I don't know much about martial arts, but as a child and teen I was a black belt in Tang Soo Do, a form of Korean karate. It was similar to Tae Kwon Do, and I am skeptical that it would really have done much for me in a real street fight. I would suggest for self-defense, any martial art that deals with close combat like ju jitsu or judo and grappling type fighting. I even think someone who knows how to wrestle has a huge advantage in a street fight. As for the fitness aspect of it, I have no clue. But the flashier the martial art, the less practical it probably is in a real fight. Nobody has the opportunity to do flying spinning jump kicks in a real fight.
I studied Tang Soo Do, too (it was actually called tang soo do moo doo kwon), and I used it in a fight pretty successfully. But overall I would agree that it's not the most practical style on the street. The blocks and hand strikes are pretty much garbage. I kicked the guy in the head several times, I was wearing shorts, but I used wing chun do hand strikes. Basically, the chung choi (sic?) and nothing else. I was nervous and stressed the whole time but I kept a clear head.
In a real 'street' fight I'd take the ultra violent hardcore thug with no martial arts training over the gentle no combat experience black belt whatever art practioner all the time.
True. Quinton Jackson isn't very skilled at all but fights at a very high level by using brute strength and aggression.
Of course martial arts training is better than none at all on the 'street' however like with soldiers and war no amount of training can prepare the soldier for the psychological shock and trauma of a real encounter.
I've heard a lot of people say you lose 80% of your martial arts ability in a fight, and maybe that's why BJJ is so good for one on one fighting -- once it goes to a clinch, you have a little time to think and if the guy doesn't know any grappling, you're in almost complete control.
MA training will make you feel more confident but I'd also work on aggression and have sparring sessions with body pads and some real contact so the mind can adjust to having the body hit.
Good point. Just being in really good shape and having been hit a few times is a huge advantage. Even boxing terribly a few rounds will greatly improve your chances of surviving a fight. You quickly realize it's tough to land a clean punch on a fit guy with decent reflexes. And once the nose starts bleeding, you see what you're really made of.
Most street fights end up on the ground in the first 15 seconds. Learn how to ground fight, if fighting is the reason for your training.
You can also just take BJJ lessons once every few weeks or so, learn the basics. Even knowing a little bit of ground fighting is a huge advantage since most people know absolutely nothing on the ground. Everybody can throw a punch, but knowing how to move on the ground isn't nearly as instinctual.
But the danger of BJJ, I would think, is if you fight a complete drunk lunatic and you tie him up on the ground and he decides to start gouging your eye, fish hooking, or rips your ear off. In a no holds barred real street fight, I would try to end it with strikes as quickly as possible or, better yet, just walk away even if you look like a wuss.
TKD emphasizes kicking--high kicks to the head and chest. I find that very impractical on the street.
But who says you have to aim for the head? Use that kicking power to kick straight into their knee or kick them in the stomach.
Muy Thai is much better, especially in combo with one of the wrestling forms. Jeet Kune Do takes from all arts, including stick fighting and is also a very good choice.
JKD is good but it depends on your instructor, since everybody's JKD is different. A lot of the guys use a lot of wing chun, which takes a while to develop. The danger with a "style" like JKD is that you might become a jack of all trades, master of none. Know a little of this, a little of that, and who knows what happens in a real fight. Muay Thai and BJJ keeps it very simple. Boxing is good, too, and simply getting into fantastic shape and increasing your strength is good as well.
But really, if you're an adult, it seems silly to worry about self defense. Seriously, unless you attract trouble in bars, dedicating so many hours to prepare for something that is so highly unlikely is nuts. Better off just finding a style that really appeals to you and stay with it for the exercise and fun.
:grin:
Or just watch
this.
