Great wisdom as always by Stephan and Richie. One thing that all have to know: Avoid going to the ground in a street fight. If your opponent takes it to the ground, try to stand up as soon as possible. If not, you will be kicked in the head. That's the harsh truth. Keep it standing and try to disengage from the fight and run away, if it's possible. Thanks for another one great video!
Really refreshing to hear it from bjj experts too. You see bjj work a lot in consensual 'ego' fights and other 1v1s (which it is highly effective at) but in a brawl or with potential multiple attackers, going to the ground is a pretty bad idea- even clinching is undesirable. Each further stage of commitment removes your ability to disengage one step further. Giving up all mobility in a chaotic self defence situation with multiple possible aggressors is a very bad move and this is pretty obvious if you see footage (or the real thing) of such situations. The only art I've seen evidence of handling multiple opponents in a 'real' self defence situation is western boxing. That's not to say bjj and grappling are useless- they are highly useful if you find yourself in a clinch or grappling situation (to escape, survive or capitalise), furthermore they allow safe application of less injurious force and are viable options in more predictable situations. Bjj also arguably has the advantage that it provide a relatively large advantage for relatively little training time, allowing more reliable overcoming of large weight disparities without requiring expert level competence. Your best bet to learn to fight is either MMA, or a combination of a legit striking art and a legit grappling art. Alongside actually learning to fight, you can also pick up self defence specific training, regarding reading body language, de-escalating, strategy for different situations etc. Also, for godsake- don't take part in consensual fights. De-escalate, don't react. Most ego-fighters will not attack someone who is not mirroring their aggression (but be aware of those that indicate that they are about to). For more serious situations, run.
i think the most underrated aspect of judo self defence wise is the amount of throws where you dont have to follow them to the ground. thats provides a lot of options
Where I learned aikido, we did free sparring at the end of every class. We also didn't skip the atemi waza (striking techniques). I didn't realize until years later that the way I trained was atypical. I actually thought people were just unreasonably hard on aikido... until I saw it I other schools and videos. For my part, I now teach the way I trained. We do aikido and kyushojitsu, two of the most notorious "bullshido" arts out there, but everything I teach has been rigorously pressure tested and yes, it has availed me in real life self defense situations, including prison, so I'm pretty confident. That being said, I'm not claiming to have some ultimate martial art, I'm just saying it's functional. You won't find any "no touch KO" BS with me. We don't strike people on their arms and magically render them unconscious. We target and attack vulnerable points of the anatomy in scientific ways, and we train to do so under pressure. We also train weapons, improvised weapons, and survival skills at advanced levels. When it comes to self defense, it's all about neutralizing the threat and/or creating a window to escape. A solid knock out is good, but a dislocated knee, broken arm, or just throwing the assailant to the ground and leaving them dazed may be enough to get your out of there, and from a legal standpoint, that's the best thing you could do because even if they threatened you with a knife and you broke their arm, they can still sue you, which is ridiculous, but true. The bottom line is, as was said in the video, anything can work if you train realistically. Spar with live resistance and pressure test your techniques. One thing my sensei taught me about aikido that really sticks with me is that "true aikido is no technique" all the aikido "techniques" taught in class are just tools used to communicate certain principles. Once you have fully integrated those principles into your body, "technique" flows naturally in response to whatever is happening. That, I think, is the biggest reason people doubt aikido, apart from the prevalence of dojos teaching it only as a spiritual or personal development system. Kyushojitsu is similar. Most teachers are just egomaniacs. Point blank. However, kyushojitsu itself underlies many martial arts. It's found in karate, hapkido, jujutsu, various style of Kung Fu (ying jow pai, taijiquan, tanglangquan, bai he quan, she quan, to name a few) utilize qin na, which is like the Chinese version of kyushojitsu but tends to focus more on grappling. We integrate both. I will stop rambling on, but if you want to reach me for any reason my information can be found on the KJWA - USA Facebook page.
The truth is that you should study both a striking art and a grappling art to be prepared (and, in a perfect world, different types of each). Having said that, while BJJ is great I don't believe it would be my initial go-to in a street situation. If I'm facing a legitimate Bad Guy in real time I won't know if he has a friend near by who can kick my head into the next state while I've got Bad Guy 1 in a De La Riva guard. Not to mention the complications of being in close quarters with someone with a knife. On the street, I'd rather maintain distance and stay standing as long as possible (and run if I have the chance).
yeah,i'd pick Muai thai in a street fight.A nice front kick to the knee to keep distance,while having your elbow protect your face,and then maybe a low kick to throw the bad guy or hurt his leg so bad he will think twice to attack.ideal scenario of course,you don't know what can happen in a street fight!
