What is the best Martial Art for Street Fights?

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

And just want to make this clear-I'm not suggesting kicks won't work for self defense. I think I said this earlier, but I actually think they'd be a pretty good reaction to a knife attack, if you've got the space and you're good with your kicks.

 

[Acronym]

And just want to make this clear-I'm not suggesting kicks won't work for self defense. I think I said this earlier, but I actually think they'd be a pretty good reaction to a knife attack, if you've got the space and you're good with your kicks.

You don't need space or flexibility. Just kick him in the balls. I doubt he would simultaneously absorb that blow that and stab. He will most likely crouch down in pain and even then you stay away from the arm holding the knife and instead punch, karate chop, whatever.

The problem is that knifes have a tendency to paralyze close range so what sounds good in theory might not fire off in your brain so that you actually do it.

 

[Acronym]

My last post was with regards to my scenario with a knife pulled to the throat.

 

[drop bear]

I'm not sure how that's related. I did not make any sort of argument that grappling or striking will put you in a good position for a knife fight. The argument is what's most likely to help. Which is why I recommended the marker drill for you to try out.

You can try it out. Then get a boxer to try it out. Then get a grappler to try it out. See who does best.

Or you can see if you can find stats for knife fights, and what was most effective for dealing with it, that would be the best solution but I'm not sure if those stats are out there. @drop bear tends to look into that kind of stuff-maybe he has an idea? Or @Tony Dismukes I feel like you might have done this with some people in your dojo/lab experiments.

I am super confused at how this conversation is going anyway.

It seems a lot of stories are being added to support things.

A BJJ guy said, if I kick him this will happen, if I grab him that will happen and so on.

It isn't how I work with self defense concepts. And I think that addressing self defense concepts in that manner is dumb. Even though it is very popular.

Where instead I would just either get the marker and test it or suggest what I have made work or seen work.

Otherwise I don't have any statistics on successful knife defense just ideas of anecdotal evidence.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I am super confused at how this conversation is going anyway.

It seems a lot of stories are being added to support things.

A BJJ guy said, if I kick him this will happen, if I grab him that will happen and so on.

It isn't how I work with self defense concepts. And I think that addressing self defense concepts in that manner is dumb. Even though it is very popular.

Where instead I would just either get the marker and test it or suggest what I have made work or seen work.

Otherwise I don't have any statistics on successful knife defense just ideas of anecdotal evidence.

Same. It started out out as him saying grappling doesn't work against knives. Used an unknown person who's a grappling expert as proof. I stated another expert having the opposite opinion as showing appeal to authority doesn't work.

I suggested the marker thing instead. He said no, that's not how fights go, with no real clear reason/I think a hypothetical of how kicking would help. I stated you can't use hypotheticals. I mentioned actually testing it He changed from hypothetical to anecdotal. I gave like 4 different examples with different results to show that you can't use one hypothetical (or actual/anecdotal) example to say this works/this doesn't work, as the only real solutions are testing or stats.

I mentioned again actually testing it out with the marker thing, or hoped someone would have stats on it. I was also hoping if we could talk about actually testing it out, or someone who did test it out piped up, he might see what useful conversation about it would be like, and it might help out for future discussions. He responded by talking about groin kicks. I gave up, and stopped replying (to him).

 

[Headhunter]

Same. It started out out as him saying grappling doesn't work against knives. Used an unknown person who's a grappling expert as proof. I stated another expert having the opposite opinion as showing appeal to authority doesn't work.

I suggested the marker thing instead. He said no, that's not how fights go, with no real clear reason/I think a hypothetical of how kicking would help. I stated you can't use hypotheticals. I mentioned actually testing it He changed from hypothetical to anecdotal. I gave like 4 different examples with different results to show that you can't use one hypothetical (or actual/anecdotal) example to say this works/this doesn't work, as the only real solutions are testing or stats.

I mentioned again actually testing it out with the marker thing, or hoped someone would have stats on it. I was also hoping if we could talk about actually testing it out, or someone who did test it out piped up, he might see what useful conversation about it would be like, and it might help out for future discussions. He responded by talking about groin kicks. I gave up, and stopped replying (to him).

From what I’ve seen this is a guy who thinks he knows everything and doesn’t listen to anyone because he’s the only one that’s ever right and anyone with a different opinion is automatically wrong.

 

[Acronym]

I suggested the marker thing instead. He said no, that's not how fights go, with no real clear reason.

No clear reason? I replied that you cannot recreate the situation psychologically. You will always perform worse in the real altercation and humans skin is pathetically fragile compared to other animals.

 

[Steve]

Same. It started out out as him saying grappling doesn't work against knives. Used an unknown person who's a grappling expert as proof. I stated another expert having the opposite opinion as showing appeal to authority doesn't work.

I suggested the marker thing instead. He said no, that's not how fights go, with no real clear reason/I think a hypothetical of how kicking would help. I stated you can't use hypotheticals. I mentioned actually testing it He changed from hypothetical to anecdotal. I gave like 4 different examples with different results to show that you can't use one hypothetical (or actual/anecdotal) example to say this works/this doesn't work, as the only real solutions are testing or stats.

