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Most "real-world applicable" type of Martial Arts?

someguy

someguy

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 4, 2005
2,351
21
Still here.
So, for the past couple years I've toyed off and on with the idea of signing up for regular martial arts training. I think it'd be beneficial to have a degree of skills in the self-defense area in case I ever need them, and also for fun! I've taken a few self-defense oriented classes and always find them to be unrealistic. They usually seem to lower confidence as opposed to increasing it. (By the way, I don't have any self-confidence issues, I just know what I'm capable of and I know I'd like to be more capable of defending myself. Glad we cleared that up.) :p

I'd like to know what type of martial arts (or maybe using the term "martial arts" is wrong altogether in this case) training is most suited for real-world encounters and scenarios.

I'm not really sure what questions I should be asking, so I guess I'll leave it at that for now. :)
 
hmmmm...here's the deal, i train in mixed martial arts and i am a mixed martial arts instructor, we train, in muay thai for our striking, wrestling and judo for take downs and take down defense, and brazilian jiujitsu and some sambo for grappling and ground control and submissions... IMO training like that would get you "readier" for any real life kind of thing, you see, every single martial ar has it's strenghts and weaknesses, it is up to you to learn how to use them and mix them up...

Now on the other side, it take slots of time to learn the proper stuff and people that just want to learn it to hurt people never last in teh sport, after all it is a sport, it takes lots of discipline and hard work...
 
juanster said:
people that just want to learn it to hurt people never last in teh sport, after all it is a sport, it takes lots of discipline and hard work...
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I'm closer to the other end of the spectrum. I'm looking more to avoid getting hurt. :D
 
oh hehe, yeah i see what you mean, then I think many martial arts would get you what you want, muay thai specially it's a very offensive martial art, it's not made to defend but to attack, kind of like boxing, the thing is, you see, if you know how to attack you know how you will get attacked, that's just my opinion tho...
 
That's a tough question. Body types, personality, etc. bear on which is best for you.

As mentioned above, mixed martial arts can be beneficial. You basically can cherry pick which ones work for you.

Some arts that I studied had wonderful moves, but they were too complex unless you study (practice) everyday. What works in the Dojo may not work or be impractical on the street.

Suggest keeping it simple for self defense. Sneakers with a good dose of being heads up and being aware of your surroundings can do wonders. :)
 
Krav Maga
Out of all the martial arts I have learned in this one served me the best in real life situations.
Its not pretty, but it keep you alive and from getting hurt bad. and at the higher levels teaches you how to protect someone else as well, which is very handy to know.

Brazilian Jujutsu
Also very good for practical stuff.

Tae Kwon Do
for the mental discipline and learning how to use legs effectively.
 
sushi said:
Some arts that I studied had wonderful moves, but they were too complex unless you study (practice) everyday. What works in the Dojo may not work or be impractical on the street.
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Exactly. I'd hate to waste money learning something that's only useful in class.:rolleyes:

There is a place near where I live that offers training in "mixed martial arts". Maybe I'll check it out.


OutThere said:
Krav Maga is probably more what you're looking for than 'martial arts', which more often than not have rules and assumptions about the fight that aren't found in real self defense.
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I can't seem to find anywhere in my area (or really even in MI) that teaches this form of combat, unfortunately. :(

dukebound85 said:
i say a trained Doberman/German Shepard/Rottweiler would do the trick
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But then... what kind of training is best for the Rott?

Leareth said:
Brazilian Jujutsu
Also very good for practical stuff.
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The place I mention earlier in this post offers training in Brazilian Jujitsu as well. Do you think this would suit me better than the "mixed martial arts" class?
 
I was going to do Kali, but I was advised to take another curriculum first. It consists of boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and...I think there's more, but I'm too lazy to get the pamphlet. A mix of martial arts in my opinion, works best. Because you can't just kick, or you can't just punch. Cause once you're grabbed, kicking and punching is less effective.
 
The Keysi Fighting Method is supposed to be even beyond mixed martial arts. In MMA there are rules, and KFM is designed to win at any cost, and it includes things like biting, attacking the weakpoints of joints, headbutts, etc.
 
When studying a traditional martial art, there is a lot of stuff that you do that doesn't feel practical or applicable to real life. For example practicing your forms, which if you don't know are those exercises you see people doing alone with slow, controlled movements. That really works to improve your technique and muscle memory. As you go along in training you'll see how the various movements have applications.

You'll find that many martial arts in the hands of a well trained individual can be highly affective in most circumstances. If you come into contact with another person trained in a martial art, it may not matter which style you studied so much as how you good you are and how you apply it. I will however make the point that some styles do have their particular benefits. For instance, some styles have a lot more emphasis on stand up combat or ground work, grappling. I think this is why mixed martial arts might be a good bet for you, depending on what you're looking for.

Personally, I studied Wing Chun and found it to be pretty practical. I particularly liked the sticky hands exercise.
 
I agree that Mixed Martial Arts is the way to go. Brazillian/Gracie Jujitsu with muay thai will prepare you for many "real world" situations. It is what the US Army uses to train for hand-to-hand combat. It's one hell of a workout, too.
 
