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Original post by Nick1sHere
What are you trained in?


KFM.
Original post by Classical Liberal
KFM.


Have you ever used it in a real fight?
Reply 42
I practice karate. I love it. It has stuff for self defence, stuff for competition, we have throws and locks from judo, and we have kata, which really emphasises the artistic side of the martial art.

It probably isn't the best martial art for pure fighting, but you definitely have a huge advantage if facing a real life opponent who has not had any martial arts training, which is 90% of people.

My karate is not dumbed down, though. There are so many dojos in this country where you can walk away with a black belt after two years, and not know how to throw a roundkick properly. This is 'popular' karate, dumbed down for the masses where the sensei is in it because it is a business, not because he loves it. Find a great dojo with a small class and one where you frequently take hits and get hurt, and you learn a lot.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 43
Most people will come here and big up whichever art they study, as in order to commit to an art you have to believe it's the best. However, the truth is it depends both on you as a person and the quality of the instructor, so think about generally what you would like to do - striking/grappling/combination, traditional/modern etc. - and try out a few courses. Pursue whichever one you like the most and think you would most like to study further (if this is none of them try some others etc.).

As I said, everyone will plug their own art, so here is my bit: I train Shorinji Kan Jiu Jitsu which sort of encompasses everything. It's a modern art developed from some ancient techniques - it teaches lots of throws, locks, strikes and weapons defences (and uses). In fact, it's the art with the largest variety of weapons in the UK.
Original post by Nick1sHere
Have you ever used it in a real fight?


Nope. I probably would use some of the things I have learnt.

I would probably cover myself pretty effectively, use people as shields and use walls.

A lot of things though, would go completely out the window. I know this because in KFM you are trained to actually deal with a stress environment, somewhat similar to the reality of a fight. You do get hit by lots of people, it is unpleasant and you do have to carry on. But even when you are getting smacked over the head again and again, you that it is going to stop before you get really hurt.

That is the main difference between KFM and the other martial arts, in KFM you get hit a lot. Notice how the other arts tell you great techniques like grappling, punching, kicks (and KFM does that as well) but they rarely actually teach you how to deal with getting hit.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by navarre
I practice karate. I love it. It has stuff for self defence, stuff for competition, we have throws and locks from judo, and we have kata, which really emphasises the artistic side of the martial art.

It probably isn't the best martial art for pure fighting, but you definitely have a huge advantage if facing a real life opponent who has not had any martial arts training, which is 90% of people.

My karate is not dumbed down, though. There are so many dojos in this country where you can walk away with a black belt after two years, and not know how to throw a roundkick properly. This is 'popular' karate, dumbed down for the masses where the sensei is in it because it is a business, not because he loves it. Find a great dojo with a small class and one where you frequently take hits and get hurt, and you learn a lot.


Agree, one of the other dojos offer double grading on the first one. Will never forget the importance of tensing, the instructor told me to tense and hit me in the abdomen, thinking that was the end of it I relax and he strikes me again :angry:
.

We also have a few instructors who randomly sweep you if your stance isnt correct as well.
Original post by ~*starlight*conquest*~
I wouldn't say taekwondo is useless in a street fight. Yes, there are better martial arts out there for street fights, but it can still be used. I have a male friend who just seems to attract trouble even though he's really not provocative in any way. He's average height and in the lightweight category, but in the three incidences where he's been attacked in the street at night, he was able to successfully defend himself and attack the offender without getting himself hurt. And although he's been practicing for a while he's only a blue belt.

You can't say 'this guy can beat that guy with a different martial art' and then immediately assume that the winning guy has the better martial art. How good you are in a street fight will very much depend on YOU as an individual. Some people just put more effort into their training, and some people are just better fighters than others. And then some martial arts are strong against some types of martial arts, but weak against others (just like pokemon haha!).



That's good to hear! I do have a tendency to ramble haha!

Sounds good! If that's the case I'd definitely go for a kicking art!
I'm not really familiar with aikido. I think it's pretty similar to Judo...

