The Most Effective Martial Art for Self Defence and the Street
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It's been 2 years since my last post regarding martial arts. Truth be told in these 2 years I have had the privilege to practice an extremely wide range of martial arts that is aimed at self defence, bringing my different martial art count to 15 in total. Although some of them in my opinion will never work in a hostile atmosphere and will probably get you killed, there are others that I studied that will send the assailants in the opposite direction. I also picked up some practical experience on the way when I was attacked by a guy with a knife. In my article I will highlight the 5 best martial arts for self defence in my opinion. I would also like to state that if self defence is your only aim and you are not looking for an oriental lifestyle as well, I would stay away from traditional martial arts like karate or taekwondo or aikido. These arts take years to master before you can dare to take on muggers on the street and even with years of practice they won't guarantee your safety largely due to outdated training methods that don't prepare you for street fighting. I would like to state that there are exceptions to the norm though, as all things in life but that's an article on its own. I based my choice mostly on the effectiveness of the techniques, speed and simplicity of the arts. These are the most effective self defence arts I have practiced as also the reasons why.
5.Fillipino Martial Arts in the form of Kali and Eskrima
These Martial Arts have originated from a very wide scope of fighting traditions of traders in the Philippines as the locals always kept an open mind to effective ways of fighting. Resulting in an art focused on stick and knife fighting. Although FMA has a tight learning curve especially regarding the sticks, it's definitely one of the most potent arts I have ever practiced. The knife fighting is ever developing since new ways to cut and defend with a knife is constantly incorporated in the syllibus. They even have legal live knife fights to the death in the Philippines. They follow the principle that the same stick techniques can be applied without the stick since the stick is only an extension of the body. This forms their hand to hand fighting. Although this is not too bad, I have seen better. The main focus is the sticks and knives and since almost everywhere a person can find some form of a stick or carry a knife around, this martial art is suited for self defence on the street.
4.Combat Sambo
This is a Russian martial art based mostly on grappling. Take note though that there are 3 forms of Sambo and although they mostly contain the same moves, the application and purpose of the techniques are completely different. There is sport Sambo aimed at competition fighting, Self Defence Sambo aimed self defence, doing minimum damage to the attacker, and then there is Combat Sambo which basically is the military fighting form created to inflict serious damage. This is the form in my opinion that is the most effective for the street although Self Defence Sambo also carries some weight. Since it is a grappling art you have to temper your reflexes and practice to practice is an absolute necessity before applying the techniques in a life threatning situation. The techniques taught are effective though since the whole art is based on real life situations in the military. But as I said dedicated practice is required. Their gun defences is also very tricky to master and doing it improperly by just a bit will get you killed. It took me 2 months of hard practice before I was able to apply one of the defensive techniques. Their striking is also in my opinion a bit underdeveloped but then again with such effective grappling techniques you will rarely be required to strike an opponent anyway. The biggest challenge for the practioner is mastering the proper reflexes to apply the art.
3.Pencak Silat
Pencak Silat is a term used for a collection of Indonesian martial arts that was developed to combat the Dutch. It has a wide variety of forms and picking the correct one is crucial for effective self defence. The techniques I studied were similar to Muay Thai with the addition of knife and gun techniques. The reason I picked this art as one of my top 5 is because of its marginal simplicity, being a bit easier to master than the grappling forms of self defence. It involves a lot of strikes rather than grabs making it easier to apply-since the area where the technique can be applied is much bigger than in grappling. I found almost all the techniques functional for a street situation with the exception of a few moves that wouldn't be so effective if common external factors such as attacker reactions of resistance kicks in. All in all though this art will teach you how to defend your life if necessary (Knives and guns included).
2.Commando Krav Maga/Combat Survival
This is a grappling martial art developed by Moni Aizik based on Judo. It was specifically created for the purpose of self defence in real life situations of today where guns and knives are usually present. This however is not Krav Maga as created by Imi Lichtenfield and one should not be confused by the 2. I personally think Moni just incorporated the word Krav Maga as a sales gimmick to attract people. None the less it is an effective martial art indeed with all the moves and techniques applicable in real life. I actually found a lot of similarities between CKM and Combat Sambo probably because both the arts have roots in Jiu Jitsu. Since it is a grappling art it also has a bit of a learning curve and practice is required to apply the techniques in a life threatening situation. The striking in CKM has it’s roots from Muay Thai, but not a lot of attention is given to this aspect. Although the techniques are quite simple, fast reflexes are needed to properly execute the moves taught. It's gun and knife defences are effective but I still prefer Krav Maga's approach which will be discussed next. Again none the less there's no reason not to consider this as your primary form of self defence, you will not be disappointed.
1.Krav Maga
The first time I heard about Krav Maga I was skeptical partly due to the fact that I thought it was a marketing machine, an expensive art that couldn't teach me anything I didn't know. It was however on the list of self defence arts so I decided to have a look. Krav Maga is mostly a striking Israeli martial art created by Imi Lichtenfield for the IDF and originally had its roots in boxing, karate and wrestling. Today however the art has been modified to include Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as also various other arts. To put it simple it's militarized MMA. In all my life I have never seen such a simplistic yet effective form of fighting. It is so simplistic I almost felt insulted while learning it. As I am a MMA fighter I knew 80% of the techniques already and mastering the gun and knife defences was a breeze. It is also these techniques that truly impressed me. The gun defence is so effective that proper application will always leave you with the gun in 1 second. There is nothing the attacker can do once the technique is initiated except running as fast as he can in the opposite direction. The knife defence is basically Muay Thai blocks with extremely basic jiu jitsu to disarm the knife, also incredibly effective. It also incorporates ground fighting which is actually just the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu syllabus. Krav Maga can thus actually not be seen as 1 art, but a combination of the most effective techniques for any given situation from any art, thus militarized MMA. Since it is so basic it also makes it possible to learn Krav Maga through a book or dvd series. I did the basic course then bought the book and dvd's to master the rest. So even if you are a master in various martial arts, take the time to learn Krav Maga, it's truly a noteworthy addition. To beginners if you are looking for self defence I would recommend this as my number 1 self defence art. There's a few other reasons I also like Krav Maga so much. The whole Krav Maga system is based around natural reactions of the body in certain situations and the techniques are then developed around this concept. Thus you could almost say Krav Maga will be the natural reaction of the body. This is important for 1 reason, once you are in a life threatening situation, adrenalin starts pumping into your system and your brain loses its finer motor functions. Meaning if you are not extremely well trained in an art, you won't be able to apply techniques that require steps (Which might play a role in the other self defence arts). Since Krav Maga is based around natural reactions, even a person not so well trained in martial arts will be able to execute its techniques under stress with relative ease. Krav Maga classes have a tendency to be extremely expensive where I live though and classes advance at a very slow pace so if this might also be your problem, get the book and dvd's and start practicing. If you are already a MMA or traditional MA practioner where sparring is involved, in my opinion don't even bother with classes, the book and especially the dvd series will be sufficient. That is just my opinion though.
When I was attacked by a knife mugger 2 months ago I was actually curious how my body would react and with what art I studied it would defend. It was indeed Krav Maga, but most probably because it was the most natural reaction. All of the above self defence arts are effective though and with proper dedicated training, each one of these arts will make you a serious force to be reckoned with on the street or anywhere. If you truly have the time/years and really want to learn a traditional art such as karate, do it since most karate forms will have sparring, which in turn will sharpen your reflexes. I cannot emphasize REFLEXES enough, because in the end that is THE FACTOR that will determine how good your self defence will be. Having the knowledge of all these arts will help nothing if you do not have the reflexes to apply it. So actually studying any art that develops reflexes will be a step in the right direction. One should also take note that the reflexes required for a striking art is substantially less than that of a grappling art since the application of a grappling art requires more accuracy. If you do however decide on a traditional martial art, take my advice and do a Krav Maga course in between. The knowledge you will gain will always be with you and available even if the art you study fail. The choice is yours.
Since the world is a big place I probably missed a whole bunch of other martial arts aimed at self defence or at least can be used for self defence. This article is also based on my personal opinion so it’s not written in stone. So once again speak your mind. My martial art list is as follows : Aikido, Jiu Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, CKM, Combat Sambo, FMA, Pencak Silat, Taekwondo, Karate, Ninjitsu, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Pancration, Systema and Krav Maga.
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I'd like to know what your opinion on how effective Russian Systema would be for self-defense in real life situations.
My personal opinion about systema is a bit biased. Although they have good priciples they teach students, the techniques they taught me will never, in my opinion, work in a life threatning situation. They don't take the resistance of the opponent into account. For example a defence they taught me was when someone kicks you, you catch his foot between your calf and upper leg, lock it, and throw him. On the street I can't see that working since the opponent has too much leverage to control his balance. But I would definitely recommend systema as a suplementary martial art since the principles of balance manipulation will help develop you main martial art especially if it's a grappling martial art. Some systema schools I see also incorporate muay thai striking as well. If you can find one of them you can't go wrong
Excellent article. Congrats. I've been training shotokan karate, but got out of it as I gradually discovered we were just trainig to win competitions, in which only harmless strikes were permitted. I couldn't feel safe trainig an art that focused on being harmless. Now, i'm about to start trainig hapkido. It seems a very complete martial art, as it incorporates striking AND grappling. I would like to know your opinion. Thanks a lot in advance!
Greeting,from my knowledge hapkido has the same techniques as aikido with the addition of striking. If this is indeed the case it's a good martial art to study. I would advise diligent and realistic training though. I did aikido for 2 years and when I asked a friend to try and stab me with a rubber knife I couldn't disarm him because he was too fast and kotegaesh was too difficult to apply since I couldn't grab his hand without getting badly hit by the knife. This was largely due to unrealistic training methods where the uki didn't give resistance. This differs though since a friend of mine who started aikido with me, did karate for 8 years and developed some wicked reflexes. He can apply the techniques in such situations with ease which is crazy but true. But he trains specifically for such situations and incorporates his karate if needed. This might also be your case. If you do struggle like I did though I would advise you do a short krav maga course or just lookup the knife and gun defences on youtube and master it. Then you can just use that if you ever need to till your hapkido is on a level where you can properly use it. Ask a friend as I did to test yourself, it's the only you will know. Overall Hapkido is a good martial art though and will help you develop proper self defence. Just remember to train realistic and not get caught up in philosophy where attackers fall by themselves.
I am thinking of studying the art of muah thai. What are your thaughts on this?
I am thinking of studying the art of muay thai. What are your thaughts on this?
if I could add a sixth art it would've been Muay Thai, excellent martial art for self defence largely part to it's straight forward approach of fighting. It's to my opinion the most effective striking art. This is also why Krav Maga incorporated this as their main striking art. The use of elbows and knees is as dangerous as hand to hand combat get. My criticism against Mauy Thai however would be that it has no disarming techniques for guns and knives and this is a huge gap for self defence. I would once again advise just take a look at the knife and gun defences of krav maga in either dvds or youtube. Master them and you have a rock solid self defence art
excuse the tipo mistakes
As I said in another post, one must be diligent in his training and have a good instructor. A person who stands around the water cooler and gossips when taking Krav Maga lessons will fail against one who has trained hard and well in any other art. Find a good instructor and train hard.
As it is, I have no experience with Hapkido, Sambo, Krav Maga, Kali, Eskrima, or Silat, so I cannot speak to the effectiveness of those arts.
I've been in a few real altercations in my life and, to be honest, I would rather give up what I have and run than fight and die. I've run away a few times and I am still alive. I've fought back a few times and I carry the scars to prove it.
The point is having the presence of mind to know when to attack and when to run away. Fighting back is only appropriate when your life is on the line.
I do know, however, that Muay Thai (being a direct striking and defense art akin to western boxing), will serve you well early on. I don't get into very many fights because I usually make myself scarce when violence rears it's ugly head, but a push kick to get some distance and a few rapid strikes to the head usually discourage any unwanted altercation, quite often with multiple attackers. Most attackers are just as afraid of violence as the victim.
That said, I will be seeking a Krav Maga instructor soon.
Thank you for your posts on this subject,
Barbaric.
