Which martial art (Krav Maga or Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu) is best for defending myself in real life situations?

Question

Well, I am looking to take up a martial art, I have narrowed it down to these two martial arts (Krav Maga and Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu). I'm not sure which martial art to take up though.

They both fit the parameters I want very well, although I'm not sure about Krav Maga on the last point... I'm told you're trained to kill, however I'm sure instructors will provide various responses.

(1. An art that primarily keeps you standing up.

2. An art that does not emphasize high kicks.

3. An art that trains with weapons periodically, particularly a knife and a stick. Also gun take-aways.

4. An art that periodically deals with multiple attackers.

5. An art that provides various levels of force as a response. In today's litigious society, a lawsuit is something to be concerned about...)

Any links for me to do research on the two martial arts would be apreciated.

Please do not tell me to try out a different martial art, I'm focused on these two and I will not change my mind :)

Cheers!

Answer 1

no such thing as a best art.

Answer 2

you pretty much described krav maga, there.  it's a nice form of modern martial arts which focuses on real-life situations. they break your character down and re-build you into a cold-hearted fighter. this martial art is no joke.

Answer 3

i found krav maga to be very useful for me in a real life situation.

one thing you have to know though is that i isn't a martial art, its a mix of pretty much everything. it is also based on efectivenes and simplicity. also if you really do want to be a good martial artist you should learn more than one martial art and try to understand the purpose and concept of each form.

Answer 4

As a Krav Maga instructor, I can tell you we fit all of your criteria, we start students fighting from day 1 and get the students involved in weapons defense early on ( so does Combat SAMBO).

For my advanced students, we use paint ball hand guns that look like the real Sig-Sauer P-226.  I sometimes bring in shotguns loaded with blanks, broken bottles, baseball bats and knives.  We do not deal with theoretical weapons, just what you will find out on the battlefield/street.  Ironically to learn how to defend an attack you have to learn to attack as well.

I send students out to the parking lot (I don't care about the weather) and send multiple assailants after them.  All of this is to simulate realistic battle conditions.  I put the assailants in tactical gear, so the defender can really explode.

For beginners we use wooden guns, rubber knives and wooden sticks. The principles are the same.

The American Krav Maga body is a little different, but still good. Krav Maga puts you in great shape and gives you the tools you need in battle, there are other arts, but as a Krav Maga school owner and teacher I think we may be what you are looking for.

The only hook to combat arts is your 5th point, don't worry about the condition of your attacker, just survive the attack.  

Good luck.

In the US I would recommend "Commando Krav Maga" over the "Krav Maga" body based into Los Angeles.  CKM teachers are harder to find and the seminars are intense, better to find an instructor in your area.  Both are good, both will teach you what you need to survive.

Answer 5

Kali is a very reality proven martial art. The only one that teaches stick an knife first, research it you may be very intrigued.

Answer 6

Hmmmm. I don't know a lot about those two. However, i myself am a black belt in Tae Kwan Do and the teach all of the things you listed. Unfortunately they don't teach you knife defense until your a black belt, and gun defense until your a 3rd degree black belt. But there is the Adrenal Stress Circle where you are attacked by many people at one time, we have bow staffs and escrima sticks training, along with wrist releases, basic self defense, and a number of other things.

Answer 7

I would keep an open mind and at least take a look at dim mak.

Answer 8

whoever told you that Krav Maga teaches you to kill was incredibly wrong. Krav is all about quick and powerful responses to attacks to allow you to escape, not stay and fight. Its original intentions (military) was to kill, but thats not the way Instructors teach civilians. As a Krav instructor myself, i can tell you that your best bet is Krav Maga, especially in the UK, i know how much of a problem random violence is over there.

As for your 1-5 parameters that you talked about, there's some issues i would like to point out....

#1- being a proficient ground fighter is one of THE MOST valuable skills to learn. Statistically and from personal experience I can tell you, that almost every, if not all street fights that you might encounter, have a 90% chance of ending up in a ground fighting situation. A street fight is so unpredictable that you can have no idea of where your going to end up, or what's going to happen. That's why Krav is the best choice, it teaches you to react, without hesitation to any kind of attack, no matter if you are standing or on the ground. If you really want to be a good solid fighter, with a good base of self-defense you need to learn ground fighting in excess.

#2- high kicks i agree are not a practical solution to a street attack, but keep in mind, if you can practice you high kicks to the point where you could kick to the head as fast as to the body, don't you think that would make the kicks to the body that much faster. not to mention the flexibility you would gain.

#3-solid weapons training is a must in todays world sadly, but always remember, that fighting should be your last resort. If you end up taking Krav, when it comes to disarming an attacker who has a gun, remember "c**k back, safety off"

#4-Multiple attackers is a hard thing to deal with even for an experienced fighter. It takes a lot of strategy built up in a very short amount of time. Remember that if you can perfect the angles in which you attack you opponents, you can dispatch multiple opponents in a few steps with strong, well aimed attacks. If attacked by more than one person, do not wait to react, be a strong and fast attacker, the momentum will set them off guard.

#5- We call that touch for touch, in America, you are not defending yourself if you respond with a force greater that is greater than the force put upon you. Sadly however, there are shades of gray in that area. Such as, a push doesn't deserve a broken arm, but a knife could deserve a choke out. Its a fine line that can be overstepped in a few seconds. The important thing is to remember that in the moment you are being attacked, you know how threatened you feel, and you respond until that threat is not there. In Krav you will learn to use powerful knee and elbow attacks to quickly neutralize an attacker. A strong reaction to an attack is very often enough to stop it, you might not knock him out, but he very well might feel that the damage he could receive from you isn't worth whatever he had in mind.

I wish you the best of luck, stay safe. Hope I helped.

Answer 9

krav maga!

Answer 10

Israeli Krav Maga is better for real life situations. But it teaches some ground fighting.

Answer 11

SHOTOKAN ALL THE WAY YAH!

x*x

Answer 12

Although Krav does teach ground fighting it does not encourage letting yourself get taken down. It should take care of everything else. And for #5 if someone is trying to hurt you in a real way, go ahead kill the S.O.B. then leave his remains on the ground. No litigation wanted, no litigation required.  It's his fault he chose the wrong victim, not yours.

Answer 13

out of the 2 you have suggested i would go with Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu as krap maga is an overated very sloppy imitation of a real martial art and is aimed at parting fools from thier money.it's definately not what its cracked up to be,dont listen to the hype about krap maga.

i would also suggest you look into some freestyle karate's as they will teach you stand up,ground/grappling,weapons and practicle street wise self defence.some good styles are zen do kai,bushi kai and kempo/kenpo but i dont know if they are available in your country.