What Martial Art Is Right For You? Which Ones Are Effective? What Style TO Learn?

all martial arts has good and bad technics just as there are good and bad teachers and practitioners, but if you take a few Q's from bruce lee and many of the other greats especially sun tsu and become one with the natural flow and control your fear, you might become a promising warrior and always remember there are no rules to the game of survival, so any sneaky winning trick you can develop as a secret winning weapon is yours for the taking

Since I have this....Job...that I have to do on occasion....Self Defense for me is not something that I can take for granted. As someone else has said here....better off with a Gun...but sometimes things go badly and this is why the Military puts everyone through Basic.

I am..."CIVILIAN"...so I am even more exposed sometimes...but everytime I get asked to go...the last thing on my mind is...LET'S GO KICK SOME ASS! These are words for Gamers and if I do my job right...everyone gets to go home...sometimes even the...at the start...BAD GUY's who are now working for us.

Still...if the S#!% hits the fan...I am confident in my people as well as myself...even though I am older and have trouble bouncing up and over serious terrain....as these much younger guy's just fly! LOL!

So even if you are armed to the teeth and we wear advanced body armour...super light weight and no F%$#@!& Metal or Ceramic Plates that weigh a guy down. The damn armour should be STANDARD ISSUE...but it is expensive as Hell! Still....a person has to be ready to go at it to the point where you are out of ammo and now you have a Knife in your hand....because real life is not a game! And Killing a Vid Game Charachter is not like killing a person. But you get a few morons who have some drug money to buy a few guns...then...STUPIDLY....hold the Damn Gun Sideways like some IDIOT! As if anyone can look good killing another Human Being....not that there are not some that need killing. Split Infinity

The best martial art to learn is the one that teaches its practitioner how to avoid ever using it. Most martial arts I have researched are essentially like religions, and philosophical at their very foundation. It is not about breaking bones and who is tougher. They have always been a means of defense, and how to avoid conflict.

Not all this grappling and knocking each other out in cages like everyone sees on the TV and in movies. It is about discipline, awareness of one's surrounding, non-violence, and overall respect for one's opponent. I will have nothing to do with any of the martial arts taught in the West, because it is a sacrilege to the true essence of it as taught for thousands of years in the east. I mean it is so bad as to almost making a mockery of it. That is my opinion. As far as I am concerned, there is not one style that is better than the other.



Each one serves its purpose, and is adequate for defense. In a street fight there are no rules, principles, doctrines, or settings to be followed. The only thing one needs to know is how to immobilize their opponent, and develop methods to survive in a life and death situation. Each of the martial arts mentioned in the thread serves that purpose. The very foundation of martial arts is how to avoid conflict, and to seek a peaceful outcome to confrontation. Lets face it, there is always going to be someone stronger, faster, and smarter.

In my experience, I have found that a good Kempo/traditional Karate system and Krav Maga are the best. Krav Maga is great self defense (Only self defense) and quick to learn. Traditional Kempo (some say Kenpo)/Karate system takes it a step further with a full martial arts system, sparring, self discipline, conditioning, katas etc. I like a good traditional Karate or Kempo/Kenpo system but you have to understand that it takes months to learn basics and years to get to a black belt level. I'm a second degree black belt in Kempo and it is some really good stuff. A good traditional instructor will take into account that you want to learn some good quick self defense technicques but not all do. Ask before you sign up. Take some Krav Maga classes and take a Kempo class weekly/Monthly and you'll be set. It's a great combo.


Edit to add. MMA can teach you to fight as well but it's really tough training that many get injured in. The other downfall of MMA training is that it teaches you that it's okay to fight on the ground and stay there. (Classic Gaurd position). That can be fine...but what do you do when the guys buddy comes up behind you and starts kicking you in the head? Just something to think about. Second is tournament styles like (Most, not all) TKD styles. Yes you'll have great flexibility and amazing high kicks and balance but you'll be lacking in other areas.

One other think in a traditional systems favor is...it does teach you to fight and defend yourself but most also drill it into your head that the best fight is the one you aren't in. You learn to avoid fights with assertiveness, self confidence and awareness of your surroundings.

reply to post by SplitInfinity


That's also known as a "blast" or "Wing Tsun" punch series.

