What martial art do you believe works

[JimC]

I suppose a sawn-off shotgun is considered unsporting in the context you mean?



(we tend to be a little off topic at times)

But welcome to the forum! Some of our posters like FBM and Sisifo could actually answer this seriously!

[Animavore]

I prefer to just talk my way out of fights. It hasn't failed me yet.

I used to do kung-fu. i think it's the best, it has everyone. I'd love to do it again except maybe this time not get a master who's a complete sociopath who can't tell the difference between fear and respect. I'd love to have a Shoalin master.

[JimC]

I prefer to just talk my way out of fights. It hasn't failed me yet.

I used to do kung-fu. i think it's the best, it has everyone. I'd love to do it again except maybe this time not get a master who's a complete sociopath who can't tell the difference between fear and respect. I'd love to have a Shoalin master.

A master who knows when the coast is shoalin'?

Handy when the herring are running, I suppose...

[Animavore]

Shaolin even

[JimC]

Shaolin even

I was being a sarky bugger, wasn't I!

[leo-rcc]

In a 1 on 1 situation I'd say Jujitsu. More than 1 on 1, running really fast.

[klr]

I prefer to just talk my way out of fights. It hasn't failed me yet.

I used to do kung-fu. i think it's the best, it has everyone. I'd love to do it again except maybe this time not get a master who's a complete sociopath who can't tell the difference between fear and respect. I'd love to have a Shoalin master.

A master who knows when the coast is shoalin'?

Handy when the herring are running, I suppose...

[Pappa]

The best I've ever seen in action is probably Aikido. The holds alone are enough to completely incapacitate someone without actually causing them physical damage. If you want to defend yourself and stop someone hurting you without risk of being prosecuted for a violent assault on your assailant, Aikido is the way to go IMO. Also, you don't need to be physically fit or strong to be good at Aikido as it's moves are designed to use the opponent's body against them. In the limited amount of Aikido I've been taught, I realised that it was actually better to exert less energy when attempting the freakishly painful holds (painful enough to quickly make your opponent collapse to the floor if they're not used it).

[Animavore]

Akido and Jujitsu are incorporated into Kung-Fu.
As I said, it's by far the best.

[Pappa]

Akido and Jujitsu are incorporated into Kung-Fu.
As I said, it's by far the best.

I think it depends on the type of Kung-Fu... some Kung-Fu seems far too stylised to me and more about following a concept than creating a perfect fighting style. I'd like to see something like a fight between, say, an Aikido master and a Monkey Kung-Fu master. I don't really know a lot about either, but Aikido seems pared down to the bits you need to hurt and incapacitate a person with the least amount of effort, while Monkey Kung-Fu reminds me of the Japanese tea ceremony (in that it is stylized and impractical).

[Mousy]

I did ten years of Wado-Ryu Karate, a few years of Kenjutsu (samurai sword fighting) a few years of 'street fighting' (which incorporated some modified martial arts techniques alongside army training and... well, all sorts of stuff) and I've also tried boxing. Oh, and knife throwing at home. I've dabbled in other arts such as Aikido, Ninjitsu etc. on various courses.
I really became disillusioned with Karate. I don't believe that there are many martial arts that are much good for defence in the street - though it really depends on the tutor: quite often I think that the tutor is to blame for instilling a false sense of 'awesomeness'. Karate blocks, for example, don't work that well against the kind of punches thrown against you in the street. I stopped being impressed with various cool moves I saw in martial arts and I favoured my street fighting (not that it's really a martial art) classes and boxing. Unfortunately, I don't go to any classes now, I fell out with the street fighting instructor and boxing became inconvenient to attend - I'm pretty disappointed that I'll probably never find a class like that street fighting one again.

