What is your Preferred Martial Art and Why?

[porkskin]

it is not crazy to say one style is superior over another. go rent the very first ultimate fighting championship. they pitted exclusive style against style. royce gracie at 170 lbs used pure brazillian jiu jitsu to beat everyone. facts don't lie

[Supertac]

Well, BJJ was king for awhile. Now if you don't have mixed martial arts, you're dead. Most great fighters have a ground game...BJJ and classic wrestling. You must also have a standing game....mui thai kickboxing or classic boxing.

I am very proficient in basic BJJ, but my stand up is in need of work. I say "basic" BJJ because there's much to learn still. I actually trained with the "Gracie revolution" here in Kalifornia from 1998-2000. I say basic because if I told them I was really good, they would tear me to shreds.

[Supertac]

it is not crazy to say one style is superior over another. go rent the very first ultimate fighting championship. they pitted exclusive style against style. royce gracie at 170 lbs used pure brazillian jiu jitsu to beat everyone. facts don't lie

It may be crazy only to a certain extent.

Mui Thai vs BJJ: who wins?

Depends on if the fight hit the ground or not.


However you are mostly right porkskin... Most martial arts are worthless in real life..many others only work sometimes in certain situations.

[kungfucowboy]

i personal have studdied wing tsun, aikido and kenjutsu, i dinked around with bjj and a couple of other kungfu styles.

of thoose the one that will teach you to defend yourself the best was wing tsun. we learned a lot of eye-gouges and other "cheap shots" on top of normal strikes and low kicks. from what i seen of krav maga there are a few similarities. wing tsun also tends to be very close range.

aikido is more complex you can definately defend your self with it if you are good enough but gaining the nessacay ballance and feeling to perform the techuniques can take a long time.

from my experince with bjj i would have to say it is a great 1 on 1 art but if theyguy you are rolling around with has a friend to start kicking your head in while you are on the ground with the other guy you are screwed. not saying it's a bad art just pointing out limitations.

mixed martial arts from my experince seem to focus on over powering an opponent with strength and stamina. they tend for focus on a cage style UFC type of fighting with rules (no biting, no groin strikes, no kicking on the ground) i found that limiting from a self denese aspect.

so in my opinion if you want a sport Judo/bjj, karate, TKD, MMA are the way to go (bjj and MMA being more useful in a fight of the 4 IMO)

if you want to achive enlightenment and be an awsome fighter in about 10-20yrs learn aikido, tai ji, trditional kungfu

to learn to defend yourself i would sugest Wing tsun, kali, Krav maga or some other art that teaches you to fight to live, since unless it's a life or death situation you shouldn't be fighting anyway

[Jeeper]

I have studied quite a few different styles and the one thing I got from all of them is YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY SPAR AND FIGHT!

Someone could spend years of studying and it be worthless if they have never actually taken a real punch. I would put a boxer against pretty much anyone in most situtations because they actually get hit. Kickboxing is a good way to do this since you spend time sparring and not dancing around doing kata's. If I ever get into it again then I am not going to go to a school that has a "moves checklist" that you need to complete to get belts. I will look for some place that does ground fighting and a lot of sparring.

[Harley Quinn]

Of late I believe the martial art that is going to be very avaliable to persons is the Dan Inosanto groups. I like all of them they are very good and give lots of information. You must follow it up at a school that teachs it of else use home videos.

Check it out at MNKALI.com good stuff. Rick Faye is very good.

Harley

[20cows]

I've been studying Aikido for about eight years. I still have lot to learn, but it's already useful.

My class is less formal than the traditional schools and we do work with the idea of what is practical over what is "artful." We have also picked up a few techniques from other arts as new students joined the class with experience in other forms.

Whatever works.

[Blackwater OPS]

Jeeper +1 Sparring is definitely key. In actual physical combat for your life you will not remember anything, instinct and, hopefully, training takes over. You need sparring to put this in the spot in our brain that will help you in fight. This will allow you to act without thinking, it has happened to me and it still amazes me. Also I forgot to add that Krav Maga is good because it includes many disarming drills (vs. gun/Knife) and it also has a ground moves.

[Twycross]

Someone could spend years of studying and it be worthless if they have never actually taken a real punch.

+2. If you keep it all theoretical, but never try your hand at the actual thing, you may as well have done something else with your time. The sparring is where it all comes together and becomes real. It's where you train your instincts so that when the SHTF, you don't have to spend half your time thinking about how to react at each new swing. In a fight between your typical martial artist and a boxer, both being of roughly equal training, I too would put my money on the boxer. He is going to know how to fight instinctively, and how to take a hit.

