Most practical fighting style/martial art?
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I'm phenomenally biased towards Aiki-jujitsu and kenjutsu because that's what I do.
But seriously, look at all this MMA stuff going around- a crossover of strong kicking and ground fighting is the only sensible form of unarmed combat. I would love to team my aiki-jujitsu with muay thai.
But seriously, look at all this MMA stuff going around- a crossover of strong kicking and ground fighting is the only sensible form of unarmed combat. I would love to team my aiki-jujitsu with muay thai.
Did you know krav maga is banned from martial arts competitions like K1? It hardly qualifies as competitive seeing theres absolutely no rules in disabling your opponents with any means necesary.
With that in mind, id prefer dirty street fighting techniques. Since its alot closer to home and involves mostly knowledge over a strong body. Tricks include and are not limited to: how to properly smash a beer bottle to make a face-shredder. How to stab a drinking glass in someone throat and how to use a thick necklace as a weapon.
With that in mind, id prefer dirty street fighting techniques. Since its alot closer to home and involves mostly knowledge over a strong body. Tricks include and are not limited to: how to properly smash a beer bottle to make a face-shredder. How to stab a drinking glass in someone throat and how to use a thick necklace as a weapon.
I'm not exactly sure how to write it, but Krav Maga or whatever they train special forces in seems like it would be extremely useful. Hell if covert ops guys can use it disarm a man with a gun in close quarters, it's gotta be awesome to use if you got into a fight on the street or in a bar.
Pretty sure it can inflict some serious damage too if done right.
Pretty sure it can inflict some serious damage too if done right.
Bah, have you actually watched that stuff? They play around in the ground because they're forbidden from kicking the head if the opponent is on the ground. They're also not allowed to attack below the belt or the yes etc. Useless little additions if someone comes for you with a knife.Wutaiflea said:
Really, if your opponent is on the ground, you stay up and kick the shit out of him. You have the advatage, he does not, and by god you will do everything to keep that advantage instead of throwing it away by ground-fighting yourself.
In a real fight you don't do gentlemanny stuff like 'don't hit the throat'. And that's what martial arts are supposed to teach. Right after they teach you why you don't do stuff like that unless you really want to hurt your opponent.
And don't forget rule number 1: Run Away! Fight only if necessary.
Below is a few points for speculation and discussion from my own eleven years of practice, conflicts, and research. For background information, I practice a mixed style of Krav Maga, Muay Thai, and Tae Kwon Do. And please, don't take all the statements as completely correct, since there are many outliers in life.
I agree with the majority on this issue. Krav Maga is probably one of the most effective because you start out with self-defense and it is a major focus in the training. The teach you how to build on your bodies natural reactions in a fight (i.e. covering your head)and to aim towards weakspots and "cheap shots" like the groin or eye-gouging. If you had to learn how to defend yourself in a week or two, this would be my recommendation since they develop the basics quickly and effectively.
Unfortunately many Tae Kwon Do schools, from my experience, have a problem with self-defense. A lot of schools I've seen are focused on the sport application, some of which do not even teach proper blocking! The martial art is effective in self-defense if it is taught properly, kicks to inside of the thigh to numb the leg (hitting the nest of nerves), taking out the knee, crushing the shin, kicking the kidneys, a surpise kick to the solar plexus, and even imploding the rips and dislocating the jaw/crushing the skull, etc. The power comes not from tensing the muscles through the motions, but from a fast strike where the entire limb only tense on contact. It is more of a soft-hard style than a completely hard or soft Qi Gong. Which makes since because legs are slower than arms hahahaha. Many modern combat styles like krav maga and USMC style focus on the soft hard because of its quick and powerful strikes that are great for vital and weakspots of the body.
It is important that you state at the practice area that you are taking the martial art for self protection. Most will not be as fast as krav maga though, especially kicking arts since it takes awhile to train the legs. However a capable instructor, even in the kicking arts, will teach a person basic strikes (arms and maybe low kicks), blocks, disarm/basic holds, and mock fighting for application. Yet again, it is unlikely they will teach you to fight tooth and nail like Krav Maga, but you will be more prepared with some training rather than none.
Aikido is also a good alternative to Krav Maga if you cannot find a school or prefer a more passive approach. It is a sof Qi Gong style that focuses on redirection of an opponents energy and controlling it. Interesting internal energy theories in the art, you can also ask to focus on self defense, and it is easy on the bones and joints for elderly or more fragile folk.
