I am really unlucky (or Enworld martial artists help me part 2)...

[zdanboy]

Hello!!

After a long time of non-posting I am back.....

And as usual I have the same problem.....my old dojo which I trained Hung Gar in closed.......the cause was the death of the sifu in a car accident ....

So I am again left without a dojo...but I plan to change that....

I made some basic research and came up with those martial arts to study (keep in mind that I am targeting street effectivness as one of the major factors):

1. Hwa Rang Do
2. Judo
3. Muay Thai
4. Goju-ryu Karate

So, being almost tradition, I humbly ask.....what do you think would be the best one??? Keep in mind I prefer striking and kicking+weapon combat to grappling....altough I know grappling skills are a must....

 

[Drakmar]

hey again. Sorry to hear that.

I would probably go with Hwa Rang Do. But.. whatever you do, for street effectiveness... pick a particular defense/strike combo and practice it well 10,000 times.. (man.. how many times have I heard my sifu say "do that 10,000 times")

this may give you some more insight.
http://www.hwarangdo.com/

I would proabably try and keep doing some of the conditioning and strengthening exercises that you should have learnt doing Hung Gar.

Pity you can't still do Hung Gar.. it's the best.

 

[Drakmar]

This site might be able to give you a location in Poland for anothe Hung Gar school.

http://www.ehga.org/eng/

One thing.. if you find a style that "speaks to you" do it. Even if it involves a 40 min drive (like mine does)

in the long run it is definately worth it.

 

[Gallo22]

I've tried and practiced many difference styles of martial arts, the best one is the one that works for you! No one style is perfect or fits everyone. There will always be techniques that work for you and ones that don't, no matter what style you take. Find a teacher you are comfortable with and a style that fits you. Also, you can end up going to two different schools that teach the exact same style and they can be completely different. If you take it seriously (which it sounds like you do) , you'll know inside if its for you. Always go with your instincts and your heart.

I also drive 45 minutes to my school (120 minutes from work) and I could go to a school right in my town if I wanted to, but my schoolis worth the drive.

Gallo22

 

[kengar]

I'm not familiar with Hwa Rang Do, so I can't speak to that one.

Judo and Muay Thai are both "sport-based" martial arts, but that doesn't keep them from teaching a variety of effective defense techniques. A lot of it depends upon the emphasis of the dojo and the instructor(s).

I studied Japanese Goju-Ryu for a few years. At my dojo, we did not compete in tournaments and took a fairly traditional approach. The emphasis was on crispness of techniques and kata. Sparring was for green belt and higher only. Not full contact, but full speed.

I learned a lot that made me feel much more confident about protecting myself, but the emphasis was not on "street defense."

Gojuryu tends to emphasize hand over leg techniques (60-40ish) and a combination of linear and circular blocks and strikes. (Go "hard", and Ju "soft").

A lot will depend on the sensei and the dojo, of course, but I hope this bit of information helps.

 

[Angcuru]

I prefer the good old method of "DODGE+Punch in back of the head" when it comes to street defense, but this all seems quite interesting.

 

[LGodamus]

honestly for street defense ,none of the arts you listed are going to cut it. Muay thai is gonna come closest however. Truthfully avoid judo....it will get you hurt on the street, karate and hwa rang do about the same effective level for street use.
I dont wanna sound down on them they all have alot to offer street effectiveness just is not included. Look around for a Bujinkan Ninpo dojo and check it out...

 

[med stud]

I can only speak for muay thai (which Ive been training for three years): It will make you strong and durable, and for a standing fight you learn how to use elbows and knees and some very easy but also efficient holds (like grabbing the head of someone and put a knee in the face; not allowed in many countries, but efficient on a self defence level). I wouldnt trust muay thai for self defence though.

If I felt that I really needed to defend myself, I would learn as much as possible about knife fighting and carry a knife on my person. A skilled knife user can take out any unarmed aggressor very easy, and you dont have to be at a disadvantage if someone else draws a knife.

 

[Drakmar]

LGodamus, I would have to disagree with you with regards to street defence. Personally, I believe that all martial arts can be used for self-defence on the street... it is all about how hard you train, and how you train. The way I see it is that if it was used as a Fighting Art in the past.. there has to be some merit in it somewhere.. you just have to find it.

For example.. the one I do, Hung Gar, would be quite effective in a street fight. But ONLY if you trained hard, and effectively.

One of the major flaws with most schools is that they only teach you how strike and attack. They don't condition you to take real blows.. Boxing teaches that.. so does Kickboxing. Some kung fu schools that use traditional training methods do.

Personally.. I doubt my knowledge of Hung Gar, and the amount I have trained in it would have much impact in how a street fight went. Give me 10 years of training properly, and it would.

one of the things my sifu says is.. pick a defence/attack combo.. one that you feel comfortable doing.. one that is fairly generic.. and practice that one 10,000 times (actually he says that about everything). Just like everything.. you want to be good at it.. you rinse and repeat.

One of my sifu's students.. has been training with my sifu for about 15 years. he likes bars. he has an aggresive personality, especially when under the influence. He trained HARD for a quite a long time.. my bet would be on him in a street fight... now.. another one of his students.. trained for the same time.. nope.. he'd lose, but he is really good at forms.

 

[ThomasBJJ]

Well, I'm a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guy myself. But... The most effective striking art in modern Mixed Martial Arts (Ultimate Fighting) is Muay Thai.

I know that "Ultimate Fighting" is not "true streetfighting" but is the closest thing we'll ever have to test what works and what doesnt.

Over the last 10 years since "No Holds Barred" type competition hit america with the first UFC in November of 1993, two styles have risen to the top...

Brazilian JiuJitsu and Muay Thai.

Opinions, being what they are, will surely differ. But results dont lie.

Muay Thai CAN be pretty hard on the body though, so keep that in mind. If all else fails, good old western Boxing mixed with some basic freestyle wrestling skills never hurt.