because the fights are over too fast and most of the good stuff was hidden from view.

Nice , you have a Pose From a Movie . Now JCVD and Segal are teh ultimate I guess !

No, I was merely pointing out that Bruce at the very least had some basic grappling skills.

Cha Cha , not Boxing . The Boxing "Tournament" he won was in HS , and consisted of 1 match with another child .

1958 Pu Chang Hong Kong KO 2 Referee: Wong Shun-Leung
1958 Yang Huang Hong Kong KO 1 Amateur Boxing Tournament
1958 Lieh Lo Hong King KO 1 Amateur Boxing Tournament
1958 Shen Yuen Hong Kong KO 1 Amateur Boxing Tournament-Semi Finals
1958 Gary Elms Hong Kong KO 3 Amateur Boxing Tournament-Finals

source: wikipedia. Not the most reliable source indeed, but I guess you have another source stating otherwise?

Wow , is that all youve got ? Name Calling from the Bullshido crowd ?

Namecalling? I didn't see any namecalling.
Now I know I only know 1 side of the coin, but if you can't admit that you looked poorly I think you need to get past your ego. I do wonder, is it true you claimed you could deadlift over 1100lbs?

 

[Djimbe]

What are you talking about? Read the next paragraph of the article you posted

I did , it said "he CAME BY the school" . Nothing like "He devoted himself fully and became a Judo Black Belt under me." or anything . You act as if it Implies the latter . Learning a few A La Carte tricks does not a Grappler make one .

No, I was merely pointing out that Bruce at the very least had some basic grappling skills.

no , at BEST you proved that he watched Bolo Yeung do that earlier in the shooting of ETD . Fact is Bolo had better Position and setup . And Bolo is a TAI CHI guy . Fact is you learn that move in TAI CHI . Its not exactly a BJJ/Judo/Sombo exclusive you know .

1958 Pu Chang Hong Kong KO 2 Referee: Wong Shun-Leung
1958 Yang Huang Hong Kong KO 1 Amateur Boxing Tournament
1958 Lieh Lo Hong King KO 1 Amateur Boxing Tournament
1958 Shen Yuen Hong Kong KO 1 Amateur Boxing Tournament-Semi Finals
1958 Gary Elms Hong Kong KO 3 Amateur Boxing Tournament-Finals

source: wikipedia. Not the most reliable source indeed, but I guess you have another source stating otherwise?

Umm , you cant "prove" that something never happened . You can make up dates and such and put them on wiki tho .

Namecalling? I didn't see any namecalling.

then you didnt read the threads in question or the Mods over at Bullshido have SERIOOUSLY changed and gone back over them with a Fine Toothed Comb .

Now I know I only know 1 side of the coin,

and appearantly you didnt look too critically at that side , even .

but if you can't admit that you looked poorly I think you need to get past your ego.

When have I EVER not "admitted" (????) that ? Im NOT a BJJ guy . It was my FIRST BJJ lesson . THey were TRYING to make me look like I didnt know BJJ . Guess what , I DIDNT know BJJ !

Did you see me doing any Martial Art that I have a Teachng Cirtificate in in that Video ? Then who cares if I suck at somethign I dont do when Im onl doing that thing ? Do you think any BJJ guy is foing to look Top Rank tryng Baguazhang or Push Hands for the first day ? No , hes going to get thrown about the room . HARD . HEs also likely to get KOed doing Muay Thai , but hey , thats "different" somehow , right ?

Theres actually a REAL thread in this Forum on this . if you cant bring yourself to read THE WHOLE THING , here you go , a synopsis :

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/6710751-post47.html


Note that ppl that dont care aboout making me "look bad" actually give a more complimentary assessment of what they saw .

And if you cant find 88 bad seconds of 45 min of training then the training isnt hard enough , frankly .

I do wonder, is it true you claimed you could deadlift over 1100lbs?

No , but since "The Wastrel" SAID I said it to him in an Offline Phone conversation then it MUST BE TRUE ... I mean , musnt it ?

 

[sugashane]

Combos of striking and grappling are the best. Anyone whoisn't well rounded, has a major weakness. Take a class that teaches both well, or in two where one specialize in each. As for practicality in real space, there are some interesting books at this site.

http://www.paladinpress.com/

There are some serious street fighting books on self defense, martial arts, and even knife fighting (at a worse case scenerio). Might want to check it out.