If you learn it and get it down, it's friggin brutal. One of my favorite moves is the blast.

reply to post by prisoneronashipoffools



I'm perfectly aware that usually every martial art is 'mixed'. YOU brought UFC into it. I didn't. I simply said "MMA".

Yes, people associate the term with UFC, but that's their bag. I didn't mention UFC, you did. Because of the stigma of the title "MMA" people think I mean guys in the ring with tight shorts on and gloves.

Problem in the west is everyone thinks all fights go to the ground. The ufc wa formulated with rules specifically to promote grappling styles to the main stream. In the underground fights in china, which are no rules and truly hard core warriors, fights never go to ground, since soon as someone tries to get a hold for a take down, the other simply reaches over and snaps his fingers.

Not to say its the best style in the world, as I think it is more the life style, but shaolin warrior monks are most likely the most powerful fighters, and I guarantee one of them would tear easily through our popular mma franchises if they ever decided to compete, which they never would.

The easterners have understandings of power and energy far advanced from ours, and little scrawny 70 year old men have been on documentaries and discover many times easily striking far harder than big juiced out western boxers, and shaolin monks have been videod many times submitting to impacts that would leave others with crushed throats, feet, ribs, etc. and yes, it is combat applicable, as I've witnessed a monk who practices iron foot catch an opponents downward elbow block on top of his tarsals, and while he was totally unharmed, the other guys elbow was in extreme pain. My 2c

Originally posted by Quickfix
I would love to learn Aikido.

It uses the attacking force of your enemy against themselves.

I find it to be one of the most effective forms of martial arts around.

And the famous Steven Seagal used this art in most of his movies.

I was wondering why he/she didnt mention Aikido,as it is one of most effective matial-arts out there.
I think that if Aikido could get mixed up with street-fighting,it would give u most deadly martial art existing. Although chinese boxing,and Jet Kun Do,arent bad too.
My advice,learn Aikido!

Great thread Pax! S&F!

I am in total agreement with you. The style is less important than the application to a point. But... if someone can apply as well as you, but has an advantage in techgnique you get a brief lesson in the history of pain. I have a few years kenpo on me, and I studied southern praying mantis just because I thought it "looked" cool. Then I hung out with old bikers in bars, and learned fast, hard, and continuously. The best techniques are passed on by the survivors. (Yes that's a quote from Skyrim, forgive me, I know I'm too old to be playing that.:lol but, it's true none the less.

I know everyone is wired different, and so the psychological phases of a fight progress differently for each person. When I first started I had BAD jitters. Scared to death of getting punched, and scared to really "hurt" someone, but I had a group of punks picking on me awfully at the time, so I endured. I actually was recommended a book on fight psychology by my sifu, and I'm sorry I can't remember the name for the life of me. Anyway it talked about the primitive or reptlilian brain, and stress response etc... Much help. When the adrenaline hits your brain re-wires, and pre-learned neural pathways are all you have at your disposal until you regain control of your head. It happens to everyone, no matter how many fights you are in. You simply learn to go through the phases faster with practise. I recommend having about 2 or 3 moves for each range so ingrained, so "muscle memorized" that absolutely no thought at all goes into their execution. Also make sure your footwork is top notch, you can know a thousand "cool" moves, and loose every fight if your footwork sucks. So when that moment of fight or flight hits, fight is your natural instinct, and give your opponent no ground. 99% of the fights I have been in end before the adrenaline phase really even completely wears off. Most of the time the aggressor is hoping posturing, and a good intimidation bluff will make you aquiesce to their demands. When the talking is over, and they realise they have to put up, or shut up their switch doesn't flip as fast because they were hoping to be the aggressor, and take advantage. When your switch flips, and you suddenly become the aggressor after having initially tried to avoid the fight most thugs are totally off guard, and it's all over, but looking for the teeth. If it does go beyond the first 10 seconds or so then all the higher learning you have developed serve you well when you have to go the distance. It's good to be prepared for many scenarios. Usually the first one to make a solid connection wins. I also learned from my bar brawling days that "pretty" seldom equals effective. Sometimes a simple well timed knee strike, or a quick naihanchi kick makes it all go away.