Many thanks for sharing your knowledge and intelligent approach to teaching self defense. I am a fan. Although I feel that boxing is the quickest way to learn defense and BJJ is king on the mat, a hybrid system of combatives is most likely to bring success in a fast and furious street fight. Five tools to master: mind,hand,stick,blade,firearm. When facing off with evil there is no shortcut. Be safe friends.
Completely agree about sparring, but- serious question: In 2018 why do we have to 'box' or do 'BJJ'? Surely the integrated approach is the most efficient. 25 years of MMA has evolved the correct approach of striking, takedowns and submissions. It seems to me that learn to punch, kick, takedown and submit in an environment where you can 'wrestle the puncher', 'submit the wrestler' and 'punch the grappler' is better and more efficient than going to learn to box, then, wrestle, then jiu jitsu, then trying to figure out how to combine them. In my academy, it's integrated from day 1. Guys get self defence skills quickly, and have won amateur MMA titles in 12 months. It's just about finding safe ways to train with real resistance, but without injuries.
I agree that an integrated approach is probably the best so long as you have enough time to train all aspects of the art. For many recreational martial artists though, who can only train 2-3 times a week, I think getting good at one area (especially Jiu-jitsu, but I’m biased) probably has the highest rate of return in the 1 year time period. Be that as it may, I’m sure that you and I are in agreement that sparring and pressure testing are the most important aspects of your training, right?
Absolutely in agreement with the sparring and pressure testing! Also- thank you for putting such good content out there. I have picked up a lot of useful stuff from your videos. Respects from the UK!
Rising Crane I actually think that separate approach is better if you are short on time since most MMA gyms are almost 80/20 in favour of grappling and gnp is not needed for selfdefense
jumping right into mma is very overwhelming it's often too many techniques to learn at once, whereas learning boxing first, being comfortable with those punches, adding in jiujitsu, then kicks, then entering mma.
You don't need to learn it all at once. Jumping in the ring with a pro boxer would be overwhelming! As would rolling with a BJJ champion! The trick is to identify the few key moves and concepts and layer the skills. MMA is a sport like any other. You would not say that 'Rugby is overwhelming, so better do soccer on a monday, and basketball on a tuesday- then later figure out how to put hands and feet together'- 80% of all submissions in MMA come from just FOUR moves. Perhaps learn 4 punches, 4 kicks, 4 takedowns and 4 submissions is not overwhelming- and you would already be fairly competent, with the correct training methods. Layer the advanced skills onto the basics of MMA. It's what I do now, after coaching for 25 years.
I’ve never boxed but I’m sure it’s super effective BUT. When I was younger I witnessed a fight between a guy who was big, strong and a good boxer and the other guy was shorter, older out of shape former wrestler. The boxer never landed a clean shot before he got scooped up and dropped hard then the wrestler guy just tied him up landed a couple of sloppy punches a couple of knees and the boxer guy said “ ok, ok I’ve had enough!” We were all shocked 😳 we thought the boxer guy was indestructible! We were very wrong.
What is your crass and brutally honest opinion, on the controversial mixture of Muay Thai + Peek-A-Boo + Judo combined? Would such a combination of combat styles be considered LETHAL???
I couldn't agree more with regards to emotional preparedness. I had a real street fight when I was in 12th grade and I wound up not getting hurt but that was because the people I fought sucked but I wasn't in a good mental state. I trained myself emotionally after that experience to be prepared and it payed off a couple years later against a few opponents on the street and I was completely fine and was able to be calm throughout the fight and thankfully didn't get hurt and really hurt the thugs I was fighting with. FYI: I think best combo is Kung Fu/BJJ. It gives you the best of stand up fighting and ground fighting and the knowledge of the 2 can eliminate weaknesses in both styles.
Great discussion. I would side with Ritchie on this one: one one one pure grappling may beat pure striking most of the time but striking is what you need to put people down quickly. In self-defense one must assume there could be other attackers and in that scenario grappling as a primary strategy just won't cut it: it's great if you can throw someone quickly, minimize damage when falling on the floor and escape from the ground (fundamental skills which is where grappling shines) but if you rely on closing the distance there's a good chance you will get cornered and beaten by people you may not even have seen approaching you. The same with weapons: if you assume he has a knife on him the last thing you'll want to do is grapple with him because you cannot defend against a knife when you're that close to him. Not to say you will be able to do it at longer range but at least you'll have some sort of chance if only to disengage and run. In order to avoid that risk (assuming he hasn't deployed his weapon already) you use pre-emptive striking whenever someone displays clear pre-threat cues (blading his stance, turning white, becoming silent in the middle of an argument, reaching for his beltline...) and you run before he can retaliate if he's still standing. In essence what you need to be a fairly complete fighter is a mix of striking, grappling and weapons including how to use a knife and a gun if it's legal to carry them. I fully agree sparring is key in developing effective skills, whatever they may be. As is endurance, as is strength. Of course the single best option is to be aware of your surroundings (beats 99% of attackers: if they can't get to you they can't hurt you), don't antagonize people, use common sense and run when a threat emerges. That is what self protection really is about or at least 90% of it. The physical part is more complex and to learn everything it will take a long time. To start you learn very basic boxing in order to effectively strike pre-emptively and intercept people by hitting them in straight lines when they come at you with a caveman strike (haymaker). If they lay hands on you same deal: hit them. If you are able to generate enough force and strike accurately enough for a KO you're fairly well prepared for aggression. Ironically if you've trained this well you probably won't ever need it: most likely you will not face a trained fighter but a thug who only knows blind aggression and whose main strength is his ruthlesness and ability to generate fear. If you know you can knock him out if need be you will not fear him, you will appear confident and most likely he'll pick on someone who doesn't look like they'll resist and give him trouble.
