Most practical fighting style/martial art?

[BlueMage]

It largely depends on your own personal abilities and comfort. Different styles require different levels of flexibility, speed, strength, and technique. Most styles also have different ranges at which they're most effective. Tae Kwon Do, for instance, is best with some range and ability to maneuver forward and back (since it gets its power from momentum). If all you know is TKD and someone manages to get you in a grappling situation, you're hosed. Shotokan is a mid-range style, getting its power from the hips, and is a good all-rounder. Aikido is a grappling style (mostly), getting its power from speed and leverage more than strength.

There is no "best" style, it's contextual. If you're fighting an untrained, unarmed opponent, any martial art is fine. If you're fighting an armed opponent, most of the non-sport styles teach counters (knives, especially. If someone pulls a gun, almost any sensei would tell you to give up; even in Krav Maga, you're taught to surrender everything except your life). If you're fighting a trained opponent, it depends on what each of you knows. It's not quite elemental rock-paper-scissors, but there is no ultimate style. A well-trained Krav Maga student could take on a well-trained Muay Thai student and possibly win. Same with any match up of two styles. Jiu-jutsu against Sambo, Capoeira against Silat. Under equal training, it's an "any given Sunday" kind of experience.

Finally, a bit of sense being spoken.

The most practical martial art is the one that is suited to your body type, and not so caught up in looking good. If your training conditions you to block with only a single arm, the person whose training conditions them to block with both (protecting head and torso for exmaple) has the more practical and versatile style

 

[theklng]

So anyway, Kung Fu all styles combined :3

you do know that kung fu is an amalgamation for over 200 different styles of combat? good luck getting to know all styles, let alone combine them.

The most practical martial art is the one that is suited to your body type, and not so caught up in looking good. If your training conditions you to block with only a single arm, the person whose training conditions them to block with both (protecting head and torso for exmaple) has the more practical and versatile style

i would say body flow over body type. each style of martial art has a certain flow of the body, and i think if this fits with your natural way of doing things, you'll become naturally adept at it.

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

Krav Maga.

Seriously, look it up. It's the Israeli Defense Forces standard martial art. It's insane and practical.

QFT.

 

[Kongming]

you do know that kung fu is an amalgamation for over 200 different styles of combat? good luck getting to know all styles, let alone combine them.

yes i do! :3 isnt it awesome!?
gogo shaolin temple training institute!
and if u want to do it casual then i'd say just the 14 shaolin styles (good enough)

 

[Voicuboyy]

bum.. fights?

 

[theklng]

you do know that kung fu is an amalgamation for over 200 different styles of combat? good luck getting to know all styles, let alone combine them.

yes i do! :3 isnt it awesome!?
gogo shaolin temple training institute!
and if u want to do it casual then i'd say just the 14 shaolin styles (good enough)

i prefer quality over quantity.

 

[Partezan]

Kyokushin karate, because they combine full contact barenuckle sparing with self defence techniques, and a good school will have Judo and JJ techniques

 

[GonzoGamer]

Bruce Lee's Jeet Kun Do, just by it's very nature.
What Bruce did was take all of the practical stuff from every martial art he studied and put it all together. Now as it's passed down (only only one or two generations so far) a little more gets added from here and there.

The issue with this is it's not something you can really learn. Lee's Jeet Kun Do was an intensely personal style, based on his own talents and limitations. He had one leg shorter than the other (a growth defect), and suited much of the style around that handicap. So, true Jeet Kun Do would require learning ones own handicaps, and crafting a style around those. No one-size-fits-all style would accomplish that (not even Jeet Kun Do).

But you can learn it. That's the idea.
That's what I learned with Jeet Kun Do lessons. That's what make it the most evolved and practical martial art: it does force you to learn your own strengths and weaknesses and adapt what you can use from all styles you can learn from. It's by nature a one-size-fits-all martial art but each practitioner practices it in a slightly different way depending on their strengths and weaknesses. Even my friend who is the same build and studied with the same teachers, has a slightly different style than me because I'm a bit faster. Bruce intended each practitioner to approach Jeet Kun Do in their own personal way and you can even see this illustrated in his last movie.

You should read the Tao of Jeet Kun Do. Lee explains it much more eloquently than I.

 

[Skeleon]

The only way to win the battle is not to fight. Or something.

 

[Kongming]

i prefer quality over quantity.

that statement would be just if all the styles were the same, but they are not...
they add to the overall quality, not to the quantity.
it's not just many GOOD styles, they contribute to eachother, and together they form a perfect martial art a.k.a. quality...
otherwise all other martial arts would be bugger all as well, as they are all aspects combined...

