You gotta admit it looks pretty effective 
Martial arts threads rarely end well.
Muay Thai and juijitsu schools are plentiful due to the resurfacing of mma. both very effectiveā¦ just make sure you go to a reputable school. American kickboxing is my thing. ymmv.
Edit to say: many people may tell you that mt and jj are not effective in real life sceneriosā¦ do your research firstā¦ I, personally, disagree with such statements.
Full disclosure:) I am a Godan Renshi in Isshin Ryu karate.
Some things to considerā¦
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While certain styles have pros and cons - the same can be said of the instructors within any one style. Always observe a class for at least a month before considering joining. Talk to beginners in the school - and talk to senior students. If there are any LEOs in the class - talk to them about the applicability of what is taught. (Yes - you CAN teach both traditional martial arts with all of the kata and whatnot along side of actual modern day street techniques!!!)
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No one style āhas it allā. So, in addition to my basic style - I have also cross-trained in aikido, juijitsu, arnis and shinkendo. As Bruce Lee said - ātake what is usefulā from each style.
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Although there are always exceptions, I counsel people in your position as follows:
Stay away from ātournament orientedā styles. Tournament fighting can get you killed or maimed on the streets. Some styles - in their home country! - arenāt even classified as martial arts!!! Instead - they are considered a āsportā.
Stay away from styles that espouse āmeridiansā or ādeath touchā (dim mak) techniques that are coupled with a heaping serving of yin & yang.
Stay away from styles that have a zillion belt levels, and charge an arm & a leg for testing at each of those levels. (Usually accompanied by a requirement to purchase all uniforms and gear through the school:)
Stay away from schools that promise that you will be a āblack beltā in 18 - 24 months!!!
Stay away from schools that teach kids. The stuff you want to know is not the type of material that should be passed on to a 12 year old!
Stay away from schools that want a huge amount of money (thousands!!!) and multi-year commitments.
Stay away from schools that donāt use some degree of ācontactā in training, i.e., you need to know what itās like to get knocked on your ass after taking the mother of all punches or kicks!!!
Stay away from schools that have excessive restrictions in terms of how you fight/spar in class. True - everyone needs to go home at the end of the night, and make it in to work the next day. But if you train to avoid certain targets over & over in the dojo, or if you simply pitty-pat spar with your opponent - you will likely do so on the street. Example - in my old dojo I always allowed punches/kicks to the neck and groin. Yes - you still canāt gouge eyes or kick against the knees in class - but there ARE actually ways to train for that so as to have it in your ātoolboxā when you need it.
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Donāt be afraid to bail on a school (after giving it a decent try:) if it isnāt what you want! Hell - I used to let students go because they werenāt the right āmatchā for my style and method of teaching.
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Mindset and focus trump style or belt ranking ANY day!!!
jm
PS - There are cases where an officer actually disarmed the perp of his knife, and then turned right around and gave it back to him. Why? Because in their dojo - they did knife drills OVER & OVER - and always gave the blade back to their ātraining partnerā to continue the drill. It is NOT a training partner!!! It is an opponent - treat him as such!
Alsoā¦ look up dog brothers.
Just to throw some actual advise in here I am a brown belt in jiu jitsu and while not geared towards use with weapons, putting someone on the ground and out of the fight with a nice mounted triangle (my favorite) is very convenient since pretty much all fights end on the ground. And knowing that, it is really interesting to see what black belts in karate and tkd do when that happens.
Thank you for all the advice. I clearly have some research to do, and the above will definitely help with that. Obviously my choice will also be driven by whatās available around me too, with a schedule I can coordinate with work. I really appreciate the input.
Erik
Lemme know where if you find someone who teaches the Gun Kata. It is the most coveted of forms IMHO.
And its probably interesting that once you voluntarily go to the ground either a) bad guyās buddy is there to have a boot party on your face/back of your head or b)bad guy gets freaked out by not being comfortable on the ground and sticks you with a blade repeatedly but you were to close to see what his hands were doing. BJJ has its place, but it is weight-class dependant and as far as reality-based training goes, giving up mobility and opportunity to get the ef out of there, seems to be more of a con than a pro in āgraveā situationsā¦
this is a valid point that I should have made. jj compliments other fighting styles well, however, I would never count on it as my primary fighting style. it is very weight dependant and, like Huklbrry stated, if youāre grounded with someone and his buddy decided to Nazi stomp you, youāll wish it hadnāt gone to the ground.
Thanks. It seems that the easiest to find near me is some form of MMA training.
Exactly why the first thing we learn is to leave the fight and only engage/go to the ground with them if necessary. Nothingās stopping that guyās friend from jumping in to begin with, and it would be foolish to get in any kinda of fight with odds stacked against you like that. You never voluntarily go to the ground thatās just how fights happen. And yes bjj is a great compliment to other fighting styles for that reason.
Learn some of the ones suggested. No one style is the greatest. A combination of styles helps you to get out of a situation easier.