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

Perhaps we are all approaching the solution to this question wrong. Most of our answers revolve around combat systems that will allow you to beat the piss out of your aggressor. is there any art that specializes in defusing confrontations. Not getting into a fight is probably the best way to defend yourself.

 

[redsamurai]

Perhaps we are all approaching the solution to this question wrong. Most of our answers revolve around combat systems that will allow you to beat the piss out of your aggressor. is there any art that specializes in defusing confrontations. Not getting into a fight is probably the best way to defend yourself.

absolutely true. Working as a bouncer it always amazed me how every fight with the staff started where I wasn't. Never once did anything happen when I was first to the scene. A few words here and there and things were diffused. You don't have to be Yoda to figure out that drunk guys, girls, club setting equals powder keg. Point is, if you want to fight, you will........if you don't, chances are you won't. There are always exceptions though.

As for the topic of this thread........I see it's degenerated into another "this martial art is better than that one". Quite simply, the best martial art is the one that works best with you and YOUR body mechanics. Let's take djimbe for a moment, for those of us that have seen what djimbe looks like........do you think a martial art that teaches alot of air attack is going to fit him? Likewise, is a small guy going to benefit from a pure wrestling background? You have to judge your body mechanics and what you're athletically inclined for. Honestly, a decent background in some sort of grappling is almost a must so you know what to do to a wrestler. Most run of the mill guys out there have a high school wrestling background.......and they will own you if you panic by being taken to the ground. As far as striking goes........you be the judge, how long are your limbs?

 

[the_alcatraz]

How much time and money are you willing to spend?

 

[trimjim4]

Karate is absolute BULLSHIT! Its just a bunch of pussies who think they have some fuckin magical kungfu power. Boxing, muay tai, brazillian jju or greco roman are the best, a combo of striking and grappling. Everything else is just a bunch of deluded fuck ups hallucinating that they can take on 20 guys at the same time.

finally a realistic statement.

 

[DSS]

I would also recommend Krav Maga....This is more of self defense/street tactics type of art

 

[sshadoww]

IMO, it varies when it comes to Karate. Some sensei are very interested in katas and tournament fighting. Some are not. Also, it will depend on how well you can adapt the techniques you learn to defend yourself. Do you know what style of Karate it is? If you are just looking for a little self defense, there are many options. Boxing being the easiest to find.

Also, in my experience, traditional Karate seems to have a lot of wasted motion that may not be in line what with what you are looking for (street defense). JKD utilizes economy of motion- an example would be that you aren't rearing back your reverse hand to your hips or punching from the hip as in traditional Karate. Also, different styles fall into conjuction with body types and strenghts/weaknesses. Go to a school and take a free lesson and see if it feels right to you. Best of luck!

 

[redsamurai]

I don't understand how a martial art can teach anyone AT ANY LEVEL to punch from the hips. If you're going to start low, you have to have one hand up around your face. Tis why karate people get punched really hard in the grill when fighting a boxer. I like the hard chinese styles that emphasize short power and keeping your hands up near your head or at least the upper torso.

 

[rediculus]

You mean northern style shaolin? I trained in Southern style and I admit I LOVED how i felt when I was done working out. My reflexes and general health and speed were so much better during that training. Good times!!

Anyone that thinks "traditional martial arts are useless" ...NM I won't issue the rant of pointless insults.

Kata's are not to guide you through a fight. It's to give you a set of motions so intimate that your muscles reflexively react without conscious thought. Punching from the hip and horse stance isn't to teach you to spread your legs open and fight like a jackass...and catch a bat in the balls...It's to give you a base. Show your mind and body what it is like to be grounded when you punch. Teach the BODY not the MIND or lack thereof to involve the entire body into a punch. From the toes up. And condition yourself similar to ...this ancient magic excersize called squatting.

Magical martial arts...Funny I dont see MMA fighters doing the same things the Chinese Monks are capable of. Then again when you train in most other countries they point and laugh at the lazy Americans sweating after only an hour or 2 of intense training. While we sit here and make these half trained pit fighters the modern day Gladiators.

Virtually all martial arts will teach you what you need to know. Boxing too Tae Kwon Do (I hate TKD btw) Aikido Jitsu Judo to tai chi...yes I said tai chi..Must be that "magic fu" those "pussies" rave about huh? Or the fact that the training they do has an IMMENSE Impact on the overall conditioning of the muscle and joint flexibility. I can't imagine how sitting in horse stance squatting down for an hour doing punches could POSSIBLY improve conditioning....