Martial artists must continually seek to understand their weaknesses and improve upon them, whether it be throws, ground combat, etc. Krav Maga is great for learning quickly on how to defend oneself, but the true ability of self defense is in the mindset. You must be aggressive, but not blinded by it. You should acknowledge that you will be hit, you will be stabbed, and you will be shot so if those events do occur your mind/body has less of a chance of freezing allowing you to continue/initiate action. It is not the elimination of fear, but the harnessing and using of it. Fear is a great motivator hahahahaha.
Edit: To the post above me, thank you for reminding me. You don't always have to fight, running away or conceding the ego is a nice alternative to getting hurt. There is a nice story of a capoeira artist who was confronted by a man with a knife. Instead of fighting, the artist ran away into a crowd of people while being pursued. The artist fell to the ground and screamed "Help help, he's trying to kill me" while pointing at the man. The man freaked out as the people and police officer all stared at him and he ran away. Funny anecdote for me anyways
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I agree with the majority on this issue. Krav Maga is probably one of the most effective because you start out with self-defense and it is a major focus in the training. The teach you how to build on your bodies natural reactions in a fight (i.e. covering your head)and to aim towards weakspots and "cheap shots" like the groin or eye-gouging. If you had to learn how to defend yourself in a week or two, this would be my recommendation since they develop the basics quickly and effectively.
Unfortunately many Tae Kwon Do schools, from my experience, have a problem with self-defense. A lot of schools I've seen are focused on the sport application, some of which do not even teach proper blocking! The martial art is effective in self-defense if it is taught properly, kicks to inside of the thigh to numb the leg (hitting the nest of nerves), taking out the knee, crushing the shin, kicking the kidneys, a surpise kick to the solar plexus, and even imploding the rips and dislocating the jaw/crushing the skull, etc. The power comes not from tensing the muscles through the motions, but from a fast strike where the entire limb only tense on contact. It is more of a soft-hard style than a completely hard or soft Qi Gong. Which makes since because legs are slower than arms hahahaha. Many modern combat styles like krav maga and USMC style focus on the soft hard because of its quick and powerful strikes that are great for vital and weakspots of the body.
It is important that you state at the practice area that you are taking the martial art for self protection. Most will not be as fast as krav maga though, especially kicking arts since it takes awhile to train the legs. However a capable instructor, even in the kicking arts, will teach a person basic strikes (arms and maybe low kicks), blocks, disarm/basic holds, and mock fighting for application. Yet again, it is unlikely they will teach you to fight tooth and nail like Krav Maga, but you will be more prepared with some training rather than none.
Aikido is also a good alternative to Krav Maga if you cannot find a school or prefer a more passive approach. It is a sof Qi Gong style that focuses on redirection of an opponents energy and controlling it. Interesting internal energy theories in the art, you can also ask to focus on self defense, and it is easy on the bones and joints for elderly or more fragile folk.
Martial artists must continually seek to understand their weaknesses and improve upon them, whether it be throws, ground combat, etc. Krav Maga is great for learning quickly on how to defend oneself, but the true ability of self defense is in the mindset. You must be aggressive, but not blinded by it. You should acknowledge that you will be hit, you will be stabbed, and you will be shot so if those events do occur your mind/body has less of a chance of freezing allowing you to continue/initiate action. It is not the elimination of fear, but the harnessing and using of it. Fear is a great motivator hahahahaha.
Edit: To the post above me, thank you for reminding me. You don't always have to fight, running away or conceding the ego is a nice alternative to getting hurt. There is a nice story of a capoeira artist who was confronted by a man with a knife. Instead of fighting, the artist ran away into a crowd of people while being pursued. The artist fell to the ground and screamed "Help help, he's trying to kill me" while pointing at the man. The man freaked out as the people and police officer all stared at him and he ran away. Funny anecdote for me anyways
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I mostly agree, the mindset you have counts for a lot. That's why I myself would recommend any martial arts instructors holding self-defence courses introduce brick-crushing fairly early on. Two main reasons for this:Kuhkmala said:
1. You see what your own body is capable of, if applied properly. Breaking wood/concrete/bricks with your bare hands if often held as an insane attemp, yet anyone posessing even a modicum of strenght, a little practice and the proper mindset can do basic crushing.