Just wanted to post a quick thought:
While I am personally a fan of practical martial arts, and feel a guy should have some training in how to fightā¦
I think this is lost on the average citizen. You cannot convince me that teaching a 95 lb. girl ācombativesā is a good ideaā¦ or a guy in a wheelchair, or an old dude with a bad back and kneesā¦
This is why I stress the firearmā¦ This simple machine allows the above mentioned examples to hold their own against more physically powerful threats. In an ideal world, everyone would be a lethal, multi-discipline fighting machine. In the real world, that is simply impractical.
If you are a guy who makes a living going into harms way, then Iām all for training in ācombativesā.
Use caution. schools that advertise mma might just be jumping on the bandwagon and may just be in it for the money. remember, youāre looking to train to potentially defend your lifeā¦ itās a big investment and a lifelong commitment to staying in decent shape, eating healthy, and keeping a clear mind. invest in a reputable school for your h2h trainingā¦ just like you would a carbine or pistol class.
Ah! sound advice from the man with the most mad ninja skillz! really, thoughā¦ good point.
Couldnāt agree more! I catch a lot of flak when I tell folks I think there should be a lower weight limit for applicants to PDs. Having taught MAs and defensive tactics for a couple of decades now - I can say that there are certainly some mean-ass ladies out there in the lower weight ranges. When all is said and done, and with all other factors equal - 9 out of 10 times, victory goes to big bore, big cubes, or the bigger body. Others argue - yes, she may be 110#, but thatās why she has a gun!!! Such folks have no concept of the pyramid of force LEOs must follow, and the legal nightmare that ensures if they donāt. Civvies, OTOH, shine in this area. A 90# granny with a 30 ounce pistol comes close to balancing the equation when a BG breaks into her house in the middle of the night:)
While I understand the point youāre trying to make, based on that logic everyone should train for 400 yard sprints.
I think that we can assume that for most civilians itāll be an involuntary fight chosen by the attackers and that the option of disengaging may already have been closed off.
I would submit that many fights go to the ground because one or both of the parties have a weak stand up game.
For most people the only grappling skills they would actually use for a street fight are positional dominance, escapes and counters to being taken down.
Dealing with multiple attackers is a reality just as going to the ground or striking would be. Anybody who wants to be well rounded will have to inevitably break out of their comfort zone and work to develop the areas theyāre weak in whether itās a grappler learning stand up or vice versa.
Iām a bit confused by your statement- how do you define ācombativesā and how is that different from āā¦ a guy should have some training in how to fightā¦ā ?
So whatās the weight cut off for women? 110 lbs? 130lbs? 260lbs?Streetfights donāt have weight divisions and itās the guy in the wheelchair or the old dude with the bad back and knees who are most vulnerable to predators.
If the only tool in the toolbox is a hammer then all your problems will start to look like nailsā¦
Firearms are great for situations that escalate to deadly physical force but thereās a huge gap that needs to be crossed before that.
Besides which not everyone has access to a firearm, that 95 lb girl may be a 19 yr old freshman in college or that guy in the wheelchair may live in NYC or Chicago where the law prohibits them from having a firearm.
Firearms may be simple machines but it still requires time and money to train.
I find that an odd statement on a forum where civilians routinely take classes on everything from AK47ās to low light CQB.
Itās only as practical as you want it to be, if you want to be a great 3 gunner then youāre going to have to put the range time in on all 3 weapons.
Want to be a well rounded fighter? Youāre going to have to put the time in on the mats and on the pads. The reality is that it takes a lot more work and sweat to be a good ācombativesā fighter than it does to be a good shooter.
What Iāve found is that for most people its a lot easier to spend 3 days on the range at a class shooting at cardboard than it is to go to a martial arts class twice a week for a year getting tired, sweaty and potentially injured. Everybody is busy or has kids or works late or whateverā¦
There are plenty of martial arts guys who dismiss guns because they donāt want to put the work in and will make all sorts of excuses as to why wonāt get one and train with it, the same holds true for gun guys who donāt want to make the time to learn combatives.
Katar- I used to train BJJ(we covered stand up as well) with a girl that weighed around 100#. In most cases it is about leverage, not strength. She handled herself well. I would have wanted her on my side more than many guys. She could take a punch or kick. It seems, for guys or girls, that taking punches/kicks in practice prepares one for the real deal both mentally and physically. I regularly have my wife train with me and she also can take a shot and give one. We lived in a semi-bad area while in school and I convinced her to train. She still continues to do so. I havenāt seen another tough lady this size at any subsequent dojo.
However, I do see what you are trying to convey. I would say most small women arenāt going to train to the level sufficient to deal with a large threat. In the end, it does get to a point when the size disadvantage is so lopsided that the best even a skilled small woman can hope for is to limit her damage and try for a eye gouge, nut crush/kick, throat strike, or knee kick. A small woman that could stick and move quickly could potentially come out on top but she is going to get damaged.