What's the most relevent Martial Art for protecting yourself on the street?

Question

Just curious. I know arts like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are basically worthless in real life situations...what would be beneficial in events outside the octagon?

Answer 1

traditional shaolin kung fu was developed for the monks to have a way to protect themselves as they travelled china spreading the teachings of buddha, and it has never let me down in real world situations

Answer 2

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the most relevant self defense art for protecting yourself on the street is the Hundred meter dash : P

Answer 3

check out kung fu san soo it is vary no nonsense great 4 the street i have been a student and instrouctor since 1996 look it up on utube you'll like it.

Answer 4

The most relevent Martial Art is teh one that you are well trained in, that fits you, and that you can use effectivly. All martial arts at their core have the same purpose, and that is self defense.

No disrespect to anyone else that answered, but they are all saying the style they take, or what they have seen on tv or on here. I could definetly say the style I take is effective, because it helped me survive a knife attack. Does that mean it is the best? Absolutly not, but it is the best for me. The instructor I have is known as one of the best instructors in our state when it comes to teaching kata for actual self defense.

Anyone that claims their style is the "best" is very deluded, as in the end, it all comes down to the practitioner. BJJ is a very good style one on one, and should serve adiquetly in most self defense situations. It's main problems are weaker take downs then Judo, trouble against multiple attackers, and no weapons training. I am sure there are schools that do weapons, but they are not the majority. So BJJ is definetly not worthless in a self defense situation.

All styles have strengths and weaknesses, so saying one is better then another is ridiculous. If you put me against the best BJJ practitioner in the world with staffs or knives, I would bet on me, simply because I have extensive training in their use. Put me against that same person with no rules in a one on one match and very likely I'll be tapping.

In the end styles do not fight, people do, so the most relevent style is the one you use well, or combination of styles you use well.

Answer 5

tae-bo is unstoppable when used properly. It was actually outlawed in the UFC after UFC 5,6, & 7 because it was proven that no other form of fighting could compete.

In early UFC competition, tae-bo practitioner Billy Blanks ruthlessly decimated his opponents, causing senator John McCain to label UFC "barbaric" and that the fights amounted to nothing more than "human cockfights".

After watching a competitor get carried out of the octogon on a stretcher after winning UFC 7 Blanks stated in a post fight interview, "**** that a*****e! you step in against tae-bo, you go home in a ************* **** *** **** bodybag!"

Answer 6

krav maga gets my vote.. been there, done that. its simple and effective and easy to learn

Answer 7

If you really need to use anything, you have failed already!  Avoidance of such situations is the key.  and you should have a swagger about you that marks you out as not being prey, so they find another target.  If they do confront you, a smile and a few friendly questions - "I had a jacket just like that, where did you get that one?"  "Nice ink who does your tattoos?" can distract a potential attacker.  As can "You used to hang with Dave, didn't you?  I gotta call him to go for a beer"  Most guys know a Dave...  He doesn't want to think you know him, recognise him, and know friends of his...  

If it does come to a fight, I keep an awesome kick in my arsenal, the shin is a very vunerable area on anyone not wearing shinguards.  I also have a few moves, such as offering the right arm to be grabbed, and a swift take-down which lands my weight on their ribs, after sweeping their feet away.  It works in the Dojo, where such things are expected!

Answer 8

Concur with Krav Maga.

That said. BJJ is FAR from worthless. There's allot more to it than what you see in the UFC and a reason that every MMA fighter has to train in it..

Answer 9

You know Bjj(brazilian ju jitsu) is basically useless outside of the octagon?

Do you know what the definition of the word Ignorant is?

I can hit you in the groin to well i'm doing my Bjj. I can rip into your arm with my nails if you want to do that to me and if you grab my balls and twist i'll put my finger in your eye and push. Or bite or what ever if thats how you want to play. Bjj was not designed for sports . It was made with the street in mind.  

Why don't you go to your local bjj school and walk in the door and scream FU** YOU and then simply walk to the street and wait. You can bring your strongest friends with you. Just kick them in the balls. you'll be all right. I'm sure there are well trained members of other arts that could beat a bjj black belt

The art is not the final say. It's the man. But what you have just said is ignorant . You think all bjj guys get in street fights and say i"I can't do that thats against the rules".

