Is boxing effective in a self defense situation in the street?

Question

maybe even more than some martial arts?

In a unarmed fight obviously

Answer 1

If you are going to square off like men, then it's probably the best. Like others have said though, most fights end up on the ground. In High School, the guy on the wrestling team always won. When I was coming up, it was said that if you were well schooled in Judo, you would always win a mano a mano street fight. My cousin who was a Golden Gloves champion got into a fight with a 7th degree blackbelt in Karate. My cousin knocked him out with the first punch. My final conclusion is that at least 75% of it boils down to who is the tougher guy!

Answer 2

I've been boxing for 4 years now, I don't think I've ever really considered it a tool for self defence, other than the ability to evade boxing is surpassed by most other martial arts in effectiveness on the street. Now obviously an experienced boxer won't lost to some wimp off the street. Now as a boxer you can take a punch better than most people and you can certainly deal one out too, so in a fight boxing is useful but more so if you're the one swinging first, getting kicked is no fun. It also depends on the type of boxer you are; if you're an in fighter who just rushes in and goes for the KO then you'll probably have a fair chance in an encounter, but I think out boxing would be more effective in a street fight.

Answer 3

Yes, as effective as anything else. Boxing is every bit of a martial art as other arts such as karate and judo. Of course, as some other answerers have said, boxing will not help you in some situations--such as when someone takes you to the ground--in which case other arts such as jiu-jitsu or wrestling will serve you better. However, boxing is probably more effective than some arts that don't emphasize full-contact sparring like boxing does--one of the most important things to learn when learning to fight, is how to take a punch without going down or losing composure. Doing sport karate (which is like a version of the game "tag") doesn't necessarily prepare you for a street fight.

Answer 4

Boxing is a great form of self defense in a street situation. Consider this, in a street fight you want it to be over quickly. More then likely there is not much room between the two of you. What do you do? Short shovel hooks and upper cuts to the body and head. Short punches carry the most force, combine that with the torque of your body weight. You should not have to throw to many punches. Most people in a street situation expect a punch to the face. Few expect a lighting fast jolt to the liver, heart, solar plex, or throat. Plus kicking or bring your feet off the ground in any form, is the quickest way to end up on the ground. There things could get messy.

Answer 5

I suppose it would be, if you got the first shots in, or maybe doubled the other person (or people) up with body shots. But what happens when a boxing practitioner is taken down to the ground? Boxing doesn't teach how to effectively ground fight. In Mixed Martial Arts, 100% start at stand up, but around 90% end on the ground. With this in mind, I would advise you to look into grappling arts before striking arts.

Here are some forms of combat that I would consider useful in a street fight situation (and some other brief ideas):

Each grappling art has advantages and disadvatages. Also, a certain grappling art only teaches you moves that are allowed in their sporting competitions...remember that.

*Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is good, and is effective on the ground. However, face reality. Do you want to be on the ground in a street fight? Is it a 1 on 1? Or are his mates ready to kick you when your vulnerable?

There are a lot of questions, variations and scenarios on the street, so beware constantly.

*My advice is to learn Freestyle Wrestling, Catch Wrestling, Sombo Wrestling and BJJ. You dont need to go to classes, you can get book and intructional videos also...

Also learn where to bite, gouge, etcetc. (plus other dirty tactics...people underestimate the kicking in the groin, but that wont be enough against some people.

Remember that watching or reading books is still no comparism to practicing these moves for real. (obviously you wouldnt bite a practising oponent!!!!)

*Jeet Kune Do (developed by Bruce Lee - taught to general public, military and law enforcement - not really an art with belts and not traditional, more of a system and way of thinking about self-defence - you choose which arts you want to specialize more in depending on your liking, keep the good parts of different arts, throw out the bad parts ie. stuff that doesn't work). You may learn stuff like Kali (filipino stick and knife-fighting), Wing Chun, Boxing, grappling, etc.

*Krav Maga (Israeli self-defence taught to their military, also to military and law enforcement in the US, also no belts or tradition) Very simple and effective hand-to-hand combat (close range), deal with knives and other weapons too.

You have to understand that there are different ranges when it comes to fighting - kicking range, punching range, grappling range and ground-fighting. You need to know how to defend yourself in these different ranges. You can do different things in each range ie. in kicking range, all you can do is kick, too far away to throw a punch.

I think another very important thing to consider besides the system is the instructor. Is your instructor open-minded, willing to adapt the technique to different situations, does he allow you to ask questions, will he show you the advantages and disadvantages of different techniques in response to different types of attack? Does he train you under realistic scenarios where you are stressed and the adrenaline is going? The psychological preparedness in training is very important because even if you have the physical tools, without the proper mental mindset, you won't be able to use the techniques in real life. This part relates to the last part of your question. All these things can be trained if under the right instructor.

One thing I want to say is that it is always best to walk away from a fight. Walking away means that you were the bigger person. This method means no-one got hurt.

Thanks for the question.

Answer 6

Boxing is a sport. If you are on a street and being attacked a baseball bat would serve better than a bare knuckle, and odds are you won't have time to lace up some gloves. If you are worried about being accosted on the street, carry a gun. Odds are pretty good it would equalize any situation a mugger might throw your way. Martial arts have their place, but the weapon between your ears tends to still be the most effective means of self defense.

Answer 7

Yes and no. Yes, because you learn to hit hard and learn to take a hit. But no in every other way. They only focus on hands, not feet, or knees, or elbows, or grappeling, or weapon work. Boxers are also trained to get a few hits in then back off. You should never give ground in a fight. But then again, it depends on the practicioner, not the style.

(P.S. Forget about all the B.S. you've heard about "The person who gets in the first punch wins." Lies. I've seen (and have experenced) fights where the person who lands the first punch gets fu#ked up by a flurry of attacks by their opponent.)

Answer 8

Of course. If most fights involving petty disputes. However, if you get into a squabble with a martial artist (experienced), you might be in trouble. Boxing is great because countering your opponent, using speed and power will end street fights quick. but what if you opponent is a dirty fighter and employs kicking and the use of weapons?

Answer 9

Yes it is highly effective. Most people can't deal with the foot work a boxer has. A boxer can bomb from a distance or catch you coming in. Even snap off a jab followed by a stiff cross before you can react. Without gloves getting hit by a boxer is devastating.

Answer 10

these are the two best
first one track and field
but if you cant run in my opinion 95 percent of the time a fight would end up in the floor at which point theres nothing better that wrestling and mma.
boxing is the one with the most beauty and appeal(at least for me) but mma and wrestling are the most practical.
mad respect to mma fighters .even the shitty ones.