What's the best?

[Toki]

Is there a particular martial art style that's the best for defending yourself on the street? Or at least something with a main focus on pressure points, disarming, grappling, and throws?

I haven't been doing martial arts for long, but after 6 months in praying mantis style kung fu I still feel like if I were in a situation where I needed to defend myself, I probably couldn't do it and that's pretty frustrating considering I go 4-5 times a week.

[bbbb]

what?

...do you do there?

Why do you think it would let you down?

Ask the instructor's more question's then and get some solution's to these problem's!!

[Toki]

I don't think I'd have a problem with someone my size or smaller, at least. I'm starting to think it's a confidence issue. >_>

[treelizard]

Where are you located?

Is there a particular martial art style that's the best for defending yourself on the street? Or at least something with a main focus on pressure points, disarming, grappling, and throws?

I haven't been doing martial arts for long, but after 6 months in praying mantis style kung fu I still feel like if I were in a situation where I needed to defend myself, I probably couldn't do it and that's pretty frustrating considering I go 4-5 times a week.

[Toki]

About an hour north of Pittsburgh, PA.

[treelizard]

Shoot, don't know anybody there. I don't think any one art has cornered the market on effective self-defense, so it depends on what you're looking for... Have you tried calling and sitting in on local classes?

[Toki]

I just sat in on judo and aikido, actually. Aikido seems like something I'd love to add, the only problem is that the school is nearly an hour away and I'd be late to class every day. I'd like to find something closer but the only thing around here besides the kung fu school I go to is Taekwando, and I'm just not interested in that. I'd actually love to get into amateur boxing or muay thai just for the workout even, but those schools are even farther away.

[treelizard]

I'm in a similar boat. Every other day I imagine a new place I'd want to move and person I'd want to train with. Today I decided to go to L.A. to train at the Inosanto Academy, last week I wanted to move to Hawaii to train at JKD Unlimited, and then there's Minneapolis Kali... lol

I've been training in Sayoc Kali, and I love it, but they train 2 hours away...gas prices are up and my beater of a car keeps breaking down, and I have nobody to train with locally to test out ALL the cool things I learn. So I've been contemplating the local schools...wing chun, ninjutsu and boxing... Just trying to decide what would teach complementary principles to what I am already learning.

Wish I could help you but the only schools I know in PA are in Woodlyn and Philly...

Do you have a training partner? You can always go the video route...

[Toki]

I cannot train at home for several reasons, including but not limited to lack of space, children and pets running around my feet, and lack of motivation to work out by myself. I am trying to set up an area in my basement where I can at least punch a bag or do some shadowboxing, but even my basement is painfully cramped. We have started a night at kung fu where a bunch of us get together for running and san shou, and that seems like it's going to be a ton of help. The thing I don't like about san shou though is all the padding. A lot of the things we learn we can't really do with all that padding on, like the grabs and joint locks. Or at least, I haven't figured it out. >_>

[gabbah]

As for as I know, Krav Maga is a good self defense system.
They use attacks to groin, eyes, biting, agressiveness, fighting multiple opponents, knife attacks and so on. They use elbows and knees, don't know if they practise some clinching as well.
And it seems sound to me. Strike hard and fast, then run away seems to be their motto.
Anyway, I think you should check it out if you can, I personally have only read a little about it and seen guys train it.

[blitz]

I think thaiboxing can be good in streetfighting. If you can dodge like a praying mantis student, you can put in a knee or elbow, knees and elbows can be deadly.

[blitz]

I cannot train at home for several reasons, including but not limited to lack of space, children and pets running around my feet, and lack of motivation to work out by myself. I am trying to set up an area in my basement where I can at least punch a bag or do some shadowboxing, but even my basement is painfully cramped. We have started a night at kung fu where a bunch of us get together for running and san shou, and that seems like it's going to be a ton of help. The thing I don't like about san shou though is all the padding. A lot of the things we learn we can't really do with all that padding on, like the grabs and joint locks. Or at least, I haven't figured it out. >_>

Joint locks are too harmful to try in training :P you have to try it in the least painful way. And confidence plays a key role in fighting.

[Tom Yum]

I am trying to set up an area in my basement where I can at least punch a bag or do some shadowboxing, but even my basement is painfully cramped. We have started a night at kung fu where a bunch of us get together for running and san shou, and that seems like it's going to be a ton of help. The thing I don't like about san shou though is all the padding. A lot of the things we learn we can't really do with all that padding on, like the grabs and joint locks. Or at least, I haven't figured it out. >_>

Toki, you can work on the timing and placement of your strikes with the pads on with your partner without getting injured. This is the basic idea behind wearing pads; it gives you some sense of contact without too much risk of injury.

Typical pads that you might wear include boxing gloves, helmet, mouthguard, groin cup (if you're male) and shin pads. Sometimes women can wear chest pads if necessary.

You can still get decent takedowns with the gloves on, allthough all fine motor skills like grabbing are impossible, so in the spirit of san shou you can work on setting up good strikes and takedowns on a padded area.

If you get gassed, take a break, take off most of the pads and start working on those joint locks in a grappling session or in drills.

Hope this helps and that your training will pay off.

TY

[BoarSpear]

Is there a particular martial art style that's the best for defending yourself on the street? Or at least something with a main focus on pressure points, disarming, grappling, and throws?

I haven't been doing martial arts for long, but after 6 months in praying mantis style kung fu I still feel like if I were in a situation where I needed to defend myself, I probably couldn't do it and that's pretty frustrating considering I go 4-5 times a week.

Look into some combatives training, Its the self defense aspect of the martial arts stripped down to bare bones. no politics, no marketing, no bullshit.

[gong fu]

boarspear your supposed to include saying but the roots and traditional methods and teachings will be more benificial in the long run for your own health and strenth reasons blah blah blah etc etc.