What style of martial arts is best for street fighting and self defense?

Question

I was never taught how to fight by anyone, and now that I'm growing older, I see how important it is to know how to protect yourself. I'm in high school and I am worried all the time about something happening to me and me not being about to do anything. I was considering taking martial arts classes, but I need to know which one will really teach me what I need to know in order to beat someone in a REAL fight. I'M NOT AT ALL INTERESTED IN TOURNAMENTS OR THE SPORT. So which style is best for street fighting?

Answer 1

1st of all i want to start by saying practically ALL martial arts have some self defense applications especially if the instructor is good. Whether it is a 1 2 in boxing, elbows in thai boxing, swift kick in taekwondo(yes i said taekwondo even tho i dont prefer it if trained properly it can be used for selfdefense), throws in judo, or submissions in brazilian jujitsu. If it is a good gym or dojo and instuctor tell him your goals wanting to be able to defend yourself and they should be able to help you.

that being said you need a decent standing and grappling game and most arts are not complete in that sense. ex boxing almost all striking lacking grappling, and bjj mostly ground work lacking standing strikes.

in this sense to be an overall well rounded fighter able to defend yourself you need to crosstrain mixing up some grappling with striking so like the mma gym i go to it has boxing/thai boxing/bjj
most popular among mma fighters seem to be a ground grappling art:sambo, bjj...striking art: thai boxing seems popular and a trapping art to get a person to the ground like wrestling or judo.

now to me that would seem kinda time consuming for some1 who is looking to defend themselves and no looking to compete....also im looking at that most people you would encounter on the streets wouldnt be that great of fighters anyways

i suggest an art that incorporates all these elements in one jeet kune do, krav maga, and san soo they are focused solely on self defense and non of these styles have tournaments since it focuses totally on disabling the attacker

these styles are focused on real fights having no rules and utlizing blows such as eye gouges, biting, lowblows; along with traditional punchin kicking etc.. anything that is necessary to survive. being in krav maga i know that at my place we focused on alot of gun and knife defense along with surprise choke holds etc...like on the streets. and how to try to avoid the fight or trying to calm the attacker down(which if it doesnt prevent the fight it gives you time to think and give the attacker a false sense of confidence) also good about krav is that it works on the body's natural reflexes making it fairly easy to learn. and all focus on striking vulnerable point of the body

the only proplem i have with these hybrid arts are if the instructors are good. for jeet kune do due to bruce lees premature death their few people truly trained in real jeet kune do, krav maga i've seen 1 of the gyms in my area was ran by someone who wasnt skilled and makes me question how the Krav Maga Association of America regulates who can teach, and i don't really know too much about san soo.

but overall you need to go to a gym or dojo tell the instuctor what you are trying to achieve and see if what they are teaching is realistic to use in a real fight, and sparring with RESISTING opponents is good too. and if a belt system is offered try to avoid any that seem belt oriented they are probably just trying to get your money

Answer 2

Any martial art should be efficient, if it isn't efficient you're just in a fitness class. Check out the places in your area and try them out. Don't rule anything out based on what people say about a given style, taught correctly any martial art will give you a huge advantage when it comes to defending yourself. After you've done the leg work compare the schools and arts and decide which is taught the best and has the most skilled students. This could be hard to determine without experience but look for technique (shouldn't be sloppy, weak or require a second try) fitness (students don't have to be ripped, but people shouldn't be sitting around for more than just a quick breather or water break) and the teacher should be able to clearly explain a technique (if they can't, how will you learn?). Don't be afraid to ask questions when getting trial classes, this is your opportunity to find the best school you can.

Answer 3

If it's street fights then you want Judo or Aikido, they involve more throwing and put downs rather than explosive punches and kicks.

Try looking at Bushido. Mix this with Aikido and you are good to go with any nearby weapons too.

there is one Kung Fu move which I find irresistable on any to$$er that comes funny with me. That is to stamp on his shin at a 45 degree agle (or there abouts), trust me when I say he will not be walking never mind fighting......another is to do the the following.....try it on a willing friend or something to see it's power.

On your chin in the centre you can feel a slight raised bit of bone. If you hit this part you can knock someone out clean, I suggest you try a very soft version on your friend (and I mean not too hard but not too soft), I had it done to me in training and I had a bruise for about a week! Had the excercise been to knock someone out not demonstrate how to do it, then it could have been worse!

I'll say one thing though, you don't need martial arts to win fights, they really are a last resort as can be deadly!!
My suggestion to you is that you work on speed and agility in a boxing gym. I'm a weight lifter and am pretty big, this means nothing in fighting; yes I'm strong but what you need is experience points! These points can only be gained by your aggresion and confidence.
I don't appreciate people out for a fight but where I live it happens all the time so why not be prepared!? Use these pathetic people as your practice dummies BUT ONLY IF THEY START FIRST OR YOU WILL BE AS BAD AS THEM!!!!

Answer 4

I'll keep it real simple, boxing. Usually you can find a cheap (or free) gym to train as much as you want, 1 good combo will end most street fights.

Boxing plus 3 other things. Learn the guillotine choke, learn a sprawl, and learn knee strikes. All 3 of those are bad news for straight wrestlers on the street.

With boxing and those 3 things you shouldn't have a problem on the street unless you bump into someone nastier than you.

Edit: I would suggest jiu jitsu too except its primarily 1 on 1 and in a street fight it can be bananas (multiple targets, strike and back up). Also, apply moves like arm bars, kimuras, keylocks, etc all end with you breaking something of your opponents. Not all people can get past that (guilt) and on the street there is no tap outs.

Answer 5

I have a small percentage of students who are interested in tournaments , the rest are in my club for self defense , and fitness. I do not make competition mandatory. What I teach helps my students to do well , no matter what their goals are.

There are no "bad" martial arts , except for one that I saw where the guy sat in a bar drinking until he got into fights.

Learning any technique from a good , qualified instructor will help you in your goals.

I teach tae kwon do , and make self defense a mandatory part of my program.

Answer 6

There is no one martial art that is better than another. Ive owned a martial arts school and I am a female cage fighter. In my experience Kenpo Karate and brazilian jujitsu is a good path, also take a look into kickboxing...happy training!

Answer 7

For pure fighting or self defense.
Jiu-Jitsu
Kick Boxing
Krav Maga

Are a few styles that I would consider.

Answer 8

Have you ever seen the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) on the Spike channel? This is the closest you are ever going to get to real fighting. So, whatever works in the UFC works on the street. No matter what anyone who believes in Bruce Lee movies says, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu combined with Thai boxing is virtually unstoppable. The UFC has proved that over 17 years of matching all styles of fighting against each other. Now, if you do not know Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, they won't even let you in to fight and get killed.

Answer 9

When you are talking self defense you are alos talking life and death. You should really do some serious reseach and find the MOST QUALIFIED person to teach you or your loved ones. I would avoid any cookie cutter schools you see in the strip malls. They are cash cows not true reality based self defense training centers. Always ask about your instructors qualifications and training experience.

Answer 10

Bear in mind that you pick up a martial art to protect yourself in the public and not deliberately use what you learn to fight with others. There's a chinese proverb which says a gentleman does not use violence but by talking things out to get the matter over and done with. I would recommend aikido for self defense.

Answer 11

Kajukenbo , Americas first mixed martial art .