Whats your fav self defense style or art?

[Mider1985]

What are your top favorite self defenese systems, arts, or whatever? Kenpo, jkd, judo? What and if you have a fav system or art WHY is it your fav and what makes it affective in YOUR eyes that it could save your life?

Some people are so stuck up on this MMA thing they say the old arts are useless and yet you hear from aikido fighters that the only reason aikido isnt used in UFC is cause they would probably break an arm or leg very easily same thing with nerve strikes (ninjutsu) and body manipulation and limb destruction (panantukan or filipino boxing) But yeah i just wanna get peoples opinions on there fav self defense arts and why its there fav and perhaps if they have used it affectivly please dont bash other arts im not bashing MMA or the tradiational arts im just saying what other people have said i think MMA and tradiational arts can be used supremly well by the properly trained person no matter how old or new the art or style is.

 

[sgtmac_46]

What are your top favorite self defenese systems, arts, or whatever? Kenpo, jkd, judo? What and if you have a fav system or art WHY is it your fav and what makes it affective in YOUR eyes that it could save your life?

Some people are so stuck up on this MMA thing they say the old arts are useless and yet you hear from aikido fighters that the only reason aikido isnt used in UFC is cause they would probably break an arm or leg very easily same thing with nerve strikes (ninjutsu) and body manipulation and limb destruction (panantukan or filipino boxing) But yeah i just wanna get peoples opinions on there fav self defense arts and why its there fav and perhaps if they have used it affectivly please dont bash other arts im not bashing MMA or the tradiational arts im just saying what other people have said i think MMA and tradiational arts can be used supremly well by the properly trained person no matter how old or new the art or style is.

We should be clear what MMA is.......it's a fighting sport.......which is mainly a blend of BJJ, Muay Thai/Boxing, and Wrestling, with a hodge podge of other influences.......all of which are extremely effective for self-defense, though not necessarily exactly as applied in the ring.

As to Aikido (and some other styles) it's easy to claim the lethality of a given system prevents it from being 'tested'.......but the reality often doesn't quite support those statements.

Don't get me wrong, i've taken some very useful techniques away from Aikido over the years (or, rather, that i've taken from it's progenitor art, Daito-ryu Aiki-jujitus), but the fact that Aikido practioners lack of training with actual resistance is a huge limiting factor in my humble opinion.

 

[seasoned]

The key to any effective art is the unpredictability of it. To do what ever needs to be done, at the time of attack, will go a long ways in producing a victory. Once there are rules and restrictions placed on an individual, those limitations interfere with the effectiveness of any given art. It is like giving a craftsmen a job to do, and when they arrive at the job site some of his best tools, for getting the job done, are taken out of their tool box. Purely a metaphor of course, but you can't use a pair of pliers, when a screwdriver is needed.

 

[harold]

What are your top favorite self defenese systems, arts, or whatever? Kenpo, jkd, judo? What and if you have a fav system or art WHY is it your fav and what makes it affective in YOUR eyes that it could save your life?

Some people are so stuck up on this MMA thing they say the old arts are useless and yet you hear from aikido fighters that the only reason aikido isnt used in UFC is cause they would probably break an arm or leg very easily same thing with nerve strikes (ninjutsu) and body manipulation and limb destruction (panantukan or filipino boxing) But yeah i just wanna get peoples opinions on there fav self defense arts and why its there fav and perhaps if they have used it affectivly please dont bash other arts im not bashing MMA or the tradiational arts im just saying what other people have said i think MMA and tradiational arts can be used supremly well by the properly trained person no matter how old or new the art or style is.

Favorite self defense style? As far as empty hand and weapons, I have studied TKD, Kenpo, Krav Maga, Systema and in short, any and all including Kali, and Silat. I try to expose myslef to as many different styles as possible.
Learn from them all as they all have something to offer.
Then of course there is a good, legally concealed handgun.

 

[Steve]

As a friendly tip, I think you should read a little more and use the search function. This conversation tends to flare up from time to time and I'm sure you'll find peoples' opinions if you look for them.

Or in other words, if you feel like you need to add, "I'm not bashing but..." chances are pretty good that you know you're just stirring the pot. Less tolerant people than I would call it trolling, but I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Favorite style = Xingyiquan

 

[blindsage]

I've studied Kyokushinkai Karate, JJJ, Capoeira, some Arnis, Wing Chun, Muay Thai, TKD, Hapkido, a little Kenpo, Praying Mantis, Boxing, and currently am studying Baguazhang and Xingyiquan.

