Most practical martial art?

Originally Posted by I AM 2001

Well, in a street fight you need to know how to box to an extent. I imagine kickboxing would only make you more efficient since most people don't even have defenses lined up in their mind when it comes to reacting to a fucking kick to the legs. But fights, a lot of times, tend to go to he ground and you need to know your shit there too. Any sort of grappling would help. And don't worry about your fight turning into some goofy UFC LETS LIE ON TOP OF EACHOTHER FOR FIVE MINUTES because most people can't wrestler their way out of shit.

Alot of Kickboxing classes teach some grappeling as well to prepare people for stuff like the UFC. Honestly though just a couple classes on grappeling (and the occasional refresher course) will put you leagues ahead of anyone who isnt trained.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Kali/Eskrima, Krav Maga, Silat - these types. Well, while others may want to flash a kick or two or do a fancy elbow strike when there's time, the arts I mentioned usually skips the flashy types and just goes in for the kill. Grab arm, break joint, end the attack-type.

Just wondering if Brazilian Jiujitsu (or only Jiujitsu) also has the same concept.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I know this is an old thread that I actually just saw, I thought I would chime in with a MA that I was looking into myself (I took it for a couple of months before I had to move...) after being pointed towards it from a couple of friends of mine, which is Hapkedo.

Taken from a style overview page from the International Academy of Martial Arts

Hapkido combines joint locks, pressure points, throws, kicks, and strikes for practical self-defense. More soft than hard and more internal than external, but elements of each are included. Emphasizes circular motion, non-resistive movements, and control of the opponent.

Although Hapkido contains both outfighting and infighting techniques, the goal in most situations is to get inside for a close-in strike, lock, or throw. When striking, deriving power from hip rotation is strongly emphasized.

Training varies with organization and instructor. As a general rule, beginners concentrate on basic strikes and kicks, along with a few joint locks and throws. Some of the striking and kicking practice is form-like, that is, with no partner, however, most is done with a partner who is holding heavy pads that the student strikes and kicks full power.

Advanced students add a few more strikes and kicks as well as many more throws, locks, and pressure points. There is also some weapons training for advanced students - primarily belt, kubatan, cane, and short staff.

Some schools do forms, some do not. Some do sparring and some do not, although at the advanced levels, most schools do at least some sparring. Many Hapkido techniques are unsuitable for use in sparring, as their use would result in injury, even when protective gear is used. Thus, sparring typically uses only a limited subset of techinques.

I really enjoyed the physical aspect of this art. It was a quick-and-to-the-point style designed to end a fight quickly once one began. It teaches everything from striking, grappling, joint locks, pressure points, weapons, to reacting to the said moves properly as well. I will say however that being tall in my class was a disadvantage as it works a lot with using the center of gravity. You can overcome it (and have advantages in other areas such as striking), but it is hard. I would definately recommend this form to others.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

How bout Sambo and Muay Thai. If they're good enough for Fedor Emelianenko, it should be good enough to suit your needs as an athelete.

How ya doing, buddy?

If you're worried about getting in fights in England, you gotta remember that the only fights you're gonna get into are with huge groups of chavs or a couple of drunk fucks outside a pub.

If you're set on by a group of chavs, no martial art is gonna save you from a kicking. They won't attack you unless there's about 15 of them and at least half will probably be tooled up. Just run away, take up track running or something.

If you're involved in a punch up outside a pub, chances are the other guy will be too drunk to actually hurt you and if the cops turn up and see you martial artsing someone, they'll never believe you didn't start it and you'll get charged with assault or abh, rather than affray or drunk and disorderly.

If you want to learn a martial art for discipline or fitness, just pick whatever looks fun. Don't ever pick one to actually use on the streets though, that's just gonna land you in hospital or prison. If you're moving somewhere so incredibly dangerous you need martial arts skills just to wander the streets ('Sup Salford?) then just buy a fuck off great big knife and scare people of with it.

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Originally Posted by Shin

Just run away, take up track running or something.

This is probably some of the best advice you can get. It'll also work in your favor if you need to run away from the polies as well.

Quote:

if the cops turn up and see you martial artsing someone

lolies. You need to be able to run here too.

FELIPE NO

LMAO, Salford isn't that bad Shin, although the two weeks I lived there I was almost pissing myself whenever I had to walk home at night.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

For Krav Maga I suspect the fatal/kill moves are reserved for military style personnel and a more self defence orientated programme is taught to civilians.

Of course, in a really dangerous situation or outnumbered, running would be the way to go -there's no sense in trying to be an action hero and getting seriously injured.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Its nice to see all these martial arts people around. Me I'm from the animal style kung fu tradition. I had a taste of wrestling & karate but my opinion is find something that builds a character that avoids fighting period.