[porkskin]

brazillian jiu-jitsu features sparing on the ground with ACTIVE resistance every class. no mc dojo can come close with their "one-step" girlie point sparring.

[coolridelude]

i use to love sparring. i have had my left shoulder dislocated and my left knee. i just did not want to give up, then i tapped.

when i would teach self defense or rape prevention you would feel like it was happening. i would teach them first that what ever you learn if not practice is useless. some would freeze, but after a while when i attacked them they would just react and kick me in the b***!. i had a cup but it still hurt. the parents thought i was too rough with their kids. when their kids were attacked once then one of the parents came in an told me thanks.

[mjolnir]

They're all crap.

I challenge any of you to go down to your local zoo and get in the cage with a gorilla or a lion. Any of you who can apply kotegaeshi to a gorilla or can kick-box a lion off you...leave the planet, YOU'RE NOT HUMAN.

The reason you're helpless against them is STRENGTH. Until gene therapy arrives, and you can take a gorilla-muscle-gene pill that alters your musculature/skeletal structure in a few months (without the side effects...protruding brow, 20" inseam pants, sudden cravings for banana cream pie...etc.), martial arts are just a waste of time...for defensive purposes.

For the amount of time expended you get a tiny comparative advantage against other humans. Which is the reason guns are so popular around the world...for minimum expenditure of money, time, and energy you gain a huge advantage against other humans. Until they get their own. Hence, war.

All funnin' aside, martial arts are FUN. But the outcome of any real fight would depend not so much on one's particular art, but on one's physical attributes (reflex speed, athleticism/coordination/agility, etc.) and mental fortitude...and CHANCE.

[kungfucowboy]

the analogy with animals makes no sense. martial arts were developed for use agianst humans. your hand gun (unless you regularly carry a 454 casull or 500 s&w magnum) is not likely to kill a lion very well either should no one cary a side arm?

of course martial arts are not a substitute for a gun

as for martialarts taking a lot of time thats true. i'm not claiming that by taking xyz martialart you will be able to kick everyone in te worlds ass. you will definately have a better chance at surviving an attack. you mention

any real fight would depend not so much on one's particular art, but on one's physical attributes (reflex speed, athleticism/coordination/agility, etc.) and mental fortitude

in the martial arts i have practiced the techniques and forms were designed to develop theese skill. since i started martial arts every one of the things you mention have improved from before i started learning martial arts.

[Harley Quinn]

Bananas, are especially good now that you mention it. The neanderthal was a very robust guy I wonder if he liked Bananas?

I believe to spar with the idea that making contact and checking out your chin is very foolish. Look at the good to great fighters that spar and really don't know if they can take a punch, foolish if you are looking for injury. Some contact is fine, but being in good physcial shape is the best.

I disgust (sp on purpose) this with someone the other day at the dojo. In the service they never asked me to take a bayonet thrust to the stomach to see if I could handle it, or a butt stroke to the face to see if I would be able to get up. Some contact is fine but we need to be in shape first so that you can go the 5 minutes it takes to get you through the fight rather than being out of shape and not completing it.

Harley

[lokisbuddy]

ivve been studying dim-mak (death point striking) for 3 years now and i must say if your looking for something to incapacitate someone as well as daily excercises i would recomend this but as i am quite a noob at the art i would expect you to take my opinion with a grain of salt

[model 25]

Martial arts are good for keeping fit as long as the repiticions don't wear out your joints. Sparing is good as long as you don't permanately injure yourself to the point that you have thrown away your years of training, it happens.

Funny we think we must spar to be good at martial arts but we won't even go compete with our guns, at least the majority won't. Matches bring out in you what sparing does to the arts. Adrenalin,pressure,self confidence all get pushed to the limit when you try to do your best against like minded people.

Being able to compare your skills with others and seeing where you need to work to be better is one of the most important things in all you do. Want confidence then beat others at shooting.

25

[CelticMP]

I began with Jeet Kun Do (Bruce Lee's original style) for 7 yrs and moved into Judo for the grappling. I found that knowing either of these Martial Arts will help you out in a fight even especially if the fight isnt of your choosing. but when you have a glass jaw like mine, it really doesnt do you any good. Thats why I now study American Ching Chang BooM

[azredhawk44]

It's been about 5 years since I lived in the DFW area...

There is a US highway on the NE side of Dallas (US 75 IIRC) that heads up towards Allen, Plano, McKinney...

