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An interesting article for anyone who's interested in Martial Arts or just likes action movies

http://www.functionalselfdefense.org/martial-arts-dont-work

What do you think? What is your experience?

"The vast majority of martial arts will not work in self defense.

Many of them were not made for self defense in the first place, most provide no education in or understanding of real violence or how to prevent it, and a very large number of them utilize training methods that do not and cannot lead to real skills"


Thoughts?

One thing people forget is rules. Every sport has rules. Boxing, MMA, whatever. So for instance in boxing you can't punch a dude in the balls. In a street fight though people tend not to care about rules..so it can throw off your entire strategy because you learn to fight in ways that adhere to the rules of your sport.

In a street fight it's not as controlled..it can get hectic. It doesn't mean knowing a MA can never help, it does depend on the situation.

Can't read the article on my phone but yes, in general you shouldn't rely on martial arts to save your life in a real-world scenario, as most of them are not tailored to function in a fight that has no rules, nor are they tailored to suit differing body-types (such as a woman or a child's, for example).

Martial arts for self-defense is supposed to be a last resort. Any self-defense instructor will tell you that running is the best defense.

I remember a seminar I attended, where I was given a lecture by a former member of SAS, his best advice for self defense was to get a gun and learn to use it. Besides that I find the writer/owner of that website to be rather ... what shall we say... lacking. On his front page he advertise "Self defense for busy people" and "weapon use and defense" where the movie attached shows the exact faults he berates other martial arts for. But then again w/e, it's another of those "the other systems are fake and gay, only my system works" atleast as I see it.

Martial arts are ineffective against groups, or people with guns. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, which is believed by many to be the most effective martial art, is tailored for 1-on-1 combat only. It's completely useless when fighting multiple opponents simultaneously, where martial arts that focus on striking (boxing, muay thai, karate, Shaolin kung fu, etc.) can prove to be much more effective. Nevertheless, if you are trapped in a corner and forced to defend yourself, guns are the most effective form of self-defense.

Krav maga is probably the best for fighting groups. Part of the training for Israeli spec ops is literally just fighting 6 or 7 people at once. Looks like a rabid wolverine.

Krav Maga and Silat are awesome for taking on multiple people. And to say martial arts don't work straight up is wrong. It's that you have to get good enough at your discipline to know how to use the moves in a real life situation.

Better to know martial arts than not know them (is my opinion on the OP question), just dont rely exclusively ON them. Fights are usually short, and very nasty.

Fleeing and shooting people in the back are the better self-defense methods. Martial Arts exist solely to get money from manga freaksp

I am going to second OV and KingD19 and say that Krav Maga is probably the most practical and efficient MA for self-defense.

LOL!!!!

WTF?!

Yeah, no, these guys are retarded.

People have defended against guys using chainsaws with Martial Arts irl, these guys are morons.

I can tell you I'd put my several years of Karate against some average joe on the street any day.

HOWEVER.

Fights are left to chance, its possible to self-train yourself without any help whatsoever.

Martial Arts will mean nothing if you don't know how to use it correctly.

Also, different martial arts specialize in different facets of fighting. Some are good at handling groups, others are made to take down people with weapons. There are even some that deal with instantly killing another person. Some are made to just beat the **** out of whoever gets in your way.

Theres no guarantee that learning Martial Arts will let you win every street fight, sometimes, things like weight, size, and height can play into a fight.

Also, anyone can knock anyone out.

If Big Show, John Cena, Floyd Mayweather, or Mike ****ing Tyson let you punch them as hard as you can in their face, they will feel it. You may even knock them down.

Some Martial Arts just help you strengthen your current arsenal, and instead of teaching you new "moves" like the Flash Kick, they teach you where to strike and how to strike.

There are even some Martial Arts that don't have striking whatsoever, just holds, and grapples.

Martial Arts does help you defend yourself, but it doesn't guarantee you'll ALWAYS be able to protect yourself against anyone you meet.

I wouldn't recommend going to your nearest ghetto and trying to punk out a gang of dudes just because you have a few years of Martial Arts experience, because you are most likely gonna get the shit kicked out of you, training or not.

The reason most MAists arent invincible vs non-MAist is honestly 3 fold

1.)physical limitations
2.)the removal of Kill moves
3.)mindset of the MAist

I blame movies for pushing one really big myth. When you PUNCH someone...only the person you hit gets hurt.


THAT IS A LIE!!!!

Boxing, wrestling, muy boran, aikido, and krav maga are disciplines that can help in a street fight.

Originally posted by Flyattractor
I blame movies for pushing one really big myth. When you PUNCH someone...only the person you hit gets hurt.


THAT IS A LIE!!!! Sometimes.

Bas Rutten fought bare-handed in every one of his fights.

And i'll be you his hands hurt.

Originally posted by Jmanghan
Sometimes.

Bas Rutten fought bare-handed in every one of his fights.