PS Jitsu and greco roman have the best balance of striking and grappling? Look up hwa rang do it's a korean martial art. It has what some leg humpers call grappling..It also includes joint locks & manipulation. Also includes punches and kicks similar to Muay Thai and nerve strikes. Muay Thai and the chinese martial arts are my favorite. Its that magic fu of our sensei teaching us the blowing fire out d ass manuever we are waiting ever so patiently to learn..They say next week he teach us patient padowans how to move objects with our minds!!! OOOH!! So excited.....

Not reflex or conditioning or joint strength and flexibility and muscle memory..reflexes second to none in the world. Unsurpassed pain tolerance. That would just be bullarky...And Bone strengthening is for idiots that believe in fairies and dragons.

 

[rediculus]

Perhaps we are all approaching the solution to this question wrong. Most of our answers revolve around combat systems that will allow you to beat the piss out of your aggressor. is there any art that specializes in defusing confrontations. Not getting into a fight is probably the best way to defend yourself.

Aikido is probably one of the closest to that?

Sorry I am reading wrong..is someone saying that Bruce Lee was a hack?

L M F A O

 

[bigbox]

Anything is better than nothing, I've been taking BJJ and muay thai, but have heard a lot of good things about krav maga and another one called kajuntakenbo or something like that. Those two are supposed to be the best for street fighting for what I understand. Anyone ever hear of kajuntakembo?? A mix of like 5 different things??

 

[rediculus]

SofaGeorge :

Bruce Lee was an actor with only ONE fight against a resisisting opponent in his adult life . His opinions about what "works" and what does not are/were Armchair at best . The fact is that he , like most who speak like he did , never stepped foot inside a Karate or Judo Dojo and humbled themselves enough to take a lesson . Mas Oyama was a Contemporary of Bruce , as was Judo Gene LeBelle Either would have handed him his ass and choked him with his own Guts .

spelling corrected YAY I get to be the nazi today

I am fairly certain Bruce Lee did not start out as an actor or a hack. I am also confident that he was well respected in the Martial Art's community and that he was infamous for training non stop...8-10-12 hours a day. So even if all he knew how to do was a 1 inch punch...He did it well..well enough that landing it would end a fight. But that's completely irrelevant to what he is asking.

True martial arts...not the art of Bar fighting. Not Pit fighting..Martial art...Art of War! That's the question. IF YOU DEDICATE YOURSELF ANY OF THEM WILL!!! You will not learn to defend yourself without stepping in a ring. If the school doesn't have a ring or a heavy sparring training..It's rather pointless.

Most people that tell you "traditional martial arts" are useless haven't mastered those martial arts. Remember when those "martial art's" came about it was about WAR! your SOLDIERS carried swords not buttons and lasers.So they were training 8 or 10 hours every single day if not more. The exercises and kicks are designed to train your body and mind. Yes, it takes unrivaled dedication to master one of those arts. Most every action in martial art's is an exercise. Only a few are actually combat movements that will be used. But they WILL make your combat movements effective.

Get tough fast? Gear up take Muay Thai and do NOT be afraid of the bamboo stick that's filled with sand.

 

[Stock69]

I don't understand how a martial art can teach anyone AT ANY LEVEL to punch from the hips. If you're going to start low, you have to have one hand up around your face. Tis why karate people get punched really hard in the grill when fighting a boxer. I like the hard chinese styles that emphasize short power and keeping your hands up near your head or at least the upper torso.[/QUOTE/I]

In karate, the classical moves are studied, ie striking from a lower angle and chambering the non-striking fist. The punches are never thrown from the hip, but a few inches below the nipples. Punching is taught like this due to the tremendous power and speed generated by keeping your elbows in durring the strike. Any school worth its weight doesnt teach this style of striking for self defence or sparring training, just when practicing traditional movements and exercises. This also helps develope speed, power and endurance that many out there that dont train severly lack.

But to answer the question, any good training is better than no training at all when it comes to self defense

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

I will actually take issue with some of the responders that say that any martial art is better than nothing for self defense. Some martial arts have a completely ridiculous set of assumptions regarding what people do in a fight and how people respond to stress and violence. If you train with those faulty assumptions in mind and develop a style of combat that is based on faulty assumptions then the art is not effective. In fact it is worse than ineffective. It provides you with a false sense of security that tells the practitioner that they can easily handle the violent situation at hand. They then seek to engage the violence with ineffective techniques, rather than flee the violence as their delusions grant them confidence.