If one wants to learn an art quickly and efficiently, i will suggest Muay Thai, as it is very easy to learn. Sure, as suggested in the op, the kicking is hard at first, but everyone, it takes about 2-4 months at most to get a very good grasp of most of the kicks and the rotating, without it feeling awkward.

Secondly, if you prefer a more all rounded defensive techniques which covers knife attacks, gun attavks, gang attacks and more, then i will suggest Krav Maga. Although i do not have personal experience in this style, i can say that it is effective.

ETA: In addition to Eskrima, one can attempt Krabi Krabong, the Thai version of using weapons (be it spears, swords, poles), if not, Muay Boran can be effective, takes a lot longer to learn than Muay Thai, but i feel that it may be more effective in a real life situation (as it was used in hand to hand warfare in Siam).

reply to post by PaxVeritas
Those you mentioned are very good, and in survival I think some dicipline that teaches you to fight multiple opponents at the same time. For example Savate, its a good kickboxing and there are other forms of it for self defence and using sticks.
I guess the most important point in choosing one, is to choose one where you actually use full contact, so you know how it feels to be punched and and get used to it. Same goes for punching others and knocking out someone.
For some, being punched can be quite emotional at first

reply to post by PaxVeritas
I agree! And a well timed head kick can end the fight in a split second. There is a surprise element in it and it makes your opponent's friends think twice before coming at you


Checks are must, or avoid, but that needs very quick reactions..

I would have thought this was obvious. Mixed martial arts are mixed for a reason. You take what works from different disciplines and combine them. Jeet Kune Do is not a martial art, its a theory for using the most effective methods of fighting.

I've enjoyed reading this thread, I have a question, though.
I've fenced quite a lot and am an ok level club fencer, I've noticed that its often more difficult to fight a newbie as they have little in the way of style or technique. That's not to say I never beat them, far from i, but its next to impossible to stop them getting a hit or two and maintaining my own style is also very difficult when they go all Errol Flynn. So I was wondering if the same applies when trying to translate one of the formal martial arts to a real life situation.

Ok, finally a thread I can actually contribute to. I studied the martial arts since the age of 12 and now after studying many different arts, I found the one that is the perfect fit for me. I'm actually a Sensei / Instructor in NINJUTSU. Yes, it does still exist... and is being taught in the Bujinkan, the Genbukan and the Jinenkan organizations. Although, I left the Bujinkan organization, I do my own thing now, still teaching true Budo to my students. The Grandmaster - Soke Masaaki Hatsumi is really an incredible Martial artist!...likely the greatest on the planet....
I recently awarded my first two Sensei ranks to my top students. Why Ninjutsu? Obviously the Mystique and the dark side of the martial arts drew me in. But when I began studying, I realized that there is so much I didn't realize to it. The martial arts were created for only one purpose in the beggining..... To Kill the enemy in battle.. not for earning rank, compitition, self defense even, was not the origional purpose..killing was. It's these principles that Ninjutsu teaches.. these arts go back Way before Judo, Karate, Kendo, Aikido. In fact, all of the Japanese martial arts we know and study today came from Ninjutsu..This is a fact. They are just branches from the origional teachings. The founder of Aikido was a master of Kukishinden Ryu (which teaches Ninjutsu) before he created Aikido..research it., one of the schools taught in the Bujinkan. Kano of Judo mastered Tkagi Yoshin Ryu (another school taught in the Bujinkan) before he created Judo. The creator of Jiujutsu studied the Ninja arts as well. So in fact, the root of all Japanese martial arts is Ninjutsu.
In short, Ninjutsu techniques involve ripping apart muscles, breaking bones in horrible ways, breaking necks, stopping the heart, completely destroying and killing the enemy...but you choose how far to take it. We even train in mind manipulation tactics such as lie detection, classifying people into groups, finding out their weaknesses and how to use them against them, or even gain favor. We train in a variety of weapons, I'm liscensed to teach 14 different weapons styles from Ninjutsu.
However every martial art does have it's weaknesses... Ninjutsu comes down to who's better at the split second. Some of the techniques are outdated. Which is why I combine modern self defense with it. The best modern street program I've found to date is www.splitsecondsurvival.com . youtu.be... youtu.be... I hope I did it right with embedding. If so, here are a few clips.