Very true indeed Barbaric and ok to people starting martial arts now it might sound stupid but 90% of the time just walking away or running(especially when a knife is involved) is always the best answer. Why put yourself to the risk. If you are not exceptionally well trained you will get cut..I got cut and I do martial arts almost for a living. One will never to rarely see a highly trained fighting specialist getting involved in bar brawls..on the contrary, they are most of the time the peacekeepers. Why? Well because they know they can dominate everyone in the bar and don't need to prove something to themselves they don't already know and they will also tell you it's not worth the effort and I agree. It's always the wannebees starting fights. So be a true fighter..not a wannabee. Walking away might look weak, but if you know how to fight walking away is the ultimate test of self control and also the most difficult but most worthy win achievable
Glad you found the post informative Barbaric, all of the best
Best defense: Track if the guy (or woman) has a knife outrunning him is the perfect defense. You gotta watch with any MA claiming knife defense, that shit is difficult and many places don't train in (Or, is it 'with'?) aliveness. Not a bad article.
Tnx for the great articles, my question is,
If I was walking down the street and I get in a fight, what martial art is best to learn to win the fight?
Lets say best for defense. Anything that trains in aliveness:
BJJ
Sambo
Judo
Wrestling
Muay Thai
Kickboxing
Boxing
Some forms of karate.
Just because you know a martial art doesn't mean you'll win a fight just means you're a little better prepared.
Hey Martial arts learner,
Depends what kind of hardware is involved. If there is no guns or knives, Muay Thai should be more than sufficient to handle any given situation. if guns and knives do however show up..a more developed art like krav maga will be needed to disarm the attacker. I would therefore advise to do muay thai and do a short krav maga gun and knive defence course and that should do it.
EdwardO running away is definitely the best defence I agree, but I think however that having a martial art gives you a bit more than a little advantage since I would probably be dead if I had no knowledge of martial arts, instead the knife wielding opponent ended up in the hospital. The way the practitioner trains however determines how big that advantage will be.
See that's awesome, id definitely helps but still difficult as hell.
"The way the practitioner trains however determines how big that advantage will be."
Aliveness: I believe you train with it.
Hi Martial Artist,
this article and answers on all posts are just great. As I am total beginner it has helped me a lot. I am looking for some martial art to start with - krav maga is leading my "best martial art to start with" list. But I am also considering Hung Gar. What is your opinion about this one?
Thanx.
Hey Tomas,
I apologize for the delayed reply, have been on holiday. My knowledge on Hung Gar is limited to a few classes, what I found is that it is basically a very hard form of kung fu which means it's going to take a very long time before you will be able to make it practical, so it depends what you want out of your martial art. If you are only interested in self defence I'd rather stick to krav maga or one of the other top 5 or muay thai. If you like kung fu and want to learn it spesifically and have a couple of years to invest..hung gar is a good option, you will just have to keep your training realistic and make the techniques work in dangerous situations. I would rather though do krav maga for a year then move over to hung gar since that would prepare you for self defence and provide a fall back option if your hung gar isn't developed enough yet to use
Martial Artist - Sounds like you do the business. I have done muay thai/grappling for 18 months now.. One on One I feel fairly confident - but I certainly wouldn't grapple if there were numbers involved. Sounds like Krav Maga would incorporate defence against multiple attackers?
how useful are any grapplyling arts? cause standing locks and chokes i can see as effective but going too the ground seems to leave you too defenless from other attackers.
hey AJaemon.. I think you are right in regards to multiple attackers - but your average fight on the street has an 80% chance of ending up on the ground. This is where grappling training is very effective.
Hey DaveJay,
Krav Maga do indeed teach multiple opponent combat as also the base principles when you are in such a confrontation.The different Krav Maga federations have different ways to teach it though. The American Krav Maga focuses on techniques while the Israeli Krav Maga federation focuses on situations rather than techniques. What I mean is that if you join the AKMF you will only learn multiple opponent combat after grading the techniques which you would find a waste of time since you do MMA and know 90% of the advanced stuff already. While if you join the IKMF you learn multiple opponent fighting very early in training stages. So go for that one.
Hey AJDaemon,
You must remember that grappling arts doesn't just contain locks and chokes but throws which arts such as Combat Sambo thrive on since you disable an oppnent immediately and when fighting multiple guys and they try to hold you, your grappling knowledge of the anatomy of the human body shows the body's weaknesses that empower you to exploit that in the opponent when they grab you. Grappling arts also provide better control over opponents that striking arts lack. As DaveJay said 80% of fights do indeed go to the ground and although you can't stay there since other people will indeed kick you...you require that ground fighting knowledge to get up again and continue fighting, otherwise you are in very deep trouble especially if the guy that took you to the ground is bigger than you. But most combat grappling arts specialize in throws rather than the other stuff and that's why they are so effective.
To be honest I practice tae kwon do but it did not teach much hand technique for street defense so I studied kempo. The krav maga looks to be a good street defense but am not sure if it's appropriate to a woman's size and strength. Thanks for the informative hub.
this hub is great and very informative. I have lost interest in taekwondo after a 1 year and a half of training, simply because i didnt get enough practice for self defense and instead it looked like i was preparing only for competitions. i did not see hardly any improvements and the fees for an young adult like me was just too much to cope with. I felt the traditional patterns where just not practical on the streets. I do however want to learn techniques for kicking. Recently ive had an interest in muay thai because of its effectiveness in striking but when i read your article i seemed to also like krav maga. Do you learn a lot of mauy thai in krav maga? and does krav maga teach you to defend yourself with armed and unarmed opponents?(2 or 3 against 1 -like a handicap match)
sorry for the long text but iam a person who asks a lot of questions
Hey w.dugz,
Krav Maga does indeed incorporate muay thai striking but since it also incorporates alot of other arts..the muay thai part is not so well developed as muay thai on it's own but you do atleast learn the basics and the most usefull important stuff. Krav maga teaches you self defence in almost any situation...striking, kicking, guns, knives, multiple opponents. It is probably one of the most complete martial arts regarding self defence, it just doesn't teach you how to fight with weapons as arts such as kung fu...just how to defend against weapon attacks. If you really like muay thai, study it and just do a weekend krav maga seminar to learn the knife and gun defences since muay thai is also an excellent martial art to study in regards to effectiveness. Muay thai however doesn't teach multiple opponent fighting though and you will have to study krav maga a while to learn the principles regarding that
Greetings MBP42,
Since Krav Maga incorporates alot of pressure point fighting, size and strength is not a neccesity to practice it, instead of focusing on the throws and striking like the men, you can just focus on the pressure points and you will just as an effective fighter as any strong, larger person in the dojo..your krav maga will just not be the same as his.
Okay you have me covinced. I have a fairly strong back ground it TKD with some basic Judo and Aikido thrown in. So what set of DVD's for Krav Mega would you recommend?
no one mentioned Vee Arnis Jitsu, has all Krav Maga has and comes from a real master of multiple arts, now headed by a real guy David James and you can get some structure and advancement
see 10 commandments of self defense
also David James is highly regarded by Black Belt Magazine and Knife magazine
all the Krav stuff but with less time to conditioning and more time to scenarios and attributes both
Greetings Owuuta,
Sorry for the late reply. There are alot of different Krav Maga dvd's availible but I would recommend Krav Maga (Complete 5-DVD Set) found here : http://www.amazon.com/Krav-Maga-Complete-5-DVD-Set . It is the most complete dvd course on Krav Maga you will find.
Regards
wing tsun is not on the list butt its the best for street defence especially when its combined with ground fighting and escrima like we practice in our wt club.
Martial Artist, do you have any experience or knowledge of Praying Mantis (Chow Gar Tong Long) Style Kung Fu? I have been recommended by a friend, but am unsure of how effective it would be in street situations.
Hey BN,
I have never praticed Chow Gar Tong Long Kung Fu before but met a person that has been doing it for 8 years. He told me that while it is effective it takes a very long time to reach a level where you can apply it without getting killed. I know kung fu takes quite a long time myself. The thing is it's a complicated fighting form since it strives to incorporate animal movements in fighting so you will have to make the techniques part of muscle memory since it's not natural movements. The other developing factor is the reflexes involved. Since it has alot of precision techniques that has to be on spot, it takes a very long time and practice to get it right and to be able to apply them under pressure. The other problem in kung fu might also be outdated training methods. But on a plus side...practicing any martial art will give you an edge in a fight and if you are planning to do it for a very long time, it might be a good art to study. I will give the same advice I gave everyone else though and suggest you do a krav maga course just to have a fall back option. If effective fighting is your main goal I would rather look at muay thai or the other 5 arts on the list since you can become a dangerous fighter in under a year. All the best
Thanks, I went for an introduction to it and I got the same impression.
I've done some Muay Thai and a little MMA up until now. The Krav Maga school in my area is at an inconvenient location for me at the moment, unfortunately.
Hi im from Israel, and i studied KAMI which means "israeli Krav Maga for 4.5 years as a kid. it helped me through high school and 3 years in the army. after reading a book about an English doorman name Geoff Thompson who talked a lot about judo and boxing as super effective in a bar fight i decided to try it.So after i got out of the army i started judo..dislocated my shoulder 3 times before i decided i have to switch. i than went for boxing/kickboxing and im doing that ever since. i just wanted to emphasis that Krav Maga is very effective in short scraps..and against a bully not a fighter. you must have a background in either grappling or striking. because in Krav Maga you train a lot in defending against a knife or someone choking you or holding you in a had lock..all very very realistic stuff. however , if you want to be able to KO a guy with 3 punches or 2 good kicks its better to go to the source! most fights are not with knifes..and in most fights you don't want to gouge one's eye out because you will go to Gail! so a good judo throw or a quick punch to the chin followed with a short kick to the belly is the most you can do to stop someone and not go to Gail. Krav Maga is dangerous!!..fight to the death stile and not suited to the average club/bar scuffle. i will recommend boxing or kick boxing K1 rules (with knees). with some grappling so one will have balance.O and have big friends to back u up :)P.S Thai boxing is also great BUT, kicking in a pub specially clinching, will result with you on the ground stumped to death by other guys. Peace to us all, and may we fight only in the rings.
Hey on the silat picture, you seem to have those patenaude kung fu guys those are well known to be a huge scam here in Canada.
greetings Martial Artist,
your hub is right on the spot with me. I've studied Pencak Silat for around 3 years, move on to Aikido for around 10 years and took few Krav Maga classes. What you've written in your hub is so very informative and I appreciate you've written it with such knowledge and personal experience.
Hey Max, interesting you would say that, can you maybe post a link to confirm the story then I will fix the pic, thanks and all the best
For more information/discussion about the FSD / Patenaude Kung Fu... Here is a very enlightening (and long) thread (one of many threads to be found about the internet)
Thanks for the rundown! Very informative for those not in the know!
Thanks for the heads up on the kung fu fraud guys, it's been fixed now. All the best
Hey a-ok,
I'm glad you found the post informative, I enjoy the fact that it at least can provide a bit of extra knowledge to those who read it, all the best
I agree with this article 100%. however have you heard about this pretty new martial art Keysi Fighting Method? i thought it was pretty interesting too. it was developed on the streets and not from dojos. and because its new it still has a lot of holes but still evolving. but i thought that it was interesting and effective on the streets. although as of now im training in muay thai and hopefully i can train next in Sambo .
Hey Artman,
Never heard of the art but sounds like it will be quite effective if it originated from the street although I'll still rather stick to the tried and tested. All the best
Great article! Very informative. I just have one question: do you know of any schools that would teach Krav Maga, preferably Israeli in the Middlesex County in Ontario, Canada?
I have some background in Judo, Kempo Karate, and very little in combat Sambo. So I'm just wondering if you know of any places just out of experience. Not even entirely sure if you know. Just curious.
Hey Alexi,
Unfortunately since I live in South Africa my knowledge to Martial art schools in Canada is extremely limited. Sorry but I'm sure if you have a look around the internet there should be some schools advertised. Hope you find what you are looking for.
All the best
Thanks, was just hoping you knew because more often than not I get my ass handed to me by bullies. So, hence my reasoning for wanting to find a school. Guess I'll have to go do some research.
