SearchingMethod

Sorry for posting this a 2nd time, i just want to make sure to try to get everyone's opinion on it

copy and pasted

Hello all, I am a new member to the forum and I am just about to begin my training in an unknown program, that's where you guys come in!

I have no previous martial arts training but I am extremely interested in beginning. I am in my early 20's and a college student, I am trying to decide which martial arts method would best suit my interests and physical frame.

Basically I am trying to figure out which style would best suit a 5'9 140 lb male in the area of self-defense, in a more street fighting sense.

I know this is kind of a bs question seeing as there are many pros and cons and arguments for each style, but if you had 10 weeks, 2-3 sessions (1-3 hrs each) a week to dedicate to training, which method would be most effective for me?

the entire style name and perhaps an explanation as to why you picked it would be most appreciated.

thank you guys!!!

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Garland

...I would take the class I get college credit for...


This semseter MMA and jiu-jitsu
Summer Krav Maga and "self defense" (a little vague...dunno what to expect)
and Fall (Tae Kwon Do) ...because I want to look pretty when I kick like a da Zohan.

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homo homini lupus

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bigboywasim

The best arts to learn for self defense are

Muay Boran (traditional Muay Thai)
Gracie /Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (ground)
Wrestling/Judo (take down defense)
Arnis/Sliat (weapons)

Small Arms training (prefer military)

It is hard to find a Muay Boran school but Muay Thai is pretty popular now days.

Empty hand this is the best art to learn in my opinion for self defense. Striking is also better than grappling against multiple opponents. You will learn every strike including punching, kicking, kneeing, elbows and depending on the style even headbutts. Muay Boron teaches you weapons and also moves that have a high probability of death or serious injury like eye, throat and groin attacks.

Although you should avoid the ground at all costs in a street fight I believe that everyone should at least be a blue belt in BJJ for self defense purposes. This way you can get back on your feet if you go to the ground and you will know basic escapes from the ground. BJJ is the best art for the ground in my opinion and the best empty hand one on one art.

Wrestling or Judo to avoid the ground and these arts are more effective against one opponent like BJJ and you have hard concrete to help you take out your attacker or attackers. A slam on concrete or a throw through a window can be a world of pain. Goes beautifully with BJJ.

Arnis or Sliat

These are the arts of the Asian Islands. They are based on weapon styles including knife and sticking fighting. People still use knives and you can substitute a bat or metal pole for a stick. This is the best art apart from small arms training for weapons. This is the best art to know against multiple opponents. You will learn moves that have a high probability of causing death or serious injury like throat, eyes and groin attacks.

Small Arms

This is a must for self defense. More important than any of the above arts. It is important that you understand the laws of the place you are living. For example in my home country of Pakistan military grade weapons are common among the civilian population so in Pakistan I would carry them. In the USA federal law prohibits them. You also have to worry about state laws. In California you can only use reasonable force and not more than your attacker even in self defense situations. In Texas you can shoot someone who breaks into your home even if they have no weapon and does not seem to be of a reasonable threat.

You can still get in trouble for shooting someone even in self defense so one needs to be well trained and be of sound mind and know the risks.

A bullet proof vest with metal plates should be worn at all times preferably and especially in risky places like bars and clubs. The metal plates are so knives cannot go through the armor or else they will.

I also suggest going anywhere risky in groups where you have people with you that have your back.

It is always best to avoid a fight because in a street fight there are no rules and you can get stabbed, shot and jumped and go to jail, hospital or grave.

It is also good to get away from the situation as soon as possible even if it means running.

This is a lot of learning but these arts are faster to learn than traditional martial arts. If you go three days a week to muay thai then after six months you should be able to take someone your size out who as no training with ease. Same goes with BJJ. Basic knife and stick fighting does not take too long either.

You should spend a reasonable amount of times learning to shoot a gun.

At minimum

Certified Small Arms Carrier

Assume 3 days a Week of an hour training.

3 Years of Muay Thai
Blue Belt BJJ (2-3 Years)
High School Level Wrestler (3-4 Years)
Basic Weapons Fighting (3 Years)

Muay Thai

YouTube - Samart Payakaroon (Muay Thai highlight)

BJJ

YouTube - shinya aoki

Wrestling

YouTube - Greatest MMA Slams of All Time

Silat

YouTube - Silat Suffian - Gun & Knife Infight

Speed Shooting

YouTube - speed shooting

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0 out of 1 members found this post helpful.

Garland

Apparently somebody took offense to this?! HA!

I AM taking these classes at my college and I am recieving college credit.
Frankly I think there's at least some utility in getting credit hours while training...

Why the hell wouldn't I sample this and that? I mean... I want pretty tae kwon do kicks... and maybe I'll do my hair like the Xtreme Paul Mitchell team.

I've fought muay thai and trained in mma and some other practical stuff...why not add a little flare...

...


c'mon... am I the only one who thinks I'm funny???

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homo homini lupus

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Garland

In reality... here is what I would train:

Basic physical fitness
Communication strategies

Muay Thai
BJJ and/or CSW (throw it in with the Muay Thai and you have, violla, MMA)
JKDC / FMA
(any other FMA stuff is cool too...I'd push towards DBMA, Pekiti Tirsia, Dekiti Tirsia, Sayoc, and Atienza)
WWII combatives type stuff

and then I'd take a bunch of practical firearms classes a'la Gabe Suarez.

And I'd realize that if it was shown that I had an interest in martial arts and got in any legal trouble...it'd come back to haunt me. Because we live in a screwed up society.

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homo homini lupus

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Tant01

Lots of folks can kick ass G-man. An ARTIST looks good doing it...

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"In all countries where personal freedom is valued, however much each individual may rely on legal redress, the right of each to carry arms - and these the best and the sharpest - for his own protection in case of extremity, is a right of nature indelible and irrepressible, and the more it is sought to be repressed the more it will recur."

