Martial arts?

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Martial arts are practical... in most cases.

Sport martial arts aren't, really. In Judo, for example, a lot of the techniques wouldn't work against anyone who's trained in a practical martial art. They'd be able to counter them rather easily. But with two fighters only allowed to use Judo techniques, those techniques are advantageous.

Kung fus are practical, but only if you're properly trained. The problem tends to be more along the lines of a lack of training than a lack of practicality.

Now, an interesting argument that's persisted through the ages is this: Which style is best?

Well, that's the wrong question. Here's why: These are the three most important things for a fighter, in order from most important to least important:

1. Strength (meaning physical attributes, such as strength, speed, and agility)
2. Courage (meaning fighting spirit)
3. Technique (the fighting style)

And the third one is far down there. As long as the style that you use can counter the style your opponent is using (and, as long as it's not a sport martial art, it should be able to), then the only things that are really important are the first and the second.

I trained in Roshambo once. I got a brown belt...and was kicked right below there.

I used to do a lot of Kobudo, and Judo as a kid.

Started with Hap-Ki-Do and moved on to Judo.

Judo is in my opinion the best of them for real world application in self-defense.

"1. Strength (meaning physical attributes, such as strength, speed, and agility)
2. Courage (meaning fighting spirit)
3. Technique (the fighting style) "

I would say the order is

1. Courage (meaning fighting spirit)
2. Technique (the fighting style) "
3. Strength (meaning physical attributes, such as strength, speed, and agility)

If you dont have the guts to see a fight through 2 and 3 are useless. You can be the fastest, strongest, most agile person in the world but if the other guy knows how to defeat your fighting technique then physical attributes dont help much. Technique is the key to it. Once you realize that when you have to fight in self-defense (not in a silly tournament match) you will be up against someone who has no idea what your technique is nor you what technique he uses (if any). In that situation its courage, skill and luck that determine the outcome.

I have a black belt in Kung Fu San Soo, which is very similar to Krav Maga, in that it has no kata and is based on simple effective strikes to vulnerable areas and movement.

In college I took up Judo and Muay Thai. I also did quite a bit of Jiu-Jitsu and yang style Tai Chi.


In my opinion, in a real fight, the things I learned from Muay Thai and Judo are by far the most effective.

In my (very) limited experience with Judo, it seems to be careless about keeping the practitioner away from a concealed knife.

In general, I don't approach real-life self-defense as a fight (as in, an exchange of attacks resulting in a complete domination/submission of an opponent).

No, I approach it as a situation where I need to maximize my chances of getting out alive, even if I am in far worse physical shape than the assailant.

In that sense, I find Jeet Kune Do concepts of "immediately entering past any attack" to blend nicely with more formalized approach to similar concepts in Aikido. Enter in like lightning, stun and run away.

Just started learning judo, really enjoying it.

Regardless if you own a weapon, you should learn to defend yourself with your bare hands.

Just in case people don't get the message.

BigE, Have you ever heard of the golden moment of attack? This is why countering moves are so effective when executed properly. You do it in between when he is attacking and when he's capable of resisting. The golden moment of attack lasts for less than a second. Those that practice pushing hands (tui shou), a Tai Chi Chuan combat training method, learn to be able to move at the exact moment. It's not about whether a person will resist or not, it's about whether they CAN resist. This is also something that the weight of the knife helps with. The golden moment of attack is slightly longer when weight is added to the end of the arm.

Edit: Found this video about pushing hands. To the average observer, it might seem pretty mundane for the most part, but those that have trained in pushing hands or have advanced knowledge of the subject will see the intricacies in the video (Edit3: Actually, this video is better for the casual observer, by the way: They only do pushing hands for about three minutes. Edit2 removed because it was about the original video):

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBGqrT8sTVk[/youtube]

Edit4: By the way, if you ever get the chance to have the golden moment of attack demonstrated on you by a Tai Chi Chuan master, I suggest you take it. It's an extraordinary thing to watch and to realize what just happened.