Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyoshi71
I'm a 20+ year veteran of martial arts. Here's the deal if you are looking to stay fit and defend yourself. (and I'll try to answer before all the video-game grandmasters comment)
Kick boxing and Muay Thai are geared for the ring, not self defense. The last thing you want to do in a SD situation is square-off with your opponent. Also, in Thailand, the average Muay Thai fighter has a ring-life of 1.5 years. That should tell you something about the training and how good it is for your body. A previous poster mentioned TKD. Tae Kwon Do is an absolute joke in any arena you put it in.
Considering you dont want to spend a decade or so learning Karate (it actually takes longer to really undertand) Krav Maga could be a good option. The one downside of Krav Maga is, because it really doesnt have a formalized system, instruction varies tremendously from teacher to teacher. Find one with a decent reputation and give it a shot.
Personally, I'm not down with anything MMA related and quite frankly, MMA & BJJ are horrible in a self defense situation (unless of course there are rules the next time youre attacked). What are you going to do, go to the ground in a bar while the guy's friend wastes you with a bottle? Also, unless you like tattoos, shaved heads and your family bowls a lot, MMA is a little WT.
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Sport BJJ and self-defense BJJ are two different things. Many of the principles (leverage) are the same but you are right, the last thing I want to do in a bar fight is be on the ground. If I am trying to control just one person that is fine, but not when I have more things to consider than just the one guy.
From a self-defense perspective BJJ is going to focus more on throws, joint locks from a standing position, methods to disarm people, standing choke techniques, etc.
It is just unfortunate so many schools only teach sport BJJ due to MMA's popularity and forget the real reason of it was for self-defense.
About the TKD comment, he said it, not me! I tend to agree but I don't want to start any drama.