Best Fighting Style for This Purpose?

[mjs1217]

I'm interested in learning some form of Martial Arts or fighting technique. While I know a little about many different martial arts, I don't know which specializes in what. I am interested in learning about Krav Maga, which is used by the Israeli Military and a lot of law enforcement agencies here (including the CIA, FBI, DEA, etc). However, I think that Krav Maga is more of a "Strike and Escape" type of fighting style. I'm more interested in one that will help me win a fight against an unarmed combatant in any type of situation (if I get jumped, or if I know I'm about to fight and am ready). Please, by all means correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like Krav Maga is basically against weapons, and mostly "anything goes" fighting, ie crotch-kicking and other "dirty" techniques.

Another important issue is that I've heard most forms of Asian martial arts aren't very practical in real-life situations, which I can definitly see. I need something that I can really use to protect myself, should I be forced to fight or get jumped. Whether this be a passive type of thing (using the combatants force against him), or any other type, it doesn't matter.

So, what type of Martial Arts / fighting technique should I learn? It needs to be easy / quick to learn, because I don't have alot of time each day. It also needs to be practical in terms of real-world use. And finally, it should be geared more towards unarmed combatants, rather than armed (I don't think I'll be coming in contact with any guns, thankfully ). But, any info whatsoever would be helpful...anything about any form of fighting would be great.

Thanks for the help!
-mjs

[Echo419]

I know Tai-Kawn-Do teaches u to reverse alot of moves, like bullys will use some moves on you, and u can use that move and serve them bad with a reverse

Hop-Ki-Do teaches u skill in punching and weaponry use

[mjs1217]

I know Tai-Kawn-Do teaches u to reverse alot of moves, like bullys will use some moves on you, and u can use that move and serve them bad with a reverse

Hop-Ki-Do teaches u skill in punching and weaponry use

Thanks for the help, but most of the time I expect a combatant to just be throwing punches at me, not really any full-nelsons or anything. Most of the fights that I can see myself being dragged into would be against a thuggy-type kid who's trying to prove hes a big man. Also, I'm not very interested in weapons, since that doesn't seem very practical at all...

But please keep the help comin in, everyone.

[WingMan13]

Jeet Kune Do. "Absorb what is useful and reject what is useless"

[nippinout]

Gracie style jui jitsu is very effective.

Get the guy to the ground and pummel his face.

[MantisMag]

a lot of it depends on your teacher. many martial arts instructors tend to teach only how to fight against other martial artists. this is largely due to the fact that they were mostly fighting against each other and even untrained combatants in these areas grew up thinking of this as being the way to fight. so there are no inhibitions against kicking whereas mostly around here people think of fighting with fists and wrestling people to the ground. keep that in mind that so much depends on how your teacher presents it when i talk about the stlyes. most styles will cover everything eventually and some teacher's will compensate and teach a more balanced version of their style.

i'd suggest that if you're looking to be able to defend yourself find an art that is balanced hands and feet. tae kwon do has a tendency to use feet to the exclusion of hands especially at lower levels. karate has a tendency to be based on strength. true they'll teach you to hit harder than someone of equal strength but it's still not much good against a guy who's a lot bigger and stronger. they're also lean more towards striking than throws or locks. most styles of kung fu are pretty good. wushu however is very flowery and you'll find a lot of things you can't use. wing chun has the opposite problem as tae kwon do. they're based mostly on hands. however it is an extremely good style for close in fighting. most animal styles of kung fu are pretty good. vicious though in terms or attempting to hurt the other person. and there's a good possiblity of screwing up and not only losing the fight but looking like a tool. aikido is good for grappling, throwing, and controlling your opponent based on energy. judo is the same but is more about throwing by using leverage and learning to put all your body into a throw. there are obviously many more but no way i'm going through all of them. if you have any questions about a style ask. i probably have some idea of what it looks like and their approach to fighting.

i personally train in seven star praying mantis kung fu. it has a good mix of hands and feet, strikes and grappling but is predominantly defensive in nature depending on your opponent's reactions to string together attacks so it's more useful against another trained fighter. i also do capoeira which is very cool and a lot of fun. it also teaches me to see possiblities that i wouldn't have considered before. i wouldn't use it as my primary method of fighting but i would mix it in to keep my opponent off guard.

[Steelrat]

Look for a style that includes a lot of grappling and ground fighting. 90% of fights end up on the ground, especially when the fight is really on, not that stupid "meet me after school" kind of fighting. Krav Maga is a good, practical kind of fighting. The whole objective of a fight should be to disable your opponent and disengage. I mean, what do you want to do, stand over his body and gloat? And dirty tricks are the best way to fight. "Honorable" fighting is something for competitions, not for the street. If it takes a shot to the groin or a flick to the eye, then so be it.

[MantisMag]

90% of fights end up on the ground, especially when the fight is really on, not that stupid "meet me after school" kind of fighting.

i agree that you should learn grappling and ground fighting but where the hell does that statistic come from? honestly. it's a bunch of smoke blown up your butt by teachers of grappling arts. does anybody really believe that they did a poll? or some kind of study? haha.

[Konigballer]

seriously, Mantismag's "seven star praying mantis kung fu" sounds very nice and all, but.......

All I'm saying is the guys that usually win the Ultimate Fighting Championships, and all those other rip offs, are almost always specialized in grappling arts. Its not as fun to watch, but when you see guys like the Gracie's, who practise they're own style of jiu-jistu I believe, go to work...it ain't pretty, but they completely dominate.

I think Muay Thai kickboxing is also well respected as being applicable in the "real world" as well.

well, have fun, break a leg, and if you pick a fight with me on the street.........