I really appreciate and incorporate everything I've learned into what I do, but I study Bagua and Xingyi now because of the skills I feel they offer. So far they are my favorites, but I would not be able to appreciate them without my previous training. I will probably eventually study Chen Taiji, and maybe Yang as well (so maybe I will like them more :idunno, and I would also like to study some Silat, some more Arnis/Kali/Escrima, Tongbeiquan, Bajiquan, and Systema.

I like martial arts.

 

[MJS]

What are your top favorite self defenese systems, arts, or whatever? Kenpo, jkd, judo? What and if you have a fav system or art WHY is it your fav and what makes it affective in YOUR eyes that it could save your life?

Some people are so stuck up on this MMA thing they say the old arts are useless and yet you hear from aikido fighters that the only reason aikido isnt used in UFC is cause they would probably break an arm or leg very easily same thing with nerve strikes (ninjutsu) and body manipulation and limb destruction (panantukan or filipino boxing) But yeah i just wanna get peoples opinions on there fav self defense arts and why its there fav and perhaps if they have used it affectivly please dont bash other arts im not bashing MMA or the tradiational arts im just saying what other people have said i think MMA and tradiational arts can be used supremly well by the properly trained person no matter how old or new the art or style is.

The ones that I train...Kenpo, Arnis, BJJ. Of course, I enjoy training with others from other arts as well. Anything that I can pick up, borrow, and add to my tool box, I'll do it. Why do I feel that they're effective? They've already been proven, both by the founders, other people who train in the arts, and myself. If they weren't effective, none of these people would be around today.

As for the MMA debate...good god, lets not start this again. I think its safe to say that a) there is a vast difference between reality and the ring and b) nothing good or new ever comes from those discussions.

 

[Skippy]

To be very honest I think it all comes down to the person. Some people can, walk the walk where other people, well, ...talk. I study & teach Shaolin Kempo & also Uechi Ryu because I find both arts well rounded in particular, Kempo as it's so vast & so much to draw from. These arts on a self defense level are no nonsense arts & the reality of the street is with an encounter you do not have time to think that's why I study, train & teach these arts. Both these arts can give a student a solid foundation for self defense skills. I have studied & have ranking in many different arts but I have found these two systems to be the best for self defense, at least for me anyway.

 

[Tez3]

MMA is made up of the traditional arts including Aikido (the way we do it hurts lol)

To reiterate what others have said, why even mention MMA if not trying to cause arguments. Others have made good posts so I'll say no more.


> guys, I can hear the sighs of relief right across the pond roflmao!<

 

[Omar B]

Well if we are stating favorites first we have to list what we are experienced in to show our well of knowledge as it were.

Seido karate - Started at 5 stopped at 16 after breaking my knee, picked it back up a year ago
Choi Kwang Do - Started at 15 while still in Seido because I wanted another look at MA. Also quit because I broke my knee and couldn't really train.
Kyokushin - Style I did for the years I was in college and a few after.
Genbukan - Last summer's fling. I plan on returning but it's been a hectic year to say the least.

So out of those I'm gonna say Seido because it's the one I always return to. But I will say that my form does show heavy Kyokushin and Choi kwang Do influence. Choi's not the greatest style out there, but I really learned a lot about movment, power generation, flexibility, I could go on, it's a style I wanna return to some day because there is some value there.

 

[tshadowchaser]

What are your top favorite self defenese systems, arts, or whatever?

Other than a gun the one I study and teach

 

[wushuguy]

hopefully the style people favor for self-defense is the one they are learning. that would make it meaningful and worth while to study the style.

 

[kungfu penguin]

ive taken a few arts and i propose its more how the teacher imparts the knowledge than whatever art you are taking im lucky that i have a great teacher who has been through the fire many times so he knows what will and wont work i ask how do you learn to swim without getting wet how do you teach fighting or self defense if you never get hit Right now i am having fun with kajukenbo thank you GM Harper
:ultracool

 

[Mider1985]

Other than a gun the one I study and teach

So what do you teach?