Might also include other variable factors, little rest, rationed nutrition, risk of injuries, mental/physical state of self and opponent (s), external and environmental objects and obstacles (walls, lampposts, kerbs, terrain, cars, rocks, People around you that might need protection or assistance, puddles etc
While grappling is pretty important and I liked the escape aspect, but I have to say many grapplers struggle don't have good reactions with striking in MMA. Folks like Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar when they get cracked for the first time.
xlstaticpandalx Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, and Tyron Woodley are great strikers Even some shitty strikers like Khabib or Askren, striking isn’t their weakness because they don’t try to stand and strike, and they can SURVIVE standing they just won’t win. The problem with the people you mentioned is that they can’t survive when standing and they struggle to score the takedown on someone who’s good at striking
I agree that some people's game involves not standing and striking. That being said I love Khabib but his stand up more or less consists of having a chin made of stone and some ok boxing. Then he closes to grappling range and the fight usually ends up looking like a crocodile dragging down a wildebeest
Just a small thought for BJJ Self Defense "Sticks and Stones may break your Bones" and theirs plenty of objects on the street.... Weapons... Multiple attackers etc. They might be the Sharks in their Oceans but the Street is a different Ocean that might just as well kill a shark. Carefull with Groundfighting as its often already to late when it comes to that :/
I love bjj and fighting in ne-waza ,but i think the first martial art you need to know is boxing cause all fight begin standing, and in the street it's better to avoid the ground...After that's right than if you want to be prepare for any situation ,and have no weakness , you need bjj and wrestling skill (judo is also very good for some throw).
Serious question, if it was pointed out the REASON for grappling art first for the purpose of street as the video is titled because if one person had enough, that person cannot run away. Why would you not want the fight to end by that person running away? If he/she had enough from either STRIKES, sticks or other, isn't it over and we all go home alive? I am not saying grappling is bad. I am not understanding the logic posed at the end of "why" he chose grappling so the other person cannot leave the situation. It is not the goal to "finish" the opponent, rather personal safety. Thoughts?
I love Stephan's videos but like a lot of people who train BJJ they always talk about the lack of pressure testing or sparring in JJJ. This depends absolutely on WHERE you train. I've trained JJJ for 25+ years, we ALWAYS sparred hard stand up and newaza, Kudo style.
I disagree because we they don't fight one on one no more they jump know so tell me what do you have for situations like that one Bjj sucks when it comes to that situation lets talk about
I've been saying that for years, every martial art is good... If they spar and challenge each other. If u notice the most successful martial arts are the ones where partners spar and test their skills. I know that Aikido has had some success in a street fight, but not a whole lot in MMA or a street fight against another more experienced fighter. Now while personally I think San Soo and maybe even Krav Maga can be successful with the whole eye gouging and biting thing, the fact remains that the classmates simply don't spar and that's where it fails as a true martial art. Now Vale Tudo comes close, it really does, what is Vale Tudo? It's basically a more violent version of MMA, like comparing Rugby to Football. In Vale Tudo u can use headbutts, hits to the back of the head, foot stomps, knee drops, spinal and neck cranks, with obviously eye gauging and fish hooking and stuff like that still being illegal. I mean u should see some Vale Tudo fights, in one fight I saw, the winner won by ground & pound... WITH HIS FREAKIN' HEAD!!! So I just recently got into a fight, and my opponent put his knuckle into my eye (Thank God I'm ok) then he did it to my neck, and what it did was get me away from one arm choking him, he also bit my chest, now all of this was very umm... How do I say?... Shit caught me off guard ok? And what I do have to admit is that it did make me move and change my game a bit, for example I had to release my choke and move to a different position cus of that knuckle to the eye and then I had to really push my chest down against his teeth hoping they break, luckily he released (But I think cus he had to breathe) and I basically put him to sleep with a rear naked choke in the end. It felt like fighting an animal. So that's my experience, idk if this guy was trained or not, he was just a very aggressive and dirty fighter and as for me I'm a Jiu Jitsu purple belt (6 Years and 3 - 4 days a week, very little time off) who just started Judo as well. That's my info and ya have fun guys and it's not which is the best martial art but which one ur the best at and enjoy the most.
