Hi,

I am a skinny guy (180cm, 65kg) and although I don't have any problems with bullys nor any conflicts, I can still appear in a situation where I'd need to fight my way out.

I've bee thinking about starting to learn some form of fighting for self defense for some time now, however I don't know which "style" to choose. I've heard that Krav Maga was specifically developed for such situations (hand to hand, disarming, hostage situations etc.). Then there is kick boxing (very popular here in Bratislava). I've always seen this more as a sport than as a self defense method, although you could still kick some serious ass on the street with kickboxing. Regular boxing and wrestling (not the WWE stuff) are also to consider but not as much.

I can't think of other fighting styles right now. However, I'd like you to help me choose one, that is first of all effective, doesn't have to be very fancy and acrobatic and doesn't require a big and strong person (even though I am working on that - gym, weights, food and so on).

Mainly please post some pros and cons of Krav Maga if you have any personal experience with it. Thank you very much in advance

practice on a well placed kick in the (attackers) nuts and the 100 meter sprint. Should get you out of most situations

pfft Krav Maga,

buy a gun, like a boss.

Quote from imthebestracerthereis :

buy a gun

America's answer to all these subjects. People who feel the need to use a weapon is a faggot in my eyes.

oh please, I was referencing TheLonelyIsland

would you still call me a faggot if it was loaded?


On Topic: In my opinion, start with something that uses your hands, its Defense, then Offense

Oh boy, a self-defense topic on the internet. Here we go. *popcorn*

Quote from imthebestracerthereis :

oh please, I was referencing TheLonelyIsland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NisCkxU544c

Remove testicles and learn this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmHRhgq6UGM

Any attacker will either fall over laughing so hard, or be so surprised that you`ll have time to leg it

If diplomacy cannot win a fight then you've already lost.

U dont need any fighting skills for that. Learn to be over your fear. For me, poopheads fight - or lemme correct myself. Poopoheads, who wanna clear things with fighting. U can harm person much more hardly with words, than psychal. belive me, its 100% true.

lol


do aikido i have had to learn some of it for work very fun and easy to break peoples arms with

Thai Boxing. Great for fitness and you can learn a few good things to help in a street fight. I wouldn't bother with any fancy martial arts when it comes to street fighting all you want to do is knock the dude down (or out) and then gtfo.

Krav Maga outside of Israel is not worth learning. It is quite an interesting martial art, but ultimately ruined by commercialism. The only real Krav Maga belongs in the Israeli armed forces and police, and some select few commercial training centres, none of which exist outside of that country.

Two arts which will put you in good stead in 99% of physical fights:

• Boxing
  
• Judo

Reasons for boxing:

• Simple but extremely effective techniques.
  
• Great for training reflexes to dodge and block punches.
  
• Your skills will be tested in full-contact sparring, so you'll definitely know if you're doing it wrong.
  
• Available just about anywhere, at very affordable prices.

Reasons for Judo:

• The most versatile and effective grappling martial art in existence, with actual measurable proof (multi-style tournament by Tokyo metropolitan police).
  
• Learn to fall safely (this can save your ass in everyday situations).
  
• Learn how NOT to be taken down (considering most fights involve a few wild punches followed by shoving, pushing, and wrestling, this is important).
  
• Learn to control your opponent quickly if a fight goes to the ground, and then get back on your feet.
  
• Legally more defensible than punching or kicking someone's lights out.
  
• Your skills will be tested regularly with full-strength sparring.

You could substitute boxing for muay thai or kick-boxing, and Judo for Brazilian Jujitsu (BJJ is a variant of old Judo -- often called Kano Jujitsu at the time -- circa 1910), depending on availability and cost.

If you can only do one art, do Judo. According to the LAPD, majority of fights involve at least one person ending up on the ground; and in the majority of cases, the person who falls to the ground first loses the fight. Judo will teach you how to maintain your own balance while destroying your opponents, and how to control your opponent while both standing and on the ground.

as for me i do suggest kickboxing or muay thai, it's pretty simple and effective, though you need to add some quickness and rawness into fighting to make it effective. I've seen a kickboxer on street by my own eye, i tell you i wouldn't wanna stand against him. Also you need to do lots of sparring, otherwise you have less efficeny on streets because lack of real opponent practise. Best defence if offence...imo!

Quote from breadfan :

Hi,

I am a skinny guy (180cm, 65kg) and although I don't have any problems with bullys nor any conflicts, I can still appear in a situation where I'd need to fight my way out.