You should be able to tell within the first few lessons whether you like a martial art or not. Martial arts are very much to do with your personality. Just try out a few clubs (even a few clubs of the same martial art) until you find somewhere that just 'feels right' and just makes you happy by training there regardless of your performance! You will know when you find the right one! :wink:


I find it impossible to kick in jeans, though, and it's so easy to injure yourself kicking in shoes without warming up or stretching.


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Reply 47
Original post by Classical Liberal
Like I said, a real fight.

And no, boxing matches with rules and refs and a person who will stop do not count.


All this guff about what would work under pressure and yet you've never been in a fight.
Reply 48
Agree with some of the things said in this thread although I will clear some misconceptions. Learning how to fight(or defend yourself) is definitely a great thing to learn and devote some time to. Benefits include confidence, fitness, pride, accomplishment(especially if you compete), discipline, coordination e.t.c

I personally Box, I would recommend BJJ for a female though, as it relies more upon leverages than strength and most people who don't train(generally the people you will be defending yourself from, most people who train have a lot of discipline and respect) will have no idea how to defend themselves to attacks on the ground. Also, without sounding crude could help in a rape situation.

You want to find a club that regularly spars or simulates fight situations as realistic as practically possible, so you know how to react and remain calm if you do find yourself in a real life self defense situation.

Since boxing i've been in quite a few scraps and never came off worse than anyone ive fought. Although as already said, you want to generally avoid fights. Ive been jumped by 15+ before after smashing one of their buddies noses . Sometimes it doesn't make a difference, 5-6 random guys off the street could kill the Klitschkos if the motive was there. Try to get your point across always and stand up for what you believe in, but diffuse things if they get out of hand.
Reply 49
Original post by navarre
I practice karate. I love it. It has stuff for self defence, stuff for competition, we have throws and locks from judo, and we have kata, which really emphasises the artistic side of the martial art.

It probably isn't the best martial art for pure fighting, but you definitely have a huge advantage if facing a real life opponent who has not had any martial arts training, which is 90% of people.

My karate is not dumbed down, though. There are so many dojos in this country where you can walk away with a black belt after two years, and not know how to throw a roundkick properly. This is 'popular' karate, dumbed down for the masses where the sensei is in it because it is a business, not because he loves it. Find a great dojo with a small class and one where you frequently take hits and get hurt, and you learn a lot.

I do karate too and absolutely love it.
I think it's really important to find a club with some focus on freefighting, because that's one of the main things that will help in a fight, although karate teaches set kumite as well.
If you're willing to dedicate a lot of time to it, I'd say karate has more focus on performing the basics with perfect technique than some other martial arts, which can get a bit monotonous but that does end up being really useful.
I agree that it's not the best for pure fighting, but if you're willing to put in the practice and if you can find a club with focus on freesparring, I think it's great ^_^
Reply 50
Krav maga

Sent from my GT-I9300
Reply 51
Just in case anyone's still interested, I did Judo when I was younger, and am now doing Karate and Taekwondo, and a friend of mine does Brazilian Jiu jitsu and Kung Fu too. I personally found that Judo was a bit too intense for me but it's awesome if you want to learn how to fight in a close, serious fight and what to do if you are faced with a big person. My karate club taught me loads of techniques which seem to be great for most fights and the lessons aren't too physically challenging. The place I go to for Taekwondo focusses on the actual fighting aspect and realistic self defence but the lessons can leave you exhausted. My friend said that he found Jiu jitsu to be the most useful overall but he loves Kung Fu as well. Hope this helped!
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 52
I'd definitely recommend Jiu Jitsu, specifically Shorinji Kan Jiu Jitsu if you can. As far as I know it teaches the most weapons defences of any art.
Reply 53
Boxing, muay Thai, judo, boxing, sambo, Greco and freestyle wrestling, boxing, basically any martial art that has FULL CONTACT sparring (like boxing), you know, where you actually have to fight.

Boxing

I wouldn't go for krav maga, seems overrated, no full contact sparring like boxing (because of teh deadly movez). This goes for kung fu as well.

inb4 "its used by the military"

And for the love of boxing, don't do ninjitsu.

