Now wisdom says that the best thing to do is walk away, swallow your pride, and don’t get into a fight because street fights are usually unfair as the other guy could have friends that jump in. If it came to it though and a guy really wanted to learn how to hold his own in a fight and not get trucked over, what martial art would make it possible for you to ward off majority of men out there?

Why?

50 comments

  2. Brazilian Jiu Jitzu is both defensive and offensive.
    It is also one where size doesn’t much matter.

  4. Martial arts is all bs. I saw a man bite another man’s lower lip off. You need to have grip strength and be insanely aggressive and horrifically violent.

  6. In my opinion, Judo is definitely worth a look. It’s not about punching or kicking, but rather using momentum to move your opponent. Judo has worked well for me, not that I have been in loads of fights.

  7. Most martial arts can be useful in a fight, just go to an MMA gym and see what parts you enjoy the most

  10. Cardio. Regardless of style, a good portion of fights on the street are decided by who runs out of breath first.

  12. Muay Thai. It’s purely strike focused, with a little grab and knee or elbow thrown in. Turns you from zero to cocky idiot pretty fast, and the workouts are brutal, you’ll shed weight faster than a beached whale. If your gym has open sparring sessions, make sure you participate to keep your ego in check, but also so you gain an understanding of how little skill matters against sheer mass combined with even very basic competence.

  13. Boxing might be your best bet. An untrained opponent will usually swing haymakers at you, which boxing will prepare you for. Also, you don’t really want to go to the ground in the street, so I would say grappling arts shouldn’t be your first focus. Last of all, kicking can be a bit dicey in an uncontrolled environment, very easy to lose balance. Overall, I would suggest boxing, but supplementing that with some muay thai might be a good idea too. Knees and elbows are fantastic weapons

  15. Not a man but I’ve been training in Muay Thai for nearly 10yrs and I would never square up to anyone – man or woman….it’s just not worth the risk. If I ever had to defend myself, I would do just enough to get some space and then run like hell.

    That said, it does build confidence so you carry yourself differently and people can sense that so you can actually avoid a lot of encounters just by that alone (also, just don’t be a dick). If you are going to start training, I would go with BJJ and some kind of stand up for striking – Muay Thai, kickboxing (K1) or boxing. In a lot of ways, I wish I started with BJJ 10yrs ago and then moved to MT.

  16. Boxing or BJJ. Why? Because boxing will teach you how to instictively avoid that opening punch and BJJ will teach you how to get out of a hold. After that’s accomplished, good cardio will get you away from the fight.

  17. Just pull your pants down and wiggle the pickle, ain’t nobody would wanna fight a crazy.

  18. Boxing. Very intuitive (you dont need to think or execute complex techniques, muscle memory takes over), low injury risk in training, and the most important thing: lots of sparring and CARDIO.

    BJJ is the best martial art for a 1vs1 fight, but becomes useless as soon as the other guy has a friend.

  19. The one you consistently do and enjoy. I found grappling to be really fun, some guys like striking better. If you like both there’s MMA which is arguably the most well rounded toolkit.

    I would strongly recommend not fighting. Bad things can and do happen. I’ve trained for eight years now, and only had a few guys pick fights with me since I started, always drunk guys. I’m pretty calm about it, and defuse. I think the calmness is unnerving to ppl who bully. I say all that to say that if it ‘came to it’ I would avoid it at all costs.. don’t want to get stabbed etc

  20. I’m not a pro fighter but mostly any of the “UFC” ones will do.

    The easiest is probably boxing, because most fights start standing up and you can knock somebody with a punch.

    Been in a couple of street fights and the thing that helps the most is cardio, and my size and then boxing.

  22. boxing. if 90% of fights are about voiding or running away, another 9.9 are taking a hit and throwing a good punch.

  23. Some style of ju-jitsu is best for the everyday person. But, not for the reason most people think.

    Yes the submissions are cool and you will learn a lot about body manipulation. But let’s be real for a moment. You are correct that running/walking away is a perfectly viable option when confronted. What happens when someone grabs you or otherwise takes that option away? For that you need to understand how to get out of a hold, back to a point where walking/running away could be an option again

    Nothing against any of the other styles, but in the situation above, you are likely already too close to effectively strike or kick. Which leaves some form of grappling, since that’s the position you are in. Traditional wrestling is likely out as it doesn’t translate well to street clothes and settings – too many rules. Likewise judo is also good, but lacks in some of the closer confrontations.

    Hope you never do need to use any of these skills, but also hopes this helps some.

