Which martial art do you think would be the most practical on the street?

@Muteki (114)
Japan
July 16, 2010 8:37pm CST
I am a fan of martials arts, one of the reasons I came to live in Japan. And I have been practicing quite a few for most of my life. Many should be appreciated as "Arts" and not seen as something that would help you in a real situation. Which martial art or fighting sport do you think would help you the most in a real street fight? I think the following. 1. Plain old boxing 2. Kickboxing (Japanese style) Elbows and knees 3. Aikido (A passive martial art, using your opponents strength against them)
6 responses
• Philippines
17 Jul 10
TAEKWONDO is the BEST!!!
@Muteki (114)
• Japan
17 Jul 10
While Taekwondo looks fancy, I personally believe it's one of the least practical martial arts out there. Simply due to the fact that its aroun 95% kick based. It does't matter how fast your kicks are, they can't complete with hand speed, which would be mostly in a street/bar fight. Kicks may not help you when snooker, cues, glasses and bottles are flying.
@uath13 (8192)
• United States
21 Jul 10
Afraid I have to agree with Muteki. I studied Taekwondo some & found it useful in refining my kicks but as a style it was far too showy & limiting. Once closed upon or grabbed Taekwondo is out of it's element.
@uath13 (8192)
• United States
21 Jul 10
Personally I find a blend of the martial arts to be most effective. If you focus too much on one you limit yourself.
@Muteki (114)
• Japan
21 Jul 10
Yes, like Bruce Lee said. A fighting style should not be based on fixed forms. "You put water into the cup, the water becomes the cup, water can flow and it can crash - be the water my friend".
@rosdimy (3926)
• Malaysia
17 Jul 10
The effectiveness of any martial art systemin real life depends on factors like 1) The environment/surroundings. 2) The weather. 3) The fighting style used by the opponent. 4) Personal fitness. 5) Mental strength. It is due to these factors that most martial art schools evolve, even those which at the beginning claimed to be the best in the world. It happened after their exponents lost in at least one street fight. I prefer Silat Pukul Pelaga. Before I go on I would like to stress that silat is a general word for any martial art system originating in the Malay Archipelago. When Pukul Pelaga started to surface it was different from most silat schools. In fact there were silat exponents who said that Pukul Pelaga was not silat. Pukul Pelaga stresses on practical moves compared to other silat schools which put greater emphasis on dance routines. The movements are graceful but many are impractical in a no-holds barred fight. Things have changed with many silat schools copying Pukul Pelaga while claiming that they are original and the best.
@o0jopak0o (6394)
• Philippines
17 Jul 10
well a combination of old school boxing and judo.
• Philippines
17 Jul 10
when i saw your post i had in my mind aikido and boxing and then i got to read the entire post and saw you had it listeddown in truth no single martial arts or fighting style will work if it requires you to do a series of fancy moves or sequences the important thing is either you get to disable or destroy your opponent's abilities to harm you in a few seconds or you run as fast as you can. i choose to run first if i can to avoid any untoward harm happening to me and if i have no other choice, then all bets are off. just remember to use your environment to your advantage and practice everyday so that the moves become a natural part of you
@Makarony (29)
• Philippines
21 Oct 11
What about muay thai? I think it's good at street fight. By the way, is muay thai the same as kickboxing? I'm still at lost about that.