For my money, the best martial art is any that mixes basic combatives with unconventional tactics while avoiding moves that heighten the vulnerability of the body’s weakest spots.
Situational and psychological/body language awareness, manipulation and deception. Attack vulnerable areas. Neutralise or eliminate the opponents offensive tools. Striking the joints, inside the elbow etc. Effective and efficient energy transfer of strikes. You're better off slapping an opponent on the ear with a slightly cupped hand, which should disorientate and unbalance them whilst reducing risk of injury to yourself, rather than throw a fist which if unsuccessfully landing may cause you to miss, have little effect, or injur yourself.
Are we talking and assult on the Street, or an agreement between to adults to fight in the Street. The first is selfdefence, the other lands You in jail depending on your state law. If it's the first one you might want to look into Tim Larkins theories and material. If it's the latter one, then You might choose any style, but i would recogment FMA, because weapons are common in the Streets.
A street fight anything goes so the least I want on the floor just imagine you are on the floor beating the guy up and his friend stab you up you have think about things like that. To me Kajukenbo the true American Mixed Martial Arts
the guy in the white gi clearly wiser on the whole street fight thing. LEARN BOXING> avoid grabbing and going to the ground, which is what bjj teaches. good way to get kicked in the head by a random bystander.
Nabil Abdulrashid you mean for self defense? Some of techniques can work, provided you train them right. Traditional grab arts 1,2 and 3 can definitely work. Some of the club counters. I don't know about the knife counters, knife defenses are always questionable no matter the art.
I'd be curious about this hypothetical. Someone who has done Olympic fencing for several years and has just a brief overview of boxing versus someone who has done "boxercise" for five years.
My first martial art was boxing and I would consider myself a good boxer, I was and still am very passionate about boxing and fighting in general and I'd say I'm pretty knowledgeable when it comes to the technical side of boxing. I've also trained in kickboxing for around 2 years and I've been doing BJJ for the last year and I love it. But if you ask me what is the best martial art (if you could only learn one) I'd say sambo. I've never done sambo a day in my life but from the way I see it it's the best martial art for fighting. It has all the best aspects of fighting, it's very wrestling heavy more so upper body (it's very influenced by judo), they have many submissions including arm bars chokes and leg locks, and they throw punches and kicks standing up and on the ground (the striking is very sloppy but still realistic), headbutts and groin attacks are legal. And the best of it is that they have the wrestler's mentality they are very hard and driven and very physical people. In my opinion it beats any one single martial art. PS: I'm not really qualified to decide especially scine I have no experience in same at all but right now that's my personal opinion.
guys ,judo practionners ,they compete they sparr they are real beasts , and they compete under real stress . there extremly dangerous standing and in newaza and have you ever seen their transition from standing to ground with finish .i speak of course about high level judokas . there is not much from bjj that a very good judoka dont master in newaza
sergjo97 . true some newaza are banned i judo tournement for safety reasons same in tachi waza some throws are banned but that doesn t mean that we dont practice them . i respect bjj but i can assure you that i ve seen judokas tapped bjj guys in bjj rules . i ve never seen a bjj guy winn a little higher judo tournement , usely they dont pass the second round . dont take that personnly i like bjj and what they accomplish .
Blue Gee should try grappling in a night club. Sure fire way of a hospital stay being a human soccer ball. I work security in a club and I would recommend any striking art, especially boxing and Muay Thai, before ground fighting. If every fight was one on one with no weapons, grappling would be a great option.
Judoka here. Judo is one of the best arts for self-defense, but it has it's limits. For one, it's MUCH harder to learn than BJJ, which is why you're going to suck serious ass for a very long time. That's one of the reasons it's unappealing to a lot of people in my opinion. However, once you do hit that lightbulb moment and figure out how to actually use it well, the things you can pull off are unbelievable. Long wait, great reward.
Old school Gracie Jiu Jitsu is the only martial art I'm aware of which is designed to allow a smaller, weaker person defeat a larger stronger opponent who doesn't know Gracie Jiu Jitsu. There are countless Gracie challenge matches demonstrating its effectiveness, against all other styles, irrespective of weight classes and time limits. If you're 6"2, strong and athletic, you'll probably be able to survive a high percentage of one on one encounters with an average person. If you're 5"5, how can you effectively box someone who's 6"2? You're only chance is to manage the distance, take them down, mount, pound them in the face, let them gas out trying to defend, take their back, RNC. Once you start talking multiple opponents, all martial arts are bs unless the opponents are drunk or otherwise impaired in some way. Street jiu Jitsu does not start on the bottom of closed guard. You might end up there but you don't start there. This is just my opinion. I might be wrong about all of this.