Also you should give boxing a try
Reply 54
No "martial art" is good for self defense.
Why? Look at the "art" part: they are, quite often, a "lifestyle choices" than real fighting systems. Sure, some are useful, they have useful bits within them- but if you wanna learn something that could be useful in real life- I'd rather learn something that was invented by- and- for Army as a fighting system, something that you train in normal clothes/shoes on, with 1 or 2 opponents... So no karate or teakwondo :smile:
But tbh I'd suggest you to try boxing and spend plenty of time on treadmill... because running away from danger is probably the best thing you could do (not very manly, but hay- you do not wanna end up with knife in your rib-cage, do ya?)
Original post by Mad Cat Lady
Hi not sure if this is the right place but I thought people here might be knowledgeable about this!

Basically I'm the most unfit, uncoordinated and unsporty person ever (mainly because I've always been laughed at for being bad at sport even when I was skinny, and thus I've grown a healthy hatred of it, NOT because of lack of effort), but I really want to learn to defend myself because I often have to walk alone in the dark in dodgy areas.

Can someone recommend me the best martial art for self-defence for someone like me? I've never done a martial art before!

Ta :smile:


Have you been to any classes yet?

I trained in Taekwondo for 3 years and got so much from it- it gave me confidence, I gained coordination, fitness and & its based on these tenets: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self Control and Indomitable Spirit. So it helps mind and body. Theres patterns and sparring.
(I definitely plan to get back into it soon)

Aikido is a martial art that uses the opponents strength against them, it involves knowing the pressure points and how the body works to defend yourself. Pretty interesting (My brother has been doing it for years, I tried it and theres lots of flipping each other over.)

You'd have to be doing martial arts intensively for quite a while to actually be able to use it properly in the real world. As it would need to be in your muscle memory (as our instincts would be different in a real attack)
True self defence- know its better to get away than involved, trust your instincts and reduce risks- walk in lit areas, let people know where you are and when, have a phone available.

Do a martial art for fitness, confidence and fun :smile:

Some classes will offer the first one for free, so just go to a few.
Reply 56
Original post by simon_g
No "martial art" is good for self defense.
Why? Look at the "art" part: they are, quite often, a "lifestyle choices" than real fighting systems. Sure, some are useful, they have useful bits within them- but if you wanna learn something that could be useful in real life- I'd rather learn something that was invented by- and- for Army as a fighting system, something that you train in normal clothes/shoes on, with 1 or 2 opponents... So no karate or teakwondo :smile:
But tbh I'd suggest you to try boxing and spend plenty of time on treadmill... because running away from danger is probably the best thing you could do (not very manly, but hay- you do not wanna end up with knife in your rib-cage, do ya?)


I disagree. The style of karate I train in covers both the 'martial' and the 'art' part of it. Sure, we have kata which include moves nobody would ever use in a real fight, but the sparring we do helps a lot. It's just the things it has taught me I would never have learnt otherwise- small things that can make a big difference in a fight.
Reply 57
No martial art is 'best for a beginner'. There are many different arts and you are a beginner in all of them so just pick one that is convenient, fun and fits in with broad ideas of what type of style you want (e.g. punching, grappling, kicking, combination) and whether you want to train in a sporting sense, in a self defence style or pure artistic style where sparring and the like aren't as much of a focus.

Original post by Classical Liberal

And yep, if your opponent has a knife or something, you are totally ****ed. I don't care how many disarms you have done in training. You will, when faced with a weapon designed to kill, mess it up. And with the knife all it takes is one cut and you out of it or potentially dead.

I have done knife training, and the main thing I learnt, is that knife training is pointless for self defense. In fact the instructor said as much.


The other point is that unlike in training and self defence classes, many typical situations with street attacks don't start off with someone openly holding a knife to you whilst threatening you. Often an attack is started or a weapon is drawn and used before your brain even has a chance to interpret the fact that you are under attack.

