Which martial art is most effective for self defense?

Originally Posted by Denimbar

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The Best art to study is MMA.
You should learn all aspects of fighting and with the advancements in MMA today no one can disagree. Our military use parts of it as well as the police.
It's hard in my oipnion to find a good school but I am lucky here in DC .

Let me give you an example

For all those who skated in the 70's layed the ground work for the guys who skated in the 80's who laid the ground work for the 90's to the present day skater who does stupid tricks that people in the 70's and 80's couldnt even dream up.
The same goes with martial arts . MMA has the abilty to translate to anyone how to become the best possible fighter where 10 years ago it was really unheard of because Martial arts in general was so linear. I am not good with words so I hope my example was good enough for you to understand.
In fighting terms GSP and Anderson Silva are two of the most amazing fighters only because of evolution. There is no way a Royce Gracie , Bruce Lee , Carlos Newton could ever beat them.
Not because they don't have mad skills but the fact the MMA is at a level where it has never been before.
For the person who started this thread if you like to get your ass kicked learn MMA

Kick? or get kicked? MMA meaning what exactly?

Originally Posted by Ambulance Chaser

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BJJ is very useful if you are ambushed. I was reading the Washington Post's recent serial story on the Chandra Levy murder. The story strongly implied that the culprit was an illegal immigrant who attacked several women from behind on a jogging path in Rock Creek Park. If any of these women knew BJJ, they easily could have neutralized this guy's attack and broken his arm.

But in those two cases, the women were able to fend off the attacker simply by struggling and screaming, without any knowledge of BJJ! The ease with which they repelled this knife-armed attacker makes me wonder if he really was the murderer. From what I know of crime and the criminal mentality, sex murderers usually get more ruthless and daring after they have killed once, not more timid.

I had a year of self-defense and wrestling at UCLA and boxed some at school and again in the Oxford University Boxing Club for awhile. I suppose that made me a proto-mixed martial artist, although I don't think I had the speed, timing and general athletic ability to ever be a really good fighter. I suppose my size and physique and a prudent avoidance of questionable places and situations kept me from ever getting into a serious fight after I hit puberty.

I believe there is an awful lot to be said for boxing (although I suppose the same can be said for full-contact karate and similar activities). Learning how keep your cool when you've been belted good and proper a few times and to keep on fighting when you are drenched in your own blood counts for a lot more than mastering a bunch of flashy kata moves in my opinion.

Ok. Maybe the best self defense for you yachtie is to see if your state allows a concealed weapons permit. Therefor if you pull out your gun at would be attackers the chances are extremely high that you wont get punched, stabbed, kicked, a beer bottle smashed over the head, on the ground, or running. You might not even have to break a sweat because u can just slowly walk away backwards getting onto the bus and watching them tremble as you take your seat and drive away.

If you're worried about getting fucked up by drunk people: go to different bars, be humble. A "streetfight," by the definition of people here, would probably be a bunch of jackasses grabbing shirts and swinging wildly until a fight is broken up. A beer bottle isn't going to do **** to you unless you're cold-cocked by it, it's an extension of the arm, and coming into contact with it isn't going to do anything to you when adrenaline is flowing -- unlike knives, which at almost any angle can be lethal. The force isn't centralized into a point like a baton, which can absolutely ruin you, and people are about as good at swinging a wide piece of glass as they are at throwing a punch (not good). Most people could (and should) go their entire life without getting into a fight. It's easy to talk people down. You need to box to learn how to throw punches and to know what it is like to be punched in the face -- everyone flinches, and everyone freezes the first few times after they're hit in the face, no matter how tough they are. Fights that go to the ground are reaching a point where it's about time for you to consider running the **** away, the ground is a bad place to be unless you've got to subdue one guy and you know no one else there is going to do anything to you. Learn how to throw a punch, quickly, with power, without hurting yourself or throwing yourself off-balance. It's going to take a long time to get used to stepping into someone when they're cocking as opposed to stepping back -- but it's what you've got to do if you want to fight someone (you shouldn't), as it neutralizes the swing. Get an idea of how to forcibly subdue people with a minimal amount of effort, using submission grappling. The end. There are no ninjas, fights in movies are almost universally inaccurate, there is no weapon defense.

Originally Posted by globetrotter

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actually - this is very far from the truth
Name three people who aren't scam artists who run schools in the United States and teach students directly.

krav is probrably the most teachable and the most standardized of martial arts. it may be the only martial art that was actually developed with its teaching method in mind. the "canon" of krav is quite small- it is meant to be tought to people in short courses, it wasn't developed to be tought indefinatly, 2 or 3 times a week for the rest of your life, it was developed to be tought in 2 week, or 6 week courses, and then you are done with the training.