Barry Allen I agree that with BJJ the odds of you being able to survive (or win) against a bigger opponent are higher than with a striking art, so long as the other guy is untrained and so long as you have done sparring.
Ernest Changatrio I think the video is posing the question- "which is the most effective martial art for one on one street self defence". My comment was that Gracie jiu-jitsu is the only proven art, which gives a smaller person a chance to survive a street fight against a bigger, stronger opponent who isn't proficient in Jiu Jitsu. Your comment did not contradict that.
Nonsense, in the street you will get hit, and if the hitter is with boxing background you are down for sure. Even child knows that dont wrestle in a street.
Boxing is a great foundation but I would recommend Vee Arnis Jitsu which is a martial art geared for the street. When a knife,gun, stick etc is involved everything changes. Boxing is for fighting...not street self defense
Great wisdom as always by Stephan and Richie. One thing that all have to know: Avoid going to the ground in a street fight. If your opponent takes it to the ground, try to stand up as soon as possible. If not, you will be kicked in the head. That's the harsh truth. Keep it standing and try to disengage from the fight and run away, if it's possible.
Thanks for another one great video!
Really refreshing to hear it from bjj experts too.
You see bjj work a lot in consensual 'ego' fights and other 1v1s (which it is highly effective at) but in a brawl or with potential multiple attackers, going to the ground is a pretty bad idea- even clinching is undesirable. Each further stage of commitment removes your ability to disengage one step further. Giving up all mobility in a chaotic self defence situation with multiple possible aggressors is a very bad move and this is pretty obvious if you see footage (or the real thing) of such situations.
The only art I've seen evidence of handling multiple opponents in a 'real' self defence situation is western boxing.
That's not to say bjj and grappling are useless- they are highly useful if you find yourself in a clinch or grappling situation (to escape, survive or capitalise), furthermore they allow safe application of less injurious force and are viable options in more predictable situations. Bjj also arguably has the advantage that it provide a relatively large advantage for relatively little training time, allowing more reliable overcoming of large weight disparities without requiring expert level competence.
Your best bet to learn to fight is either MMA, or a combination of a legit striking art and a legit grappling art. Alongside actually learning to fight, you can also pick up self defence specific training, regarding reading body language, de-escalating, strategy for different situations etc.
Also, for godsake- don't take part in consensual fights. De-escalate, don't react. Most ego-fighters will not attack someone who is not mirroring their aggression (but be aware of those that indicate that they are about to). For more serious situations, run.
The Gainsayer Stalker solid advice.
i think the most underrated aspect of judo self defence wise is the amount of throws where you dont have to follow them to the ground. thats provides a lot of options
Where I learned aikido, we did free sparring at the end of every class. We also didn't skip the atemi waza (striking techniques). I didn't realize until years later that the way I trained was atypical. I actually thought people were just unreasonably hard on aikido... until I saw it I other schools and videos.
For my part, I now teach the way I trained. We do aikido and kyushojitsu, two of the most notorious "bullshido" arts out there, but everything I teach has been rigorously pressure tested and yes, it has availed me in real life self defense situations, including prison, so I'm pretty confident.
That being said, I'm not claiming to have some ultimate martial art, I'm just saying it's functional. You won't find any "no touch KO" BS with me. We don't strike people on their arms and magically render them unconscious. We target and attack vulnerable points of the anatomy in scientific ways, and we train to do so under pressure. We also train weapons, improvised weapons, and survival skills at advanced levels.
When it comes to self defense, it's all about neutralizing the threat and/or creating a window to escape. A solid knock out is good, but a dislocated knee, broken arm, or just throwing the assailant to the ground and leaving them dazed may be enough to get your out of there, and from a legal standpoint, that's the best thing you could do because even if they threatened you with a knife and you broke their arm, they can still sue you, which is ridiculous, but true.
The bottom line is, as was said in the video, anything can work if you train realistically. Spar with live resistance and pressure test your techniques.
One thing my sensei taught me about aikido that really sticks with me is that "true aikido is no technique" all the aikido "techniques" taught in class are just tools used to communicate certain principles. Once you have fully integrated those principles into your body, "technique" flows naturally in response to whatever is happening. That, I think, is the biggest reason people doubt aikido, apart from the prevalence of dojos teaching it only as a spiritual or personal development system.
Kyushojitsu is similar. Most teachers are just egomaniacs. Point blank. However, kyushojitsu itself underlies many martial arts. It's found in karate, hapkido, jujutsu, various style of Kung Fu (ying jow pai, taijiquan, tanglangquan, bai he quan, she quan, to name a few) utilize qin na, which is like the Chinese version of kyushojitsu but tends to focus more on grappling. We integrate both.
