Self Defense - Martial Art

CuriousOne1287 · 2017-01-09T02:31:08+00:00

Don't train straight up MMA until you have a solid base of grappling and stand-up (striking). Most MMA gyms offer separate classes for different arts, but you end up getting a lot of "cross-discipline" instructors (a judo guy running a wrestling class, or a kick-boxing guy running a "muay thai" class). MMA schools can teach you the basics of striking and grappling, but unless you train these arts separately with top instructors, you'll never be truly proficient in either.

If you want to learn to take a punch, end fights quickly, and hone your overall "warrior instinct," you need to study a striking art.

The two ABSOLUTE best ones are muay thai and boxing. For obvious reasons (the inclusion of kicks, knees, elbows, and throws), muay thai should be your number one choice. But unless you're planning on starting shit with trained fighters on a regular basis, boxing will still put you in the top 90% of men in terms of fighting ability.

If you want to learn to physically diffuse a single aggressor without going to prison for battery, you should take up a grappling art.

The best ones here are judo, sambo, wrestling, and brazilian jiu jitsu. For practicality, I highly suggest judo or sambo. While I've trained BJJ for many years, and believe it's the single best grappling art for professional fighting, its lack of focus on takedowns makes it a lot less practical in a real world situation.

Judo is the single most effective art for taking an opponent down quickly without hurting them too much. Unfortunately, most judo schools won't focus too much on what to do once you have your opponent on the ground. But that won't matter unless you're going up against a seasoned sambo/bjj practitioner.

Sambo is an aggressive soviet combination of judo, wrestling, and brazilian jiu jitsu, meant to encompass the entire ground game from take downs to submissions. Though from my experience, it doesn't do those quite as well as the aforementioned arts, it can still translate into INCREDIBLY effective ground game (see Fedor Emelianenko).

Regardless of what martial art school you choose, it MUST satisfy the following criteria:

It must have live training: In striking arts, this is called sparring. In grappling arts, it's called rolling. Either way, the school should be dedicating a fair chunk of time to teaching you how to deal with an aggressive opponent who is trying to knock you out/take you down/submit you. This is of utmost importance if you want to learn to use your newfound skills in a real world scenario.
It must produce competitive fighters: Every good martial arts school produces amateur fighters. Good instructors will produce fighters with belts. If fighters aren't frequenting your martial arts school, it's a clear sign that something in the instruction is lacking.
It must NOT have frequent "grading": If you're paying for an exam to get a new stripe on your belt every couple of months, GTFO. This is a clear sign that you're training at a McDojo; a martial arts school more interested in making quick money than hardened martial artists. Most "true" martial arts don't have any grading whatsoever. Of those that do (i.e. judo, bjj, kyokushin), each belt is EARNED. It takes years to progress, and decades to reach the top.

Let me know if you have any questions.

vandaalen · 2017-01-08T20:59:14+00:00

BJJ and MMA. Nothing better you can train.

You think you are in shape and then you do jiu jitsu...

FilthMonger85 · 2017-01-08T22:56:00+00:00

BJJ and Muay Thai

teolinzo · 2017-01-09T02:05:24+00:00

questionac · 2017-01-09T07:15:09+00:00

Coolest? Ninjutsu.

Dirtiest? Krav Maga.

Overall endurance/offence/defence? Probably MMA/Muay Thai

I don't think it really matters though, so long as you master the art. No simple trained dude will be able to go against a master of any martial art.

So I'd pick what I like the most, what gives me the body I like the most, and master it.

cazzah123 · 2017-01-09T13:48:11+00:00

Fuck everyone here. Here's the truth.

Getting in fights in the street is dumb. You can hurt someone and get arrested, get hurt yourself, or something can decide to stab you. Or stomp your head when your down. Or their friends join in.

The best martial art for self defence is talking and running. You try to talk your way out of it, when that fails you run.

Take it from me. Got in a fight, broke hand, police get involved, work finds out, lose job, surgery on hand, criminal record. And for what?

And I was lucky. I've seen people get hit with s bottle. I've known people get stabbed. Over what?

If you need an answer, then do boxing. The goal is to hit fast and hard until you can escape, then run.

But trust me, you need to talk your way out of things, don't be s fucking hero.

NolanKnowstheTruth · 2017-01-10T03:22:50+00:00

Take good old fashion boxing - it will teach how to properly throw a punch, how watch for telegraphing punches (dropping shoulders etc), and how to roll with a punch. Then take Judo, the essence of defensive martial arts, which teaches you restraint, and using your opponents momentum and weight against him.

BJJ and MMA stuff is good if you think you're going to get on the ground and roll around with the guy.

In my experiences, street fights are usually over when you counter and land a good shot.

Title	Self Defense - Martial Art
Author	purplecabbage
Upvotes	3
Comments	9
Date	January 8, 2017 8:47 PM UTC (7 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/5mt39f/self_defense_martial_art/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/self-defense-martial-art.80462 https://theredarchive.com/post/80462