The OP didn't mention if this is a class with other students or one-on-one.

An old friend of mine gave one-on-one classes. What he taught depended on your needs, body type, sex, and overall physical capabilities. With women he stressed redirection of force, evasion, etc., he said he trained men differently as to capability. Wish I could afford him.
 
juanster said:
hmmmm...here's the deal, i train in mixed martial arts and i am a mixed martial arts instructor, we train, in muay thai for our striking, wrestling and judo for take downs and take down defense, and brazilian jiujitsu and some sambo for grappling and ground control and submissions... IMO training like that would get you "readier" for any real life kind of thing, you see, every single martial ar has it's strenghts and weaknesses, it is up to you to learn how to use them and mix them up...
Click to expand...

Probably true. Did you train individually in each of these disciplines, or did you just nick parts of each martial art that you think were good? In other words, if a Muay Thai trained person saw you punch and kick, would they tell you that it looked pretty weird, much like French Canadian accents are to real French people, or butter when compared to "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"?


juanster said:
....muay thai specially it's a very offensive martial art, it's not made to defend but to attack, kind of like boxing, the thing is, you see, if you know how to attack you know how you will get attacked, that's just my opinion tho...
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I agree as well. I had learnt karate twice, each time for 2 years. I just didn't see the point either time. They were both very different, but the outcome was the same: I knew how to punch and kick better than before. The blocks sound good on paper, but for practical purposes, the majority of blocks would be of little use in a street fight, where the guy who punches and lunges towards you more often will probably win a fight. Sure, there are a lot of punches that don't do much in those fights, but by knowing how to strike well, more of your punches will land, and he won't be the one punching you more often if he has been hit solidly 3-4 times.

For a real fight, you'd be better off learning to box, or something like Muay Thai (which I don't know much about), where you're going to learn to attack and be attacked.

EDIT: I mean "blocks" as in the standard blocks they teach you in karate. Blocks where you just keep your hands in and your head + chin down are more realistic ways to block, I think.
 
Muay Thai.... Yeah, I know whenever I get in to a scrum, I bury my head between my hands and start kicking.


Japanese karate is the best real-world application. Hit them on the chin. If they punch at you first, block, then hit 'em on the chin.
 
No one martial art (well, out of the well-established ones anyway) is better than any other: it's the practitioner that makes the difference. My advice would be to list the schools in your area, visit each of them and watch a class and talk to the instructor. Find the 2-3 you like the look of best and take a class at each. Pick your favourite out of those and train a lot. :)

Oh, and there's only one "secret" in the martial arts: practice.
 
Abstract said:
Probably true. Did you train individually in each of these disciplines, or did you just nick parts of each martial art that you think were good? In other words, if a Muay Thai trained person saw you punch and kick, would they tell you that it looked pretty weird, much like French Canadian accents are to real French people, or butter when compared to "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"?



EDIT: I mean "blocks" as in the standard blocks they teach you in karate. Blocks where you just keep your hands in and your head + chin down are more realistic ways to block, I think.
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I actually train at a Muay thai gym, that also teaches mma, my strenght it's my muay thai, and i train it with guys that train and compete on strictly muay thai competitions. I have taken brazilian jiujitsu classes and again train with guys that train and compete striclty grapplin tournaments, same thing for freestyle wrestling also train with a bunch of guys that are strictly mma, so for those three yes i do them alone and also mixed, I could compete in either of those and maybe not be the best but I'm pretty sure i'd do well. My wrestling it's my weakest, but thgen again i train withs ome guys that are just mnsters at it...and with things liek jiujitsu and stuff, i have never done it with a gi or anything so iguess it doenstr count as official jiujitsu??? dont know,, or care to really..lol...so yeah if a muay thai person saw me kick they d completely see the thai training in me, a jiujitsu person sees me grapplin they would be able to tell i have bjj training, same with wrestling, ic an mix thema nd do them all alone...


And yes for the OP just like the person above me said, just go into different gyms or dojo's and they will usually have a free trial class or week or somehting, try them out, then see how you d be able to apply it in the "real world". Does it bother you train witha gi? is havinga gi really applicable in the "real world" imo i dont think so, there lots of little things liek that, look into it, but at the end it all comes down to what you think and feel will work, like i said before, i dont think there is a martial art that s better than the other one, some hace weaknesses and some have strenghts, learn what they are...take all you can but only keep what you want or need...(that's somehtign i always tell my students)
 
Kickboxing has served me well, but I'm interested in Krav Maga. However, I definitely have to improve my fitness level and endurance before taking it on. Practice is full contact, and VERY intense.
 
Leareth said:
Krav Maga
Out of all the martial arts I have learned in this one served me the best in real life situations.
Its not pretty, but it keep you alive and from getting hurt bad. and at the higher levels teaches you how to protect someone else as well, which is very handy to know.
Click to expand...

What I was going to say. I might add that knowing self-defense might suit your purpose, but certain disciplines also teach inner strength type of stuff too (I knw that sounds weird but I can't think how else to word it).. Tai Chi or something (but that's not for fighting..)

Anyone here know Kuk Sool?
 
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