What are the most practical and effective martial arts?

[Tweedy]

take whatever you want but personally if i had a choice out of all those arts i'd pick wing chun. muay thai is good too but you can't really practice it with other people too well once you get old.

 

Well I live in Derby, and the nearest Wing Chun class is in Nottingham unfortunately. Is this true about MuyThai having debilitating effects when you get older? If that's the case, I'll go with Lau-Gar (Which is the only other discipline taught in my area which supposedly has any applicable fighting techiniques)

[aes]

I have been told that Okinawan Shorin-ryu is very applicable to self defense and street fighting, but being that I have limited experience with other forms of Martial Arts I cannot vouch for this.

 

I tend to agree with many posts here... take what you find interesting.

 

Al

[ckdstudent]

To be honest any art where a large part of training is hitting people and getting hit is going to have side effects. Ones where you're training to desensitize yourself will have more. Repeatedly hitting someone's shin with yours may well be an effective way to train, but it isn't healthy.

[ZeRo]

BJJ is the best ground fighting art around. its not to good for stand-up but you cant beat it on the floor.

[Ground Shark]

XpOiSoN FrEeX I disagree that BJJ is the best for groundfighting. I do Sambo(more specifically "Ultimate" Sambo, which is very much like bjj only we werk a lil more on takedowns and lower body subs) SO i very much diasagree that bjj is better than Sambo, at least Ultimate Sambo. The way i see it, Sambo corrects bjj's problem of not enough takedown work and otherwise seems the same. Plus we dun have a grading system or anytin so that makes for a pretty open way of training rather than havign a fixed syllabus. Here's the website for me Sambo gym if ya wanna check it out https://www.elitekombat.net

[BlueDragon1981]

My answer is none. You will see my opinion in other threads. It all depends on the person and situation. All you can do is train for a situation which is just as much mental as physical. Keep your mind open and study different styles is what I say. Also styles that you dont have access to study them and learn how they move. Give knowledge credit. Without it you have nothing.

 

[superleeds]

Do you mean for self defence? In that case, running is probably the best art.

 

There is always someone smarter faster and stronger. If you run, you won't have to find out. Nuff Said.

[Jade_Lotus]

So if someone suddenly and randomly attacks your wife and children, then running would be the best way to defend them?? You don't always have the option to run. Not all situations merit running. Have you ever been suddenly and violently attacked?? Obviously not..I have, and if I had tried to waste precious seconds trying to run, I would not be in the condition that I'm in now.

 

True to the fact though, there are situations in which you have an option to run. Personally, I don't run..I walk away, and downplay the situation as best as possible, if i have to swallow my pride fine...but if the person is determined to follow me and attack me, I will not turn my back to them. I did this once..to a man who wanted my wallet, and then my date..I put my wallet on the ground, and turned away for only a brief moment, and he was in my face with a knife. Never again will I turn my back on anyone. Nuff said.

 

As far as the most effective art....not any one art that's for sure...for those of you who have read my previous posts you know I have a different outlook on "style" and "art" in general. I'm not one to say this art over that art, find what is effective and learn it, don't limit yourself..Basically, if it helps to defend yourself learn it. But do understand that not everything out there is good, and effective in a self-defense situation, find the ones that are..they will give the tools necessary to succed on the street, without it you have nothing.

 

Hope this helps.

[JerryLove]

So if someone suddenly and randomly attacks your wife and children, then running would be the best way to defend them??

Yes; but this time you will berunning toward them.

You don't always have the option to run. Not all situations merit running.

If there were one solution for every situation there wouldn't be so many arts.

Have you ever been suddenly and violently attacked?? Obviously not..I have, and if I had tried to waste precious seconds trying to run, I would not be in the condition that I'm in now.

If you could run, and assume it would be bad, then you must assume that your opponent is faster or has better endurance.

True to the fact though, there are situations in which you have an option to run. Personally, I don't run..I walk away, and downplay the situation as best as possible

So a guy in an open field at 50 feet starts hooting an assault rife at you and you walk?

 

See the problems of anticdotal arguments? Running isn't always wrong either.

if i have to swallow my pride fine...but if the person is determined to follow me and attack me, I will not turn my back to them. I did this once..to a man who wanted my wallet, and then my date..I put my wallet on the ground, and turned away for only a brief moment, and he was in my face with a knife. Never again will I turn my back on anyone.

Sounds like you did it wrong, or at the wrong time.

[Jade_Lotus]

Do you have a point or even a purpose? You quote me and say things that I never said the contrary about. For what reason?? You post is pointless, it neither proves, nor says anything worth any value.

 

I very briefly explained an incident, leaving out many details, you'd be wiser to ask for more detail, before you decide to conclude that I did it wrong. I'm not saying I did it right, hind sight is always 20/20. I never said running is wrong, I said that it's not always an option. Perhaps if you understood my post you would realize that.

 

Don't take me for an idiot, I wasn't talking about someone with a rifle at 50 feet, do you really think I'm that stupid? The general idea in this thread is defense, not against an attacker with a gun at a considerable distance, but against an upclose street fight.

 

This is one of your respones:

 

"If you could run, and assume it would be bad, then you must assume that your opponent is faster or has better endurance. "

 

Maybe you didn't understand what I meant by suddenly and violently. I'll explain..an unexpected attack, you're walking along minding your business, people are walking next to you, typicall busy sidewalk. In the blink of an eye, you are "suddenly and violently" attacked..you don't have time to run, your attacker is on top of you attempting to seriously hurt you.

 

That is what is meant by "suddenly and violently" your respone to that has no bearing on the example I gave. What you said may be true to other situations, but not the one I gave. I have said there are situations where running would be an option. I was pointing out that running is not the best "art" for self-defense. Your post says nothing of value.. I'm not going to waste my time on it any more. It makes no sense, say what will I don't care. I don't need to, nor have the desire to prove anything to anyone, I only offer my knowledge that I have gained through my own experiences, for the martial progression of all. Take what of it you will, push it off as rubbish..it matters not to me..it's all the same.