What would you say about ninjitsu,from my very limited knowledge on martial arts(i do some net searching,utube videos etc...) but the most complete martial arts is HWA RANG DO,especially grandmaster teejan lee's methods,would u agree? cos it has everything from what ive seen,this may sound like a crazy question,but why is it with all this bjj,muay thai etc... fighters in ufc,WRESTLINGS dominating i.e. Brock lesnar,of course aikido,kung fu,km etc... r not included,but bjj,muay thai,karate are from what i understand,i always thought technique wins over brawn,id like to get ur professional opinion on this,thanks and great article.
Hey James,
Depends what form of ninjitsu you are practicing. Almost 70% of schools today only teach a fragmented system of ninjitsu of what it was. I trained at 4 schools and only one was legit. But ninjitsu as a martial art is effective and teaches one to use stealth and surroundings to achieve your goal which I found awesome. The fighting system itself is also quite complete although diligent devoted training is a neccesity to use it since the techniques require fast reflexes and alot of accuracy, otherwise you will get hurt if trying to use it in a fighting sphere. You must remember that in the UFC there are rules limiting what you can do. Taking that into account the bigger person usually has a better chance since he also practices the same technques as the small person, mostly bjj and muay thai and thus also has the advantage of strength. On the street it's all about speed, reflex and technique. For instance I would hit an attacker adam's apple in his throat in ending the fight immediately. This wouldn't be allowed in the UFC. If the guy is huge he will be slow and won't be able to block the hit in time. No matter how much muscles he has..he's adam's apple doesn't have any. That is where techniques plays their part...targeting soft spots making strength and the lack of speed that goes with it a liability. All the best
Thanks for your instance,excellent reply,it now makes sense.oh yeah i saw a website talking about this martial art that few know about called Lethalo,does it exist?
Hey james,
Had a look at their website. In my honest opinion it's just a scam, the amount of ridicilous claims they make already gives them away. Stick to krav maga if you want to learn proper self defence. All the best
Krav maga is (in my opinion) the absolute ultimate in self defence. I've been training for about a year now, and had very little prior martial arts training. (a few months here and there)Once i found krav maga i knew almost imediatly it was what i wanted to go with. everything tought is very quick and effective. It is also a very good style for women (I'm a man) as it trains you to take on much larger and multiple atackers. We have a few women that train at our school and they are all very proficient. in fact where i train puts on women only self defence semminars every so often. We have a 61 year old lady in class that can deffinatly kick some ass!! It is definatly a great art and also a very good starting point for those with no previous training.
hi,with all these different groundfighting/grappling martial arts,which is best in your opinion,bjj,catch,shoot,pankration,sambo,freestyle and greco-roman wrestling,which is the best? oh and what do u think of jkd,ive heard people knock it as incomplete with flaws,and that bruce lee was never a competitor,whats ur take on this?
Hey James,
Depends what you mean with best. In terms of effectiveness I would say BJJ if fighting one person. If more than one opponent is involved I would rather pick Sambo. The effectiveness of JKD is depended on the school you train with. But there are not alot of proper schools left that teaches proper JKD anymore so I would only be able to comment if you tell me to what school you are referring to. Also JKD doesn't focus alot on ground fighting so in those terms I would describe it as incomplete. But proper JKD is an effective fighting form. Also Bruce Lee would in my opinion kick anybody's ass.
All the best
I'm currently training in Ho Kuk Mu Sul which is like Taekwondo Korean and the striking is practiclly the same. The forms are different and you learn some basic grappling. I was wondering which one is more effective Taekwondo or Karate. I'm also studying Mauy Thai, BJJ, Judo (the guy I'm training BJJ with is a black belt in BJJ and blue belt in Judo so he's just kinda showing me some Judo stuff), and am training some Savate.
Hey Ian,
Glad to hear you are also creating your own style of martial arts. But why do you practice taekwondo if you have muay thai? I would say taekwondo is more effective though in my opinion but it also depends on what style of karate you are comparing. Kyukushin Karate is just as effective as muay thai and some other karate styles are as effective as a box of low fat milk gone sour.
Thanks for the advice
I didn't create Ho Kuk Mu Sul it's a style of Kuk Sool Won created by Suh In-Hyuk. And I'm training both because I started training Ho Kuk Mu Sul then I moved and am training at a MMA gym where I'm learning the kick boxing and BJJ. I'm a red belt in Ho Kuk Mu Sul and wish to go for my black belt but unfortunetly I have only found a few decent Taekwondo places and a decent Karate place I'm not so sure what style they teach I'll ask. I want get my BJJ black belt I got blue in the same town I got my red belt in Kuk Sul but I want to have a black belt in a stricking based art and there're isn't a belt system in Mauy Thai or Savate.
Hey Ian,
Oh I see what you mean. You want to get your black belt. Find out what karate style they present then I'd be able to tell you a bit more. All the best
I read through your list and a few of the comments. I know what you said about traditional martial arts, but I think there are some exceptions. Aiki-Jujitsu, also known as traditional Japanese Jujitsu involves striking, weapons and disarming, throwing, and grappling. I only took classes for about a month, but it seemed like a couple years of that would prepare you for most self defense situations. The thing is you have to make sure to get into a school that is focused on self defense more than competition, and that you have a good instructor.
Hey TeH Pokeroooo,
There are indeed exceptions as I also said in the main article, but yes it is dependent on the school and instructor and is definitely not the norm. If you do manage to find a good school then you are blessed and should train with such respect. It is truly a privilege to learn a martial art as it was taught in its golden age. All the best
sorry for my english.
having read those posts above makes me interested to train krav maga. i plan to go watching krav maga training soon. fortunately there is krav maga dojo just near to my house. the nearest martial art dojo from my house actually. i will watch over the training then decide wheter to join it or no.
i dont say aikido is the most effective martial art, but i do say its the martial art i love most n i dont know why. im now 2dan in aikido n i want to keep goin, even if i decide to train krav maga, i will keep train aikido :).
last, i want ur honest and logical opinion about aikido.
thanks.
rgrds.
Excellent article! I am curious as to the difference between krav maga and commando krav maga... any thoughts?
Hey Adrian,
Aikido is effective if you can find a good school and train realistically, I trained 3 years and couldn't apply the techniques in a situation because my reflexes was underdeveloped. Also I would study an art such as Muay Thai on the side to learn proper striking. But overall it's a good art as long as you train realistically. All the best
Hey j wag,
The best way to describe the main difference is that it is 2 completely different martial arts. Commando Krav Maga is based on judo and focuses on grappling alot. Krav Maga is based on striking and doesn't focus on grappling except the groundwork. All the best
Salute Martial Artist
Could jujutsu used effectively in a street fight?
Hey Hello,
It can if you diligently train for it to be effective in the street. Ask a friend to test you with a rubber knife and see if you can block it, all the best
hi martial artist :) i have been reading your articles lately and all i can say is that they are all good. as for aikido, you were right about your friend. i was with tkd (ok revealing the "other" martial i was talking about before) for 7 years so reflexes wasn't a problem and i was able to adapt easily with all the evasions and stuff being taught in aikido vs those who had aikido solely their ma. imho, aikido, combined with other martial arts is quite effective. my sensei always taught us of "atemi" which is an "opening" for us if we choose to attack to knock the opponent off a bit (which leads to aikido plus another martial art for attack). i was able to get my "once in a blue moon" spar with someone and inserted some tkd as my atemi then go with whatever aikido technique i can think of. as of now, i am also starting with wing chun for more hand attacks since tkd is more of leg work.
cheers for the great work :)
Hey arashi,
I'm glad you found them informative. All the best
Hello, As I said before I've been training Krav maga for just over a year now, and the best thing about Krav to me is that it is always evolving. My instructor for instance, holds high rank in aikido and judo as well. He incorporates these in a practical way in to our training. So we get a really well rounded form of krav maga. While stiking does make up the majority of our training we get plenty of joint manipulations and throws such as tai-atoshi, o-soto-gari, shiho-nage, kote-gaish, etc. taught to us as well. So it seems to me that incorporating grappling techniques with striking styles is a brutaly effective way to train.
Hey Kraver,
That's good to hear, you can never study too many martial arts and will always find something new to add to your own arsenal. Since Krav Maga is more of a striking art, adding aikido and judo to the mix will really improve your overall game. All the best
Can you tell me how effective kenpo karate is. I've seen some "Mc Dojos" offering it but I've also seen some places that don't look like a scam and aren't overglorifying it as the perfect martial art kind of thing. What I have read on wikipedia sounds good. I was just hope you could tell me how effective it is compared to Koukinshin, kempo, TKD, Mauy Thai, Savate, etc...
hey i would like to know if kyokushin karate is effective in the street im thinking of finding a karate kyokushin club
Really helpful article. Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge.
As a kid I studied Itosu-ryu Karate. Recently I've been studying Kung Fu San Soo, and wonder how you would rate san soo as an effective art? I really enjoy san soo, as it seems to be brutal and functional. Although, never having been in a real street fight, I wonder if I'll be able to use it. Also it seems to have a long learning curve.
Your emphasis on reflexes is right on the money. I have always had lousy reflexes; when blocking, I usually don't see the attack coming until it's too late, or I interpret the coming attack incorrectly, etc. I wonder if there are drills or exercises that will improve that?
After reading your article, I intend to add Krav Maga into the mix.
Thanks for a great article!
Excellent and informative article, and with your history and experience as a martial artist I take your article with much credibility. I practiced Kyokushinkai karate, which I learned in Japan years ago, for years and although it is a formidable knock-down striking style, I nevertheless found many holes for its effectiveness as a self defense system on the street. I started Krav about two years ago and I'm finding that those vulnerabilities are rapidly filling in. The one problem I have though is with being able to learn it from books and DVDs...though I suppose you could definitely start seeing the mechanics of it that way. Wouldn't the reflex development part of it actually come with hands-on sparring, exercise, and one-on-one instruction?
books and dvd's do serve a purpose, but come nowhere even close to personal instruction. I own all of the ikf Krav maga books and dvd's, (that i am aware of) as well as books and dvd's from other styles. But personal instruction is realy needed to get things down corectly. free sparring is also (of course) extreamly benificial. also, another comment on books, I don't care what style(s) you do, In my opinion every martial artist should read THE TAO OF JEET KUNE DO by Bruce Lee.
Thanks for such a descriptive article,i been training in combat sambo for what is it coming up to 10 years now and since moving to UK i have not found one school, so i joined a Judo school which after a couple of training sessions i found to be a joke. I mean my expertise in combat sambo was sufficient enough to beat their sensei in a bout without incorporating any striking moves. The question im really asking is whether there is a martial art more effective and proficient then combat sambo, when studied and mastered at high level.
Hey Ian,
Kenpo karate is not a bad figthing system since it also incorporates alot of jui jitsu as well. But the problem is it still takes a lot of time to study and become effective with the stance not providing so much protection as the straight forward stance in muay thai. To my knowledge their techniques also require alot of steps and thats a big problem if you are not highly trained. See my article why. So if you do really like it and can find a good school it will promote your self defence but on a comparison to muay thai and kyukushin, I would rather do muay thai since you will become a much better fighter a lot quicker.
All the best
Hey coolerzguy,
Kyokushin karate is one of the most effective karate forms in my opinion. They even give muay thai fighters a go for their money. This is because of their approach of fighting...straight forward and brutal. Since they have such a straight forward approach it will definitely assist you in street fighting, they teach you how to hit really hard, really fast and to be able to take a hit and those are all the main requirements to be an effective fighter on the street or anywhere. It's a good system and will provide you with proper fighting skills. All the best
Hey Maltbals,
If you are struggling with reflexes you can sharpen them by asking someone to keep hitting you with a soft object with you having to continuously block the attacks and then to hold a pad and tell you when you must strike it, practice this everyday and you will develop your skills. San Soo is a effective figthing form but it does take a very long time to master and alot of the schools don't focus on reflexes so much..just technique. This leaves a big gap especially for someone already struggling. I would advise that you should rather consider something like muay thai for a year just to get the reflexes up to speed than move back to San Soo. Also always remember to to train realistically and ask friends to test you often. All the best
Hey Peter,
Very true indeed, but with someone of your background or any martial artist that trained in a proper system the reflexes should already be there which would only leave the gap for the techniques and for that dvds and books should be sufficient. There is however no replacement for proper dojo training if you have access to it. All the best
Hey Carlos and Kraver,
I will properly reply on your posts in the next 24 hours, sorry for the wait. Thanks
Hey Carlos and Kraver,
I will properly reply on your posts in the next 24 hours, sorry for the wait. Thanks
hi could u explain what shaolin shadow boxing is please
So i been reading about this KFM (Keysi Fighting Method) from spain. It is supposedly extreamly effective. Any Opinions?
