Does your martial art work?

[cvkid]

Can you protect yourself?My question is...is your style effective?Are you able to do the things that you've been taught to in a street fight situation?Can you really "kick *"...is it street tested,is it real?Close quarters combat is is real....are you?Would you do some cool Karate/kung fu stuff.Or would your style fail you?IS IT REAL COMBAACT TRAINING?

[gcav]

My style is nothing but "real combat training", and yes, it works for me.

[Jerry]

I had the chance to test mine again the other night. Went for a few drinks with buddies and left the possy. My pal was driving and as I got out of the car, I got a smack on the left year (we have right hand drive). I immediatly responded with two palm blows to the face, without thinking of what to do. I turned to take off my chain and watch and the guy came at me again and started hitting me in the ribs. I tirned and responded with a jab and followed with a front kick to the stomach which was a huge surprise to the guy.

 

I just stood there and waited for the surprised guy to recover and he came at me again and I attacked with another fake front kick and planted two punches, jab reverse, and the fight was over.

 

So to answer your question. Yes, my style was effective. Firstly it was printed into my brain and I did not have to think in order to survive. Secondly I had the element of surprise on my side because I could use my legs quick and effectively. Thirdly, I could take punishment (my buddy was so surprised to see me continue taking my stuff off while this guy is punching away at my ribs).

[Master Jules]

Ive been doing bar/niteclub security for 19 years, and bodyguard work for 10....Ive earned the nickname "The Sandman"......my a$$ is still in one piece after hundreds of street fights.....Im also still VERY handsome.. .....so yeah......Ive gotta say that the arts that Ive trained have definetely "worked"

[Shorinryu Sensei]

I've always tried to avoid fights if possible, but my chosen art has served me VERY well a number of times where I've had to depend on it.

 

At 6'6" and 240lbs, I haven't had to defend myself against anybody bigger than me, but I have successfully had to defend myself against 3 guys back in 1987 and came out without a scratch.

 

Like Master Jules, I've done a fair amount of bouncer/security work also in the not so distant past (and subject to being called to do it again), and I've found the techniques I've learned are effective, relatively easy to use, and I have total faith in them.

[Master Jules]

Youre lucky to have that kinda size....thats a pretty good visual deterent in itself Shorin Ryu Sensei...at 6'6" 240....youre a big boy brother....By bouncer standards Im relatively small..Im 6'1" 205ish......I have about 6% bodyfat, and most people think Im about 220, but thats still small by bouncer standards.....as a result of my "lack" of size, I get "tested" a lot......Ive never lost a streetfight ( not to say I didnt get my share of "scratches" though ) in the 19 years Ive been bouncing, but I had already been training for about 12 years when I started bouncing all those years ago.......I prefer to use my degree in Psycology to end the conflict before it starts, and my friends tell me that they are amazed at the level of patience that my training has given me when it comes to dealing with these drunk morons with beer muscles......As bouncers ( and you know this SSR ).... we cant really swing first.......we either have to break up fights between patrons, or, if the inevitable happens where we get "challenged" by a patron, we really have to wait on their first aggressive move to justify doing what we do.....whatever that might be.....in a one on one like that, my experience has shown me that most of these clowns give you the gift of throwing that hugely telegraphed right punch to the head kinda thing....like swingin for the fences......very predictable so somewhat expected and easily dealt with. Its the unexpected stuff, the huge all out brawls where you have multiple attackers, or the occasional weapon scenario (Knife, bottle, etc....) that have proven to me beyond any doubt that the arts I have trained have not only "worked".....they have literally saved my life.

 

One of my masters, although like a second father to me, trained me in a horribly brutal way.....and in retrospect, I know that it was out of love and the deepest concern for my future safety that he did. Because of that training, I go out into the world knowing that 98% of whoever I "go up against" cannot possibly hit me as hard as Ive already been hit, and probably wont hurt me as bad as Ive already been hurt.....which means that Im never "shocked" or surprised or confused, and that keeps me calm and focused. I have also learned to completely turn off my emotions with respect to my opponent, because as I said, my master is like a second father to me and the emotional connection had to be separated from the "student-teacher" relationship. Im not saying that I become "cruel" to my opponent and INTENTIONALLY try to cause him some kind of devastating injury, but rather, I become void of all emotion and just act and react from a state of Mushin.

 

However, this is only part of the reason why I know the arts I have trained have "worked" for me.

 

Another way Im sure they have "worked" for me is not related to fighting at all, but the health aspects that are a result of a lifetime of training.

 

Ill be 38 on October 12th.....just a few days away for all those of you who are sendin' presents .....Point is......Im told that I look like Im gonna be 28....ten years younger....Im in better shape than 90% of the "20 somethings" that go to the bars and clubs that I work at, I feel great......Im healthy......and I feel like Im 20 years old physically speaking......I attribute all that to training too.

 

So.......yeah......my art has "worked" for me.

[superleeds]

Well I havent had any fights after I started doing karate. So I dont now. But after doing some sanshou lately, I do belive that how hard you practise is just as important than the style itself..just my imho though

[JerryLove]

The results of the occasional street-use of my art, by myself and the fellow students I've spoken with, have been uniformly positive.

[WapCaplet]

I study martial arts. Not "combat training". I'm not in the military. I don't plan on killing someone tomorrow. I don't get a knife pulled on me everytime I walk down the street. I train with regular people, not a crack black-ops infiltration team.

 

If I study hard and make karate my lifestyle, then I should be able to avoid EVER getting in a situation where I absolutely HAVE to use physical violence. That is...if my martial art "works".

 

I hate (yes, I know I'm using the word hate here), hate it when the only thing people equate martial arts with is its effectiveness in combat. "My martial art is the best because I can kill people with it!!" I hate crap like that.

 

Anyway, that's my opinion. I'm entitled to it. You're entitled to yours. I just have to shake my head when the only thing people think martial arts is good for is fighting, and I shake it more when people assume that a martial is only good if its effective in a "real combat situation". I've never been in a "real combat situation" and I hope I never am. That's not why I train.

 

Sigh....I bet Funikoshi would have a field day with this topic...

 

Wap

[Dijita]

In my opinion, I don't really care whether or not my martial arts is effective. To me, it is not the reason I take it.

 

But in relation to a street fight, well in all honesty I avoid fights as much as I can. I never get confrontational with people and I avoid putting myself in a dangerous situation.

 

However if I were put in a situation where I had to defend myself I'm sure my martial arts would come in handy, but not in the way that is expected.

 

I take Kyokushin Karate, and it is a hard contact martial art. There are many martial arts that train to avoid being hit at all costs. Kyokushin trains our bodies to avoid being hit, but also it trains and conditions our bodies to taking the hits and striking back quickly.

 

I think this would come in handy if I were in a fight because if I were hit, I wouldn't flinch or be stunned for a moment but instead I would fight back hard without hesitation.

 

When it comes to actual fighting techniques, I don't think I would necissarily use exactly what we are taught in class. I would restrict my kicks, and I would probably gouge eyes, kick at the groin area, and elbow to the face. I would do whatever it would take to get me out of the fight alive even if I had to use "dirty" techniques.

 

EDIT

 

I just wanted to add, that if you were to ask me this 10 years down the road, I would think that I would be a lot stronger in my art to effectively use it quickly. I strongly believe that you must train at martial arts a very long time before you can even begin to effectively use the skills innately.