I will stop rambling on, but if you want to reach me for any reason my information can be found on the KJWA - USA Facebook page.
The best style is MMA, Mexican Martial Arts. Taught by the true founder and Grandmaster...... Jesse.
i agree
LUCHA LIBRE
The truth is that you should study both a striking art and a grappling art to be prepared (and, in a perfect world, different types of each). Having said that, while BJJ is great I don't believe it would be my initial go-to in a street situation. If I'm facing a legitimate Bad Guy in real time I won't know if he has a friend near by who can kick my head into the next state while I've got Bad Guy 1 in a De La Riva guard. Not to mention the complications of being in close quarters with someone with a knife. On the street, I'd rather maintain distance and stay standing as long as possible (and run if I have the chance).
Yes, that is why karate and Japanese Jiu Jitsu are well suited for the street.
yeah,i'd pick Muai thai in a street fight.A nice front kick to the knee to keep distance,while having your elbow protect your face,and then maybe a low kick to throw the bad guy or hurt his leg so bad he will think twice to attack.ideal scenario of course,you don't know what can happen in a street fight!
Many thanks for sharing your knowledge and intelligent approach to teaching self defense. I am a fan. Although I feel that boxing is the quickest way to learn defense and BJJ is king on the mat, a hybrid system of combatives is most likely to bring success in a fast and furious street fight. Five tools to master: mind,hand,stick,blade,firearm. When facing off with evil there is no shortcut. Be safe friends.
Completely agree about sparring, but- serious question: In 2018 why do we have to 'box' or do 'BJJ'? Surely the integrated approach is the most efficient. 25 years of MMA has evolved the correct approach of striking, takedowns and submissions. It seems to me that learn to punch, kick, takedown and submit in an environment where you can 'wrestle the puncher', 'submit the wrestler' and 'punch the grappler' is better and more efficient than going to learn to box, then, wrestle, then jiu jitsu, then trying to figure out how to combine them. In my academy, it's integrated from day 1. Guys get self defence skills quickly, and have won amateur MMA titles in 12 months. It's just about finding safe ways to train with real resistance, but without injuries.
I agree that an integrated approach is probably the best so long as you have enough time to train all aspects of the art. For many recreational martial artists though, who can only train 2-3 times a week, I think getting good at one area (especially Jiu-jitsu, but I’m biased) probably has the highest rate of return in the 1 year time period.
Be that as it may, I’m sure that you and I are in agreement that sparring and pressure testing are the most important aspects of your training, right?
Absolutely in agreement with the sparring and pressure testing! Also- thank you for putting such good content out there. I have picked up a lot of useful stuff from your videos. Respects from the UK!
Rising Crane I actually think that separate approach is better if you are short on time since most MMA gyms are almost 80/20 in favour of grappling and gnp is not needed for selfdefense
jumping right into mma is very overwhelming it's often too many techniques to learn at once, whereas learning boxing first, being comfortable with those punches, adding in jiujitsu, then kicks, then entering mma.
You don't need to learn it all at once. Jumping in the ring with a pro boxer would be overwhelming! As would rolling with a BJJ champion! The trick is to identify the few key moves and concepts and layer the skills. MMA is a sport like any other. You would not say that 'Rugby is overwhelming, so better do soccer on a monday, and basketball on a tuesday- then later figure out how to put hands and feet together'- 80% of all submissions in MMA come from just FOUR moves. Perhaps learn 4 punches, 4 kicks, 4 takedowns and 4 submissions is not overwhelming- and you would already be fairly competent, with the correct training methods. Layer the advanced skills onto the basics of MMA. It's what I do now, after coaching for 25 years.
It's a bit of a lame saying, but "pressure creates diamonds" is definitely true.
Just because something is cliche doesn’t mean it isn’t true!!
Best thing for the street? Track and field!
lol wind sprints should take priority over fighting :p
Run Fu!
Parkour
What if u have to save your friend or brother?! Runfu? Hmmmmmm
Glock-Fu
I’ve never boxed but I’m sure it’s super effective BUT. When I was younger I witnessed a fight between a guy who was big, strong and a good boxer and the other guy was shorter, older out of shape former wrestler. The boxer never landed a clean shot before he got scooped up and dropped hard then the wrestler guy just tied him up landed a couple of sloppy punches a couple of knees and the boxer guy said “ ok, ok I’ve had enough!” We were all shocked 😳 we thought the boxer guy was indestructible! We were very wrong.
What is your crass and brutally honest opinion, on the controversial mixture of Muay Thai + Peek-A-Boo + Judo combined? Would such a combination of combat styles be considered LETHAL???