Hey Martial Artist,
great article! nice to see someone writing with actual experience in a variety of martial arts, as well as a real life encounter.
I have trained for a few years in Combat Judo, Muay Thai and Wing Chun. I was wondering what your opinion was on Wing Chun as a self defense system, people seem to have very opposing opinions.
Hey Guys,
I apologize for not replying on all your posts, have been extremely busy with classes en touring to give classes, I will be back the 10th October and will then answer all your questions. All the best.
hy 10x for the kyokushinkai part i started it around 4 months ago it's really hard btw i do 3 times more pushups ( 70 ) than i did before starting ( 25 ) and because of my taekwondo roots i was able to master some kicks easiely!
im thinking of taking a 2nd martial art at the same time but i want this one to be acrobatic but effective at the same time ( idk if you watched undisputed 2 and 3 but boyka 's moves are awesome so what would you advise me?
I often see Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the ranks of "most effective" or "street effective" martial arts, yet I see you didn't happen to include it. Though I've never taken BJJ, I recognize its value should the fight go to the ground. What are your feelings on BJJ as an effective street style? Is it a good primary defense system, or would one be better served by something like Krav Maga as primary, and BJJ as the "second" defense system?
I would say that the main problem with BJJ for self defence is that you have to focus on 1 oponent, and when you have to fight for your life you are usualy gonna be out numbered. SO..... You take first guy to the ground and prettymuch nutralize him. But, in the mean time, his buddy just put the boots to the back of your head. (just my opinion of course) Always, If possible, avoid going to the ground on the streets, and if you do go to the ground get up quick!!!.
Could someone please clarify these questions for me,Im considering taking up martial arts,but not for competition,for self-defense:
1.Self defense means anything could happen,so if bjj is focus on 1 opponent,it really isnt helpful if multiple attackers come,or if in a crowded place i.e. market,so whats the best floor art,Catch,sambo,greco-roman etc...the ideal one for me would be one that deals with multiple attackers.
2.What does anyone know about HWA RANG DO,having gone on their site,they claim and prove theyre the WORLDS most comprehensive art,they focus on everything,they are apparently the root of many arts i.e. i think maybe even juijitsu,having seen many arts on the net etc...that seems the best,how comes it isnt popular?
3.whats the best combination of arts,i.e. floor: sambo,general/feet: juijitsu?
Thanks.
Martial Artist, i am currently enrolled in a hybrid martial arts class in which the instructor teaches various forms of boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, BJJ, wrestling, Judo, Aikido, Krav Maga, JKD, and some basic trapping. I however have never been in a real fight. I have been training every week for 4 years and my questions pertains to the use of these martial arts on the streets. having never been in a real fight i am wondering is my training sufficient enough to defend myself and does your body react instinctively to a real life dangerous situation?
James, ALL ground fighting is pretty much focussed on 1 person. Not going to the ground AT ALL is best for self defence. Thats not to say that ground work is irelevent, just that it isn't optimal for self defence.
Hey Kraver,
TAO OF JEET KUNE DO is a must read for any martial artist. Furthermore sparring is extremely important for effective fighting but if you are already sparring in another martial art such as muay thai sparring in Krav Maga isn't so much a prerequisite for effective self defense since the muay thai is already sharpening your reflexes. All the best
Hey Carlos,
Combat Sambo is an extremely effective art at a high level and since it is mostly grappling it's going to be difficult to find something more effective. However you can supplement it with something like Muay Thai improve your striking skills. But other than that all you can do is look at the other grappling arts such as BJJ and maybe replace some of the techniques in your own combat sambo that might be applied in a more effective manner. The only direct competitor of sambo is BJJ so have a look at that. All the best
Hey James,
Shaolin shadow boxing is an ancient Chinese martial art that was created when Kung Fu stylists wanted to train in more direct combat and also tried to incorporate some western styles of boxing. This is to my knowledge. I've never trained in it personally, but it should be quite effective since it focuses on fighting. I would however rather look at muay thai if you are looking for a striking martial art. All the best
Hey Kraver,
What I've seen from KFM is that it's quite an effective art specializing on elbows and that is designed for self defence. I'm actually intrigued since it has a lot effective dynamics. It incorporates MMA mechanics and is quick on application. My honest opinion it looks like an very effective form of self defence with a gap here and there but nothing too serious. Will see if I can find a club and try it out myself. All the best
Hey Matt,
Wing Chun is a martial art based on speed thus takes a very long time to properly become efficient .I've met a few fighters though that is extremely well trained and would probably defeat most opponents. It doesn't teach ground fighting though which is a problem but if you already study combat judo it should clear it up. Furthermore another point of criticism is that it lacks sparring which is a big problem but the fighters I met sparred against each other outside of class which would probably explain why they are so proficient. a Fighter needs sparring to sharpen his reflexes to apply the techniques when needed. Otherwise you will probably just get hurt if you try to use it with no practical training. So in my opinion stick to muay thai and just add some wing chun to the mix. And do a Krav Maga course for gun and knife techniques should you want something for the street. All the best
hey Coolerzguy,
The problem with most acrobatic arts is that it's more for show that actual fighting meaning that it's not so effective in real figthing. I would advise considering muay thai for effective fighting and taekwondo for aerobatics but you already know that. All the best
Hey Peter Bruns,
Kraver is right. Since BJJ limits you to 1 opponent it limits your self defense since you are outnumbered most of the time in a street fight. It is effective for ground fighting though and that is why Krav Maga incorporates it in their syllabus. It is of extreme importance to get up as quickly as possible if you hit the floor on the street so BJJ is very important but not complete as a system for effective street self defence. All the best
I've been studying JKD for the last eighteen months and I'm getting a lot out of it. I have a background in Judo and TKD. I chose it over Krav Maga because I wanted to learn about asian culture in addition to self defense.
Readers who have never studied JKD should know that legit teachers who studied with Dan Inosanto (Bruce Lee's #1 student) also teach techniques from Kali, Silat, Wing Chun, Muy Thai, American boxing, and BJJ, in addition to JKD techniques.
It was Bruce Lee's philosophy to "Use what is useful" and not be hamstrung to a specific style when your life is in jeopardy. We in fact do learn grappling and ground submissions, but we don't stay on the ground because the guy we're submitting might have five friends on their way to kick the hell out of you. We have some brutal techniques for combating shoots to the legs.
I audited a Krav class last week and many of the techniques I saw them using we already use, but nothing beats seeing someone skilled in Kali and Silat neutralize an attacker. It's just very cool.
Hey Martial Artist,
I read your article since l aim writing a paper about the effectiveness of martial arts on the street. I think you make very good points and l am not surprised at the lack of oriental styles. I personally have taken Shotokan Karate for 13 years (off and on) and am currently in Taekwondo. I feel that many of the techniques used in these styles are pointless, but l do think that good practitioners could easily make a few strong hits against an attacker. If someone were to start a fight i feel a good kick in the face will be enough to either put them down or set up for the final blow. What are your thoughts?
Hi James,
Technically any ground art focuses on just one person. You can't grapple more than 1 person on the ground before it gets impractical so in my opinion BJJ is still the best and most effective. Furthermore Hwa Rang Do is a Korean art and is quite comprehensive so it should teach some proper fighting skills. They have a lot of Muay Thai similarities to my knowledge and incorporate Jiu jitsu for their grappling. I would however still stick to a combination of Muay Thai and BJJ. The problem with such a comprehensive art is that they don't really go in such detail as an art specially designed for a situation. Example I think a person doing BJJ and Muay Thai will a more comprehensive syllabus of techniques that a practitioner of Hwa Rang Do. All the best
Hi Ryan,
It depends on the way you train and what art you are training in. Krav Maga is based on natural reactions and that's why my body reacted instinctively. If I used something like Sambo I probably would have chosen the technique I was going to use. Since you have been training so long though I think the technique choice will probably be made in milliseconds so it will almost be as if your body reacted naturally to the attack. With sparring in your setting you should be fine in a street fight if I look at the amount of different arts you club mix together. All the best
Hi Jason,
Any martial art that contains sparring actually helps to you to learn the mechanics of fighting. Another thing that fighters don't always realize is that all their training actually conditions them to become really solid on the ground if I can put it that way. Sparring teaches you to take and deal out proper hits. So if I would give my opinion I would say you would be able to take out an average person with no fighting experience even if it is only because of your hardened conditioning and sharpened reflexes. All the best
I am finally up to date will everybody's posts. Hallelujah! Sorry guys for taking so long to give you all answers but I haven't touched ground since April with training and giving classes. All the best
i've been training in the kajukenbo system for 8yrs. a system derived from karata judo jujitsu kemp western and chinese boxing the system was created in hawaii by professor adriano imperodo have you looked into this and whats your opinion
Hi martial artist
If you had a choice to learn either catch(i live in london) or bjj,which would you choose?
Hi martial artist
If you had a choice to learn either catch(i live in london) or bjj,which would you choose?
thanks
Greetings shawn frye,
To my limited knowledge it's a hybrid martial art containing a lot of different disciplines. I haven't trained in it personally but from what I've seen it looks a good self defence art focusing mainly on realistic encounters in street fighting. Although I would still advise a Krav Maga course just to be sure. All the best
Greetings James,
To my knowledge CATCH is just a modified version of wrestling containing some submission techniques so I would definitely rather stick to BJJ. Think you will learn a lot more and become a more efficient fighter. All the best
I always say - it's about the fighter, not the martial art
I have been a practitioner of Krav Maga now for about 9 months. I had no prior martial arts experience but I have found KM to be a very realistic and ideal approach to real life situations. I personally find the knife defence techniques quite easy to learn and the concept of 'stepping off the line' of attack is a very practical method in street fights. I recently passed my first grade and have every intention of continuing with KM, although I was thinking about learning a more grapple orientated martial art as well merely just to compliment my KM techniques. I am interested in Sambo but cannot find a sambo school in London and so considered Systema instead. Does have experience of systema and can you give any advise on its effectiveness?
HI, I have no martial arts experience but have been playing hockey and soccer at a very high level and doing track and field until 2 years back when i sustained an injury. it has been 2 years now and I feel i need to get back in shape and do it through martial arts/self defense. Which type of martial art/self defence do you recomend for me ( a person with athletic ability but not very much muscle/strength)? also please consider flexibility training as well because I would also like to become more flexible through this training as i feel being flexible greatly reduces risk of injury.
Very good read, though I am surprised Systema didn't make your list. Personally I think Systema is fairly complex and won't take down an opponent hard enough in all necessary situations. I hope that you will review my martial art hubs in the future.
A minor note though, be careful around your grammar. Particularly, the articles "a" and "an" as well as your proper tense of verbs (e.g. you have "All of the above self defence arts is effective", when the word "are" should be there).
Some of the wording of the article made it a bit hard on the eyes (e.g. "I was actually curious how my body would react and with what art I studied it would defend.").
Minor differences between an A+ and an A. But that doesn't detract from the content which is excellent. I've seen Pencak Silat mentioned here and there but this is the first time I really got an evaluation on it.
Hey Jason T,
If you like to study a martial art for intense fitness I would either recommend Muay Thai or Krav Maga. Muay Thai has the most intensive fitness workouts and will get you into shape in no time. They also emphasize flexibility so will keep you supple. Krav Maga also has Muay Thai for their striking but their fitness is less intensive although their cardio will still get you fit...just not so quickly. Krav Maga is a better choice for self defence though so it depends on what you want. All the best
Hello Martial Artist,
I found your article informative and quite interesting. About a week ago I was mugged by two significantly larger assailants. I've taken Taekwondo for 9 years, and though I was able to hospitalize them, I was almost seriously injured in the process; I was knocked to the ground and pounded in the face two or three times before countering with a spearhand to the throat. I have since realized how seriously lacking Taekwondo is regarding ground-fighting. My strike fighting ability is more than proficient, what martial art would you recommend specifically for quickly improving my ground fighting ability?