Yeah, now go pull up some pics of him and take a close look at his hands.

Originally posted by Jmanghan
Sometimes.

Bas Rutten fought bare-handed in every one of his fights.

Except this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ePXA5lbqk

and this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdjvG_qvBK4

and so on. (atleast in UFC)

In his other fights he uses palmstrikes (as I recall), the reason being that going around throwing punches to the face with no protection on your hands is a fine way to break them.

Exactly.
Boxing gloves developed as a way to protect the fighters' hands, not heads.

I think a MA should learn at least 2 disciplines, and not focus on just one, if he/she wants to have a better chance of defending him/herself depending on a given situation.

You'll notice that the best UFC/pro fighters are skilled in both striking and grapples. For example, a combination of Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, or Boxing and Wrestling.

Agreed.
I learned boxing as a kid, wrestling in my teens. When the Army started pushing combatives (basically MMA for dummies), i was in my 30s, but knowing both boxing & wrestling made it way easier for me to pick up the new skill set.

Next we will try to teach Riv checkers......AGAIN!

Originally posted by Utrigita
Except this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ePXA5lbqk

and this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdjvG_qvBK4

and so on. (atleast in UFC)

In his other fights he uses palmstrikes (as I recall), the reason being that going around throwing punches to the face with no protection on your hands is a fine way to break them. Oh, I know that, bone against bone is risky.

Plus, UFC's policy prevented the use of barehanded fighting.

Not only is barehanded fighting more dangerous to the person throwing the punches, but also to the person receiving the beating.

Then what were you getting at with...

Originally posted by Jmanghan
Sometimes.

Bas Rutten fought bare-handed in every one of his fights.

Originally posted by riv6672
Then what were you getting at with... He barely had any fights in the UFC.

Almost every single one of his fightz were in Pancrase, which he fought barehanded, he even talks about it with Joe Rogan.

Btw, off-topic, but whenever anyone talks about Pancrase, it makes me wanna eat greasy food, like Burgers and Pizza.

Nice guys, thanks for a lot of responses. The last oen kills it, though

BTW this thread is partially created because I want to take up a MA. I've narrowed it down to Judo, Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Did some research and all have good schools in my town.

Anyone had experience with these three and can recommend one of them?

As noted, boxing and wrestling and some of their offshoots are probably best in translating to real-world defense/offense and classes are readily had for most

Krav Maga is great in neutralizing an opponent, harder to find a class and a proficient instructor

Them there's the unorthodox anti-assault/rape courses, which basically teach people (mainly focused for women) to strike at an assailment's weak point (eyes, throat, groin etc) and then flee

Lots of martial arts are effective, but many aren't, for example tae-kwon-do has a lot of awesome kicks, that will work against untrained individuals, but against someone with good hands, you'll get your ass kicked.

Things like Aikido, and Hapkido are total scams, stay away from those. Even flavor of the month shit like Krav Maga can be taught at a McDojo and be a total scam so I'd watch out for those too.

Originally posted by Stigma
I've narrowed it down to Judo, Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Did some research and all have good schools in my town.

Anyone had experience with these three and can recommend one of them?

These are all awesome. Those are all primarily grappling focused, with combat sambo having a bit of striking mixed in. If you want to be really well rounded I would go with a no nonsense striking style like kick boxing, or muy thai, and BJJ, or combat sambo.

Originally posted by Khazra Reborn
These are all awesome. Those are all primarily grappling focused, with combat sambo having a bit of striking mixed in. If you want to be really well rounded I would go with a no nonsense striking style like kick boxing, or muy thai, and BJJ, or combat sambo.
Thanks

I kinda feel more like a grappler, and I'd like to start up as one but I agree you need to mix it.

There is a good school of boxing near where I live. Once I become proficient in as a grappler I'd think about going there too.

Originally posted by Stigma
Thanks

I kidna feel more like a grappler, and I'd like to start up as one but I agree you need to mix it.

There is a good school of boxing near where I live. Once I become proficient in as a grappler I'd think about going there too.

That's how I started too, I began with wrestling, I never felt like much of a striker since my reflexes are kind of slow, and I have no rhythm to speak of. But once you learn timing and get the footwork muscle memory down, it comes.

Originally posted by Khazra Reborn
That's how I started too, I began with wrestling, I never felt like much of a striker since my reflexes are kind of slow, and I have no rhythm to speak of. But once you learn timing and get the footwork muscle memory down, it comes.
Awesome.

I have high hopes for it. I love the whole concept of balance and footwork. Besides the competition in Judo or BJJ tournaments is also something I do not shy away from.

Originally posted by Stigma
Thanks

I kinda feel more like a grappler, and I'd like to start up as one but I agree you need to mix it.

There is a good school of boxing near where I live. Once I become proficient in as a grappler I'd think about going there too. I'd recommend training as a boxer or a wrestler.