I got stabbed when I was younger and basically I was attacked from nowhere - being grabbed from behind and my instant response was to twist round and start throwing punches (The one great thing about boxing training - it conditions you to just 'go' at an instant and start doing something however ineffective it might be). The moment I realised that the guy had a knife actually only came after I was stabbed.

The only other time I was seriously hurt in a 'fight' was a situation where I was glassed in the back of the head before I even knew that anything was going on. I basically went straight down and got kicked/stamped by at least two guys and became unconscious within probably seconds. All the self defence in the world wouldn't have helped - well, anything other than complete paranoia. There was no being approached by someone shady asking for my wallet; just a normal scene in a city centre on a weekend, no one looking especially dodgy and then wham, out for the count.

I used to do a lot of boxing, martial arts and some self defence and I think self defence classes are generally overrated but not totally useless. A lot of it is more about learning awareness and developing the right attitude and aggression. I think in common fight situations, people freeze up, get psyched out and let themselves get beaten before they have a chance to fight back.

The main thing I learned was that if I get in a situation where I am not going to be able to escape then I will have to commit to total aggression and violence straight away without hesitation. The same thing applies to having a gun or any other weapon - you have to have the attitude to use it and you have to understand a situation and realise when you don't have any control and your hand is forced.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 58
Original post by Mark85
No martial art is 'best for a beginner'. There are many different arts and you are a beginner in all of them so just pick one that is convenient, fun and fits in with broad ideas of what type of style you want (e.g. punching, grappling, kicking, combination) and whether you want to train in a sporting sense, in a self defence style or pure artistic style where sparring and the like aren't as much of a focus.



The other point is that unlike in training and self defence classes, many typical situations with street attacks don't start off with someone openly holding a knife to you whilst threatening you. Often an attack is started or a weapon is drawn and used before your brain even has a chance to interpret the fact that you are under attack.

I got stabbed when I was younger and basically I was attacked from nowhere - being grabbed from behind and my instant response was to twist round and start throwing punches (The one great thing about boxing training - it conditions you to just 'go' at an instant and start doing something however ineffective it might be). The moment I realised that the guy had a knife actually only came after I was stabbed.

The only other time I was seriously hurt in a 'fight' was a situation where I was glassed in the back of the head before I even knew that anything was going on. I basically went straight down and got kicked/stamped by at least two guys and became unconscious within probably seconds. All the self defence in the world wouldn't have helped - well, anything other than complete paranoia. There was no being approached by someone shady asking for my wallet; just a normal scene in a city centre on a weekend, no one looking especially dodgy and then wham, out for the count.

I used to do a lot of boxing, martial arts and some self defence and I think self defence classes are generally overrated but not totally useless. A lot of it is more about learning awareness and developing the right attitude and aggression. I think in common fight situations, people freeze up, get psyched out and let themselves get beaten before they have a chance to fight back.

The main thing I learned was that if I get in a situation where I am not going to be able to escape then I will have to commit to total aggression and violence straight away without hesitation. The same thing applies to having a gun or any other weapon - you have to have the attitude to use it and you have to understand a situation and realise when you don't have any control and your hand is forced.


This post is so very true. My karate sensei actually was telling us about his mate, who is a third dan black belt who has been training for 20 years in martial arts. He was in a pub, and someone cracked a chair over his head. No martial arts in the world could have helped him.

I do find with situations where you're aware of the situation, a bit of self defence training can go a very long way, even if you're outnumbered and facing a gang.
Reply 59
Original post by navarre
I disagree. The style of karate I train in covers both the 'martial' and the 'art' part of it. Sure, we have kata which include moves nobody would ever use in a real fight, but the sparring we do helps a lot. It's just the things it has taught me I would never have learnt otherwise- small things that can make a big difference in a fight.


well...
It's just about efficiency- if you are good student, after 6 months of training aikido/teakwondo/karate you will be able to kick an ass of not-so-high-trained opponent...
In the "combat" systems (as long as you will train them properly) it will be quicker, they are easier to learn.
But I still corrected: in a case when you are attacked by either well trained (in a pub fights) opponent or against a >1 opponent (esp. if they have sort of weaponery) the best way to behave is to run.

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