Thanks
Hey Blake,
Good to hear you are still alive, if you are looking for effective ground fighting, brazilian jiu jitsu is the most suitable option. Its the most effective form of ground grappling in my opinion and will teach everything you need to know. All the best.
If someone wants to kill u with a gun than you are fucked no matter how much KAMI or Krav Maga you know. Especially if he also knows a bit about disarming someone. That said i would be interested in your opinion on the best MA against multiple attackers in a "regular" situation. let’s say a club/Bar etc.'. When no fire arms or even knifes are involved just good old kick u in the head while u are on the floor. I read Geuffe(?) Thompson’s Book about the life of a Doorman in England and he recommended Boxing and judo and the reason was a lack of room to kick and the multiple attacker scenario so no good grappling on the ground for too long. I am an Israeli and as a kid was beaten up once pretty good so my dad threw me into the closest MA which was KAMI(Krav maga) I did that for about 5 years and its quit effective in even regular scenarios of fighting. After the Army service I started with Judo and dislocated my shoulder 3 times before leaving it for Boxing/Kickboxing (we mostly box). Also an interesting topic will be on the most physically demanding and the least demanding MA.
Best wishes Erez Blum
Am studying tae kwon do but I kinda want to do boxing and mma what should I chosse
Great Article. I really appreciate the "open mindedness" in this forum. I've been teaching Krav Maga since 1998. First in Lubbock, TX and now in The Dallas ?Ft. Worth area since 2005. I've been training since i was four years old in various forms including the good ol' Traditional TKD, Shotokan, Hapkido, Sim-do, Kali Escrima, Judo/Ju-Jitsu, on and on. I truly appreciate Krav for it's lack of ritualism and simple "get it done" approach. I teach Judo, Sambo, and Ju-jitsu for grappling, Krav Maga and Haganah for our Israeli Self Defense classes, and Muay Thai and American kickboxing for the Kickboxing classes. I saw a post on here asking about Kajukenbo. A very good friend of mine- Burt Vickers- who trained under Richard Peralta (a direct student and very close friend to Emperado). I do know, like any art, there are some who have let commercialism drain the system of it's purity and roots, BUT if you can find someone close to Burt's lineage, you are sure to know what real deal traditional martial arts is all about. Mr. Peralta passed away many years back while living in Grand Prarie, TX. He and his knowledge were amazing, and Burt does an amzing job at immulating and passing on everything that Mr. Peralta started here. I believe Burt is now in the Houston, TX area.
Great article guys.
Keep it up and stay blessed,
Coach Larry Clay
www.monsterXcamp.com
www.allworksforgood.com
Monster X Camp
Coach Larry Clay ministries
Hey Martial Artist,
You must have seen Bloodsport wit Van Damme. I am curious to know what martial art he is using, it appears to be some form of Karate.
Yes i know all that stuff about it being a film and blah blah blah but im just curious.
I train in MMA and find it can be very effective but limited to unarmed combat only.
Thanks and please no lecture on it being a movie and all.
Great information & a well written article, thanks for sharing this Martial artist.
I agree on your point about reflexes & the training in the arts & boxing for speed & accuracy & I would like to add awareness must be the number 1 indicator & protector as in the fact that you must be able to detect the signs of an assault before you can even begin to take control enabling the upper hand & then practice a back up plan if the assault has to become physical.
One that may not be so much trained or aware of conflicting situations should also practice emotional triggers of how & what to expect from a truly intimidating aggressor & how to deal with this emotion mentally & physically as the shock of intimidation or surprise could get one hurt especially if one does not expect it.
I under no circumstances would go to the ground if I can avoid it or would not get into a scrappy mode that will become messy or clingy, so striking in my opinion, with a burst of energy into the assailant is the key to hopefully finish the fight fast. And the desicion to actually attack must be made & followed through.
I truly enjoyed reading your information. Regards Dale
Hey Erezb,
In a bar fight for multiple opponents I would probably recommend Muay Thai since the use of elbows and knees can end an opponent almost immediately. Since Muay Thai also has such intense conditioning it will enable you to take an extreme beating before they will be able to drop you to the ground. All the best
Hey Brain,
Do MMA and Boxing. All the best
Hey Someguy,
I'm not sure what martial art Van Damme used, but since he is a kickboxer and practiced some muay thai, he probably used a combination of those
I'm glad to see my fighting style Eskrima or Arnis?I think this very effective for self-defense in street and for combat fighting because you learned how to fight using your knife,using you bladed weapons like bolos,and you learned how to use sticks,like double sticks,single stick,sword and dagger or stick and dagger, spears or staff,and empty hand combat.And you learned how to defend knives and bladed weapons?But if you know how to use weapons you know how to fight using your empty hands but filipino martial arts empty hand focus striking,locking,throwing,and grappling,but filipino empty hands are many names like (mano y mano)or empty hands,(sikaran)Kicking,and (dumog)wrestling for me this is very effective in street fighting.
I have practiced Aikido for 10 years and only now feel that I could use it to defend myself. I agree that these traditional arts do take time to master which is why I started with Muay Thai which is very easy to learn, widely available and is not too expensive. By the way if somebody attacked me with a knife I would not waste time with kotogaeshi, I would simply break the arm. Aikido gives you the ability to choose whether you inflict damage or not. You don't have to try and look after your attacker all of the time. I have been interested in Kravmaga for some time now and once it becomes more widely available I think it will be the future martial art of choice. For the moment though if I wanted to learn skills quickly I would stick with Muay Thai as you will learn good techniques that will help to develop devastating power.
Hey Martial Artist,
I have little experience in Martial Arts, but I'm looking to start classes so I can both keep in shape and be able to defend myself if necessary. I was looking at Muay Thai but there aren't any classes nearby, there is however a Krav Maga instructor an hour's drive away and an MMA/Judo/Ju Jitsu instructor a block from where I live. Would it be worth the travel a few times a week for the Krav Maga classes or would the MMA/Ju Jitsu be suitable for the self-defence I'm after?
Cheers.
I believe it would be wise to go along and view both to see which you like the look of. You will get a good work out from both MMA or Krav Maga but if you are looking for street self defense I would probably choose Krav Maga provided it was not too expensive. Even though MMA will undoubtedly enable you to defend yourself on the street it is 2 or 3 different arts taught together so you want to find out how experienced in each the instructor is so you know your going to be taught the techniques by somebody experienced. Krav Maga on the other hand is one discipline and instructors have to be able to teach all techniques correctly before being given instructor status. Regarding these 2 disciplines I am not speaking from experience but rather using information I have found. I would definately have a look and a chat with the instructor before deciding though and do not allow yourself to be pressured into making a decision. See what you think and write another post if you are struggling to make a decision.
I would have to go with Wing Chun
You say kra maga is great for self defence but does that also apply if defending against someone with martial art background?
Hi Angus,
Daveydoka is 100% correct. I have nothing else I can add. Krav Maga is better for self defence but MMA will also teach you how to defend yourself. if you do choose the MMA, just have a look at the krav maga knife and gun defences on youtube and add that to your arsenal then you will be fine. All the best
Hi Clint,
Krav Maga will be effective against another martial art, but it will depend on the fighers abilities rather than the fighting arts involved when it comes to such a situation. So practice diligently and you will be fine. All the best
Hi Clint,
I think you will be safe as Martial Artist says. I would like to add that it is probably not very likely that you would be attacked by another Martial artist. I know I would never attempt to do so. However, if you are looking to compete in sport such as MMA I believe you would be best to learn the martial arts most popularly found in that sport. In my opinion Martial arts teach you to control your own emotions when faced with an attacker which can be why it takes a little longer to be competent enough to use a martial art as a method of self defense, where as a self defense method such as Krav Maga utilises the physiological reactions of the body combined with the bodys most natural way of reacting physically to deal with life threatening situations. For me martial arts have more benefit than simply knowing how to defend yourself but if you need to learn quickly, a self defense course would be the way to go.
Hi Clint,
I think you will be safe as Martial Artist says. I would like to add that it is probably not very likely that you would be attacked by another Martial artist. I know I would never attempt to do so. However, if you are looking to compete in sport such as MMA I believe you would be best to learn the martial arts most popularly found in that sport. In my opinion Martial arts teach you to control your own emotions when faced with an attacker which can be why it takes a little longer to be competent enough to use a martial art as a method of self defense, where as a self defense method such as Krav Maga utilises the physiological reactions of the body combined with the bodys most natural way of reacting physically to deal with life threatening situations. For me martial arts have more benefit than simply knowing how to defend yourself but if you need to learn quickly, a self defense course would be the way to go.
hey martial artist
I am practicing taekwondo for 8 months and i have heard much bad critisism about its usefulness in self defence but i find its self defend tecniques preaty easy and effective so i would like to have your opinion too about tkd
Hey Bubis,
Sorry for the late reply. Taekwondo has entered a sphere of criticism lately do to the lack of effectiveness. That doesn't make the art completely effectiveless and a lot of that criticism is due to the training methods some taekwondo clubs use that doesn't properly prepare a fighter for a life threatening encounter. Almost all arts have some usefull techniques/foundations that's effective for self defense. What is important is to ask yourself if it will be enough to save your life if needed. Ask a friend to attack you with a rubber knife and see if you would be able to defend yourself. If I could give you advice, I would tell you to do a Krav Maga course just to be sure. Taekwondo does teach you fast reflexes and reaction times so that is already a step in the right direction. Just remember to train realistically. All the best.
Hi bubis
I agree with martial artist and would like to add that I have found that certain arts such as tkd, karate, judo etc which have developed into sports has changed the way in which these arts are taught. They will develop you in a way to allow for the possibility that you may compete upon reaching a high enough grade. I am a big believer in practicing an art that you enjoy but add to your training by getting someone to attack you in any way they choose and find the most effective techniques for use in threatening situations.
Kind regards
thanks both of you very much for your replies i tried what you told me and i realy have a long way until i will be able to defend myself properly but i have found that the easier the tecnique is the more useful it is so thanks both of you again for helping me
hey there, awesome article.
I've been practicing Aikido for 1 year and its really a lethal and effective martial art. lethal because the techniques you use, most of them, finish on the floor. So your opponent will strike the floor, applied in real life, the floor is paviment. VERY LETHAL. Its also effective because you use the force and energy of your opponent, you are not supposed to struggle, nothing at all, which makes this MA applied by anyone, even a little boy or girl. What is very true, is that to be prepared to defend yourself with this MA is very hard because you need YEARS of preparation. I asked some friends if they can punch me and see if i can apply basic techniques like irimi nage or Ikio, and i couldn't do it well because they were too fast. you need good or you are dead man... So my question is, what about having two martial arts or one that is focused on defense only like aikido or krav maga or both and another martial art focused on punch and strike attacks like kung fu?
Hey,
Great article - thanks.
I train in BJJ for ground fighting, and traditional karate. (IMO any traditional karate that incorporates sparring and conditioning teaches you real strike power, builds courage and the ability to handle conflict situations. Unfortunately McDojos are now the norm, and because so many of their clients are women and children, most karate adherents are learning the hollowed out shell of something that requires real sparring to be effective.)
However, I still see gaps in both arts, and am keen on learning Krev Maga - both because knives are a likely weapon in a fight and because I know how blocky and stiff my movements become in full-contact sparring. Do you know if there are any instructors in Cape Town?
Greetings Aikido Padawan,
Aikido has really good techniques and as you say it takes a really long time to become efficient and effective because of the lack of reflexes. Aikido cannot be applied without accuracy and speed and because Aikido never focuses on these key points a lot of people criticizes it and says its not effective. I would definitely advise you to do a second martial art more focused on reflexes to compensate for its lack in Aikido. I did the same with my training and now Aikido is very handy when I need it. I would advise you take Krav Maga or Muay Thai. Then you will be a very dangerous fighter. All the best
Greetings Fellow Saffa,
I will see what I can find out for you. There is a lot of Krav Maga groups in Cape Town but I'm not sure how legitimate and authentic they are. If you train Krav Maga always look for IKM otherwise you might not even be studying Krav Maga. I know there is a Commando Krav Maga club in Cape Town but it's a lot about politics so won't recommend their clubs in my opinion. Will call Warrior Sports in Centurion Gauteng and ask them if they have affiliates in Cape Town. Will get back to you. All the best
Martial Artist,
You knowledge of the applicability of the Filipino martial arts shows you did not train long enough to learn the full fundamentals of panantukan. Training for a few years at any martial art, let alone multiple, is just scratching the surface. You bring an unfortunate light to the reality of martial arts in the modern times, people think that a few years of learning(from martial arts to particle physics) means you have the knowledge it took masters a lifetime to develop. It is not the martial art system but the practitioners devotion to training.