This thread reminded me of an article I read the other day that emphasized my belief that hand-to-hand combat really should be a total last resort. Even a black belt can be beaten by someone without any formal training. Very few of us have been in a situation where we've had to truly fight for our lives without fear of being sued, loosing our freedom and a few teeth, or of killing our opponent(s) ... but it is better to have H2H training I suppose. I'd just assume avoid weaponless combat altogether!

6 Painful Things Nobody Tells You About Fighting
#6. Your Fists Are Fragile Flowers
#5. Punching a Guy in the Head (or Face) Is a Terrible Idea
#4. Kicks Are Useless
#3. Your Opponent Knows What's Coming
#2. It Takes a Very Specific Type of Person to Win Fights ...
#1. ... and You'd Be an Asshole to Want to Be One

Source - Click here for the humorous yet true details!

But if I had to choose - Gun Fu (gun kata) is the best/most effective martial art IMO.

someone smart should link a video to those 2 Welsh MMA guys in drag [yes, in drag] defending themself against some guys in the high street.

For what it's worth...

There are three big mistakes in choosing MMA as a self defense system for real life street fighting, and here they are:

Mistake # 1 – MMA Is Seen As A Self Defense System Rather Than As A Sport – This difference between real life and death self defense and sports self defense is that sports self defense has RULES which is the same thing to say as some things are permitted and some things are not. In the street anything goes.

Mistake # 2 – After Training For MMA, One Is Prone To Want To Grapple More Than Do Whatever It Takes To Survive – In MMA, there is a great emphasis on grappling and going to the mat with an opponent mainly because in MMA grappling is what the audience wants to see. You should avoid rolling on the ground and grappling unnecessarily with anyone. One is that when you fall to the ground on concrete, it is not the same thing as falling on a mat in a cage match. Two is that if you put your emphasis on grappling, then you probability of success rests more on your size and strength than your skill and cunning.

Mistake # 3 – When You Learn And Get Use To Fighting With Rules And Restrictions You Have Made Yourself Vulnerable For Street Fighting – In the street, you can eye gouge. In MMA, you cannot. In the street, you can bite. In MMA, you cannot. In the street, you can break the fingers, one-by- one, of someone who is trying to strangle you. In MMA, you cannot.

Conclusion: Forget MMA For Real Life Street Survival Self Defense – The ideal system for real life street self defense is any system that throws out any “illegal” moves and brings back a little respectability to the science of “fighting dirty.”

[url=http://ezinearticles.com/?Street-Fighting-Moves---Why-Mixed-Martial-Arts-(MMA)-Is-Dangerous-to-Learn-As-a-Self-Defense-System&id=1853902]source[/ url]

I would say a full contact karate style like Kyokushin due to the toughness, and a ground fighting style such as BJJ.
From experience when the situation occurs, you want the fight to be over as quickly as possible, you don't want it to drag on. Too many injuries are caused then.

Originally posted by RedParrotHead
This thread reminded me of an article I read the other day that emphasized my belief that hand-to-hand combat really should be a total last resort. Even a black belt can be beaten by someone without any formal training. Very few of us have been in a situation where we've had to truly fight for our lives without fear of being sued, loosing our freedom and a few teeth, or of killing our opponent(s) ... but it is better to have H2H training I suppose. I'd just assume avoid weaponless combat altogether!

6 Painful Things Nobody Tells You About Fighting
#6. Your Fists Are Fragile Flowers
#5. Punching a Guy in the Head (or Face) Is a Terrible Idea
#4. Kicks Are Useless
#3. Your Opponent Knows What's Coming
#2. It Takes a Very Specific Type of Person to Win Fights ...
#1. ... and You'd Be an Asshole to Want to Be One
.

If you believe any of those, you have no idea what you are talking about...........sorry but its true