What kind of marital-arts should I study if I were intersted in becoming a costumed vigilente?

Question

I want to develop fighting moves similar to those employed by super-hero such as Dare Devil and Spider-Man. Mind you, I'm not so delusional as to entertain fantasies of taking on some insanely super-powerful villain like Dr.Octopus or Carnage, but merely wish to strike fear into the heart of petty thugs and mobsters. Oh, and if you had any advice on the best kind of costume to wear,I'd be keen to hear that too.

Answer 1

Ok, taking your question at face value here....(*snorts*)

--First off, I'd highly suggest learning some Parkour. No, really, you're going to need it. If you are patrolling the "mean streets" late at night, you *will* need to know how to run, jump, roll and take cover quickly and efficiently to get from Point A to Point B, not just to get "there" to where your "action" is, but also to *get away* before the police show up.

Because all rumors to the contrary, vigilante-ism is in fact *illegal*. The police don't like competition, not even from legitimate *bail enforcers* mind you....and they really don't like it when citizens take it upon themselves to *maim* the thugs and animals those police officers *cater to*, as it makes for a muddied, ambiguous legal case (who's the real "victim" here, who's the real "perp"?).

Not to mention, you will need some skill in tactical sprinting too, just because these days, gangsters don't fight, they *shoot*. So yeah, learning how to roll, jump and take cover is a must....

--Learn the non-martial skills a vigilante needs that you never see in the comics: Learn First Aid, CPR, and also *how to gather forensic evidence* without tainting it with your own fingerprints and DNA. That last one is important not just in terms of keeping yourself from being caught, but also in terms of being able to *leave evidence* where police can find it and *take credit for it*....

And of course, you really do want to leave people, witnesses and bystanders at least, alive and well, so the First Aid/CPR comes in handy there too--not just when you realize that you need to *save* the guy you just beat up from *dying* to slip the murder charge.

--Make sure you have the money and/or connections to invest in the right kind of cell phone (ideally one that is hard to trace and that also has a police scanner built in), and the right kind of body armor (Kevlar at least, if not Kevlar/Nomex with some modified *shark suit* backing that up--think chain mail only lighter and less cumbersome to move around in).

The alternative to the body armor is to get shot, stabbed, beaten down and chewed up by pitbulls until you die. The alternative to the cell-phone/scanner is to get caught by every unmarked police car out there...

--As for martial skills....go for a system that trains at least a *little bit* of everything, stand-up striking, infighting & ground defense, as well as *weapons* skills. Focus on something you can train as *alive* as possible with a trusted mentor or sidekick. No flashy moves, but nothing that compromises your mobility too much by over-committing you to *one* attacker (making you a target of others). So boxing and BJJ are off the list right off unless your trainer sees the bigger picture and *includes* adaptations that seriously consider the possibility of being swarmed and/or shot at if you stay in one place too long.

Look into the military CQC stuff. But develop a high- to full-contact base first. I'd say mixing World War II-era combatives with a base art of Muay Thai wouldn't be a bad place to start (presuming you do have the anti-bullet layer of body armor of course). Judo is also a decent base to build up from, just remember, you need at least a little training in everything, not just your base art.

Or, conversely, you could pull a Hunter Rose/Grendel maneuver, just be an *assassin* about it and train your weapon skills like a fiend, and pray you don't get caught killing.

--As for names and costumes....I'm not saying. I know what *I* would do in this circumstance, what powers I'd bring to the table and which ones I'd need too....but that is for ME, not YOU. I don't know what you can do or what you'd do with what you can do.

You do. So what would work for me--a uniform and codename with a HUGE "What in the *hell* was *that*?!?" factor would seem absurd for you, and likewise, I am sure I'd find *your* ideas unworkable for me too...case in point.

The whole "swinging by a wire" thing that Daredevil and Spidey do. It just wouldn't work where I live in Champaign, Illinois. There aren't *that* many tall buildings that close together. I'd need another way to get around. And this would likely also be true of a bigger city with shorter buildings and lots of sprawl....like Los Angeles. (never mind that my shoulders would *not* like me for doing this...)