Greetings jstelletello,
You are correct. I did not study FMA so long as the masters of the art so I welcome your opinion in giving us more information and correcting my points of view where I incorrectly gave them. I agree that the practitioner plays a vital role but even if your are a master in an art that doesn't contain grappling on the ground, No matter how well you trained, in my opinion, it won't help since you still will not know how to react because your choice of art did not teach what to do in that situation. Even worse if your opponent is trained for that situation. A good example is the UFC before it became sanctioned with rules and regulations. All the best
A street fight is not UFC, living in the world of rules does not express the truth of a live situation. Self-defense means a street fight. I wrote two hubs that may give a better answer.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Why-Martial-Arts-Are-Not-F
http://hubpages.com/hub/Beyond-Physicality-The-Ess
I would greatly appreciate your opinion on these topics, hopefully this give you a better understanding of where I am coming from.
There is definitely better martial arts for different situations but they all have strengths and weaknesses. As far a FMA goes, if you like empty hand, look to the dirty boxing and panantukan. There are even body locks and throws. Jiujitsu and wrestling are king on the ground but for self defense I try to avoid going to the ground my gym has a mat outside does not.
Krave Maga is Traditional Wing Chun without control. Control over oneself and control over one's opponent. It certainly works, but its kind of like the tasmanian devil version, haha. To those who say BJJ is an adequate street self-defense system, I say...can you pull off your takedowns and submissions if you are being bitten, thumbed in the eye, groin struck, hit in the throat?
hi martial artist
i was just wondering which MA is effective for using weapons in real life attacking and defending thanks :)
Hey man,
Im glad you said That Krav maga is a breeze if you do Brazilian jiu jitsu and muay thai because i do both, i will take your advice and take a krav maga course after i have mastered them both. Now i want to ask you about BJJ... you see i have recently researched into the gi vs no gi arguement and i want to know your opinion on it? At the moment i train no gi, but which style do you think is more effective for self defence?
thanks, kane.
hi jstelletello,
I agree you must always avoid the ground, but if you do hit the ground you require knowledge and training to be able to get up, especially if there are attackers holding you down. 90% of all fights end up on the ground so you have to be prepared for such a scenario. And true most martial arts have rules that is not present on the street, but you must also remember that fighting is all about reflexes and the best way to condition those are through martial arts. Also if someone does attack you with a knife you have to know ways to counter and eliminate such a threat without harming yourself. This is studied in martial arts such as Krav Maga. You articles are informative. I enjoyed reading them. All the best.
Hey pratik,
I would advise Krav-Maga for defending against weapons, although will not teach you how to fight with weapons. For that I would recommend FMA. All the best
Hey Kane,
I'm definitely a pro-no gi fighter since people on the street do not usually wear such thick attire depending on where in the world you are. A lot of techniques with gi grapping requires the gi to be effective so trying that on the street might get you hurt. One thing I will say about gi grappling is that you learn a lot faster how to manipulate your opponents balance which is good. All the best
So no gi is usually more effective for self defense but what about for MMA? obviously MMA competitions are no gi but you learn all no gi in gi training, and some say that having the knowledge in all of gi improves your no gi skills... What is your opinion?
Hey Koolkane,
Well it depends on your training then. If you train diligently it is always better to learn more and in that case gi-grappling will be better if you learn all the no-gi techniques as well. Usually though in gi-grappling the no-gi techniques are neglected to focus more in gi-techniques that work more efficiently. But if both systems are properly taught then gi-grappling will in that case be better. All the best
Pittman’s Martial Arts – Call (806) 686-4618 – Classes for adults and children in Martial Arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing, MMA, Karate and Self-defense -ask for class schedule/trial. For more : http://www.martial-arts-lubbock-tx.com/
thinking of ninjutsu or hapkido any advice
I'm 29 (old I know!), 5ft 10 and weigh about 10 1/2 stone. I wouldn't really describe myself as tough! I'm looking for a martial art that would suit my body type and allow me to have a fighting chance of survival on the street if I get attacked by someone(s) bigger than me. I did judo for 4 years as a child, but it seems that you have to be quite well-built to do well at it as an adult. I also got to a red belt in taekwondo, but just felt I was learning to quickly tap people for competition. I know you recommed Krav, but giving it a go I found that it seemed very choreographed and half the lesson seemed to be brutal cardio rather than technique (with no sparring). I just wondered whether you thought I should go back and give it another go. Otherwise there are other arts like Jiu Jitsu, BJJ, Aikido, Karate, Judo, Wing-Chun, 5-animal Kung Fu, Muay Thai, standard kick-boxing and a dodgy-looking JKD club in the area and I'm not sure what to opt for. I'd prefer not to do anything where all the instructors have had hip/knee replacements by the time they're 40 or where you're likely to receive brain/nerve damage. Your advice would be very much appreciated!
Just a comment about some comments about Krav maga.......
I see one comment posted by 'SIFUJOSH' saying that krav maga is like wing chun without control, well I guess it depends on where and who you learn it from, but I practice Krav Maga and were are very focused on control, in fact one of the first thing my instructor told me is that accuracy is of extreme importance. I think accuracy definitely requires some control would you say?? Power is nothing without control. Also about the not learning to handle weapons comment by 'MARTIAL ARTIST' again I gues it depends on your specific school, buy we do lots of weapons training, primarily knife and firearms, but also stick and improvised weapons training as well. In fact a couple of months ago The school I train at held a 16 hour seminar over the course of two days specifically devoted to knife combatives (as well as regular knife training during classes). We also go out and do firearms training at least once a month. But I suppose I am fortunate in having the instructor that I have. I suppose It is possible that we simply train harder and more effectively than others.
I would like to add that the Krav Maga School I train at is not associated with 'Krav Maga Worldwide' or 'Commando Krav Maga' (probably the two most well known). Also I mean no offense to the poster or host of this page who's comments I commented about previously
Martial Artist,
Really enjoyed reading your article... very informative. Here's my situation that I wanted to get your input on. I am 5' 10" and weigh about 145 lbs. So, as you can see I'm a small guy. Therefore, my whole life I've always had to deal with bigger guys trying to single me out for fights. In one instance I had a guy take a beer bottle to my face. Although, I don't instigate fights or go out looking for fights. Actually I'm quite the opposite... I clam up when someone confronts me and I immediately try to figure out ways to get out of the situation without a violent confrontation. Afterwards I'm pissed off at myself for not fighting back but it always happens that way. Anyways, seeing as how I'm a small guy with zero prior martial arts or fighting experience I was curious as to what self defense form you would recommend I study and train? I'm looking for a self defense technique that will allow me to defend myself in a street situation so that I am able to incapacitate my attacker quickly and severely enough that they cannot come after me. I'm not looking to hurt anyone bad enough that it permanently injures them or possibly kills them though. I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm know I'm going to always be singled out due to my small frame but when it happens I want to be able to make my attacker regret their decision. Thanks for all of your help.
I like how everyone hates on wing chun (on martial arts forms in general) and then say that krav maga is the best art, because every time I see krav maga, they're doing wing chun techniques. (including the two pictures in this artical
I am a learner at aikido.The criticisms I get from people are "in demo's" no one is putting up maximum resistance.People believe it not to be real pratical.I disagreee when we practice we will grab one anothers wrists in real life people that attack do a lot of grabbing
i honestly think there is no such martial art that is more effective than the others.. it is only a technique applied better.. a simple punch can be deadly enough though, if it is applied with the right speed, proper power and aim to the weakest location (neck, solar plexus, groin).. even krav maga itself, just like one of the dude above says, was based from observing other traditional martial arts movement.. i myself train in karate and western boxing..
What are your thoughts of Kyokushin (Kyokushinkay) Karate ?
Thanks
I hear a lot of good things about Jeet Kune Do , i want to know weather Kraw Maga will be more effective than Jeet Kune Do combined with Gun and Knife techniques
What about Kalaripayattu? What's its effectiveness?
for the best RBSD system you really need to check out senshido
Have a look at Guided Chaos, created by former forensic crime scene expert. Many endorsements, focuses on adaptation and improvisation.
Hi Jay,
Ninjitsu and hapkido are both traditional arts so take very long to learn. A good quality ninjitsu dojo with a legitimate lineage is also very difficult to find today. Most don't teach the pure form so I would say be careful. hapkido is quite a good form of martial arts to study. Teaches joint locks and striking. Would however rather recommend muay thai or mma if your aim is just to learn to fight. All the best
Hi Flipflop,
If you are looking for self defence nothing will compare to krav maga. Especially if you want to protect your joints for older age. It might just be the Krav Maga club you visited. Krav Maga teaches muscle memory so there is a lot of repitition so that it will be your natural reaction if you have to react. But it's not choreographed in which case I would say try another club first. Muay Thai is a good alternative if you do decide against Krav Maga. All the best
Hi Aaron,
I would recommend Krav Maga. Since you are small Krav Maga teaches you pressure points and how to effectively avoid attacks from bigger opponents. A big person is only as strong as his weakest link. It will also teach you proper striking and grappling. All the best
Greetings MJ,
Kyokushin Karate is a very hard and effective form of karate. They actually match Muay Thai if opponents fight each other. So in my opinion a good form to practice. Just learn the knife and gun defences of Krav Maga. All the best
Hi Raiden,
Possibly. But Jeet Kune Do will take a lot longer to learn. Also when you say gun and knife techniques, do you mean Krav Maga knife and gun techniques? If you do it will be a good combination and you will have a good self defence system. Just remember to train realistically. All the best
Hi Shriram,
Kalaripayattu is a very old and traditional martial art which brings the training methods in the possible category of outdated. I have never had any personal experience with it though so cannot comment on its effectiveness. Just remember to train realistically. I would advise though to rather, if possible, choose a more modern art. If not possible, Kalaripayattu is a fighting form so will still teach you basic combat skill which is already an edge above an attacker. All the best
Greetings Guys,
Please note that I will only reply to questions asked and posts that I really don't agree with. I do read everything though and do appreciate all your comments and opinions. All the best.
Great article and informative comments!
So, I am a 7th grader looking for a martial art that would be good just to hold my own against kids that are bigger and stronger than me, and would want to bully me (nothing too serious, though). I agree that KM is highly effective and I would do it if I could, but my dad says it is too violent. Also, there are no nearby places that would teach kids in my age group. That said, what would you recommend?
An older friend of mine does American Kempo, and he knows a lot of cool techniques and situational responses that he has shown me. They seem effective and good, although not nearly as sufficient for a street fight as Krav Maga. I know that it is a striking art, but I don't really need to know how to grapple (at least for now). What is your opinion?
Thanks!
Hi love the article and found it most informative.
I wonder what your thoughts are on Jujutsu and is this something demands a lot of time and discipline to practice?
I am currently training Judo but i find my self restricted and it's only in a competitive form which is of low interest to me.
Greetings Android,
Kempo is a good art to study and will teach you striking skills, I would however rather advise you to maybe look at MMA for your purposes of handling bullies. MMA will teach you Muay Thai striking which is one of the the most effective forms of striking and will teach you how to use knee and elbow strikes that can sort out any bully. Grappling for bullies can actually be more effective than striking if people grab you (bullies has a tendency to push you around and grab you here in South Africa) and will teach you how to throw your attacker quickly which will scare them off most of the time. It also won't harm them too much, just enough to make them think twice before they try something stupid next time. MMA teaches these throws. MMA also carries a reputation so that in its own right usually deters bullies. But the choice is yours. If you do choose MMA look for a school that goes easy on beginners to help you ease into MMA training. All the best
Greetings Silvir,
Judo is an adapted form of Jiu Jitsu and focuses only on throws where as Jiu Jitsu focuses a lot on small joint manipulations. If you find a good school it's a good art to study. It does take some time but not nearly as much as an art such as Aikido. Since you do Judo already you might progress rather quickly actually in Jiu Jitsu since a lot of the principles are the same. Go for a class and test it for your self. All the best
Thank you so much. I will look for MMA schools nearby. However, my only question would be MMA's effectiveness in the future, and in more serious fights. In, say, a street fight, would MMA be more effective than Krav Maga? Also, the form of Kempo that my friend takes teaches a lot of throws and real life defenses: E.G. shirt grabs, attacks with baseball bats, etc... If I start, I would be going to the same place because of its closeness to my home. In that case, would you still recommend MMA?