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

The only way to win the battle is not to fight. Or something.

Yeah, tell me how that goes next time you're in a fight.

 

[slabomeat]

krav maga... it is realy good when out numbered because of the huge intimidation factor, and closing one of their friends windpipes with a throat strike if demoralizing to see, or guns, the great equalizer.

 

[Skeleon]

The only way to win the battle is not to fight. Or something.

Yeah, tell me how that goes next time you're in a fight.

Well, that's the thing, I am not. Last one was more than a year ago and that was merely a minor brawl.

Same thing with guns! I don't want to get this thread off-topic, but reading through the many weapon-topics lately has affected me a bit. Where the hell do you people live that you're all so freaking scared and always prepared to fight and defend yourselves? Jesus, it's like you're living in some kind of warzone or something!

I know this thread isn't really about that, so I hereby apologize.
Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest.

 

[Your once and future Fanboy]

it difers from person to person, but i would sugest that you use some parts of every martial art and mix the elements from each to get a maximised result.

i know its tecnicaly MMA, but at the same time its not.

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

Well, that's the thing, I am not. Last one was more than a year ago and that was merely a minor brawl.

Same thing with guns! I don't want to get this thread off-topic, but reading through the many weapon-topics lately has affected me a bit. Where the hell do you people live that you're all so freaking scared and always prepared to fight and defend yourselves? Jesus, it's like you're living in some kind of warzone or something!

I know this thread isn't really about that, so I hereby apologize.
Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest.

I've been lucky enough to get in arguments with people who wouldn't throw a punch but I know I'm prepared for that, and that gives me comfort.

As for the guns thing... it has more to do with the lack of an expansive welfare system. When you lose something or it's stolen it's just fucking gone. People in the US are far more protective of their things to an almost obsessive degree.

 

[-Orgasmatron-]

Krav Maga, the Israeli military are trained in it and with it can take out a building of 30 hostiles using nothing but an themselves and an AK47 with no bullets. It is also mad if you've ever trained in it, it's like three blokes come at you, fight them, then you gotta fight three blokes.

Although the upmost practical thing is just knowing how to block and how to throw a punch, once you know that throwing a bunch of haymakers is a bad idea then you're ahove 50% of people.

 

[Kaze103]

Look for modern combat stuff I'd say, JKD. Kung fu and things like that are far too showy, they're made to look good rather than be practical. When somebody approaches you in the street to start a fight, you want to kick the crap out of them, not make them think "that looks good".

 

[Nikajo]

It would depend entirely on the situation. For instance, brazilian jiu jitsu is awesome in an unarmed one on one fight because the second you get the opponent on the floor they are screwed and it's not difficult to reach this stage. However, while trying to apply an armbar if he has a couple of mates there they are not just gonna stand there and watch you do it. Alot of martial arts have things to offer, some people excell in some while not being able to get their head around others. The thing i find most annoying is when you get groups that bang on about ki/chi power with no real explanation. This kind of thing is fun to practice and very good for you're body but it's practical application is extremely limited at best.

I've been practising aikido for years now but in order to become actually proficient at it takes decades of practise. however i have had my arse kicked by 60 year old men (not literally, it was in training obviously) and i can quite honestly say i wouldn't want to attack them with anything short of a shotgun lol.

I'l always remember the seminar we had with toby threadgill, i believe his style is called shindo yoshin ryu (way of the bendy willow, or something like that). I honestly swear down you could not hit the guy, or grab him or anything it was actually quite mind blowing! I would suggest looking up his articles and reading his very down to earth opinion on martial arts in general. He pulls apart peoples perception of the arts and says in no uncertain terms why alot of people are fooling themselves. To put it simply, training with people you see every week is a fairly calm relaxed atmosphere but the second you realise somebody is about to physically batter you you get an adrenaline dump that makes you freeze up and suddenly all that training goes out the window. This isn't neccessarily true for every person but 99.9% of people will get this extremely negative effect. That isn't to say theres no point in training, people just need to be more relaistic about it by trying to incorporate some real danger elements into their training. this will lead to desensitisation but eventually it will obssess you to the point that all you think about is essentially violence. I don't know any body that wants to become a thoughtless killing machine. It's unfortunate but theres only one real way to learn how to fight - by fighting. Training can prepare you but experience will win out almost everytime.

I'm sure some people will disagree with me but that's just life i guess!

 

[PeterDawson]

Damn near every martial arts style is practical for something. Still, Krav Maga is popular for fast take-downs and Pukulan Pentjak Silat Serak is another favorite of mine for those situations. From the Kung Fu family Long Fist and Dragon Style are two that seem fairly practical as well.