I mentioned again actually testing it out with the marker thing, or hoped someone would have stats on it. I was also hoping if we could talk about actually testing it out, or someone who did test it out piped up, he might see what useful conversation about it would be like, and it might help out for future discussions. He responded by talking about groin kicks. I gave up, and stopped replying (to him).

I've had knives pulled on me three times in my life. So, I guess you could say I'm something of an expert in knife defense.

 

[Steve]

From what I’ve seen this is a guy who thinks he knows everything and doesn’t listen to anyone because he’s the only one that’s ever right and anyone with a different opinion is automatically wrong.

Dude. That literally describes everyone on this site.

 

[Buka]

I've had knives pulled on me three times in my life. So, I guess you could say I'm something of an expert in knife defense.

I need stories!

 

[Flying Crane]

I've had a knife pulled on me close range to my throat and it felt like an out-of body experience. I talked my way out of it and the dude was just mentally disturbed and wanted to get a message across. Doesn't matter if I can fold him like a jojo (which I could). A knife pulled is a game changer to any normal person.

Glad you came out of it ok and nobody had to get hurt, including the mentally disturbed attacker. Hopefully he got the help he needs and isn’t a threat to anybody anymore.

 

[Flying Crane]

Interesting that a debate has formed over whether a kicking/striking system or a grappling system is best for dealing with a knife attacker.

Full disclosure: I’ve never been attacked with a knife. I’ve never needed to actually defend myself on the street, ever. I’ve always been able to talk my way around a confrontation, or simply scrambled out of a bad situation. My Nike-jitsu is tops. So that’s my level of direct experience.

Seems to me that an attack with a knife is a bad situation to be on the receiving end, no matter who you are and what your skillset is. I cannot agree that either a grappler or a kicker/striker has any distinct advantage in that situation. It’s bad, either way.

That being said, I also can believe that both a striker and a grappler could have viable solutions in their skill sets, and if their skill is sufficient and luck smiles on them, they could come out of the situation alive.

Seriously, the grappler vs. striker debate in this situation seems pretty pointless. Do the training you enjoy, and find solutions within your training.

 

[Steve]

I need stories!

I've shared them over the years. And to be clear my point is, even though I've had knives pulled on me, I am certainly not an expert.

When I have an actual keyboard I can tell the stories. But to sum up, once I left quickly, but calmly. Once I talked the guy down. And once I ran out into traffic and then into a crowded restaurant (ezell's chicken in Seattle's central district, for anyone who cares).

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I've shared them over the years. And to be clear my point is, even though I've had knives pulled on me, I am certainly not an expert.

When I have an actual keyboard I can tell the stories. But to sum up, once I left quickly, but calmly. Once I talked the guy down. And once I ran out into traffic and then into a crowded restaurant (ezell's chicken in Seattle's central district, for anyone who cares).

I might care...is the chicken there any good?

 

[Buka]

I've shared them over the years. And to be clear my point is, even though I've had knives pulled on me, I am certainly not an expert.

When I have an actual keyboard I can tell the stories. But to sum up, once I left quickly, but calmly. Once I talked the guy down. And once I ran out into traffic and then into a crowded restaurant (ezell's chicken in Seattle's central district, for anyone who cares).

Oh, ya, I do remember the Ezel's chicken story now. Good move, by the way.

 

[Steve]

I might care...is the chicken there any good?

It’s really good. Oprah Winfrey loves it. Their rolls are good, too.

 

[Buka]

It’s really good. Oprah Winfrey loves it. Their rolls are good, too.

For some reason, all of the best chicken places I've been to have really good rolls. I always found that interesting....and, of course, delicious.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

For some reason, all of the best chicken places I've been to have really good rolls. I always found that interesting....and, of course, delicious.

And at leaat half of them have good mashed potatoes. I think it's since those foods always go together as a meal, so you've got no choice but to make them good.

 

[Buka]

And at leaat half of them have good mashed potatoes. I think it's since those foods always go together as a meal, so you've got no choice but to make them good.

I know, right?

There was a chicken place in semi rural Massachusetts, Ma Glockners, that was there for seventy years. Big place, no reservations, tremendous fried chicken. Knew a guy who worked there, told me their secret was they steamed the chicken first, then fried it. They had a cinnamon roll/bread thing that just about every customer ordered a dozen rolls to go. It was kind of hard not to.

They closed down about ten years ago. We all cried. Same thing for the No Name dinner, the best seafood place in Boston that closed earlier this year after 102 years. Cried when I heard that, too.

No fair.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I know, right?

There was a chicken place in semi rural Massachusetts, Ma Glockners, that was there for seventy years. Big place, no reservations, tremendous fried chicken. Knew a guy who worked there, told me their secret was they steamed the chicken first, then fried it. They had a cinnamon roll/bread thing that just about every customer ordered a dozen rolls to go. It was kind of hard not to.

They closed down about ten years ago. We all cried. Same thing for the No Name dinner, the best seafood place in Boston that closed earlier this year after 102 years. Cried when I heard that, too.

No fair.

The no-name diner closed before covid too!!

God, I love diners. When i leave the northeast, people don't understand. But there is nothing better than finding a good diner.

I walk in, order what I want, doesn't matter if it's on the menu, and they'll make it. And it's just about guaranteed to be good. And the atmosphere is always welcoming.