In my opinion, the key to doing well in a real fight is not being afraid of dirty fighting. Not a very disciplined martial arts attitude, I know, but it's especially important if you're not built like a brick shithouse (which I'm not, I'm a 5'1 girl - but dirty fighting can help everyone if they're in a bad situation). Real life fights are over fast and if you don't make some pain, you're likely to be the one suffering. A lot of martial arts don't teach you how to avoid a haymaker punch, which - I was told - is the most common sort of punch thrown in the street, rather than the straight punch. I was also taught that high kicks are a very bad idea in the street. They look good, but you can see them coming a mile off; I can kick above my head height but when I started doing the street defence I was taught that you shouldn't really have any need to kick above the groin area. We also learned floor defence, which I guess is sort of done in Judo, but we were encouraged to bite etc. which is really important if you're pinned - you have to get that person's weight off you.

We did a lot of 'pressure training'; things like simulated rape (being pinned down, shouting abuse at each other, etc) - our tutor even choked us once (safely... though my boyfriend did pass out ) so we could learn what it felt like. A lot of these sorts of things aren't covered in martial arts classes. If people are unprepared for the violence and undisciplined fighting in the street, I don't think they can do all that well to be honest.

[Link]

I've done JuJitsu in the past and currently train in a martial art developed by a guy that's had 30 years experience in various martial arts and has previously been a special forces instructor.

I agree "the best martial art" is a bit of a fallacy, it depends on what you're trying to get out of it as an individual, but here's what I think identifies a good martial art for practical self defense:

1) It should teach that you should walk away when you can walk away, talk your way out when you can talk your way out and run when you can run.

2) It should teach that if you do have to defend yourself, do what you have to do to incapacitate that person and then get out of there (i.e. Don't stand their kicking someones head in when they're on the floor)

3)It should include some proper sparring so that a person can get an idea of what it's like to be hit and also to try and remember any techniques you've been taught whilst under pressure.

4)It shouldn't be run by an egotistical sensei that puts his own self worth over the training of his students.

5)It should have some fitness elements to it, some of the "classic" martial arts just don't focus enough on fitness, you'll do a short warm up and then go straight into learning techniques. The system I currently train in does a lot of cardio work including circuits (collective groan from the class)

6) (Atheist point of view) It shouldn't be bogged down in all the spiritual and Chi nonsense if you're after a practical martial art I'd go with a more modern system that takes the best elements from all of the older systems and ignores the spiritual side.

Now obviously all of the above is only my opinion so others may differ in their views but I think these are a good baseline.

Welcome to the forum and out of interest Jeezoo do you currently train/cross train in a martial art(s) and if so i'd like to hear your own thoughts.

[Mousy]

Yeah, Link, you make some great points. Particularly about the fitness. Oh, I've seen some really weak, floppy or obese and unhealthy people doing martial arts - they get up to a high dan grade, but they probably can't run a few laps round the dojo!
Also, you're right about talking and running being priority options. The way you compose yourself in the street and the choices you make regarding routes to your destination and attire can help tremendously when it comes to avoiding confrontation. Confrontation is really best avoided!

[Animavore]

Akido and Jujitsu are incorporated into Kung-Fu.
As I said, it's by far the best.

I think it depends on the type of Kung-Fu... some Kung-Fu seems far too stylised to me and more about following a concept than creating a perfect fighting style. I'd like to see something like a fight between, say, an Aikido master and a Monkey Kung-Fu master. I don't really know a lot about either, but Aikido seems pared down to the bits you need to hurt and incapacitate a person with the least amount of effort, while Monkey Kung-Fu reminds me of the Japanese tea ceremony (in that it is stylized and impractical).

But the thing about most of these other martial arts is that they are simply spectator sports. Kung-Fu can be a sport also. Some Kung-Fu is completely militant in it's form and devoid of any fancy stuff at all and made for basically taking out your opponent with as little effort to you as possible. If you have things like iron-fist, shins, head etc... you can completely smash people up. When you can chop a free-swinging suspended block in two you should be able to break a guys arms if they put them up to block you.
My old master's arms used to be like they were made out of rock. Even when he tapped you it would be quite a blow. He knew tons of ways of causing pain as well as ways to make people piss and shit themselves, suffer internal bleeding or outright kill them. What he trained was not a sport.

[Animavore]

Holy shit, Link. Is your master also my old master?