I've bee thinking about starting to learn some form of fighting for self defense for some time now, however I don't know which "style" to choose. I've heard that Krav Maga was specifically developed for such situations (hand to hand, disarming, hostage situations etc.). Then there is kick boxing (very popular here in Bratislava). I've always seen this more as a sport than as a self defense method, although you could still kick some serious ass on the street with kickboxing. Regular boxing and wrestling (not the WWE stuff) are also to consider but not as much.

I can't think of other fighting styles right now. However, I'd like you to help me choose one, that is first of all effective, doesn't have to be very fancy and acrobatic and doesn't require a big and strong person (even though I am working on that - gym, weights, food and so on).

Mainly please post some pros and cons of Krav Maga if you have any personal experience with it. Thank you very much in advance

With any training or whatever you need to mentally correct first before een bothering to enquirer, some facts or the most important fact you'll learn about fighting is you'll get knocked down more then you get back up ( though ive never been decked, thats just me )


imho: play football for stamina, tennis, any sports, they all help your stamina and have added bonus's, bicycle is a great investment then when your getting fitter, start slow, karate/boxing, then onto more styles/disciplines more and more

believe me when i tell you its the best way to go, i done boxing/karate/kickboxing as a kid... Worth its weight in gold though if i could find the time id move on and up, its not their... besides... every arsehole has a .45 these days.

I was going to suggest going to a gym and doing a body attack class or with get buff, or there is the different disciplines of self defense.
So in conclusion my post = fail help.

One of my best friends does Krav Maga, I would never fight him and I have 20 pounds of muscle on him. He could kill me out in about three seconds. According to him, they just learn how to properly beat the snot out of people in as many ways as possible, even if the other person has a weapon. And yes, I have tried to "fake fight" (idk exactly how to put it) with him, and I was on the floor faster than i could realize I was done.

I think it matters less what you take, than how it is taught and how you train though. Every discipline has weaknesses and strengths.

To me my friend's Krav class is taught with the right mind-set compared to some others, with actual fighting every day, instead of memorizing routines. Boxing and Judo are also very good from this standpoint.

Boxing+Weight lifting will make you dominate on street fight, also you get to better shape and finally do sports

Quote from imthebestracerthereis :

oh please, I was referencing TheLonelyIsland

would you still call me a faggot if it was loaded?


On Topic: In my opinion, start with something that uses your hands, its Defense, then Offense

will this work or should he get this?

I should have mentioned that Muay Thai + BJJ makes you one very complete fighter! I would say most MMA fighters train these styles (i don't know for sure simply guessing i don't follow MMA :razz.

I can't see any reason to take up boxing when training Muay Thai gives you boxing skills as well. In fact we spend more time training our hands than we do our legs.

Do or say something really stupid here on forums, and fight your way back. I suggest the "Mike Tyson" method, when all else fails...go for the ears, however I do suggest speaking into said ears as apposed to biting a chunk out of one.

If you really wanna know how to fight, get MARRIED.

Peace.

i've thought about it too but already do rowing 6 times a week. my uncle did some form of kung fu (i'll ask him at some point), which he loved. he's like the least aggressive person i know, but he's 6ft and apparently once he was walking past a night club and some bouncer tried to start a fight with him, and my uncle just kept knocking him down. he's shown me a few moves which would be pretty painful too, that sounds like a good bet to me.

also, didn't bruce lee invent his own style? see if you can do that.

Quote from Luke.S :

will this work or should he get this?

man that barret allmost made me cream my pants :P

i been thinking of buying this

http://www.usedguns.com.au/graphics/EFItrubor.jpg
or this
http://www.usedguns.com.au/graphics/720070066.jpg

Quote from oli17 :

i've thought about it too but already do rowing 6 times a week. my uncle did some form of kung fu (i'll ask him at some point), which he loved. he's like the least aggressive person i know, but he's 6ft and apparently once he was walking past a night club and some bouncer tried to start a fight with him, and my uncle just kept knocking him down. he's shown me a few moves which would be pretty painful too, that sounds like a good bet to me.

also, didn't bruce lee invent his own style? see if you can do that.

Yes he did, called Jeet Kune Do.

Another effective form of self defence is Wing Tsun, a form of Kung Fu which is aimed at winning a fight rather than doing routines. You learn very effective stuff right from the beginning, and yes, you do pronounce it's founder and inventor as "long ding" (Leung Ting) :P

But the most important aspect of self defense training is the raised self-confidence. 99% of the time, it's enough to look like you aren't an easy target. And it isn't about your physique, but simply how you act: If you don't react to someone as if he were a threat to you, most of the time he won't be one.