The experience of practicing violent encounters is valuable but the important part is not the moves, its keeping yourself under control.
Frankly knowing anything and I mean like one good move is better than nothing at all but your mind needs the conditioning to make the situation work for all that are involved.
I've been in many situations where my awareness, cool head and confidence did more than the hardest punch.
I dont know of a school that teaches the good sense of being aware of who and where you are, where you are going and where you should be but if there is one that can teach such an art that defeats conflict before it happens, find it first.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Kapoera!!!!! If you can windmill, hit someone and keep momentum than damn you are freaking amazing. But really i'd recommend tae kwon do; nobody expects a guy to kick. I wouldn't recommend kung-fu just because it is more body training than fighting. That or jeet kun do if you don't mind touching another man's sack in the most painful or ways.

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Tae Kwon Do has some surprisingly good defense techniques, or at least the way I was taught it. From what I've heard of it, I'd expect to learn far more offensive moves. I guess though they do teach you to block in ways that injure the other guy, hopefully. It was fairly balanced though, with just a few shortcomings. It's a terrible technique to use versus more than one foe, because there aren't really any guaranteed incapacitating moves, you just have to hope you hit/kick hard enough in the right spots to take down one guy each time you attack.

It's fun, and excellent for exercise, and for the most part practical. There are better forms for combat, I won't argue that, but I was definitely satisfied with what I learned. I got to 1st degree/3rd level black before I stopped.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by DarkLink2135

Tae Kwon Do has some surprisingly good defense techniques, or at least the way I was taught it. From what I've heard of it, I'd expect to learn far more offensive moves. I guess though they do teach you to block in ways that injure the other guy, hopefully. It was fairly balanced though, with just a few shortcomings. It's a terrible technique to use versus more than one foe, because there aren't really any guaranteed incapacitating moves, you just have to hope you hit/kick hard enough in the right spots to take down one guy each time you attack.

It's fun, and excellent for exercise, and for the most part practical. There are better forms for combat, I won't argue that, but I was definitely satisfied with what I learned. I got to 1st degree/3rd level black before I stopped.

Yup; totally agree with you. It really just teaches you how to spar, but i think that for self defense that's probrably more than what most crooks can handle. That or school fights, most people just talk smack until you call them out.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Ulysses

LMAO, Salford isn't that bad Shin, although the two weeks I lived there I was almost pissing myself whenever I had to walk home at night.

Dude, I lived there for three years when I was at uni, my mate lived on officially the most dangerous street in the country (Langworthy Road FYI). It certainly fucking is that bad...

Originally Posted by crabman

nobody expects a guy to kick.

You've never been in a fight, have you?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

It's a hard decision really, personally ninjitsu and wing chun have been the most usefull/practical to me. This is mainly because neither use big movements or need a lot of space to utilise. From the instances I've had to use them (I think i have a big neon sign above me that says "mug me please!") being able to use close up techniques has saved my life, not to mention my phone and wallet many times I've found that I do not need to carry a knife or baton like my friends do, instead I can use a few key punches to disable an attacker.
Ninjitsu taught me restraint, the other martial arts that I studied did the same but not to the same extent. Granted this depends on the dojo in which you studied in, my ninjitsu teacher was ridiculously strict so I knew what to hold back.
That's the most practical thing you can be taught in my opinion, if you don't hold back you can get yourself in allot of trouble.

FELIPE NO

The balance and footwork learned in ninjitsu is fucking amazing. I was seeing a variety of martial artists trying to do their art while balancing on some stumps of various lengths and only the ninjitsu practitioner could do it fucking cat like.

Originally Posted by LordsSword

The experience of practicing violent encounters is valuable but the important part is not the moves, its keeping yourself under control.

EXTREMELY TRUE. Check out this video. It has tons of examples of people that lose their fucking mind while fighting. But check out the fight at 2:49. Guy defending his girlfriend very well against two people. Kept his cool. Not sure if he's a boxer or just a naturally intelligent fighter. I'd be so ashamed of myself if I got my ass kicked this way, worse yet if I had a friend "helping" me.

YouTube Video

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I always thought martial arts are specially for self defense and that's what I found on Judo. Maybe karate is too aggressive and I don't knwo very much of others like 'Jujitsu' (maybe it's mispelled, sorry). or 'Taekwondo'.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, defensively speaking thats sound. But look at the problems Obi Wan had using Soresu, a purely defensive lightsaber style.

¬.¬

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Wushu actually isn't bad at all in terms of physical conditioning. The people I know who practice it are pretty cut. It also gives a really good sense of balance. In a fighting situation however, I don't think you'd want to try using it at all. Same pretty much goes for TKD.

I'd say kickboxing is a good one. I'd throw in kickboxing because even if they guy has a granite chin, a few hard leg kicks can make him go down... unless he's been training or something.

I find boxing a little limited in terms of range, but it's conditioning aspect is the best of all martial arts in my opinion.

Muay thai is really effective, but I don't know if bone strengthening techniques have improved. I hear people who train seriously in MT can't walk after 40 because of really weak bones. If you can get past that, the elbows and knees are lethal.

I like the Genki Sudo style... which is like breakdancing/popping and throwing spinning backfists, then somehow getting a flying triangle.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.