That's the whole point!!! (in North America at least for most of the part)
That's how martial arts are advertised here. The study will enable you to defend yourself from threatenning attackers on the street. Do you think parents sing their kids up to take up martial arts just so it would be another day for them to communicate with the spirits or something? Martial arts are not all about fighting, but that's not the main reason why people here are taking classes. Various martial arts were invented just for such reasons ... to be able to defend oneself in a hostile situation. The things that have changed are that instead of swords, you've got guns ... yet if you think about it, a knife is a very short sword (but requires modified techniques of using it).
Originally, Judo was taken as a serious martial art. Today, however it is taken as a sport (much like Sambo, although combat Sambo exists for military and police training ... that's real life for you buddy).
It all depends in the application of the art. Certainly they all work in 'street' situations. It just depends how knowledgeble one is at applying their learned skills, or proves if not enough training has been completed.
Here's one martial art that's widely popular ... and made especially for diffusing threats:
Krav Maga is the official hand to hand combat system of the Israeli Military, Police Force, and other law enforcement departments across the world. Created by Imi Lichtenfeld, Chief Instructor of Hand to Hand Combat for the Israeli Military, in the 1940's when the Israeli Government asked him to create a combat system for their military, Krav Maga is Hebrew for "Contact Combat".
Krav Maga is a modern system, based on scientific principles, logic, and practical techniques based upon the simple movements of the body. The system's goal is to teach student's combat efficiency in a relatively short period of time. To make the learning process a little more effective, the instructor's have broken down Krav Maga instruction into two parts.
The first part is Self Defense. This means that the student is taught to defend against a hostile action, covering almost every conceivable angle of attack, as well as defending against multiple assailants and armed opponent's.
The second part is Hand to Hand Combat. Taking the lessons of the first part, the instructors extend training to tactics, psychological dimensions of combat, and the advantageous use of terrain.
What sets Krav Maga apart from other martial art systems is the preparation training. The student is often placed in secondary, vulnerable position and is then expected to use his skill to neutralize the threat. Multiple assailants, armed assailant's, ambushes are all included in "Real time" training, or full force, full speed training.
Through the new fad of "Reality Based Training", Krav Maga has proven itself as one of the most effective, established combat systems available to the general public.
Strong enough to weather the storm and provide a new generation with an efficient combat system.
