How do I know if the martial arts I am studying is really teaching me how to defend myself in a real fight?

Question

I study a form of Chinese Kung Fu (animal style, very much like Kempo). We do not spar. We learn lots of "techniques" which we must know for belt tests, along with katas, but we rarely ever practice them against each other--just do them in the air. Without any kind of real-life street situations, how do I know if I really am becoming a more skilled fighter? Thank you...

My intention is not to PICK fights, but to defend myself.

Answer 1

If you are asking this question you have not been learning long enough.

Any serious martial art will prepare you to defend yourself in the real world

Answer 2

I think that it is a very tough thing to determine. Some people have that ability and others do not, nor will they. Regardless they must train the techniques and work hard on getting the correct mentality when studying the martial arts in order to apply them. One thing that is needed in the training is what is commonly referred to as adrenale stress conditioning which is when a student is put into a high pressure situation against an attack that will not stop until they are stopped. This often ends up with either the attacking student or the defending student injured regardless of the safety equipment used but it is a great training program. I also think that it has a lot to do with life as well. As some people progress through the years they get less affected by the things around them. I grew up in a small rural town where, if a fight happened, it was more or less a shoving match with a few punches thrown and then it was over. A good friend of mine who teaches Jujitsu in the Bronx grew up in a gang infested neighborhood. He fought to survive against those gangs. His mentality entering a fight situation was much different than mine when were teenagers. We have discussed this in length, and although we are both very much on the same page now as life led us both down paths where we had to be quick to finish the situation effectively, we both have mellowed. When we train he is much quicker to finish the fight than I am though. An offshoot of our upbringing? Perhaps but I do feel that it depends on the environment and experiences of the person if they can or cannot do what is needed to effectively defend themselves.

Answer 3

I'll tell you right now that it IS NOT teaching you to do that. There is NOTHING about street fighting that even resembles martial arts fighting. In a street fight ANYTHING is fair and there are NO rules. Actually you are somewhat disadvantaged by your training. If you really want to learn to defend yourself I must recommend the instruction of Master Larry Wick. He is an accomplished martial artist, as well as being the #1 self defense instructor in the nation. Look him up online. He has a video course that teaches you how to think during a fight. Using your brain helps more than anything.

Answer 4

With any martial art, whether it be the various styles of kung-fu, karate, tae kwon do, etc., you're training will depend on a number of factors:
- Do you feel like your teacher is a good teacher and is well-qualified and teaching you techniques that you believe in?
- Are you training with the intent of learning how to defend yourself? When you practice these techniques, do you have the mindset of someone attacking you and you responding appropriately?
- Are the techniques simple enough that you can rely on muscle memory and not your mind in a real situation?

Once you answer those questions, you then need to begin training the full circle: Train your breath (cardio), train your strength and endurance, train your forms, train the self defense, train with a partner using 2-man drills, train sparring (light contact and heavy contact) Once you have begun to train these and are developing good technique, better reflexes, and better awareness, attempt to train these techniques under adrenal stress response.... For this type of training you'll need to have someone with the ability to push you to your limit, while giving you the feeling of it being "real" in a controlled environment.

Answer 5

Well...
Let me say that every form of martial art is effective. But I at one point trained the same way u r. No sparing, just fancy little dances that earn u belts. Screw that dude. Wake up, when some one wants to fight u ur not gonna bust out ur kata. If u want my advice, take up Brazilian Jui-Jitsu, or Kick boxing. Ur best bet is to train in MMA( Mixed Martial Arts) so u will be ready for any fight in any situation. Good luck with ur trainin buddy.

Answer 6

I study kajukenbo which was developed as a self defense type of martial arts for use on the streets. If you are unsure of yourself and your abilities, talk to your instructor. He/She should be more than willing to assist you if he/she is any kind of a real teacher.

Answer 7

Martial arts isn't about fighting. And when it is about 'fighting' it's about avoiding the fight at all costs. Let your attacker trip over himself as you move easily out of his way. More so, though--it's about a state of mind and being--read some chinese philosophy fo sho.

Answer 8

i also learn kung fu
before i was also thinking like u but kung fu is the best
kung fu includes qualities of all martial arts
it was the first martial arrt of the world
and the answer to ur question is :

u will have camps and tournament in 4 months or 6 months there u will have to fight unknown people from other dojos
it is fun

bi

Answer 9

The first style I ever learned was Kenpo, and now I have some background in several different styles.

My Mom put me in Kenpo when I was in 7th grade, because I was constantly picked on by bullies. For that year, I went to private school to be away from the kids who were picking on me.

We hardly ever sparred in class, just practiced set techniques and kata.

I was wondering, just like you.

The following year, I returned to the public school. Within the first week, one of the worst girls (who had been picking on me since I was in second grade) came up behind me in the hallway, swung a foot to kick my rear, and yelled, "Welcome back, B****!"

However, to her immense surprise (and indeed, mine), her foot didn't return to the floor. I had reflexively turned and grabbed it as soon as I felt the contact with my bottom and heard her voice. I had her standing in the middle of the hallway, with all those people going by for class changes, hopping up and down off balance while I kept a firm, but apparently casual grip with one hand under her ankle.

I lifted her foot high enough to ensure she continued to stay off-balance, and said, "Thanks....and you don't ever want to touch me again. Leave me alone." I then gave that final lift to deposit her firmly on her own bottom on the floor, with the roar of laughter and the applause from the surrounding crowd echoing in my ears (and, I'm sure, hers), and turned and walked away without looking back. She never even came close to me again...and none of the other tormentors from my past ever dared to bother me, either.

Trust me, the technique and kata drill is really all you need.

Answer 10

if your not very advanced and you want to know if itll work for you try to do the drill below with another person
1.have person 1 hit person 2 3 times with light contact and slowly! 2.then have person two block that and hit 3 times block included and with light contact 3.repeat until your stuck!

p.s. i got this from american kempo and it one of the things that show a lot of the students that it works and it helps prepare for if and when you must defend yourself although we dont spar much either