I <think> it was off of Belt Line Rd, on the East side of the highway in a strip mall. It was a traditional [color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color]oRyu Karate school. (The auto-editor removed the "fecal" reference in this Japanese word...how funny!)

It was in a business park, not a strip mall or anything. I can't remember the name of the instructor. I only lived there for about 6 months ...

They were respectful, thorough, good natured and fun to be around. Anything else is up to the student.

[delta58]

A good understanding of human anatomy and a combination of stength training(especially hand strength) flexibility training, and a strong will to survive.

[.351winchester]

I'm a huge fan of MMA. The style I'd like to train in is San Shou (Kickboxing/MT w/ takedowns) which is pretty much the whole Sprawl and Brawl style of fighting-everything you need for standup, combined with submission wrestling or shootfighting.
Unfortunately the only thing around this area is karate (if it was Kyokushin Karate I'd be all over it, but it's some useless form), so I just try and learn as much as I can from instructional tapes

[roberts_usmc]

I like MCMAP:
Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. You don't really have the ability to study it unless you have a friend that has more recently gotten out or is still in. It's a mix of a few different arts with a combat twist. You've got some strikes, chokes, counters, and joint manipulations/breaks. I love it.

[riverkeeper]

Got a black in Judo over 40 years ago but do not do it anymore--my version was too sportified to be REALLY useful IMO. Considering Wing Chun when it moves to my part of town in a month or two.

[NDTerminator]

I'm a 48 year old LEO with nearly 30 years on the street. I hold instructor certs in essentially all phases of patrol and tactical LE skills, and lead & train a High Risk Entry Team.
My primary training focus is Defensive Tactics, and God alone knows how many officers I've trained at both the State Academy and Peace Officer Training Program in the last 20 years.

Unlike the usual current LEO DE Instructor, who goes through a week of PPCT and proudly proclaims himself an Instructor/Expert, I have an old school mentality about this field.

IMO, it takes years of martial arts training honed by street experience, before a LEO can attain the experience and credibility to train others.

My background is Jujitsu & Judo. My primary art is Goshin Budo Jujitsu (I've also adopted much of the Small Circle techniques, as they lend themselves so well to real world combat). I hold the rank of Nidan (2nd degree black belt) in this form. This indicates I'm a pretty good student of the form, not an expert. My instructor (who is my ex-partner and highest ranking non-japanese in the form) tells me I'll be pretty good in another 20 years or so.

Judo is a sport more so than a combat martial art, which, like wrestling, can be adapted for the street. What Judo really teaches the self defense minded is how to read an opponent's balance, how to unbalance him, and take advantage of it.

Jujitsu really shines as a pure combat art, and few martial artists will argue this. My form is about 40% takedowns, 40% throws, 10% locks, and 10% strikes. After a few years of training, it's amazing how effective this type of system is in the real world. A big advantage is that the wide selection of techniques combined with measured aplication of force allows the student to control and negate an opponent without injuring him, unless it needs to be done.

I cannot even guess how many physical arrests, tactical situations, and self defense situations I've dealt with using Jujitsu skills over the years, but they certainly numbers in the several hundreds. Take my word for it, out on the street, Jujitsu works.

A side but not inconsequential benefit of any of the throwing forms is that the student learns to take a fall without being injured. I cannot tell you how many times this skill, which becomes second nature anytime the student leaves his/her feet, has saved me from injury not just on the street, but in the slips & falls over everyday life...

[The British Soldier]

The best martial art is the double kick to the balls! Two good ones and you'll be using your black belt to wrap around the ice pack.

[BlueTrain]

I tend to agree with the comment about boxers. They do train with sparring partners and the punches are real, unlike in martial arts matches, at least as far as I know. Naturally, there is more to it than that.

Pure strength matters a great deal. It is on this point that I disagree with the army's current physical training idea. It would seem to be intended to produce marathon runners when you would want a soldier needs to be more like a football player. Now there is another individual who knows about body contact!

Another thing is that we now have a generation that grew up insulated in a hothouse environment or most did anyway. Getting into a fight with other boys (I assume girls never fight) would get you thrown in jail. When I was little there was a lot of fighting between boys (in my neighborhood, anyway). No one ever got shot, because guns weren't as common as they seem to be now, but cuts and bruises were an everyday thing. It wasn't so much your ability as it was your willingness to fight that mattered. Being able to put up with a little temporary pain helped, especially when the other boys were bigger. Otherwise, you live your life being afraid of everyone and everything.