What kind of martial art is good for real life situations?

Question

I want to learn a martial art, but i have no idea of which to learn. What i am looking for is something that will actually help me in real life situations. Like if someone comes up to me wanting to fight, i deny fighting, but he attacks me anyway. I want to know how to handle it and put that guy on the ground knowing not to **** around no more with me. Dont get me wrong, im not going to try to look for fights. I just want to know how to handle one if i am forced into a fight. and by lookin at diff. questions on here many ppl are saying not many styles will really help in real life situations... help me out guys...!!!! i live in Georgia...so id like to find a school in the area....thanks

Answer 1

Jujitsu-because it is a very flexible art that adapts to any situation , not to mention its very effective in street combat, since most fights in the streets end up on the ground, make sure not to take brazilian jujitsu, its more sport like and not all that effective on the streets.

Answer 2

Amazing answers.
FIrst TKD is a sport and will not provide you with real self-defense measures equal to those if you took Kung Fu, Krav Magra, etc. However, one poster quoted Bruce Lee stating any martial art is good. THis poster is correct.
Second, Aikido is a great art, however, it takes years to become somewhat proficient. I have two arts, Hapkido and Aikido, and can tell you that Aikido is more difficult to learn though equally effective.
Third, Ju Jitsu. Great...you learn how to fight on the ground, but of the several street fights I have been in not one ended on the ground. I was able to disable the people well before the fights would get to that point -- through controlled locks etc.
I would suggest first finding an art that fits you and a school that teaches real self-defense (not a mcdojo). If you are strong, big, you can learn karate, or another art that uses a lot of strength. If not, then an art like hapkido with joint locks etc might be better. That said, I am 6'4 220 lbs and chose hapkido because of the ability to chose between fighting straight on strength or using locks, or joint breaks.
Your school should be one that is reasonably priced (about $100 or so per month), requires you to train about 4x per week at about 1 to 2 hours per training (Ideally should train at least 8 hours per week to become effective). You preform 15 plus minutes of stretches, excercise, etc. The class should allow you to spar once you are ready. THe class should allow you to work with people of differant height, sex, weight. THe class should NOT make you stand in line behind people waiting to try a technique and then back in line to wait again (this is a waste of the training time). You should not have to pay for weapons classes.

Again, consider Krav Magra, Hapkido, Karate, Kung Fu. Just a few thoughts.

Answer 3

Well you want to start looking for a school that is available, and near your home.

ANY Martial Art is good, as Bruce Lee said: "Foreign or not, if helps you look after yourself whenyour in a fight, then you should learn to use it. It doesn't matter at all where it comes from." that's a direct quote from himself, he also quoted that in Return of The Dragon in which he wrote, directed and starred in it. and Bruce studied most if not all the fighting disciplines at some point.

It's bull s**t to say that their not good in real life situations; because they are or else they would not be around for as long as they have, they've been combat tested for hundreds of years.

What you see in movies are just the flashy parts (and often choreograhed fights) of some of the martial arts; things that will make the movie seem more exciting for the moviegoer. the basics are all you need to use and not something flashy or complex in a fight.

Anything you learn will help you defend yourself, so it doesn't matter what discipline you learn, nor is any one better than the other.

You may want to take a discipline that works on your "standing game" Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Karate, Krav Maga, and then later on learn a discipline that'll help you in your "ground game" Judo, Jiujitsu, Aikido, Hapkido.

if you study hard enough you'll learn the techniques. just look for a school near you and take a few lessons, if you like it; stick with it, and don't mistake starting out as a white belt, that you'll be better than somebody you come up against on the street, it'll take time.

Answer 4

Learning how to box is always a good idea. Judo is a great option too since it is cheap and you will get plenty of practice getting tossed. And if you're still in school...join the wrestling team.

Aikido, etc. is great for personal growth, meditation and overall fitness, but is not that great for self-defense.

and I'm sorry, but Japanese JJ won't teach you much about good ground fighting. Brazilian JJ is the way to go for that.

Where in Georgia are you? I know a bunch of great gyms all over the country, so if you narrow down your location I can probably point you towards a good MMA, boxing, jujtisu or muay Thai school.

Answer 5

The only style that will work is the one that you are interested in, that you will invest the time and energy to learn to use effectively. All martial arts were created to defend people from attacks, but only if you are willing to put forth the effort to learn the techniques to the point where you can use them without having to think about using them. If you have to think and decide what to do, it is already too late, it has to be reflexive and instinctive. Every style will work, and no style will work, it all depends on the individual and the effort they put into it.

Answer 6

I propose Aikido - a form of self defence martial arts. I learnt it while I was in university. It's not too taxing on the physical part but one does truly needs a lot of time to master it. My sensei was a small man but he throws the guys around like peanuts. The philosophy behind Aikido is also one of peace and non-violence. Essentially, Aikido is not confrontational. Instead of defending head on, the practitioner spins in circular direction to ward off the attacking force and then bring the party to the ground. Well, easier said than done I guess. Aikido trains the mind as well, teaching one to remain focused and anticipate attack directions in those undesirable circumstances.

Words can't describe. Try it! :)

Answer 7

MUAY BORAN.

Muay Boran, which translates to "Ancient Boxing", is the predecessor to Muay Thai. The aim of Muay Boran is to help a warrior survive a battle after he has lost his weapons (until this time, he will use a style known as Krabi Krabong); its style is quite efficient, in that it maximizes the amount of damage that every blow can leverage, and effective, in that it can easily lead to the death or serious injury of the opponent. Most notably, Muay Boran emphasizes the usage of extremely powerful elbow and knee techniques, and combinations thereof, always thrown at full force and speed, with the intent to overcome one's adversary as quickly as possible, because another one might already be coming close or attacking. Muay Boran were categorized in to Muay Thasao (North), Muay Korat (Esarn or North-East), Muay Lobburee and Muay Chaiya. There was the phrase state that "Powerful punch Korat, Wit Lobburee, Good Posture Chaiya, Faster Thasao" (หมัดหนักโคราช ฉลาดลพบุรี ท่าดีไชยา เร็วกว่าท่าเสา)

Various techniques in Muay Boran are forbidden in present-day Muay Thai tournaments and competitions. Even in Thailand it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a school willing to teach it; they prefer to focus on "modern" Muay Thai, as this is more easily exploitable as a form of income. Today many schools who claim to offer Muay Boran just teach Muay Thai and sell it under the name of Muay Boran.

Traditionally, Muay Boran was not well-known in the West outside a small circle of practitioners. The art was featured in the 2003 Thai film Ong Bak starring Tony Jaa. Tony Ja has learned Muay Korat (one of Muay Born).

Answer 8

judo is a great thing to know as it is a grappling art. Kempo is good for women as it involves a lot of arm and hand movements that can be applied up close. Stay away from the Jean-Claude VanDamme moves they take skill and space to do them.

Answer 9

Krav Maga is the best for real life situations. If there is no Krav maga school near you then try Karate (Okinawan, not American or Korean).

Look at this video of Krav Maga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXHSEOv78XM

All other arts are for sport or excercise.

Answer 10

Judo and Akido are the best for true self-defense. Both teach you how to fight on the ground, which is eventually where evey fight ends up.