So true…thats were the grappling and choking holds become effective.
Training in MT was one of the most satisfying/difficult experiences of my life. Ultimately I had to give it up due to my work schedule and the fact that my GF (current wife) was about to leave me over it. And rightfully so - you can get a little too into training and that’s what happened to me.
Holy cow was I in good shape though!
Agree, but my concern is the tendency for the BJJ guy to want to take it to the ground where he is in his comfort zone. This works in the cage but seems sub-optimal in the real world. Good tools to have if and when you do go to ground, though.
Agreed. A lot of practical street/combat techniques are mostly “Lost in the Sauce” of the particular form being taught.
Since when is knife fighting considered empty handed techniques?
For me, the best are straight forward systems like boxing/muay thai for striking, and wrestling/grappling for ground stuff. Maybe some respectable branch of karate like Kyokushin…
Anything fancier is a waste of time and more for show than anything IMO.
The two go hand-in-hand (so to speak).
If you are in knife range you are in HTH range, Tueller Drill notwithstanding.
I don’t want any parts of a knife fight - I’ll take Carbines for $500, Alex…
+1
I think learning to clinch & basic take downs/take down defense is important, but I’d want to stay on my feet to run the hell away when there is a chance!
Grappling does not work AT ALL with more than one opponent…
Eh, I was thinking empty hands means… well, empty hands. 
Yeah, that’s the essence of my beef with BJJ. I guess there is a style called vale tudo which sort of combines the best of BJJ and MT, but I’ve never trained in it. Anyone?
Great point. One attacker verse several. I guess I’d have to fall back on evaluating the threat/tactical situation. Even match, one on one, fight to the death. You and a significant other, disable opponent and beat feet. More than one and no escape, resort to gang mentality, take out the leader ( or the one who presents the greatest threat) and more if you have the skills. If no skills and if you survive, be satisfied that you got at least one of them. Don’t forget the art of intimidation. I grew up on the streets of Detroit and have made several guys back down by convincing them that I was going to f–king kill them. It goes a long way. You have to remember that a typical male’s greatest fear is to get his ass kicked by another guy. If I actually fought those encounters, I probably would have been in a very lopsided ass kicking contest. I intimidated them into thinking I could whip them so they backed down.
I rarely train it nowadays, but mma to me is like football to most sports fans…
I think in Brazil, vale tudo = anything goes = mma.
The basic idea is you take the best techniques from any striking style + grappling and avoid doing things that doesn’t work well in an “anything goes” situation.
MMA matches like PRIDE/UFC are an excellent way to see this in action. Vale Tudo is mma, but with less rules than most types of organizations…
+1 on that but i was from jersey. the idea i dont like is when a BG get the jump on you. or if there are more then one. i study a little when i was younger but stoped cus of school and work. and after a few street fights you just take it as it comes.
Yes, that is the best scenario for many, including myself. I would almost always rather fight standing for several reasons. But I can assure you that assuming you will be able to stay on your feet through out the conflict is a short sighted mistake.
Yup.
Also, the more I learn on fighting with guns, the more similarities I see between it and fighting with bare hands. Actually, ALL physical combat.
Along with mind-set, timing and positioning is everything (almost).
There are many concepts that can be applied to both. Things like stacking your threats/opponents so you have more time to deal with each individually.
To things like…
Cover-fire to move into a better position to engage your enemy = Using jabs to force your opponent to defend while you move into a better position to attack.
Even the concept of pinning them down and such!
That’s why…
I think learning to clinch & basic take downs/take down defense is important.
Totally agree. You can’t count on any assumptions in an ambush or chance encounter on the street or an intruder in your home. You may not want to bleed either, but you will.
I will be in NJ teaching a seminar on Jujitsu and Okinawa Karate if anyone if anyone is interested in attending? The Jujitsu I teach is my family system and is battlefield Jujitsu the ground is the last resort as it will get you killed.
Thanks for the info!
Years ago I was really into Filipino Silat, Escrima, and Kali. Hell, I’m Filipino, thats what attracted me to these styles. I used this in combonation with Muay Thai when I used to spar. Any form of martial arts is good to know, it will also keep you in shape. I still dabble with it.
As for holding my own/proctecting myself, I am confident that I can.
For anyone considering training in some form of martial art…
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Realize that there are styles that truly mix striking, blocking, throwing, and groundwork - but they are few & far between.
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You may, therefore, want to train in a certain style, then switch over (or cross-train) in another style that makes up for a deficiency in the first style/s.
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A good percentage of “karate” schools are what I call “McDojos” - they are heavy on kata, tradition, and a rainbow of belt colors all designed to keep you there and promote you through dozens of belts and sub-belt levels. Oh yeh - there’s often a fee for everything:)
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A small number of schools maintain a balance between tradition and the reality of the street. Again - few & far between.
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Most “karate” tournaments are glorified “tag” contests that foster techniques that will get you maimed or killed on the street.
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Many times, the instructor of the style is more important than the actual style itself. As an example - I’ve actually met a few kick ass Tai Chi instructors over the years - men who could easily kick ass on many karate sensei!!! The flip side? Does the instructor make a technique both work & look simple because of tremendous physical ability - something that would be negated in a “mere mortal” type individual?
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If you are considering training at a certain school - go and watch several classes to see if it is what you want in the way of techniques, philosophy, etc. (e.g., Do they teach with the same warrior mindset that you use in your firearms training?)
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When watching “street techniques” - keep in mind the “rule of 3s”. Specifically - most techniques are useless if it they require more than three steps (preferably less), and if it takes more than three times to “learn” them.
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Even if they teach “street techniques” - the techniques may not be valid! The use of simunitions or paint covered blades will tell you a lot about the efficacy of the techniques. (FWIW - When I first started training several decades back - it was a totally different societal and legal environment. We (foolishly?) trained with live blades for knife defense. Validity was determined by who went to the ER with a blade through their arm:)
Just my 02 cents worth:)
jm