I couldn't agree more with regards to emotional preparedness. I had a real street fight when I was in 12th grade and I wound up not getting hurt but that was because the people I fought sucked but I wasn't in a good mental state. I trained myself emotionally after that experience to be prepared and it payed off a couple years later against a few opponents on the street and I was completely fine and was able to be calm throughout the fight and thankfully didn't get hurt and really hurt the thugs I was fighting with. FYI: I think best combo is Kung Fu/BJJ. It gives you the best of stand up fighting and ground fighting and the knowledge of the 2 can eliminate weaknesses in both styles.
What type of kung fu?
Charles Yeah what type?
Great discussion. I would side with Ritchie on this one: one one one pure grappling may beat pure striking most of the time but striking is what you need to put people down quickly. In self-defense one must assume there could be other attackers and in that scenario grappling as a primary strategy just won't cut it: it's great if you can throw someone quickly, minimize damage when falling on the floor and escape from the ground (fundamental skills which is where grappling shines) but if you rely on closing the distance there's a good chance you will get cornered and beaten by people you may not even have seen approaching you. The same with weapons: if you assume he has a knife on him the last thing you'll want to do is grapple with him because you cannot defend against a knife when you're that close to him. Not to say you will be able to do it at longer range but at least you'll have some sort of chance if only to disengage and run. In order to avoid that risk (assuming he hasn't deployed his weapon already) you use pre-emptive striking whenever someone displays clear pre-threat cues (blading his stance, turning white, becoming silent in the middle of an argument, reaching for his beltline...) and you run before he can retaliate if he's still standing.
In essence what you need to be a fairly complete fighter is a mix of striking, grappling and weapons including how to use a knife and a gun if it's legal to carry them. I fully agree sparring is key in developing effective skills, whatever they may be. As is endurance, as is strength.
Of course the single best option is to be aware of your surroundings (beats 99% of attackers: if they can't get to you they can't hurt you), don't antagonize people, use common sense and run when a threat emerges. That is what self protection really is about or at least 90% of it. The physical part is more complex and to learn everything it will take a long time.
To start you learn very basic boxing in order to effectively strike pre-emptively and intercept people by hitting them in straight lines when they come at you with a caveman strike (haymaker). If they lay hands on you same deal: hit them. If you are able to generate enough force and strike accurately enough for a KO you're fairly well prepared for aggression. Ironically if you've trained this well you probably won't ever need it: most likely you will not face a trained fighter but a thug who only knows blind aggression and whose main strength is his ruthlesness and ability to generate fear. If you know you can knock him out if need be you will not fear him, you will appear confident and most likely he'll pick on someone who doesn't look like they'll resist and give him trouble.
Try sparring with army boots and a sharp knife in your hand :) Sparring is important, but training for street is also important
Might also include other variable factors, little rest, rationed nutrition, risk of injuries, mental/physical state of self and opponent (s), external and environmental objects and obstacles (walls, lampposts, kerbs, terrain, cars, rocks, People around you that might need protection or assistance, puddles etc
While grappling is pretty important and I liked the escape aspect, but I have to say many grapplers struggle don't have good reactions with striking in MMA. Folks like Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar when they get cracked for the first time.
xlstaticpandalx oh I agree. It’s a tough transition to make and some people can never quite adapt fully. Tough the other way too though
xlstaticpandalx Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, and Tyron Woodley are great strikers
Even some shitty strikers like Khabib or Askren, striking isn’t their weakness because they don’t try to stand and strike, and they can SURVIVE standing they just won’t win. The problem with the people you mentioned is that they can’t survive when standing and they struggle to score the takedown on someone who’s good at striking
I agree that some people's game involves not standing and striking. That being said I love Khabib but his stand up more or less consists of having a chin made of stone and some ok boxing. Then he closes to grappling range and the fight usually ends up looking like a crocodile dragging down a wildebeest
Just a small thought for BJJ Self Defense
"Sticks and Stones may break your Bones" and theirs plenty of objects on the street.... Weapons... Multiple attackers etc.
They might be the Sharks in their Oceans but the Street is a different Ocean that might just as well kill a shark.
Carefull with Groundfighting as its often already to late when it comes to that :/
Geoff thompson has some good content on street fighting. Its not just sparring also the pre fight is important
Best way is to street fight everyday until you get better. Practice makes perfect.
I love bjj and fighting in ne-waza ,but i think the first martial art you need to know is boxing cause all fight begin standing, and in the street it's better to avoid the ground...After that's right than if you want to be prepare for any situation ,and have no weakness , you need bjj and wrestling skill (judo is also very good for some throw).
Serious question, if it was pointed out the REASON for grappling art first for the purpose of street as the video is titled because if one person had enough, that person cannot run away. Why would you not want the fight to end by that person running away? If he/she had enough from either STRIKES, sticks or other, isn't it over and we all go home alive? I am not saying grappling is bad. I am not understanding the logic posed at the end of "why" he chose grappling so the other person cannot leave the situation. It is not the goal to "finish" the opponent, rather personal safety. Thoughts?