  24. Most of the people who genuinely want to fight you have been in lots of fights. There’s no substitute for experience. You want a weapon. Stun gun or pepper spray, so you can’t legally be accused of trying to kill them after the fact. Definitely check the laws, though, because you’re way more likely to be caught carrying what you’ve got than you are to actually need it.

    Second, know how to use your weapon. Stun guns as an example, you don’t want to stand back and jab at him. Bear hug and zap him in a few short bursts. Try for exposed skin, but it’ll work through thin fabric too.

    Third, if it takes you more than a second to get your weapon out and use it, you can consider yourself unarmed. If shit goes down, you’re not going to have time to get to whatever you’ve got if it’s in the bottom of a bag or something.

    Fourth, there’s a decent chance the dude has friends around, or a weapon, or both. That, and there’s always a slim chance you might hurt him bad enough to need the hospital, or even kill him, which will lead to charges even if you end up beating them. You really want to avoid a fight if possible. Isn’t it really just as good to stare him down as it is to kick his ass? Don’t jump unless you’re sure that’s where it has to go. But on the other side of that coin, make damn certain you strike first, and go 100% immediately. I cannot stress this enough, if you give him half a second to recover and he’s an experienced fighter, you will lose. Badly.

    TL:DR version: Get a (non-deadly, legal) weapon, know the weapon, have quick access to the weapon, avoid fights, strike first with all you’ve got, don’t stop till he’s down.

  26. Not a martial art. But I’d train cardio first to run away from a fight.

    Fights out in the street aren’t going to end well most times. Either you’d get hurt or you’d hurt someone (leading to potential arrests, etc)

  27. Parkour is my suggestion. At least that will make you better at getting out of a lot more situations. Also it will make you more flexible and able to take a fall. After that you should pick a martial art that mixes well with it as you should never be looking at starting a fight. Avoiding a fight is the best way to not get your ass kicked. Also having more endurance than the person you are fighting will also work in your favor.

  28. Brazilian jiu jitsu and kickboxing. You need to know how to strike while standing and how to defend yourself on the ground if it goes there.

  29. You are definitely right with your first thought that the best thing to do is turn and run. But, you are also right that there are potential situations that you just can’t get away from. I would second Boxing as the best style to learn. It has a few key aspects that are important. It puts a high emphasis on footwork which is important for staying mobile and maybe turning a fight you can’t run from into one you can run from. It also teaches you to have a tight defense and be able to take a hit or two while remaining unaffected.

    The only key skill I would say it is lacking is teaching breakfalls. A breakfall is the skill for being able to fall down without getting hurt by hitting the ground. It is a skill that can become very useful even outside of being in a fight. For example, I’ve used a breakfall after slipping on ice. Boxing takes an approach of not getting off your feet in the first place, which is good but can use a backup for a street fight. A style like Judo or Aikido might not teach you as much about staying on your feet and mobility as Boxing, but they will teach you to fall over without getting hurt and getting back to your feet quickly. If you have time for mixing multiple styles, I would include one of these with boxing. Probably Judo since the skill floor is a bit lower so you are more likely to be able to make use of some of the other techniques it teaches.

  31. Muay Thai (boxing)

    Jiu jitsu

    If you can avoid or initiate the “sucker punch” lot of fights end up in a grapple and jiu jitsu is king there

    I’m bias to jiu jitsu as also it’s a great hobby where the exercise is great and the sparring is largely non blows so you’re not gonna walk out with a black eye

  33. 1v1, definitely grappling like judo or bjj. Almost all amateur fights end up on the floor in a matter of seconds. If he’s more experienced or if its more than one then boxing or muay thai, anything that will hit hard and then get you some distance. Though the best thing you can learn how to do is to de-escalate an altercation, the best way to protect your self is to not fight at all. //country masters 4 years running, judo. Boxing LW district 7 years running

  34. Wrestling/BJJ. Striking can be a bit hit or miss, but grappling is a good way to hold your own in a fight, especially if you’re at a size disadvantage.

  35. kickboxing and bjj/wrestling. Statistically 85% of fights end up on the floor but 99% of altercations start on the feet. so id start with BJJ or wrestling and do muay thai/kickboxing as well. If you want to hold your own in an altercation you should be well rounded!

  36. Just yell loudly “How about I jerk you off?! This guy wants me to jerk him off!” He will immediately back down and be taken off guard. Works 25% of the time every time

  37. The overwhelming majority of people out there have 0 training in combat. Most people I’ve seen don’t know how to throw a decent punch. It’s usually just wild haymakers and random flailing.

