What is the best form of Hand to Hand combat to learn under my circumstances?

Question

I'm no secret agent, just a normal guy in a normal world. However, I want to learn a H2H. Mainly for defending myself, and also as a layer of security just to have.

What kind of H2H would be good for me? I looked into Krav Maga.. but that seems a bit "military oriented."

Thanks in advance to all who answer my question!

Answer 1

You are going to want a "Complete" art, one that handles all ranges of combat both striking distance, clinch distance, and ground. You will also want one that has realistic pressure testing so that you know you are capable of performing the techniques under pressure against a resisting opponent.

The best way to get all of these things is to join an MMA gym and take part in both the Standup and Grappling classes they offer.

You will get effective instruction at every range of fighting and you will be able to dominate most untrained people in a year of 2 day a week classes. After 3 years of steady training you will be able to dominate most non-professionals.

Remember that no martial arts will help you in a 5 v 1 fight or against a guy with a gun. And none will give you more than hope against a guy with a knife if you don't also have one. So your best choice is to be the most effective individual fighter you can be.

Answer 2

Krav Maga is extremely military oriented. it is basically around the idea of kill your attacker and run. however if u want a  practical everyday defense that isn't extreme, i'd suggest you take kempo. it has a lot of focus on joint locking and strikes. find a dojo that is genuine, i.e. not offering a black belt quickly, and start training. keep at it though, martial arts takes a good while but it's worth it.

Answer 3

I highly reccomend Wing chun kung fu.  It is exetremly practical and easy to learn.  It is great for self defence.  It is also great for your health as well.  Bruce Lee was also a Wing chun fighter

Answer 4

Hi.

You'll probably want to look for a self defense school in your case, stay away from sport styles like judo or Tae Kwon Do.  All styles have techniques that are applicable to self defense but the specific emphasis they place on it can vary, if it exists at all.  Some Tae Kwon Do schools can be great for self defense however usually when combined with other styles like Shotokan.

Jujitsu is great for one on one combat but doesn't really lend itself to defense against multiple attackers.  It relies on tangling yourself with your attacker on the ground to subdue him but if there are two of them the second attacker could easily do anything they want to you while you’re beating up their friend, not a situation you want to find yourself in.

Wing Chun is great for hand to hand combat, the specific emphasis they place on self defense I do not know, it would probably depend on the school.  Also I don't know how they deal with multiple opponents but you do stay on your feet so that gives this style an advantage over Jujitsu for self defense.

Krav Maga is a style developed for the Israeli military that needs to fight in one of the most volatile places on the planet.  So yeah, it's going to be a bit military.  There are variations of this style and all may not be quite as military but I've heard from people who have taken Krav Maga that there are some not so practical, overly risky techniques that are taught.  I don't know this for fact however...

Probably the best all around style for self defense that I know of is Kenpo Karate.  This is a well rounded, primarily a stand up style that also uses some Jujitsu for throws, locks and just all around grappling.  The up side is that you rarely follow your attacker to the ground, rather a quick follow up strike once he’s down and you’re back up to face your next attacker.  There are many forms of this grouping of styles; I personally take Chinese Kenpo Karate.  If you're interested look for a Tracy's Karate Studio, there are hundreds all across America, Canada and even a few other countries.

If you can't find one you could try looking for American Kenpo or Shaolin Kenpo (to name a couple out of scores of similar styles).

Sometimes self defense doesn't have as much to do with the specific style as much as how it is taught (emphasis on 'sometimes'), so if none of these options present themselves just start visiting schools in your area and ask the owners/instructors what kind of emphasis they place on self defense.  Ask to sit in on a class to see what it's like.  If they offer any sort of introductory course so much the better, they are usually pretty cheap if not free so take full advantage and try the style out to see if it's what you're looking for.

I hope this helps and good luck :)

Answer 5

Krav Maga does tend to be militaristic, but it's hard to beat for h2h combat skills.  If you don't want to go that direction, a grappling art seems to fit the bill.  Judo or jiu jitsu are both one-on-one combat arts that are great for self defense.

Judo will teach more throws and standing clinch skills which are very useful - throws, especially.  Jiu Jitsu is really popular right now, but the applications are fewer in "real-combat" because they cannot be applied against multiple opponents, nor in certain situations.

Answer 6

Well, Tao Kwon Do is pretty good for self defense although all forms of h2h combat should be for this purpose. You can also learn Ju Jitsu, but that is a bit more time- consuming. Overall, it is all up to you, I hope this helps you make your decision. I suggets you take up Tae Kwon Do, whichc is an overall defensive art.

Answer 7

Boxing and wrestling should suffice.

Answer 8

it depends on how much time you can put into it, some arts involves a lot of skills. Also it depends on your size.

quicker system to master are boxing, muai thai,

they are quick to learn, you can learn all the techniques in a few weeks or months, then, you concentrate on developing power, speed, techniques, timing, accuracy, sparring experience.

you can become a good fighter in 2 to 3 years with at least 2 hours per day training.

Disadvantage of these simple system is that, if your opponent do the same style and he is bigger, you have a problem. that is why they have weight division. fighters from a lighter weight class can not be expect to win against a 20 kg heavier weight class. Also, once you get older and lose your speed and power, you will be struggling to keep up with the young fighters.

For more comprehensive external kungfu styles, southern praying mantis, northern praying mantis, choylayfut, wing chun, For internal kungfu style, T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Xíngyìquán and Bāguàzhǎng..

With these comprehensive styles, it will require more skill development, and it would take about a minimum of 3 years before you can apply it in fighting situation.After about 6 years, it will start to over take the simpler system. You need to train a minimum of 3 hours per day.

Disadvantage: you can be defeated by simpler arts within the 1st 3 years period. A lot more to learn.

Advantage: can beat fighters of larger size, you become better with age. You can be extremely dangerous at a master level.

Other arts such as krav maga, mma, bjj are not bad.

In general, you need to learn hands strikes, kicks, ground fighting.

Other styles, krav maga

Answer 9

I am suprise dit's only one so far, but of course we have the obligatory MMA complete system answer. MMA with the right instructor can definetly enable you to defend yourself, but it is not the only one. The statement no martial art will help you in a 5 on one situation is false. Any training gives you a better chance then no training at all. Against a gun best bet is to give them what they want. The statement that it will not help you against a knife is false, as karate enable dme to defend myself from an attacker brandeshing a knife.

Many people confuse a street fight with self defense. Self defense is mainly going to happen when someone wants something that you have. I do not find that most trained MMA people, wrestlers, boxers or martial artists run around attacking people at random.

The fact is that much more imprtant then style is having a good instructor and attending a school that trains realisticly, with resistance and contact sparring. Many people will tell you that you need to train yourself to UFC levels to defend yourself which is just not true. A style gives you the tools to defend yourself, it is up to you to use them correctly.

Answer 10

Self-Defense:  Look into Korean Hapkido - strikes, throws, distractions, joint locks, pain compliance, some ground fighting, basic weapon fighting and defense - complete art with less military and sport focus.

Street Fighting:  Jeet Kune Do Concepts first choice and Original Jeet Kune Do as well.

Weapons defense, fighting and brutal:  Any Philipino or Indonesian or Southeast Asian type art such as Kali, Silat, Kun Tau, Eskrima, Arnis - though some stress weapons over empty hand.

Krav Maga and Systema are both more militaristic type arts.

Answer 11

Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu

Sambo

Judo

Boxing

Kickboxing

Muay Thai