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This methodology of training, that exists within the IDF, has not been recreated in the Western world from what I have seen. If you want to hurt someone, badly, you can do it without training in anything. Eyes, throat, "zone" out and do not stop. If you learn how to punch, if you become acclimated with being punched (no one stops flinching), if you learn how to subdue someone close in you get what you need without the crapshoot that is Krav Maga.

Originally Posted by Denimbar

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The Best art to study is MMA.
MMA isn't an art. It's a collection of arts, applied to a fighting sport, where the goal is to subdue or KO someone. There is no true, realistic training (including the magical Krav Maga) -- there are only arts that come closer to realistic training than others. Very few people teach MMA the same way, because plenty of people have different backgrounds. Even people descended from the same MMA instructors teach differently because of adaptations they had to make in the ring as a result of their body-type. Recommending the study of MMA is like recommending not dressing like ****, there's kind of more to it than just saying it.

Originally Posted by RJman

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How about Chuck Norris?

I kid.

When are you going to start giving Steve Seagal his due? It's always "Chuck Norris this, Chuck Norris that" with you.

Originally Posted by odoreater

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Your advice applies in your particular situation, but not in all situations. What would you do if someone took a swing at you in a bar? What would you do if someone was harrassing a woman that you were walking with? Run? What would you do if another father at a baseball game attacked your child? Wait for the police? Seriously.

See point #1,
again see #1,
move to a better neighbourhood.

I often hear the "drunk at a bar" story or the "hit on your girl" story (mind you, the baseball story is original). Personally, I've never, ever seen a fight start at a bar where both participants weren't drunk as hell and egging the other on.
(for the baseball example, I'd hope the other hundred or so parents would join in and properly restrain the guy.)

All I'm saying is there's a lot of talk about how to fight... uh, sorry, defend yourself, etc etc. Personally if someone has to resort to fighting to get out of a situation, that's pathetic. The person should have had enough brains not to get into the situation in the first place.

Eidolon,

Your problems with Krav instructors are the same potential problems with EVERY instructor regardless of the art so I don't see that as a very legit criticism of Krav in general.
As for knife techniques B.S. There are ways to train for just about every type of potential violent situation and being attacked with a knife is no different. Just as most guys now exactly **** all about throwing a punch most people know nothing about knife fighting. I would take a well prepared open handed gent over Joe Jack Off with a knife any day (not that having a knife is not an advantage, clearly it is, but it can be overcome)

Originally Posted by Brad

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When are you going to start giving Steve Seagal his due? It's always "Chuck Norris this, Chuck Norris that" with you.
Chuck Norris could roundhouse kick all the lard out of Steven Seagal. But it might take two kicks.

Originally Posted by Syl

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See point #1,
again see #1,
move to a better neighbourhood.

I often hear the "drunk at a bar" story or the "hit on your girl" story (mind you, the baseball story is original). Personally, I've never, ever seen a fight start at a bar where both participants weren't drunk as hell and egging the other on.
(for the baseball example, I'd hope the other hundred or so parents would join in and properly restrain the guy.)

All I'm saying is there's a lot of talk about how to fight... uh, sorry, defend yourself, etc etc. Personally if someone has to resort to fighting to get out of a situation, that's pathetic. The person should have had enough brains not to get into the situation in the first place.

There is always a degree of control in staying out of a fight. However for most of us here at SF, we already make ourselves out to be more of a target than others because we tend to dress better and in that way stand out. If there were a bunch of guys looking to start a fight with anyone they outnumber it doesn't matter what you do. There are a number of trouble makers in new york in any kind of place. I've seen fights start in nice places and in nice areas that finish a block or two away from where they started, so by not getting into a situation you mean stay home I'd recommend that too.

Whenever alcohol is involved people make bad decisions and do stupid things. Most of the time someone will get drunk and try to start a fight while his friends hold him back. But there are times when the friends join in and then you have a rumble where you're outnumbered.

In case you've forgotten:

Originally Posted by Brad

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In case you've forgotten:
"I don't want to look like a weirdo. I'll just go with a muumuu."

A gun or kicking somone in the face is pretty effective.

Maybe it`s different with amateurs, but when they put the best K1/Kick Boxing style fighters against the Judo/Jiujitsu type fighters, usually the Jiujitsu fighters win. Unless the boxers KO with punches or kicks, the fights always end up on the ground.

Originally Posted by Dragon

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Maybe it`s different with amateurs, but when they put the best K1/Kick Boxing style fighters against the Judo/Jiujitsu type fighters, usually the Jiujitsu fighters win. Unless the boxers KO with punches or kicks, the fights always end up on the ground.

yea but thats in an organized fight, in the street its completely different. in those fights, the judo/jiujitsu guys know the boxers cant fight on the ground, and try to take it there. in a street fight, you guys are usually talking **** to eachother and bam, punches are thrown. if you can make that one punch you threw a knockout punch, youre in good shape.

What I really want to know is which martial art is best for offense? Which style would be best for just attacking people without provocation?