2. You learn to override the fear of a hit. If you haven't done it before, your mind will be screaming at you 'Danger! Hard object! Hand will get hurt! Danger! Slow down, avoid the object, dont hit it!' and it is this internal conflict between natural self-preservation and you own wish to crush the object that you must overcome. The trick is, that if you're using the correct technique, it won't hurt nearly as much if you keep on going instead of trying to avoid hurt.
And it's that latter, fear of hurt, that hold mostly everyone back from performing to their full capabilities in a fight. And overcoming that fear it is a big help. Better motivation than fear of getting hurt, is the knowledge of much it does hurt, how to minimize it and being capable of ignoring the fear.
Oohh, very interesting. I never thought about introducing a student into breaking early. Wood would be a great way to start them off, and also teach them about how the body moves with your strikes and proper foot/hand positioning. That would be a really direct way to get them over the fear of being hurt, agreed. Knowing they can withstand wood and brick would be a good boost, rather than a new person who hasn't had the time to perfect their mindset. Nice .
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That's one of the main contention points between my instructor and me. I believe I personally would have been served a lot better by starting cruishing and breaking experiences far, far earlier than I had. You see, I did get into a fight. I couldn't run away. And for the first time as an adult I had to take a beating without any padding, without gloves, without anything but the clothes on my back.Kuhkmala said:Oohh, very interesting. I never thought about introducing a student into breaking early. Wood would be a great way to start them off, and also teach them about how the body moves with your strikes and proper foot/hand positioning. That would be a really direct way to get them over the fear of being hurt, agreed. Knowing they can withstand wood and brick would be a good boost, rather than a new person who hasn't had the time to perfect their mindset. Nice
And by gods, did it hurt. Not only taking the hits, but blocking the hits and giving some back. I was mentally entirely unprepared for that aspect of fighting.
And I'm shamed to say, I began to pull my punches out of fear. I began to foolishly evade when I should have blocked, due to fear. The fear of pain I was about to inflict on myself by hitting the other person, the fear of pain a basic block causes.
I did get out of that fight mostly unscathed, thanks to some people who heard my yells for help.
Took me a while to get over that fear. And after that, I've never worn any protective gear or padding outside of a helmet and a teeth-protector to any practice.
I believe that had I begun crushing and breaking training before the fight I had, I would have managed to defend myself far more adequately. I might have had a good chance at overcoming my fear in safe conditions.
But it certainly isn't for everyone and crushing exercises at an early stage might frighten off some students. It's up to the instructors to correctly gauge if their students are ready for it.
That is very important, only for those student who are in great need of training or who have great determination. Definitely not for everyone, there are quite a few people who after a few months I still did not trust hahahaha.SakSak said:But it certainly isn't for everyone and crushing exercises at an early stage might frighten off some students. It's up to the instructors to correctly gauge if their students are ready for it.Kuhkmala said:Oohh, very interesting. I never thought about introducing a student into breaking early. Wood would be a great way to start them off, and also teach them about how the body moves with your strikes and proper foot/hand positioning. That would be a really direct way to get them over the fear of being hurt, agreed. Knowing they can withstand wood and brick would be a good boost, rather than a new person who hasn't had the time to perfect their mindset. Nice
And I'm sorry to hear about your situation. At least you were able to learn from it and improve yourself. Getting hit never feels good, especially in the face hahaha. Its good to see you pull yourself up from that, I had a similar encounter when I was 12. Couldn't force myself to hit the guy in the face, when it was wide open. Would have ended the fight in my favor. Unfortunately there were several more struggles ahead, fortunately in which that wasn't a problem. As a personal thing I usually don't wear pads when training and encourage fast strikes with control to get one used to fighting without the burden of gear. Of course this is with people whom I trust can control themselves
.Anyways it seems like fighting is always a defeat, in right causes and in victory. But sadly it is often necessary, when defending the self rather than the ego.
I remember going to one of their training sessions a few weeks ago....sokka14 said:
Did not win a single sparr match, and I was using Normal Jujitsu. Even pressure points were useless on 'em. D:
Krav Maga and/or Eskrima (If you can get your hand on something to hit with). If I'm right, it's the fighting styles Matt Damon uses (most) in the Jason Bourne films, and both of them are actually completely focused on being practical (aiming for the weak points, not bound by rules and quickly disarming your opponent).
I just use my brain power....
But really it all depends on the person skill level and mastery of the art.
But really it all depends on the person skill level and mastery of the art.