Best Martial Art for Real-life
 

I am thinking about taking a martial arts class this yr. Tae Kwon Doe seems like it won't be too helpful in real life. Right now I can either do Hapkido or Aikido, which one do u guys think is better for real-life situations?

jui-jitsu

most fights end up on the ground, so i guess some sort of grappling or ju jitsu

if those are your only 2 choices, i don't know which would be better

take up shootfighting... modern art of combined skills of vale tudo, jui jitsu, muay thai, tae kwon do and karate.

Combo of kick boxing and jui-jitsu

I studied several styles for several years and my favorite was Hapkido. I felt that was the best suited for real life situations... and I've been in a few and the training helped me every time.

What I loved about Hapkido was all the wrist locks and throws. Even to this day, I can wrap people in some seriously painful grabs without thinking of the movements. If I were you, I'd go with that style.

- PornAddict

Dont forget Judo. Back in junior high this tough guy starts picking on a quiet person and made him mad. The quiet person was already a black belt times 6. The tough guy swung at him once then spent the next five minutes flying in the air. Each time the tough guy got up the judo kid just flipped onto another lunch table. I had never seen a person thrown the high up in my life. It was an awsome display of talent.

Mua Thai, that way, only one of you ends up on the ground

Aikido. "Earn your frequent flyer miles here."

Kenpo would be the best. It was specifically created for self defense. My man used to be an instructor!

thanks for all the help

Avoid karate and kungfu, go for jujitsu, judo, and of course boxing and kick-boxing.

Brazillian Ju-jitsu is best hands down!:thumbsup

Gun-Can-Do

new LA street style...works all the time

A handgun. Anything less would be uncivilized.

kung fu:D

JKD

Jiu Jitsu is awesome because it doesn't rely on strength. It's really good in a situation where you are smaller or weaker than your opponent.

It's also advisable to take muay thai, or some form of kickboxing... because not all fights end up on the ground.

Mixed martial arts... I love it ;)

Not sure if that fits the martial arts category but works.

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

I learned both Aikido and Judo (around 3 years of both).
I fould that Aikido was best suited for me at the time, as it was the most effective in disabling multiple attackers quickly who may be using weapons. Most of the defensive attacks were instant in disabling the attacker.
Judo seemed to focus more on throws and getting an attacker on the ground. I found this not to be very practical, as once you get the opponent in a hold on the ground, you were vulnerable to be kicked by your attacker's friends.

Mind you, I'm a tall but thin guy and was living in an area where I'd more likely be jumped by more than one attacker, so these factors weighed in heavily in choosing Aikido as my main area of focus. It's fast and brutal... no jumping around and sparring, just single-shot disabling moves.

YMMV

Thai Boxing.

Aikido is gay. You need to spend atleast 10 years in training before you can do any real damage.

*shrug* not for what I needed it to do. I'm not saying that I could win against a well-trained martial-art's fighter... I'm saying that 99% of all threats that any of us will encounter will be street-fighting brawlers or muggers, and it's very effective in a quick disabling situation.

It creates 1/2 second openings, which is all that's needed for a single serious blow. A full-force blow to the throat, a thumb in the eye, a step-down on the kneecap, etc.

I'm not a fighter by nature, so the only fair fight is one that I can avoid. I've had much more practice at avoiding fights than I have at being in them, but if I NEED to defend myself, Aikido works for me.

jujitsu i think is the best

:1orglaugh such a good idea, If someone came at me with a knife, i wouldnt want to jump up and kick him around a bit and look stylish - i'd want him on the floor right there and then

Gracie Jujitsu

http://www.gracieacademy.com/

Krav Maga

the official self defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces that teaches real life hand to hand combat

That's another good question....


Out of all these styles, how long before you are fairly proficient in them?

join a debate club - talk your way outa fighting

tai-chi, hands down.

Absolutely.

Couple that with some jui-jitsu and it is a very difficult style to defeat. (or defend against)

Depends on the instructor and one's own level of commitment.

Can be as little as 6 months to develop an arsenal of good basic skills, or as much as 2 years.

Silly, but... so fucking true.

If you want to fight with someone on the street, vale tudo or wrestling would probably be the best. I have been training boxing for a few years now and I'm really happy with it. The main thing is to keep in shape :thumbsup

I have trained in various styles for the last 27 years, Tae Kwon Do (Rhee & Traditional), Wing Chun, Karate, Ninjitsu, Aikido, Boxing, and Jeet Kune Do. I have gained overall from every style I have studied.

The main thing I have learned from training myself and others is that you must do something that suits your individual style and eventually become style-less.

I would suggest that you decide whether you want to focus on a hard or soft style and that you go to a Dojo and as many classes on different styles as you can and watch before taking on a style.

And remember to always practice the art of fighting without fighting and being where punch is not. :)

.45 works all the time!

kung fuuuuuuuuuuu

Kung Fu is bad ass! :thumbsup