James Paterson

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Garland

Damn straight.

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homo homini lupus

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CanFightIt

There is no best art, only best artists. The quality and frequency of the training will far outweigh the style being trained in.

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http://www.tbotech.com/

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MAPurist

1st time post here, thanks.

If you can already fight than anything you take will enhance that ability, if not, well then nothing is going to help anytime soon, it will take some time. I've taken Krav amongst other arts and have the ability to make them work for me. YOU need to be able to adjust whatever art you choose to any given situation. Do you want to take something to become "Billy badass"? or to just become a more well rounded person? MMA training is good to become well rounded. Krav is real good for the streets and "dirty fighting". Japanese arts are good for discipline and structure. take one for awhile, learn what you can and then try something else. Try to mesh as many as you can to become as well rounded as you can. Again, the Art will only be as good as the practitioner using it, the Art itself won't get you out of a bad situation, your ability to use it will. There are PLENTY of black belts, who outside of the controlled environment will not stand a chance in a street fight. A saying I like is "Be a Martial Artist, NOT a Martial ART"!

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USArmyBJJ

SearchingMethod,

What kind of self-defense are you looking for? I mean, are you talking about school yard fight kinda things? Or, are you concerned about someone mugging you with a knife or something like that? I think that calculation really affects what type of martial art you study.

If you're concerned about your average fight and just defending yourself from a bully or taking care of yourself in a regular streetfight, I would go with one of the combat sport styles (boxing, muay thai, wrestling, or bjj). These styles will get you used to fighting and working your technique on a resisting opponent and will give you the tools and body mechanics necessary to survive in your average altercation. They also might give you more of an incentive to get strong and conditioned, which shouldn't be underestimated in a fight. I say "might," because I know that I need that competitive incentive, but others might not. Finally, it will allow you to determine, in a competitive environment, what works best for you personally. That way, you can adapt and evolve your fighting style to your own needs. I would supplement your sport martial art with a good negotiations class, so that you're smart enough to avoid stupid fights, rather than engage in them.

If you're worried more about someone attacking you with weapons, or multiple people attacking you at once, I would consider a concealed handgun class and permit. The fact is, if you're weaponless and fighting someone with a weapon, or more than one person at a time, you will be at an extreme disadvantage and it is unlikely you are not going to get seriously hurt. Honestly, the chances of you getting involved in some sort of serious altercation like that are slim to none, and I would generally avoid carrying weapons around. Certainly, there's no need to use a weapon except in the most dire of circumstances, and then, only use it within the legal framework wherever you live.

Personally, I'd go with a sport martial art. But really, it depends mostly on your goals.

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TheSymbol

I agree with the general flow of this thread, you want the more realistic resisting arts like bjj...mma etc. But really I think the answer is boxing. If you box for just a little bit you'll get in an attacking mindset, you'll punch properly, you'll get very fit. I say start with that, and then investigate some ground fighting for the eventuality of getting taken down to the ground.

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Tant01

There is a good deal of wisdom to be gleaned in these words...Thanks for joining us and your participation is appreciated!

Have fun folks. Good to have you here!

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"In all countries where personal freedom is valued, however much each individual may rely on legal redress, the right of each to carry arms - and these the best and the sharpest - for his own protection in case of extremity, is a right of nature indelible and irrepressible, and the more it is sought to be repressed the more it will recur."

James Paterson

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mellow

One thing that you also need to consider is the availability and quality of the instructors, not just the style. It's been my experience that a poor teacher can ruin a good system and vice versa. Just my $0.02.

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wedge21

My 2 cents:

go to a gym where they say they train for self-protection. Ask the instructor if you can wear some protective gear and attack him LIKE YOU WANT, no rules. Then see if :
1 - he accepts
2 - his defenses work

Then draw your own conclusions about the effectiveness of what they teach.

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shaolin-warrior

More important than style is instructor and school methodology and philosophy.
The days for traditional martial arts are far from over! I hate the term traditional but use it often. Find an instructor who is progressive in thought. By that I mean, you get a good background in martial arts with the advantages of a stand up game, but also plenty of clinch and mat time. I am a firm believer that for anything, man, technology, fights science etc., to survive we must reinvent ourselves and evolve. I believe that every Martial Artist out there at one time or another has paid far too much for far too little, they've bought into the hype of narrow minded instructors in the TMA'S that this works best. With a well rounded background, be a good martial artist is like becoming a short stop in baseball. You learn to field the ball instinctively and react to the actions of the hitter at the plate, the play unfolds instinctively. You continue to learn from your own experiences, using your system as a reference point, not a standard operating procedure. Lean from your system proper body mechanics and efficiency in motion, then make what you do your own, personalize. What works for one won’t work the others in your dojo. Body types are different, chemical make ups vary. Any dojo that is selling cookie cutter techniques with no flexibility for personal style is not going to turn out the best finished product. Your journey thru the martial art is a lesson in internal growth, you need a mentor and some instruction, but the destination depends on you and you physical abilities and mindset. Almost anyone can teach you to defend yourself, Whether or not you have it in your heart to hurt another human being if you're put in that situation, depends upon the individual. Good luck to you, and remember..... At some point in time you'll have to look within yourself for the answers to your own questions. Everyone on this forum is knowledgeable and helpful with good intentions....we will offer good advice. Advice is like shoes, one size does not fit all.

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[" And although we may do our best to avoid trouble, sometimes trouble insists on finding us. When that happens......when the time for talk is over, warriors act. They flip the switch and act decisively - ruthlessly if necessary - to preserve and defend the things that they hold dear."
Michael D. Janiich Why being a warrior starts with accepting the limitations of peace.

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