[dsrkd]

I'd recommend a combo of the suggestions made so far. Steelrat, Mantis and Wingman.
Play to your natural strengths. Height, size, strength/power, hand speed, footspeed etc...Look for an intructor that is well versed and not 'sold' on one style. The best instructor that I ever had had a foundation in boxing. He then went on to Muay Thai and Kenpo. His blend turned out to be a pretty effective base for me to build on. Remember that conditioning is crucial. Talk to Mango for suggestions in that arena.

[MantisMag]

ufc is not street fighting. rules favor grappling because striking weakpoints is against the rules. from their official rules:

Fouls:
2. Eye gouging of any kind
6. Groin attacks of any kind
8. Small joint manipulation
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh
13. Grabbing the clavicle
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent
16. Stomping a grounded opponent
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent

now obviously these rules are to prevent debilitating injuries from happening during every single fight but because of them you can't compare ufc to real fighting. not saying brazilian jiu jutsu isn't good. just that you can't determine real fight potential based on a sport.

muay thai is good but it favors people with long limbs. also strategy is to protect the head and groin area while leaving the midsection open. ever watched the kickboxer movies? it's exagerrated but they do train to take hits to the ribs and abdominal area. they also train their shins and forearms to be really tough. definitely an art for tough lanky guys.. "skinny guys fight till they're burger."

[MantisMag]

dsrkd - i have no doubt he's good. that sounds like a good mix of styles. he's got the fists from boxing, kicking knees and elbows from muay thai, and changing levels and asian style punching and kicking from kenpo. i honestly think it's best to train in at least two very different arts but not until you get a good base in one. if you try to assimilate too much at once you won't be good at any of it. each style has its own way of moving, its own way of thinking. if you really want to be good you have to completely immerse yourself so that you can do it without thinking. it's not about how many techniques you know. it's about mastering the techniques that you do know. some people might say otherwise but it's my opinion that you should devote yourself fully to one style until you are fluent in the basics. not to say that you shouldn't shop around but once you find one that you're happy with stick with it for a while before taking on another one.

[aaron_mag]

I've taken Taekwon-do for 20+ years and I've also taken Gracie style Jui Jutsu. I've even attended a seminar taught by a Gracie. His name started with R (they all do) and he was a really nice guy. Here are my thoughts.

First off...do not take any style that is Olympic style Taekwon-do. That is the worst style ever. They wear these big poofy pads and have completely forgotten how to use their hands (as you can see I take the traditional style of Taekwon-do).

Now on to the other stuff. First off...martial arts cannot escape real life. There are those that are athletic and those that are not. Training will help you somewhat, but it isn't like the movies where a 150 pound guy suddenly has the power to beat down a 270 pound guy. I've also boxed and learned the hard way that there is a reason they have weight classes

Grappling styles are very good. You need to make sure that the one you do has alot of live sparring. It is a very safe way to train and it requires alot of fitness. Plus...most people don't have that much experience with joint locks. The natural instinct is to do exactly the wrong thing against a grappler (sprawl your hands out to break their fall and let them put in the keylock and such things). So you can learn alot of good moves that are effective with a grappling style. Plus you learn good habits (like hugging your opponent close and not giving them any space to work you over).

I've done traditional striking martial arts for 20 years. Naturally I think they are fine. One of the big problems, however, is that they require alot of athletic ability, strength, and speed. It also takes a long time to be effective with them. The kicks and punches are very effective. Around 10 years ago (in my early 20s) I did full contact kick boxing (where you only wear boxing gloves) to see how effective my kicks would be in a full contact situation. After landing some sidekicks on people they literally would not step in the ring with me. These are young and fit guys who are used to taking punishment. So it was very effective.

BUT that was after 10 years of intensive training. It should not have been surprising that I was able to beat down on guys with 2 to 3 years of kick boxing experience (they usually don't last much longer than that because it is a brutal sport). I know for a fact that guys in Taekwon-do with similar experience would have been hurt by the kickboxing guys (and they thought they were going to beat me up when I first started taking...heh heh heh).

But that is the beauty with traditional style striking arts. It takes years to perfect the techniques, but the training is actually good for your body rather than bad for it (you're not getting the snot beaten out of you in every class).

In your case I'd look for a jui jutsu style class. Safe training and effective techniques that work right away. For those that had a genuine interest in martial arts (beyond defending themselves tomorrow) I'd recommend traditional martial arts including the striking styles. I'm 33 now and I can still do it to stay in shape and have some fun. I wouldn't be doing it if it didn't have alot of benefit. But I'm interested in it...

[Konigballer]

yeah, I never really thought about that. But it makes sense, I guess they wouldnt make as much money if all the UFC's best people were maimed or crippled every fight.

But how could you really evaluate the "real world" effectiveness of various fighting styles then? Is there a fighting organization with no rules that allows people to acutally prove wich fighting style is the most effective?

[aaron_mag]

muay thai is good but it favors people with long limbs. also strategy is to protect the head and groin area while leaving the midsection open. ever watched the kickboxer movies? it's exagerrated but they do train to take hits to the ribs and abdominal area. they also train their shins and forearms to be really tough. definitely an art for tough lanky guys.. "skinny guys fight till they're burger."

Dude!!! This is sooo true! That was one of the things I found weird about kick boxing. They would basically let me kick them in the stomach. And since they didn't expect a lead leg kick (all their kicks are reverse leg) they didn't see the side kick coming. And I don't care how strong your stomach is...if a heel digs into your stomach you are going down. I dropped a guy once with one kick. I took a thigh kick (painful as heck) and sidekicked him in the stomach. I felt the air go out of him. It was like knocking over a feather.

I still don't know why more people in the UFC don't use the lead leg side kick!!! I think it is because alot of the best 'traditional' martial artists develop this philosophy of non violence as they train. So much so that they become almost zen like