 

[rediculus]

Ok I will forgoe my first response to ask...What martial arts might bring this about?

My instinct is TKD as there is 2 faults with americans. A they want to win trophy's and they don't want to wait. So they join martial arts schools that you can buy a blackbelt from. I know a few of those and most of them still give me the. Dude you were in the army man I don't wanna mess with you pitch. I know it has nothing to do with military experience. It's because they still lack confidence.

Second is they don't want a martial art that they have to put effort and thought into learning. Meaning if you can have 4 or 5 moves that I repeat with a punching bag. Guaranteed lazy ass american will do that 20x faster than a martial art that the instructor says. It's 5 years before your ready to test for your first black belt..

There is however an effectiveness to K.I.S.S

We like tough like we like our hamburgers. We want that shit drive through. Same reason I don't think your typical MMA/UFC fighter holds a candle to the toughest people in the world.

Any martial art that you put time into sparring will prepare you for a fight. As a practitioner if you are stupid enough to think you do not have to spar and fight to advance your skills. Simply repeat kata's and you will majically bust out a heel kick or round house and land it properly..Your smoking the ooh I am stealing someone elses line here btw but...smoking the devils lettuce!!! YAAAH sweet I got to use that in a sentance.

And if you seek combat your an idiot and nothing can truly cure that short of a good ass whoopin or humility.

 

[Stock69]

I will actually take issue with some of the responders that say that any martial art is better than nothing for self defense. Some martial arts have a completely ridiculous set of assumptions regarding what people do in a fight and how people respond to stress and violence. If you train with those faulty assumptions in mind and develop a style of combat that is based on faulty assumptions then the art is not effective. In fact it is worse than ineffective. It provides you with a false sense of security that tells the practitioner that they can easily handle the violent situation at hand. They then seek to engage the violence with ineffective techniques, rather than flee the violence as their delusions grant them confidence.

I understand what you are saying, and I agree with it most of the time, but if fleeing is not an option, then any GOOD training is better than none. Even if it is just being able to handle the cardio aspect of a fight. I have won due to just being able to breath after a min or so when my opponent was out of gas.

Obviously, there are many crappy McDojo's out there, but there are a few that still teach good quality MA. Style doesnt matter, you should look for the best sensei in your area and train there. Ultimatly, it's buyer beware. Do the research on the school and sensei, if you dont you might as well buy your black belt at walmart. Anyone that says a blanket statement like "Karate sucks" hasnt had the experience of a good sensei and school.

 

[rediculus]

most often that "karate sucks" or Kung fu is stupid comments come from people that trained for a short period of time. say 2 years or less and didn't see significant change in their ability to apply the art.....Notice a lack of sparring or ring fighting. Poor instruction. I would just be curious what "styles" they feel are more dangerous than usefull.

 

[Stock69]

^^ I agree.

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

most often that "karate sucks" or Kung fu is stupid comments come from people that trained for a short period of time. say 2 years or less and didn't see significant change in their ability to apply the art.....Notice a lack of sparring or ring fighting. Poor instruction. I would just be curious what "styles" they feel are more dangerous than usefull.

Who are "they" and what post or posts are you referring to when mention wanting to know what "'styles' 'they' feel are more dangerous than useful."? In my way of looking at conflict and self defense, most styles are dangerous as they teach you techniques that revolve around embracing violent conflict, not avoiding conflict. The non-violent element of conflict resolution is left to the individual practitioner. The practitioners that are keen on conflict are a threat to themselves and others regardless of the style that they learn. The art itself may or may not have techniques or training methods that allow one to fight once they engage in conflict. Any school that has you physically confiscating plastic guns and disarming rubber knife wielding mock assailants would probably cause me to regard the school with suspicion. Seeing a ten year old kid leave the premises wearing a black belt would probably have the same effect. It's not specific to any art.

 

[rediculus]

I see so your against bullshit schools..

I will admit there was a show once on taht 8 year old black belt. That kid was incredible. Extremely fast incredible flexibility and amazing reflexes. If he holds onto training through his teen years into something resembling adulthood..he'll be extremely impressive.

Most of the schools I attended other than boxing and Muay Thai all taught avoidance. Philosophy can be preached but practice is entirely different. Back to the OP's question. Will any MA teach me to defend myself my original comment is still.

yes absolutely if you dedicate the time and training necessary to develop those skills. Whether it is Jeet Kun Do or that worthless "shaolin" as many people these days consider it or plain old boxing. That's what I am getting at.