 

[jks9199]

What are your top favorite self defenese systems, arts, or whatever? Kenpo, jkd, judo? What and if you have a fav system or art WHY is it your fav and what makes it affective in YOUR eyes that it could save your life?

Some people are so stuck up on this MMA thing they say the old arts are useless and yet you hear from aikido fighters that the only reason aikido isnt used in UFC is cause they would probably break an arm or leg very easily same thing with nerve strikes (ninjutsu) and body manipulation and limb destruction (panantukan or filipino boxing) But yeah i just wanna get peoples opinions on there fav self defense arts and why its there fav and perhaps if they have used it affectivly please dont bash other arts im not bashing MMA or the tradiational arts im just saying what other people have said i think MMA and tradiational arts can be used supremly well by the properly trained person no matter how old or new the art or style is.

Sinanju.

Why settle for something derived from something else when you can get the Sun Source?

Of course, since there's so few places to learn that (and since the one official teacher insists on a very strict diet, and is rather demanding about how he receives his payment... and I'm fresh out of gold), I settle for the little known art of mano a cara. It's a very rare style, though amazingly commonly practiced.

And if you're wondering about the nonsensical answers... they're as meaningful as the question.

 

[Mider1985]

There are so many arts out there that look amazing i just wanna know which one's work i guess this is why i opened this thread and asked WHY you like such and such art.

 

[jks9199]

Any art can work. Tai Chi Chuan is probably the least martial looking art you can conveniently find. Yet there are (comparatively few) masters out there who understand and teach the combative side of Tai Chi... and will quite literally knock your block off with it. Krav Maga is among the most obviously "combative" martial arts, yet there are people out there with weekend certifications as instructors who are teaching garbage. Most are somewhere in the middle.

Then there are the various "reality based" programs out there, whether it's Peyton Quinn's program at RMCAT, Tony Blauer's S.P.E.A.R. system. Many of these don't really teach much by way of technique; they push their instructional framework (adrenal stress training, the "Bulletman Suit", etc.) as the way to make your training real.

Or Ian Abernathy and his colleagues that'll tell you how they've figured out ways to train traditional martial arts for reality...

Or police/military defensive tactics programs, which often (MCMAP is an exception) are focused on a small syllabus of techniques culled from various martial arts with an eye towards ease of teaching, effectiveness, and balances of liability (where appropriate).

It ain't the system. It's how you choose to train it. If you want to prepare for reality, you have to understand reality, and your training has to take reality into consideration. I refer you to Rory Miller's book, Medititions on Violence for a very good summary of these issues. But it's only a starting point... And it's worthless if it stays on your bookshelf.

 

[xfighter88]

I have practiced a lot of varied martial arts. Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and Judo are the ones that I would consider my self fairly proficient at. I like the TKD and traditional Karate stuff. There are a lot of knife hands and eye gouges, but the reality is that in a self defense situation it's all about the cheap shots. My favorite "style" if you can call it that is extreme blunt force trauma with anything and everything. If someone has a favorite "style" of self defense that says that you ahve either not been in an actual situation that requires you to defend yourself from harm or you get yourself into those situations way too much. If the second is true that you are a jerk and should stop pissing people off. It's about surviving not about fighting and toying with your real life oponent.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Bruno@MT]

Ninjutsu and jujutsu are the only arts I studied with a level of dedication. I tried others but quickly decided that those were not for me.

I can honestly say that JJ is great for self defense if it is taught and pressure tested properly. I used to go to MA seminars regularly and then try out many different arts. I also tried to spar against others during the breaks when you could use the mat for your own purposes. I met many with whom I had interesting bouts, but I also met several high ranked JJ practisioners who couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag due to lack of pressure testing.

Ninjutsu is also a great art. The biggest problem with ninjutsu is that compared to jj for example, it takes a much longer time to get a decent grasp on the basics to the degree that you can say it gives you an edge. After a year of practise (2 times per week in the dojo and a couple of times per week at home) I feel like I am beginning to internalize the basics. Ninjutsu is now my main art and I think it is the best -for me-. however if someone were to ask for a system to learn self defense in a hurry, I would not recommend it.

Oh and about nerve strikes: I have seen a dramatic display of what the results can be. However, since the chances of making such a hit are rather slim, you'd better train to have solid striking techniques that will work regardless of whether you hit that spot or not.