Point is there are some things about this you need to figure out for yourself. ^_^ Sorry.

I hope this helps....take care and stay safe! No Really....

Answer 2

this is the best question i have ever read. if you for real bro, all the best.

iam assuming you are of the same build as spiderman and daredevil if you ask me this. you would have to really reach their level of agility. for this a gymnastic oriented martial art to condition your body (this will be useful for running away, no matter what you cant take on guns or cops). and usually gymnasts are very strong for their bodyweight. but this takes as long as your body takes to grow stronger.

-wushu for the gymnastics
- makes you like jackie chan
- capoeira for the moves

if you're thinking, oh simple i'l go to the gym since this gymnastics is for pansies. well thats what you wanted. to emulate spandex wearing heroes who flips around a lot. kidding. well look at the body builders. tell me how many of them can do flips, or are fast?

for a good style, i wont suggest ground fighting. cos when the cops come and they see you in that compromising position...
well i suggest brazillian jujutsu. you will need to learn to disarm your mobsters, and give them some nice hits. plus give them nice locks and break their arms.

and for your costume. NO spandex. something simple you can fight in, run away in. not be too outstanding. bullet proof vests, arent that effective vs rifles or guns at closer range and are expensive. and heavy actually. so you might as well not wear it. but if you are thinking of some kind of armor,.....an idea would be going around in a bike and full of pads. that will scrap your whole spiderman and dare devil idea.

i do have 2 thoughts to leave:
1. do you have the time and money to do all this?
2. the place you live in really that bad? that in almost every alley you go you can see petty mobsters and thugs threatening people? if not, you are gonna be one bored vigilante kitty

Answer 3

There's a reason guys like Batman and The Shadow and those guys are always trained in some exotic, semi-fictional or fictional martial art - to account for the fact that people that are great in real hand-to-hand systems get shot and gang-stomped every day.

So if you're asking for a fictional character, I'd say make up a fake art with real elements, like steve perry's sumito, and if you're really asking, don't try it - go to the police academy if you want to fight crime. They GIVE you the utility belt.

Answer 4

i would recommend not to make yourself known to the thug when attacking, otherwise you could get shot. As for a martial art, i would recommend capoeira. Check out capoeira videos on you tube (sul de bahia and batuque are more credible) if care to see. For movies with capoeria check out: only the strong, lion's roar, the protector, and ocean's 12 (french dude dodging lasers). I also suspect that spider man used capoeira.

Answer 5

chuck norris or bruce lee mask will scare the shizz out of badies. haha anyways the previous answers were well said. i think the most important thing you will need to learn is parkour. try not getting parkour and free running confused. in parkour you are trying to go through your obstacle as fast and smooth as you can. in free running you are 'tricking' with your surroundings. when running away from cops and bad guys, you will need to know how to get away quick. like spidey!
for combat, you need something very quick and brutal. you probably will need to know some ground combat, but usually there are more than one so dont focus on it. i suggest trying to mix some judo, krav maga, karate, etc. weapon training will also be important. learn to use different lengths of sticks. you'll also need to learn how to improvise with your surroudings. like jackie chan!
when deciding a costume, try not to look like a bad guy or another gangster.
also develop a deep voice! good luck

Answer 6

Super hero High School!

Answer 7

I would never dress up if I were a vigilante I would be a human being thats a true hero if I were u study karate the Japanese are bad ***

Answer 8

Let me make sure I understand this - you want to use martial arts for offensive rather than defensive purposes? That's a good way to get yourself killed.

Answer 9

Lavender is very in right now.
But no capes - they get sucked into jet engines.

Also - make sure that you wear a mask so you can retain your secret identity.

Answer 10

you should wear a pocket protector and some of the glasses with the fake nose and mustache on it and the martial arts you study should be called Star Trek marathon!