Hi everyone, I know there can be some bias towards favourite styles, and personally I love so many kung fu films. But I've been trying to work out what the best styles are which I could study for practical self defence. Also they have to be fairly common I guess because it's not likely theres a school which teaches a really rare style so near to me. So right now I'm edging towards taking up both judo and muay thai. The reason being that muay thai is a good striking style which seems to have proved itself as practical. In any MMA, UFC etc full contact competitions the boxing style punches and thai style kicks are effective right? As well as the fact that I will get sparring experience, take a few hits so not as shocked getting hit in the face for real, learning defence like shield blocks, ducking punches etc. And for judo, this is interesting because in a street fight often it could get to a scuffle where both people have ahold of each other and are standing up. So here is where I think judo could be really useful, knowing some holds, sweeps, so as to make sure it's them who goes to the ground whilst I can hopefully remain standing in case of multiple opponents which most often happens in street fights. Also judo has proven itself in MMA, UFC etc as well with many practicioners doing well. Although I was put off by judo for thinking that all throws rely on the gi they wear, maybe this isnt purely the case and there are many elements of judo which will work even on a topless opponent. So for practical self defence what do you think about this combination? To me it's looking good. Is there anything else you'd consider to be more effective/practical over these and if so why?
Nahh terrible combination, you want something like ninjitsu and yoga. Kidding Obviously, striking plus grappling plus handheld weapons and if in the USA gun training. then some Self Defence specific training remember MMA is a competition and while most of the conditioning, and technique cross over strategy, rounds etc have little to do with real world self defence undertaken by us non athletic types.
There was that time when I was attacked by 5 guys! huge strong angry Viking looking dudes. obviously no match for me but during my mocking of their pitiful skills I may have tickled over the 5 minute mark. I said Thor (they all looked like Thor) you shoudda brought a bigger hammer. Seriously though street fights suck the big one, Guybrush needs to avoid rubbish parts of town, drinking and any fun after 10pm and he will be golden. Physical skills are the last 10%!
Muay Thai and Judo will be excellent disciplines for the physical component of self defence for all the reasons you stated. Thai boxing also includes excellent clinch work as well as judo. Not only that but both arts are very demanding physically (especially Muay Thai) and should keep you in great shape if trained sensibly... Which is one of the most overlooked aspects of self defence: health.
There's nothing wrong per se, but why not try MMA and learn to blend different skill sets together, instead of doing 2 separate arts then trying to integrate them together? Judo has had an increasingly restrictive rule set over the last decade. Some skills which are useful for self defence (such as grip breaking) aren't really allowed that much anymore (I think). BJJ might be an alternative to Judo as it has a larger rule set, but even an average Judo player will probably have better stand up grappling skills than most BJJ players. Ideally a bit of both would be good but time/money/energy wise we can only do so much. Additionally, MT and Judo can be pretty tough on your body so you will have to manage your rest and recovery well. Just something to think about.
Maybe a good trad JJ school (one that actually spars) there are a few out there which cover most ranges, Escrima answers a lot of questions (poses a lot too)
Mostly 'crappling' compared to judo and BJJ though. Especially in the UK. In my experience the stuff that isn't trained in judo/BJJ is usually weak as hell and not worth much time and the stuff that is isn't trained as well as it is in the former. I've met plenty of 'trad' (gendai) guys who couldnt hit an ogoshi in randori if their mum's honour depended on it and literally scoffed at me when I explained the principle of kazushi to them. There are always exceptions I know but they appear rare to the extent that I've never ever seen one in the flesh. Probably due to dominance of WJJF and Jitsu foundation in the UK.
. There are always exceptions I know but they appear rare to the extent that I've never ever seen one in the flesh. Probably due to dominance of WJJF and Jitsu foundation in the UK.[/QUOTE] Agreed, was just thinking would be worth a look if something was local you never know may drop lucky. Don't know where he is based but checking out the Combat association (Geoff Thompson and Peter Condestine) would be a good idea, they affiliate to all sorts of clubs and really push the self defence side of the martial arts, from what I gather they keep the quality high and facilitate much cross training. After all unless one wants to compete the aim is to have deployable tools which does not have to mean being an expert in any one area.
Yeah I'm sure they are out there! Ha! Regarding the BCA, although Pete constadine and Geoff Thompson share a certain ethos and reputation for pragmatism I know for a fact that affiliation with them doesn't mean much for quality. I don't think they police the clubs that are under their umbrella well if at all. Just doing randori isn't really enough if the instruction is poor and the syllabus is reworked WJJF crud.
If the goal is practical application (and it should be), keep in mind that there are principles to help guide progress. For example, combining Muay Thai and Judo training for self-defense is not a bad idea. It give you more benefits than disadvantages on many levels. For self-defense, you are going to be hit with other aspect such as awareness and avoidance that might not be covered in most types of training. So you need to identify gaps in training and address them. For identifying gaps within just your day to day training, after you have built a decent foundation so you can hold your own, for self-defense I recommend making sure you apply these principles in training: 1) Always assume the enemy can have a weapon or that there could be multiple enemies -- so you want to make sure you aren't just taking the full power of hits and that your technique is clean and quick and you aren't locked up, but instead maintain your mobility. Work with multiple attackers in controlled sparring. 2) Do not trade blows with a knife -- so aren't just trading blows give your training partner two training knives (one for each hand), wear protective gear (e.g. eye and groin for starters) and just light sparring/rolling to ensure you have clean technique and can control the opponent rather than trade blows 3) Do not overreact -- so you can maintain minimum movement but maximum mobility, have training partner with training knife use fakes and feints so you learn to defend but not overcommit to the first movement but instead wait until the last possible moment to move. 4) Zero to 100% in an instant -- so you get a feel of how fast real situation happen, have your training partner bump rush you from within touching distance. Wear protective gear and learn to cover vitals. Basically one scenario is you just standing there and you get sucker punched with your training partner just continuously striking you in the head, then when you are down, takes out a training knife and cuts your wrists and stabs you. These are just some examples of principles. None of the above is as good as not having to fight at all, but if you stick with principles and train hard, I believe that will be of benefit to you.
