What styles are the best for self-defense/ street situations?

[MJ fan]

Any stlye can work if you use it right and if your mind set is right. If your in a fight and are thinking i can beat this guy cause i do martial arts thats a big mistake. You have to use what you have learned well and not try anything stupid like jumping spinning kicks or things like that!

 

[Littledragon]

Any stlye can work if you use it right and if your mind set is right. If your in a fight and are thinking i can beat this guy cause i do martial arts thats a big mistake. You have to use what you have learned well and not try anything stupid like jumping spinning kicks or things like that!QUOTE]


That's only true to a certain extent, simplicity is the best solution for self-defense. But also you would not want to encourage beginner's in the martial arts to use spin kicks in a street fight, but that's a different situation for a master or who has been doing martial arts for years and years and are able to use spin kicks effectivly in a street situation.

Personally I would use spink kicks if I fought a grappler, when he try's to take me down I would jump back kick the chin, since spin kicks are so unorthradox and so deadly, they are un expected and can quickly end a fight. I would not reccomend beginners or intermediates to use spin kicks though in a stree situation.

Spin kicks are some of my favorites, I have been doing Tae Kwon Do for over 12 years and am currently a 3rd dan black belt, will be getting my 4th dan when I am 18.

 

[MJ fan]

Any stlye can work if you use it right and if your mind set is right. If your in a fight and are thinking i can beat this guy cause i do martial arts thats a big mistake. You have to use what you have learned well and not try anything stupid like jumping spinning kicks or things like that!QUOTE]


That's only true to a certain extent, simplicity is the best solution for self-defense. But also you would not want to encourage beginner's in the martial arts to use spin kicks in a street fight, but that's a different situation for a master or who has been doing martial arts for years and years and are able to use spin kicks effectivly in a street situation.

Personally I would use spink kicks if I fought a grappler, when he try's to take me down I would jump back kick the chin, since spin kicks are so unorthradox and so deadly, they are un expected and can quickly end a fight. I would not reccomend beginners or intermediates to use spin kicks though in a stree situation.

Spin kicks are some of my favorites, I have been doing Tae Kwon Do for over 12 years and am currently a 3rd dan black belt, will be getting my 4th dan when I am 18.

Im not saying spin kicks are useless they can be very effective. Just not a good idea unless you are skilled and can do it fast. But bruce lee did say that he would never use a spin kick in a real fight.

 

[Littledragon]

Im not saying spin kicks are useless they can be very effective. Just not a good idea unless you are skilled and can do it fast. But bruce lee did say that he would never use a spin kick in a real fight.

I don't think that was his EXACT words, but he was implying SIMPLICITY, striking to the legs, eyes, groin, biting, as Real Self-Defense.

 

[ZenLateralus]

I really didn't see anyone mention kung fu. Is that not a good self-defense martial art? It contains punches, kicks, weapons, locks... I've taken a few years of karate (which I thought was pretty much useless), a couple months of aikido (which I really enjoyed taking but didn't really have punches and kicks but throws that only work if you practice a hell of a lot), Tan Soo Do (which I enjoyed but the teacher was a "money grabber"), and hapkido (which I really enjoyed but this was at the same school as the tan soo do and the teacher really didn't want to focus on hapkido while I thought it was much better than the tan soo do).

 

[Aikilove]

Sure it works - if you train hard and if you work with kung fu. Just like any serious MA

/J

 

[Littledragon]

I really didn't see anyone mention kung fu. Is that not a good self-defense martial art? It contains punches, kicks, weapons, locks... I've taken a few years of karate (which I thought was pretty much useless), a couple months of aikido (which I really enjoyed taking but didn't really have punches and kicks but throws that only work if you practice a hell of a lot), Tan Soo Do (which I enjoyed but the teacher was a "money grabber"), and hapkido (which I really enjoyed but this was at the same school as the tan soo do and the teacher really didn't want to focus on hapkido while I thought it was much better than the tan soo do).

It's not the style that's good or bad. it all depends on the person. If a 10 year old boxer beats a 10 year old Judoka does not mean Boxing is better than Judo, it means the 10 year old boxer was better than the 10 year old Judoka.

You can not say Karate is useless, because it is not. Masters like Kyokushin founder Mas Oyama, the greatest Karate fighter of all time who killed a bull in one punch, can use Karate sucessfully in any type of self defense situation, so it is not the style that is bad because there is no such thing.

Find the style that suites you, and eventually as you ger more serious in martial arts, in order to be sucessfull as a fighter and martial artists you will learn that no one style has it all and in order to be good you have to be multi dimensional.

 

[koda]

I think Aikido is the best way, cause it doesn´t hurt the person at all, it imobilize the person first. Thats what i think and have heard.

 

[Littledragon]

I think Aikido is the best way, cause it doesn´t hurt the person at all, it imobilize the person first. Thats what i think and have heard.

Koda in Martial Arts, when your life is at risk, and you are forced to defend youself, there is no such thing as style, you use anything that works! There is no such thins as a best way in self-defense, but you could say the best way is simplicity.

 

[Lollipop]

Run like the devil is after you! And he probably is!

 

[Littledragon]

Run like the devil is after you! And he probably is!

Very true Lollipop. Running is actually the best self-defense, but once your back is against the wall and you have no way out, you better damn well know how to defend yourself.

