# question



## drummingman (Oct 19, 2006)

hi all.i was wondering what style of martial art is generally considered the most effective for real world self defense for standing up fighting and for ground fighting? from what i can tell japanese jujitsu is a good style for this but i can't really tell about other styles.
i have never really studied martial arts,except for a brief time in muay thai,so i have lots of questions.
the styles that have caught my intrest the most has been aikido,japanse jujitsu and ed parkers american kenpo.im not really sure which style is the best for real self defense,but all the styles have something about them that i like.
thanks for you thoughts and help.


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## Cirdan (Oct 19, 2006)

Both Ju Jutsu and Kenpo are probably good arts for self defense. Aikido takes a long time to gain proficency in, but can be very useful in defending your self. 

As for what art is the best (for anything), you are more likely to get hit by a falling two-headed elephant dropping out of the clear sky in the middle of a field than getting a straight awnser. The bottom line is that the school is probably more important than the style.


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## bydand (Oct 19, 2006)

Agree with Cirdan 100%.  It all depends on the individual and their instructor.   What you may find working well for you may be totally wrong for me due to differences in age, flexability, body composition and 1000 other variables.  The biggest factor (and I think 99% of the people here would agree) is the quality of the instruction.  

Good luck on your quest to find the Art that best fits you.  Try as many different ones as you can, until you find the instructor that can impart their knowledge, in a manner you find comfortable.


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## charyuop (Oct 19, 2006)

I have always assumed that if a Martial Art style was created and it survived years or centuries there is a meaning.
As I read in a book sometime ago, the word for Martial Art in Chinese is "Wushu". Wu is formed by two words, if I well remember, "to end" and "weapon"...thus to stop a fight. From here you can understand that a Martial Art is intended as last resource to end a fight. Not all Martial Art provide specific moves to attack an opponent, but they all provide the tools to defend from an attacker. They all have movements that let you control your opponent (immobilizing through pain or breaking a bone/tendin) or they all have movements that can lead you to end the fight with the death of the opponent.
In my opinion in a fight in the street they are all equally effective, it is not up to the Martial Art style to defeat the opponent, but up to the person using it. You can knock out someone even without MA instruction.
If you lack of speed, agility, reaction time and other little things, you can know perfectly any kind of Martial Art, but that won't help you in a fight.

The choice of the Martial Art shouldn't be done according to effectiveness or to how cute moves are to show off in front of friends, but according to what you want to achieve with it. They all will train your mind and body, just some of them will train more certain parts than others.

Just my 2 cents.


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## still learning (Oct 19, 2006)

Hello, Try Judo....great stuffs.  But most martial arts should teach you "awareness"  and to avoid troubles.

The more I am learning about "Judo" the more one realize how effective this art is!

Have being doing Kempo and Karate for awhile. Just my thoughts on this..but you should look into it........Aloha


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## matt.m (Oct 19, 2006)

Well I agree insomuch as that the more you learn, if you are a responsible human being, then the less you will have to defend yourself.  Five years in the Marine Corps taught me a ton about situational awareness.

I will say though, JiuJitsu is an art I believe to be a great up and on the ground type of sd art, I studied Judo for years.  However, I believe hapkido to be the most functional self defense art.  

Some will agree, some will disagree.  That is ok.  The main point is that you get into a class that teaches aspects that you are looking for and continue down that path.


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## drummingman (Oct 19, 2006)

thanks for the replies and help everyone.im still trying to find the style that is best for me.
at this point im going to different schools in my general area and calling others that a little far away. i would drive a bit to study if the school teaches what im looking for.


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## ArmorOfGod (Oct 19, 2006)

Here is how I look at it:

Q: What is the best martial art?
A: Blue

In other words, there is no answer to that question.  Just jump in and try a few out.  Pick one that suits you in particular, for whatever reason.  Also, don't lump a style in one bracket.  By that, I mean that one taekwondo teacher may be teaching junk, but another down the road may be teaching a great version of that style.

Good luck.

AoG


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## airdawg (Nov 3, 2006)

As Mr. Parker put it. "The only pure martial art is when pure knuckle meets pure face."


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## Journeyman (Nov 3, 2006)

drummingman,

 I've noticed you're having trouble deciding on a martial art.  I'm wondering if you've checked out this place: http://championma.com/Don't know much about Chun Kuk Do other than it was created by Chuck Norris based on Tang Soo Do.  Norris got on the BJJ bandwagon fairly early even before the UFC started up.  He's a black belt in Machado BJJ, so I figure there's bound to be some BJJ influence in Chun Kuk Do.  No idea what kind of reputation CKD has, but it might be worth looking into.​


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## still learning (Nov 4, 2006)

Hello, Judo is more than you think.  Try it for a while..sign up and join...than you will know how effective it is....

It teaches things that will work for anyone, in Judo the smaller person is taught how to throw the bigger person all the time.

Many people think the striking arts are the best way to learn to defend yourself.....yet many fights get tangle first...this is where JUDO comes into play and Judo will teach you to play to win.

Try a few classes than you will understand how GREAT Judo is!!!!. ...Aloha


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