Answer 10

Definitely Krav Maga. How can you argue with a system that has no rules. BJJ practitioners can get out of their element when someone does something they don't expect. Plus who wants to drop and roll around on concrete and blacktop. Krav Maga teaches standup, ground, and self defense. There is a reason why a major number of militaries and police train in this.

Answer 11

what kind of street? people that really want to hurt you? or people that don't have much fighting experience? i'd say jiu jitsu is not so worthless if you keep your head. best thing possible is knowing how to keep general control. that is how you throw or move your weight around and keeping the other off balance. if someone is really fighting dirty and aggressive there can be plenty broken bones, ripped ears/noses and potential death.

keep in mind you can easily find yourself on the ground (wrestling, jiu jitsu) or in a thrash and bash scenario (being able to take/return HARSH blows (elbows, knees, proper strikes)

Answer 12

WHoa whoa whoa slick.  Jiu jitsu can be very helpful on the streets if you use it correctly.  You can use your attackers clothing against them like there coat or shirt collar.  You can also do the same submissions that you learn in the gym.  Someone cant attack you anymore if they have a broken arm or blown out knee.

Answer 13

Krav Maga. Specifically created for the fledgeling Israeli Defence Force to be easy to learn and very effective.

It is not, strictly speaking, a martial art. it is a combat system.

Answer 14

all of them are relevant to an extent.

bjj is a sport yes...but those dudes are tough as nails. muay thai is a sport...tough dudes. judo is a sport...you see the pattern.

the thing is that those arts are tough, and work well...but...they simply dont address street self defense scenarios. i often tell ppl that i know a tai chi instructor who beat a bjj black belt at his own game simply because the grappler was too used to playing by the rules. they dont have to worry about groin attacks, weapons, multiple attackers, getting someone who has been doing pcp all day.

the most important thing is not so much the system or style...but how its taught. what is the emphasis? even some self defense instructors leave out alot of stuff. like the famous juji gatame armbar...its a good way to get bitten. you want to mount me...good ...you want to side mount me...good your groin is wide open and i dont give a darn about your rules. and neither would your attacker on the street.

but alot of the modern defense arts have people thinking that every situation is a crazed drug enduced crack head with 3 shotguns hidden in his back pocket and is not going to be happy until you are dead. dont let them get you all paranoid though. one of the keys is to stay calm so you can think...anger makes you stupid. you should be hard angry and mean on the outside...but on the inside you are calm and retain your mental clarity.

if you are not worried necessarily about quick results...just about any art with a good teacher can be adapted well for self defense.

if you are in trouble and need quick results you should go with a more modern self defense system...such as jeet kune do (paul vunak has some great videos out...and he is all about teaching people how to fight quickly)

krav maga, various other military or police combative systems such as jim wagners reality based self defense, hock hocheim's scientific fighting congress. or tony blauers chu fen do..or spear system.

traditional arts will take longer to achieve proficiency...but they can and do work once you get good at them.

Answer 15

" I know arts like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are basically worthless in real life situations"

I think I smell a troll...

Seriously if you believe that... well then I guess you should try convincing the Army Ranger, Marine Force Recon, Special Forces Training Battallion, countless Law Enforcement Agencies (including LAPD SWAT) and virtually anyone who has studied under Vunak, Straight Blast, Inosanto, the Gracies about how worthless it is in real life...

Considering people who deal with dangerous situations in real life have been trained in BJJ and BJJ elements...and recognize it's value in "Real Life"

You also say "Arts like..." you mean other grappling arts? Other "sport" arts?

Well like a hundred others have said, the art isn't as important as the training method. I think anything realistically trained will be beneficial and effective.

Realistic means spending a lot of time training against resisting opponents at high intensity and full speed. I think some styles train properly the majority of the time, some as a general rule not as much, but there are exceptions.

I think ANY is beneficial as long as it is trained in an Alive manner.

Personally I think you would do well learning from my Chi Enhancement system... you are definately an ideal candidate...

Answer 16

i'm not just saying this 'cuz i take it, but for protecting yourself, kung fu. definitely.

Answer 17

I think Kempo is specifically for street fighting situations, but I'm not 100% sure, so don't quote me on it.

-Sean