 

[ZenLateralus]

Is it erroneous for a martial art to be called Kung Fu when it is really more like Wushu? I found a website (a bad one) for the school I just joined. Here is the summary of the Kung Fu they teach :

Kung Fu is the nickname for the system of Chinese Martial Arts more properly called Wushu. "Kung Fu" means great skill, acquired by hard work over time. Like the more familiar Japanese art of Karate, Kung Fu has blocking, punching, and kicking, but concentrates on circular, efficient movements producing a style of uncommon grace and efficiency. Our curriculum begins with basic leg, arm, and body techniques drawn from both the modern and traditional schools of Northern Chinese Martial Arts. The initial form routines are beginner's routines from the Beijing College of Wushu. As the student progresses, the routines become more complex and we introduce tradition empty hand and weapons routines from the Celestial Mountain, Shaolin, and Lost Track systems of Kung Fu. Classes are divided by level.

So, am I taking Wushu or is Kung Fu a version of Wushu with some differences?

 

[Littledragon]

Is it erroneous for a martial art to be called Kung Fu when it is really more like Wushu? I found a website (a bad one) for the school I just joined. Here is the summary of the Kung Fu they teach :

Kung Fu is the nickname for the system of Chinese Martial Arts more properly called Wushu. "Kung Fu" means great skill, acquired by hard work over time. Like the more familiar Japanese art of Karate, Kung Fu has blocking, punching, and kicking, but concentrates on circular, efficient movements producing a style of uncommon grace and efficiency. Our curriculum begins with basic leg, arm, and body techniques drawn from both the modern and traditional schools of Northern Chinese Martial Arts. The initial form routines are beginner's routines from the Beijing College of Wushu. As the student progresses, the routines become more complex and we introduce tradition empty hand and weapons routines from the Celestial Mountain, Shaolin, and Lost Track systems of Kung Fu. Classes are divided by level.

So, am I taking Wushu or is Kung Fu a version of Wushu with some differences?

No. Kung-Fu in Chinese is called Wu-Shu but they are two different styles, all a branch of Kung-Fu. Kung-Fu means Hard Work in chinese it is pronounced, Wu-Shu. There are over 7,000 styles of Kung-Fu alone. Kung-Fu and Wu-Shu are different styles just the same meaning. Ask what your school is teaching, is it teachign Wu-Shu is mainley a sport now and focuses on traiditional forms and no sparring or self-defense. So make sure you ask what your school teaches, for example if they teach Wu-Shu and you are looking for self-defense you may want to re consider. However if they say Kung-Fu ask which style of Kung-Fu like Wing-Chun Kung-Fu which focuses on in close quarter fighting and trapping, or Animal style Kung-Fu, Southern Style Kung-Fu which concentrates more on kicks, Hung-Gar Kung-Fu, etc...

 

[Littledragon]

Here is my two cents, if you are looking to take Martial Arts for self-defense you should take both a striking art and a grappling/joint locking art because those are the most important things to learn in self-defense.

 

[Aikilove]

No, kung fu (shuan fa) means fast or hard hand or simply boxing. Wushu has the same kanjis as budo. So just as there are many styles of japanese budo there are many styles of chinese wushu, a couple of them has the name boxing (or kung fu) in their name. Incidently shaolin kung fu in japanese is shorinji kempo which is an art by itself.

/J

 

[Littledragon]

No, kung fu (shuan fa) means fast or hard hand or simply boxing. Wushu has the same kanjis as budo. So just as there are many styles of japanese budo there are many styles of chinese wushu, a couple of them has the name boxing (or kung fu) in their name. Incidently shaolin kung fu in japanese is shorinji kempo which is an art by itself.

/J

Depends if mandarin or cantonese.


But Kung-Fu/Wu-Shu means hard work.

 

[pat jack]

I Belive That All Woman Need To Learn Self-defense To Use In The Street If They Get Pick On By Others. I Would Learn Kareat. Why Do You Think About Woman Learning Self-defense. To Use In The Street. From Pat,jack

 

[Lollipop]

I Belive That All Woman Need To Learn Self-defense To Use In The Street If They Get Pick On By Others. I Would Learn Kareat. Why Do You Think About Woman Learning Self-defense. To Use In The Street. From Pat,jack

What do you know about Karate, what places have you looked into to see about taken! I think you need to learn something!

 

[Littledragon]

I Belive That All Woman Need To Learn Self-defense To Use In The Street If They Get Pick On By Others. I Would Learn Kareat. Why Do You Think About Woman Learning Self-defense. To Use In The Street. From Pat,jack

I actually taught a women's self-defense class last week.

I taught them to use simplicity, whatever works. Gauge the eyes, strike the groin, I also explained women have special attributes such as long nails, heels, etc..

I also emphasized on be aware of yoru surrondings and atmosphere. But because the majority of women in general are weaker then men, I explained how to use the oppent's force against them and taught them different types of join locks, and taught them some grappling so they know how to defend themselves when some sicko gets them to the ground and trys to rape them.

 

[Aikilove]

Kung Fu, Gung fu, Shuan fa are all different pronounciations for the same words that all means hard hand or fist but generaly means boxing. If you ask a chinese - what does kung fu means? He will say boxing or chinese boxing. If you ask a Chinese - what does wushu means? He will answere - It means Martial Arts.

The kanji for Kung fu ($B7rJ](B) are not the same as the kanji for wushu$B!!(B($BIpF;(B).

/J