Will any MA teach me how to defend myself?

[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.