Thanks again!
Hi Android,
Nothing beats Krav Maga for serious street fights, but it's because you do very serious damage with Krav Maga which is not always suitable for less serious situations. You must remember that fighting is mostly about reflexes, since MMA has no religion or philosophical context it's only about fighting. That is why you can become very well versed fighter in a very short time. If you do enjoy Kempo and it's close to your home it might suit your preferences better. Just remember to train realistically and always test everything with resistance from the opponent so that you are trained for such situations since that's what you can expect from a real life fight. If Kempo has sparring and trains your reflexes well you are on the right path. I would advise to get some MMA and Krav Maga books and mix things in though. You can never know too much. All the best.
Thank you so much. Your responses have been very helpful. I am on break from school right now, so I think I'll check out some nearby MMA schools. However, just as you mentioned, this Kempo school incorporates sparring as part of almost every class. Also, I know for a fact that it is certainly not a "McDojo". It is owned by a grandmastser, who also is like the head of the boxing commitee of our state or something like that. My friend has been training for like a year and he is only on his orange belt. Either way, I will definitely check out some MMA places and look for some books or magazines for other arts.
Thanks again!
-Android
Hey Martial Artist, great article.
I found this place close to my house which teaches MMA, but it is really a mix of Jui-Jitsu and Muay-Thai. Would that, in your opinion, be a deadly combo? (I don't want to kill anybody, I just use that figureatively.) Thanks.
Hey T rex,
I would definitely say that's a good combo if not one of the best. MMA is mostly a mix of Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu so the club does fulfil the requirements of MMA in my opinion. All the best.
What are your thoughts on Kung Fu in general? Although it may be more traditional and harder to learn, would it be effective in today's world? Or is it too show-y and choreographed to be of any use?
Any thoughts on Systema? I hear gods things, I hear bad things.
But can't seem to gather any actual info. I've trained in krav maga for two years, kempo for three years, and have some (very limited) experience with wing chun, and aikido.
Hi Kung fu panda,
The problem with a lot of Kung Fu schools today are that they use outdated training methods that do not prepare you for real fights actually putting your life in more danger than without it. But Kung Fu as a system can be effective if the practitioner trains realistically since the system focusses mostly on speed. It does however still take a very long time before you become proficient in it, 6+ years in my opinion. And even that doesn't guarantee your safety since it's methods is still centuries old and not accustomed to today's street fights with guns and knives. If you train diligently it will however provide an edge over an enemy with no formal training. All the best
Greetings Steve G,
Somebody else asked me that as well up on the comments. The Systema that I practiced I wouldn't recommend as a stand alone form of self defence since a lot of the techniques involved unrealistic ways of disarming an enemy that in my opinion won't work and just get you killed. They do however teach very good balance manipulation which could be very beneficial if you add that to other arts such as grappling forms of martial arts. This was my previous answer that explains my view:
"My personal opinion about systema is a bit biased. Although they have good priciples they teach students, the techniques they taught me will never, in my opinion, work in a life threatning situation. They don't take the resistance of the opponent into account. For example a defence they taught me was when someone kicks you, you catch his foot between your calf and upper leg, lock it, and throw him. On the street I can't see that working since the opponent has too much leverage to control his balance. But I would definitely recommend systema as a suplementary martial art since the principles of balance manipulation will help develop you main martial art especially if it's a grappling martial art. Some systema schools I see also incorporate muay thai striking as well. If you can find one of them you can't go wrong."
All the best
Like the article but i gotta ask a question do sambo ckm jiu jitsu and krav maga compensate for a trained opponent in the training?
Also to add which martial art that you have trained in that takes the least amount of time and most efficient method(s) of overcoming an opponent that has at least a decent amount of training?
Hey Ryan,
If you fight a trained opponent it will always be a challenge but depending on your own level of Krav Maga or CKM you should be able to hold your own and also depending on the martial art the other opponent is versed in. In terms of shortest amount of time to master an art I would definitely recommend Krav Maga since its based around natural reactions, your body will adapt to its techniques the quickest. All the best.
Very good article!!!
I am looking forward to see your thoughts on KFM.
great article, really enjoyed reading it. i've two question, 1. i've trained in muay thai for 7 years and would be fairly effective at it, i am doing some security work soon and would be interested in learning something less violent which i can use mainly for joint locks etc. What would you recommend? something with a tight learning curve 2. there is a new close quarter combat school opening up near me it's part of a well known school in the uk, have you trained much in close quarter combat or is it just another term for krav/mma?
Great info and hub. I currently hold a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and recently have been training in Krav Maga. For self defense you cannot beat Krav Maga and the animal instinct it uses. Strikes to the eyes will deter any one no matter what belt he holds or how many fights he has been in. We train with head gear and swimming goggles so we can make eye strikes as realistic as possible without getting hurt. MMA and Krav Maga and you are set for self defense, but unless you are getting punched in the face while you are training nothing can prepare you for an actual physical confrontation.
In your opinion, what is the most effective martial arts for a small woman in a physical confrontation with a angry guy? I would like to be so effective as to always be able to get out of a rape situation, mugging, etc and leave a nasty scar on them if possible. The other day I saw a guy throw a girl into a fence and start to punch her. I was with a group of guy friends and told them to turn around so that we could go save her...they didn't. It got me to thinking that if I was the driver I would have turned around but, than what would I do. The attacker was a husky guy and I'm not. In a perfect world I would have been able to do throw him into the fence and scare the piss out of him with my awesomeness of lethal moves but in reality I would have probably been thrown into the fence too.
Greetings Aidan,
I would advise that you have a look at Sambo or CKM. Since the arts are more focused on grappling, they will teach you joint manipulations and holds etc. You can always also just join a few jiu jitsu classes and learn some techniques there if you do not have access to Sambo or CKM. Close Quarter Combat is a generic term and can be anything from Karate to Kung Fu so would double check the content of that which they teach. It's always the easiest to call your club that then you don't have to worry about showing any form of accreditation and basically teach anything whether it works or not. All the best
Greetings Guest,
KFM is relatively a new form fighting that developed recently. I was rather impressed with them and the way they handle situations. The also take a lot of principles from Krav Maga. It's a very good form to study and will teach one proper self defence. Their clubs are still just relatively scarce but it's a very good art to study. If I knew about them at the time I wrote this article I would've definitely included them at the top. All the best
Greetings Mbeck,
I would advise you to look into Krav Maga. They teach you pressure points and other weak places to strike an opponent. You must remember that a person is only as strong as his weakest link. So it is crucial for a physically weaker person to know these points and also proper striking form and reflexes to attack them. Otherwise you just end up against the fence or worse...dead. Krav Maga will teach you all of these and more. All the best
thanks for the quick reply, much appreciated, there's jiu jitsu close by so will try that out, take care.
hi there, really enjoyed the article and all the comments. my background is in boxing and am very interested in starting krav maga from what you have wrote about it, my question is what are the differences between the organisations and which one is best to train, within travel distance there are 2 ikmf schools, 1 ekmf, 2 krav maga worldwide, and loads of krav maga global - the gobal instructors seem to be appearing all the time and all the global instrucotrs seem to have a tae kwondo background, is there any one in particular that i should join? thanks.
Greetings Mike,
Krav Maga Worldwide focuses a lot on techniques while the International Krav Maga Federation focuses on situations rather than techniques. Where Krav Maga Worldwide will learn you proper technique first, IKMF gives you basic info and puts you in a situation where you have to defend yourself. So you will learn practical fighing and defence in the IKMF a lot faster while in KMW you will first learn proper techniques which takes quite long. Krav Maga Global has the same training as IKMF. The founder left the IKMF and founded KMG so they are both very good schools. I have no experience or knowledge of the EKMF organization so cannot comment on their training unfortunately. But the main guns are the IKMF, KMG and KMW. KMW has a lot of American influence so if you want to learn the pure Israeli form stick to KMG or the IKMF schools. They get their developments straight from the battlefield so you know it works. All the best
Greetings Mike
Have you ever heard of the Ukrainian martial art Rukopash/Boyovi Hopak (The fighting hopak)? Which is a combination of ancient Cossack fighting and more modern fighting techniques. Do you think this would be a very effective martial art or do you think it would not be any good in a fight and it is just for show?
I saw a demonstration of this and it looked quite impressive though Im not sure where it would stack up against other martial arts like Muay Thai
My question was directed towards martial artist
Hey martial artist, if you could pick one martial art to cross train with krav maga waht would it be? one that combined with krav would make you a fromidable fighter against a trained or untrained opponent? i was thinking muay that but what would you say?
thank you
what are your feelins on JKD.
Hey mate!
Ive been researching martial arts for the past few months because i got into trouble with some guys that know muay thai and keep trying to fight me. Theyve only done say a year of muay thai theyre not that great ive done around 4 years of karate but karates just not practical. I mean im physically a lot better than them but i think they would still beat me. I was thinking of doing either Muay Thai or Krav Maga because from what ive read those two are the most effective in a fight.So basically should i learn Muay Thai or Krav Maga to defend myself, and how much better is one than the other, because if theres not much difference il just pick the one that is easier for me to get to. Thanks! also im 16.
Greetings Pete,
I've seen Rukopash, not sure if it's the same form but it looks like an art where the people throw themselves without even proper contact. If it is the correct form I am referring to, it will get you killed or seriously injured and I will not recommend it in any circumstance. Stick to the proven methods like Krav Maga. All the best
Greetings Steve,
I would definitely recommend Muay Thai to cross-train in since the two fighting forms compliment each other and one helping develop the other. Krav Maga uses mostly Muay Thai for striking but it focuses on other aspects as well so training specifically in Muay Thai as well will be an excellent addition. All the best
Greetings Sam,
Jeet Kune Do have been making a comeback lately into the main stream. It's a very effective martial art as long as you find a proper school teaching correct technique and form. One of the best aspects of JKD is that it teaches very close combat teaching the student to strike effectively in very short spaces with maximum damage. Just make sure it's a good school. All the best
Greetings Mate8tb,
It depends on what you are looking for. For plain hand to hand combat and looking quite good doing it, Muay Thai will be the best option. Krav Maga teaches you how to neutralize an opponent the quickest and that includes a lot of dirty fighting like kicking the guy inbetween the legs etc. And they also train that a lot, so if you want a clean victory Krav Maga might not be the best option. Its hand to hand is Muay Thai but because of so many other situations it also includes, specialized attention is not given so much to the clean form of hand to hand putting you at a disadvantage if you fight someone constantly training for that. For overall self defence I will recommend Krav Maga though since it includes knife and gun defences al well. Since you did karate so long, it probably did train your reflexes quite a lot so you will catch on very quickly in Muay Thai. All the best
Thanks a lot Martial Artist for the advice! I think il go with Martial arts then and learn Krav Maga for a few weeks when i hit 18. Thanks again!
Hello there,
i have been trainig in krav for nearly a year now really enjoy it, so much more realistic than previous martila arts i did, i have one question for you there is a very popular fma school close by, would it be a good idea to combine the fma and krav or are they too similar, thanks in advance.