Less for the styles, and more for the physical conditioning the training for both tends to give you.

When I wrestled in my sophomore year I was in by far the best shape of my life (though since I was probably at my strongest either senior year or when I unloaded trucks).

Originally posted by Robtard
As noted, boxing and wrestling and some of their offshoots are probably best in translating to real-world defense/offense and classes are readily had for most

Krav Maga is great in neutralizing an opponent, harder to find a class and a proficient instructor

Them there's the unorthodox anti-assault/rape courses, which basically teach people (mainly focused for women) to strike at an assailment's weak point (eyes, throat, groin etc) and then flee
Totally agree with this.

Originally posted by Stigma
Nice guys, thanks for a lot of responses. The last oen kills it, though

BTW this thread is partially created because I want to take up a MA. I've narrowed it down to Judo, Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Did some research and all have good schools in my town.

Anyone had experience with these three and can recommend one of them?
I suggest you start with Sambo. It's more well-rounded than BJJ since it incorporates some striking attacks as well after takedowns. The con is its mostly focused on countering, so you need to have fast reflexes. BJJ is mostly focused on submission maneuvers. Both are wrestling-oriented, so you're gonna need to bulk up a bit.

Originally posted by Khazra Reborn
Lots of martial arts are effective, but many aren't, for example tae-kwon-do has a lot of awesome kicks, that will work against untrained individuals, but against someone with good hands, you'll get your ass kicked.

Things like Aikido, and Hapkido are total scams, stay away from those. Even flavor of the month shit like Krav Maga can be taught at a McDojo and be a total scam so I'd watch out for those too.



These are all awesome. Those are all primarily grappling focused, with combat sambo having a bit of striking mixed in. If you want to be really well rounded I would go with a no nonsense striking style like kick boxing, or muy thai, and BJJ, or combat sambo. Aikido is most certainly not a scam, just because Steven Seagal is a bullshitter, doesn't mean the whole MA is.

How do I know this? My friend's older brother demonstrated what he learned from Aikido, and he had me in a hold I was unable to break out of, and he nearly broke my wrist without meaning to (Or he meant to).

Needless to say, despite my experience in Karate, he'd beat my ass.

No Martial Arts is better then the other, some of them are made for different situations.

Originally posted by Stigma
Nice guys, thanks for a lot of responses. The last oen kills it, though

BTW this thread is partially created because I want to take up a MA. I've narrowed it down to Judo, Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Did some research and all have good schools in my town.

Anyone had experience with these three and can recommend one of them?

My personal trainer is an MMA fighter. He is experienced in a number of styles, but for MMA, he primarily does Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is good to have a grappling style, because most MMA fights are settled on the mat. I do Boxing and Tae Kwan Do.

^^^Grappling's very important, yeah, as most actual fights end up on the ground/floor, too.

Originally posted by Jmanghan
Aikido is most certainly not a scam, just because Steven Seagal is a bullshitter, doesn't mean the whole MA is.

How do I know this? My friend's older brother demonstrated what he learned from Aikido, and he had me in a hold I was unable to break out of, and he nearly broke my wrist without meaning to (Or he meant to).

Needless to say, despite my experience in Karate, he'd beat my ass.

No Martial Arts is better then the other, some of them are made for different situations.
I agree with you about aikido. In fact, it is one of the most brutal MAs you can learn.

Don't be fooled by what you see in the movies, of opponents flipping around after a wrist twist. In reality, that move will break your wrist. And you don't necessarily need to counter a punch to execute it. Just grab your opponent's wrist and, focus your chi on your hand, and twist it like mofo. It will literally break your opponent's hand/arm, unless he knows how to counter it with the flip you see in the movies.

What most MAs don't know is that aikido also has striking attacks. Mostly palm strikes. It's more difficult to learn than most MAs because you need to master the art of focusing your chi.

Also, you don't need to be a pacifist to learn Martial Arts, and your teacher shouldn't force you to be either.

As long as you aren't using it to bully people, if I was an instructor and one of my students punched some dude flirting with his girlfriend, more power to him.

We can't all be Ip Man.

Having trained alot of different over the years, what I have learned and taken with me is that every martial art is unique in it's own way, every single one has strength and weaknesses and the most important aspect of any MA is a good teacher that can motivate you and "lead the way" so to speak.

Originally posted by Jmanghan
Also, you don't need to be a pacifist to learn Martial Arts, and your teacher shouldn't force you to be either.
The operative word in pacifist is FIST.
If you insist on never throwing the first punch, thats fine, just as long as you're willing to throw one when needed.

Sound advice for the married man.

A man has to defend his spouse, pacifism be damned.

Originally posted by riv6672
A man has to defend himself from his spouse, pacifism be damned.

FTFY

Whst you do in the privacy of your own home is your business.

What style of house does Chuck Norris live in?

Answer:A round-house

His house also has no doors, just walls he walks through.