    Honestly, practice anything that teaches you how to throw a punch and protect yourself from a punch thrown in your direction.

    However, always remember: The best way to win a fight is to never fight.

    If you have the option to avoid a fight or leave and ignore your attacker, do so. A lot of random shit can happen in a street fight that can result in serious injury or death. Only ever fight if you absolutely, positively have no other option. Period.

  38. I would say kickboxing

    Also the rest what you said is true, you don’t want to fight, you never know if he is alone, if can fight better than he looks, if he is on drugs or if he has a knife. Plus in reality it’s not like in a movie and you can die really easily if the other person wants that and knows how to do it, always remember you only have one life and nothing you have is even close to be as valuable as your life

  39. Female answering but jiu-jitsu. Its all about leveraging the other persons weight against them my instructor always said its for the little guy so technically even if your 5’8″ and hes 6’2″ 200lbs you should he able to fight him. Now thats not 100% always right. I fought in a mens jiu-jitsu class to learn self defense and I held my own against the guys.

    Also it would be wicked to break out jiu-jitsu in the street.

  40. Boxing or Muay Thai. In a street fight, no-one is getting near a boxer without training.

    While BJJ is great for the ground, you’ll do yourself more harm in training injuries over the years than a street fight would get you.

    The main thing with boxing/MT is that you can shell up for 30 secs and let an idiot punch themselves out.

  42. I would suggest doing boxing and judo. Day or two of boxing and day or two of judo a week. If you have more time kick boxing for BASIC low kicks. Judo will teach you how to throw someone on their head relatively quickly, boxing will teach you how to throw passable punches and how to slip under punches relatively quickly.
    Small tips for both;
    if your boxing coach does not put the same emphasis on defense as offense, get a new coach, because you will eat those punches and be out before you know it.
    If your judo coach emphasizes complicated ass throws over practical ones, given that you’re not trying to become a pro fighter, get another coach. You will spend too much time in your head trying to figure out how to drop somebody instead of reacting and doing it.
    Last tip;
    In any training for self defense, SIMPLICITY IS KEY, you hit someone with a well practiced left right, and when they stagger drop them on their head with a simple hip throw and you’re out of there. Fancy combos and all that king fu shit can get you stabbed/pummeled by the attackers friends. Also, don’t be afraid to hit square in the nuts as hard as you can. Makes people forget their own name let aside you.

  43. In past iterations of this thread there has always been at least one bar room bouncer with stories of drunk red necks with beer bellies have beaten the crap out college kids who took karate lessons.

    That kind of fits with my experience.

    You need to get in real fights to prepare for real fights.

    The aforementioned drunken beer bellied rednecks get into fights for fun, are already ugly, and probably feel like they have nothing to lose.

    When I’ve gone to martial arts classes for martial arts other than the one I spent a lot of time on as a teenager I would always shut down whoever I spared with. **I’m not Bruce Lee ( who legend has it sought out real fights so he could test himself and get good ), it is just students in your run of the mill martial arts school are unconsciously expecting to be attack a certain way and with a certain level of aggressiveness.**

    I confused them, they didn’t know what to do. Hesitating in a real fight can get you knocked out. Hence the proverbial bar room bouncer and their stories.

    It takes a long time to learn a martial art to be good enough to defend yourself, and if you don’t practice those techniques regularly you will not be able to do them well in a fight.

    Having written all of that, I would seek out something to women’s defense classes to learn how to avoid fights, temporarily neutralize an attacker so you get away. After that I would go with a martial art made for street fighting reality, like Krav Marga.

  44. Jiu jitsu and wrestling.

    Your average Joe can not defend a blast double and will have no clue how to escape side or back control.

  45. Boxing or No Gi BJJ. I would reccomend BJJ. Its a great confidence builder, and 80% of people do not know how to grapple. you can win a lot of fights you have no business winning if you know and are good at BJJ.

  46. Jogging. It’s best to just run. 1 punch to the back of your head, and you’ll be drewling while wearing a helmet and clapping watching peppa pig the rest of your life. If you can’t run, stick your fingers in his eyes, then run.

  48. Muay thai: size doesn’t matter when you can end a fight in one very well placed kick to the thigh.

  49. A large majority of the issue in a street fight, is the lack of experience in a physical confrontation. Any of the arts will get you accustom to not losing your cool, thinking slow, keying off their movements. I would say most inexperienced brains lock up, and unproductive fight or flight takes over.

    Condition yourself for the experience of conflict.

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