Greetings Dave,
FMA is not so similar to Krav Maga as you think. They have completely different fighting styles actually. FMA concentrates a lot on stick and knife fighting and how to fight with these weapons while official Krav Maga (not the exceptions) only teaches the student how to defend against such weapons. Krav Maga also uses Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu in hand-to-hand combat while FMA has their own system of hand-to-hand combat. They follow the principle that the same stick techniques can be applied without the stick since the stick is only an extension of the body. So if you do FMA it will definitely benefit you since you learn how to properly fight with sticks and knives. I prefer Krav Maga's hand-to-hand combat between the 2 but the stick and knife fighting of FMA is second to none. All the best
Hi again Martial Artist,
SO i went to a few muay thai classes and i find the whole putting your hands up over your head thing not that comfortable feeling because it doesnt leave you too free, also the lack of movement and speed is quite strange, should i just keep persisting because it will be better than karate in the long run?
hello, i started krav maga 6 months ago and abslutely love it, however alot of people i train with don't have any martial arts experience and really struggle with the sparring part, i comepletely agree with your opinion that it's the number 1 for self defence but i think it really needs to be cross trained with a good striking art to be effective in all situations, krav on it's own is lethal against a normal joe sobe on the street but wouldn't be effecive against a skilled fighter, on the other hand a skilled fighter doesn't usually attack people out of the blue which is really what is krav is made for, i could be wrong but just my opinion, anyway keep up the good work, fantastic article and some very good comments.
Great rundown and reflections. THANK YOU.
Sorry for spamming with another post but my gym also does mma, BJJ, and wrestling. Should I do mma or stick wit the Muay Thai?
Hey man, would you recommend filipino martial arts or krav maga for defending empty handed against knifes/sticks/baseball bats etc. I do boxing but would like to add some weapons traning not to fight with weapons just to defend agasint them with my hands. really good discussion by the way one of the best i have read.
Greetings Mate8b,
You must remember that Muay Thai teaches the student to protect himself in the neutral stance and to always cover the most important parts of the body even if it means sacrificing some offensive power, this is very important because if someone stabs you in the face or neck it doesn't really matter how hard or fast you can hit. Defence first. They also keep that stance since the body is so well conditioned that the stomach and rest that's not covered actually forms part of the defence. I can believe it's quite a change for you. You must remember Muay Thai fighters are tanks. They might not be the fastest, but they are rock solid. Also Muay Thai is not for everyone and if it doesn't accommodate you then try MMA which is also a good, possibly even a better, choice since it will teach you proper grappling as well which is also a very important aspect in fighting especially learning how to get up as quickly as possible if you hit the ground. All the best
Thanks for your kind comments Mat and Kieran. All the best
Greetings George,
I would definitely recommend Krav Maga for empty handed defence as the more effective between the two as also because you already do boxing so they will compliment each other. All the best
What is your opinion on the JKD school New York Martial Arts Academy and the JKD at Anderson's Martial Arts Academy? They are both in New York? What do you think of their instruction?
Greetings Earl,
I haven't trained at either of the schools so will unfortunately not be able to give a personal opinion but I had a look at both. Both seems to be authentic schools in their own right. The New York Martial Arts Academy will teach authentic Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do which is as close to Bruce Lee's JKD as you will ever get. They are affiliated with the Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Nucleus which is run by Bruce Lee's family. On the other hand Anderson's Martial Arts Academy is affiliated with Dan Inosanto who is also a legend in his own right in JKD. He teaches a more modern version incorporating elements of other arts such as BJJ into his syllabus. So it depends on what you are looking for. Both schools seems to provide quality training with the one teaching traditional and the other modernized JKD. All the best
Thanks so much for the input. Btw could you tell me what is your take on which might be better in your opinion the traditional or the modernized JKD. Also previously you recommend to another person posting that you recommend the 5 dvd Krav Magav http://www.amazon.com/Krav-Maga-Complete-5-DVD-Set How does that measure or differ to this 6 dvd set http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Krav-Self-Defense- Lastly Is it really practical to learn Krav Maga at home since the schools always run scenarios also with multiple assailants and reflexes are only developed with live sparring.
Greetings Earl,
Both are good systems but in my personal opinion I would rather prefer the modernized JKD since it may be more adapted to today's times than the traditional system. Both are good dvd sets, I only recommended the 1st set because it was the best at the time of the writing of this article. In regards to home learning, if you are already an expert in a martial art with the proper reflexes, home study in my opinion is sufficient. If you however still need to develop your reflexes and is new to martial arts, I would definitely rather advise to join a club since that is the only proper place where you will develop it and have instructors correcting you where necessary. All the best
Last question. Taking your advice I will be seeking a Krav Maga school since I have not been doing martial arts for a long while or for a long enough period when I did. Which school would you recommend in NYC? The different schools are apart of different federations. They are as followed: Krav Maga Federation, International Krav Maga Federation and Israeli Krav Maga Association (Gidon System.) I will not trouble you too look at the sites of the school but wanted to know your opinion on which Federation of Krav Maga that you would recommend. Thanks so much for all your help.
Greetings Earl,
I would advise that you stick to either IKMF or KMG schools since they guarantee you get proper instruction from Israel, which is continually updated from the battlefield. Some of the other affiliations add their own innovations which is not always a bad thing, but it's not always a good thing either since they are usually tested in safe environments based on theory of a situation . And you don't always have a safe option to test them out. All the best.
Hi- I realize this article is a few years old, but you might consider looking at San Soo Kung Fu as well. San Soo sheds the traditional, impractical facets of Kung Fu, and focuses solely on using the body's natural reactions to brutally disable an opponent. A little weak on ground/grappling, but if applied properly a fight against a SSKF practitioner shouldn't get to the ground.
All the best-
Scott
Cheers for the hub, but I think your advice was a little wrong few "chapters" up to one of the guys learning Praying Mantis KF, if it's the Tong Long style then a year of that would make you very dangerous person if you're forced to apply everything you learn in a year. I have practiced Judo and Shotokan when i was very young and I practice Tong Long now and I can assure you that grappling is not something that I want do do, nor do i want to throw someone to the pavement. I can appreciate the MMA guys needing grappling and ground work but on the street that to me has been useless. On the street you want to annihilate your aggressor as soon as possible not attempt to dry hump him on the ground.
Please watch some videos on Tong Long or Circular Tong Long so you an get a better understanding on it's devastating power. I have friends with good TKD skills who thought they could kick their way trough which they did attempt but as soon as they were close they were immediately annihilated. If one can learn Tong Long I say do it, it's semi full contact and sometimes you really hit hard, hard enough to wind someone and you get bruised a lot, conditioning gets you bruised for a few months until you well ... get conditioned but after that you do learn how to take a little damage.
What I have found out is that inherently humans are scared and they have a very high ratio of Flight vs Fight, we close our eyes too quickly when imminent danger is near and we back down, this is normal for a person without any MA training. Krav Maga doesn't fix this at all, i just gives you false hope, if you have 2 years of Krav Maga discipline and someone with the same time spent in say TKD, you're in big trouble. But any MA you do please do add Krav Maga to it! It has a few very basic things like disarming etc. which are not taught.
If you do watch some Tong Long videos then keep in mind a lot of the "slaps" are really meant to be hammer punches, this is sometimes a weakens as I had to use Tong Long in a street fight once and training kicked in and the guy got a few slaps until i realised i wasn't meant to slap, split second later he had about 8 strikes from his neck up.
Best advice I can give is this ... if you life is in danger and your decide to stay and fight, on the street there are no rules, a kick to the knee cap, kick to the balls, gouging, punch to the adams apple are things you should not only consider but be prepared to deploy against your aggressor. But the best thing of all about being proficient in any MA? you don't have to fight :) the confidence is amazing and you can diffuse 90% of situations by just act mature, the other 10% well you can Fight or Flight.
Keep up the good work!
I teach Krav Maga and it certainly works and truely belive having taken bjj and judo that it is the most street effective but when you techniqu against knife or stick or gun goes wrong (it happens in trainng) knowing how to grapple and throw someone saves your butt alot of the time. I train students what if you miss or mess up then what?......Hit hit hit and more striking....Krav is generally speaking superior for the street though
Well written...couldn't have said it any better myself! Totally agree with everything in the article. And I would have put them in the same/exact order as this article. Coming from an extensive martial arts background and some teaching, I believe Universal Krav Maga is the best in any street situation. And one has to be quick on their feet. We teach to attack attack attack and destroy quickly...then ask questions later. Not only that we do incorporate some ground work in bjj just in case you end up on your back...because it can happen. Muay Thai and Kali is also mixed in there such that you end up becoming a well rounded Krav Maga artist. In Krav anything goes...so it's easy to throw in other art forms while keeping the integrity of the art intact.
Hi
Thanks for the great article. What are your thoughts on Wing Chun (Ip Man line) and its practicality for self defense?
Would it would well alongside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
I'm thinking of training in Wing Chun and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Cheers
George
gedgar01 and Martial Artist,
I'm running into the same problem as gedgar01; on the one hand, I see where Krav Maga is probably the most rounded martial art ever conceived, but on the flip side, I find myself constantly drawn and intrigued with the Bruce Lee Wing Chun/Jeet Kune Do experience. I only have enough money to train in one.....there lies the problem. What's more important, passion or going for the more well-rounded?
Martial Artist, here's a very intriguing web site you'll probably love to research about....a style of Krav Maga by Moshe Katz. Here it is at http://www.your-krav-maga-expert.com/index.html
It has obscure stuff like fighting in the dark.
Moshe Katz says he's the highest ranked (4th Dan) student ever ranked under Itay Gil (Human Weapon/Protect)and has taken the best of different arts and put them into his style of Krav Maga. From my research here's all the arts Mr. Katz has studied in: Wing Chun Kung Fu, Kyokushin Karate, Shurin ryu Karate, kickboxing, JuJitsu, Kenpo Jitsu, ISC Control Points (Pressure Points), Goshinjutsu Karate, Judo, Muay Thai, Brazilian JuiJitsu, Hapkido, and Ninjitsu. This seems to be a very impressive style of Krav Maga indeed.
This is the most informative and entertaining blog and comment page I've seen. You seem to definitely be knowledgeable about what you're talking about.
Oh, and for the viewing pleasure of everyone; check out how cool Itay Gil is if you've never heard of him.
I loved this article, and I've been taking Krav Maga for about 3 months now and I love every minute of it. I took Tae Kwon Doe when I was little for a little while but it was all training to prepare us for competition which was fun, but not practical. In College I took R.A.D.(Rape Aggression Defense) a system of self defense excusivly for women and it's taught at most college campuses and that was good for what it was, which was a 4 day class. But I felt like even that wasn't enough and I actually took it twice, the good thing is once you've graduated that you can retake it for free anywhere else, just bring the manuel. Then I started hearing about the new Krav Maga place near my house and checked it out and in one class I learned more effective techinques than any of my R.A.D stuff which was a great building block but wouldn't go far enough in a real fight.
Now I'd also like to comment on how important it is to find not only a good fighting style to practice but a good instructor too. My Krav Maga instructor is awesome. He is a former Marine and is also advancely trained in other forms of martial arts which he'll throw in our training depending on whatever works best. He throws the rule book out the window and teaches us what we'll need to survive and I love it.
The hardest part I think is the conditioning before we learn anything, he makes us fight tired which helps the muscle memory and teaches us to fight when our bodies are wanting to give in. And the weapon defenses and multiple attackers and simetainous counter attack and defend, and the plain aggressivness it teaches us are priceless. But I would agree that the classes are expensive but I feel like it's worth it.
Also one last thing you must have really good friends who help you practice most of mine who aren't involved in the KM run away when I wanna show them something I've learned. But I tell them it's more fun than a gym and more useful than Zumba. So thanks for this article it's nice to see that although my friends think I'm crazy for doing this especially when I leave a class with brusies from doing 360's and some joints sometimes wrapped in ace and a ice pack it's better than the alterative.
All I can say is HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAyah!!!!
Greetings JKDWC and gedgar01,
The problem with a lot of Wing Chun schools today is that they lack realism and fighting practicality but that doesn't make the fighting system obsolete. It depends how the practioner trains. If you train realistically it will be a good combo with BJJ. The other reason is that Wing Chun takes a very long time to learn even if you do train realistically and that is why Krav Maga is recommended above it, but if you really want to learn Wing Chun then don't let it put you off. With dedicated realistic training and time, you will develop a good fighting system. But I would still advise doing a Krav Maga course inbetween till your Wing Chun is developed to a level where it can be used on the street. All the best.
Martial Artist Hub Author 2 years ago
I welcome any opinion regarding these martial arts or any other martial art. Speak your mind