Best Martial Arts for Self Defense/Street Fights

Man up and fight why do you need to take Karate I am not the biggest guy but can still bust some heads if need be!

Find some place that teaches the Reality Fighting System. It\'s a mix of MMA and traditional self defense, and teaches you how to fend off multiple attackers.

You get ranked in it, up to black belt. It\'s the most modern martial arts available.

I would say bjj would go a long way. Very few people know how to defend themselves on the ground, so if you're an experienced grappler, you'd have a huge advantage. The difference between a trained fighter and an untrained one is probably very similar to the difference between a trained runner and someone who doesn't. Like others have said, a MMA class would be good.

Majority of fights go to the ground. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the best method to learn to give you control when that happens. It trains you to be comfortable in any position on the ground. However, ask any decently trained fighter and they'll tell you that in a street fight, you dont want to go to the ground. In a bar or street, going to the ground leaves you terribly vulnerable if that guy has friends. Plus, other really random things can happen, blow out a knee dropping down on concrete. Getting spiked on your head while going for a lock. Shit happens, your best bet is to become proficient in BJJ in case you ever end up on the ground, but you should focus more on not being taken down. You're not gonna want to hear this, but your goal in a street fight isnt to win, it's to get away. There are too many uncontrollable factors, it's not like being in a ring. Dont take the chance, piss off the wrong guy, he pulls a weapon... suddenly you arent just looking at getting your ass kicked, but possibly killed.

Go take some BJJ classes though. It'll do wonders for your strength and cardio, plus it's a ton of fun. Aikido is a great style, but unless you are at the upper echelon, it is virtually useless. You have to spend years practicing before it becomes second nature and it can possibly be used for self-defense. Taekwondo is great for strength,speed and flexibility, but again is absolutely useless in a fight. Nobody kicks higher than the knees in an actual fight. Depending on the style, karate is decent but again, there are other styles that are far superior. If you want to be a great all around fighter, brush up on your BJJ and Muy Thai. Forget boxing, Muy Thai is where it's at in the MMA world. Hope this helps.

I'm a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. 3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo, and a 1st degree black belt in Kung Su Do. <-- Not bragging, just listing credentials and experience to lend credit to my opinion.

Why mess with that stuff? If you really want to protect yourself, get a pistol and a concealed carry permit.

big friends

Kenpo & boxing.

Kenpo is the "sneaky" martial art, meant for...smaller ppl. When confronted, the kenpo artist explodes without warning(usually breaking some opponent's knee) and then RUNS LIKE HECK.

Boxing is in case you get in some slightly more extended bout... Keep the attacker at bay until you can wax 'im in the knee, then...RUN LIKE HECK.

I would suggest Judo for the following reasons:

* Ease of learning

* Pressure of training

* Ease of applying technique

* Affordible (If you take it at a JC program)

You learn how to react and defend against someone hell bent on throwing you on your head and choking you out or submitting you. Because of the way practise is conducted there are relative few injuries however if you adjust the techniques you can really jack someone pretty bad.

For example utilzing an Osoto-gari or related move you can dump and uninitiated oponent right on their head, result- lights out.

If you take Judo, take it in a college setting since it will be easier on your pocketbook, and you will get to spar against a variety of opponents large and small (look out for the small ones especially the girls).

The best defense is to run however...

With all due respect to the fella endorsing Judo, in a street context, throws rarely work. I trained with a 4th degree black belt in Judo for awhile and it is a great martial art and lots of fun, but on the street, you are more likely to get bull rushed and tackled, or somebody standing up trying to punch your lights out. Things move to quickly and one of the great aspects of Judo is the reactionary part. Reacting to what your opponent is doing and countering with the appropriate move. That skill takes a long time to develop, though. Also, my problem with throws is that they are easily executed when both people are wearing gi's, but if it's hot and the other guy is wearing shorts and a tshirt and a bit sweaty, good luck holding onto that wrist, or shoulder, or whatever. Fun style, though not the best for self-defense.

Look up TFT by Tim Larkin.

Basically, learn to punch, and learn some grappling if / when you end up on the ground. If you learn to punch like a boxer, 95% of the time you can pop the idiot on the jaw right under the ear or in the temple and drop him, giving you a chance to scoot. Boxing and grappling are the way to go.

Good stuff there!

What about a 41 year old father of 2. Is it too late for me to pick up some mma skills?

You are never too old to get started in any form of martial arts. Might not be a smart thing to do MMA fights at your age, though. Martial arts, regardless of the style, have at the upper echelon really old dudes who have been doing this stuff for a long time. Helio Gracie is like 90 or so, or getting close. There are plenty of grandmasters into their 70's-80's who are still going strong. Go find a style that interests you, go have fun and meet some cool people while pushing your limits.

stop being pussies and do it all.

I would say a basic karate based self defense rape prevention class would work just as well for wimpy runner types as it does for women...

That having been said, if you want to be proficient in defending yourself and not feel like a wuss kicking another dude in the balls and screaming "FIRE!", go for one of the more modern styles already mentioned.

Can I learn the skill (MMA) without fighting, or is that required?

Masters Runner wrote:

Can I learn the skill (MMA) without fighting, or is that required?

Learn the art of fighting without fighting

Masters Runner wrote:

Can I learn the skill (MMA) without fighting, or is that required?

Sure. It's not required. Anyway, I'm from a boxing background, but a kickboxer or muay thai guy would be tougher.

Some of the strongest martial/fighting arts:

Brazilian Jujitsu

Muay Thai kickboxing

Western boxing

Jeet Kune Do kung fu (Bruce Lee's style invemted in 1965)

Olympic and/or Freestyle wrestling

Krav Maga

Roccer wrote:

I would say a basic karate based self defense rape prevention class would work just as well for wimpy runner types as it does for women...

You mean not at all? The only thing that actually prevents harm from a rapist better than lying down and taking it is a gun and the ability to use it. Dumbed-down bitch karate certainly doesn't help.