Geoff Thompson was saying and teaching this stuff years ago
I love Stephan's videos but like a lot of people who train BJJ they always talk about the lack of pressure testing or sparring in JJJ. This depends absolutely on WHERE you train. I've trained JJJ for 25+ years, we ALWAYS sparred hard stand up and newaza, Kudo style.
I disagree because we they don't fight one on one no more they jump know so tell me what do you have for situations like that one Bjj sucks when it comes to that situation lets talk about
Free style wrestling. I might get tagged against someone trying to punch me, but I’m probably going to close the distance.
I've been saying that for years, every martial art is good... If they spar and challenge each other. If u notice the most successful martial arts are the ones where partners spar and test their skills. I know that Aikido has had some success in a street fight, but not a whole lot in MMA or a street fight against another more experienced fighter. Now while personally I think San Soo and maybe even Krav Maga can be successful with the whole eye gouging and biting thing, the fact remains that the classmates simply don't spar and that's where it fails as a true martial art. Now Vale Tudo comes close, it really does, what is Vale Tudo? It's basically a more violent version of MMA, like comparing Rugby to Football. In Vale Tudo u can use headbutts, hits to the back of the head, foot stomps, knee drops, spinal and neck cranks, with obviously eye gauging and fish hooking and stuff like that still being illegal. I mean u should see some Vale Tudo fights, in one fight I saw, the winner won by ground & pound... WITH HIS FREAKIN' HEAD!!! So I just recently got into a fight, and my opponent put his knuckle into my eye (Thank God I'm ok) then he did it to my neck, and what it did was get me away from one arm choking him, he also bit my chest, now all of this was very umm... How do I say?... Shit caught me off guard ok? And what I do have to admit is that it did make me move and change my game a bit, for example I had to release my choke and move to a different position cus of that knuckle to the eye and then I had to really push my chest down against his teeth hoping they break, luckily he released (But I think cus he had to breathe) and I basically put him to sleep with a rear naked choke in the end. It felt like fighting an animal. So that's my experience, idk if this guy was trained or not, he was just a very aggressive and dirty fighter and as for me I'm a Jiu Jitsu purple belt (6 Years and 3 - 4 days a week, very little time off) who just started Judo as well. That's my info and ya have fun guys and it's not which is the best martial art but which one ur the best at and enjoy the most.
For my money, the best martial art is any that mixes basic combatives with unconventional tactics while avoiding moves that heighten the vulnerability of the body’s weakest spots.
Situational and psychological/body language awareness, manipulation and deception. Attack vulnerable areas. Neutralise or eliminate the opponents offensive tools. Striking the joints, inside the elbow etc. Effective and efficient energy transfer of strikes. You're better off slapping an opponent on the ear with a slightly cupped hand, which should disorientate and unbalance them whilst reducing risk of injury to yourself, rather than throw a fist which if unsuccessfully landing may cause you to miss, have little effect, or injur yourself.
Are we talking and assult on the Street, or an agreement between to adults to fight in the Street. The first is selfdefence, the other lands You in jail depending on your state law. If it's the first one you might want to look into Tim Larkins theories and material. If it's the latter one, then You might choose any style, but i would recogment FMA, because weapons are common in the Streets.
Pencak Silat- Ground, Stand-up, and Weapons rolled in one. This is an example of a perfect martial art, there are others.
Do they do real sparring I'm silat?
There's some tkd esque silat sparring out there but I've also met old school blood sport types who are scary.
The argument for grappling over boxing only holds if your focus is SELF defense. If you train to be able to protect others, boxing is king.
GUN-FU NORTHERN-SOUTHERN STYLE
Absolutely.
A street fight anything goes so the least I want on the floor just imagine you are on the floor beating the guy up and his friend stab you up you have think about things like that.
To me Kajukenbo the true American Mixed Martial Arts
Kajukenbo is bullshido!
My master taught me the ultimate martial art. It's called Gun-fu.
the guy in the white gi clearly wiser on the whole street fight thing. LEARN BOXING> avoid grabbing and going to the ground, which is what bjj teaches. good way to get kicked in the head by a random bystander.
Don't dis the pink handwraps bruh
I thought Stephen Kesting also trained in Kajukenbo.
ComplexBlackness Yes, for years. It’s a great martial art
Stephan Kesting hey brother.. does kaju have any actual benefits apart from fitness? It looks really “action filmy”
Nabil Abdulrashid you mean for self defense? Some of techniques can work, provided you train them right.
Traditional grab arts 1,2 and 3 can definitely work. Some of the club counters.
I don't know about the knife counters, knife defenses are always questionable no matter the art.
I'd be curious about this hypothetical.
Someone who has done Olympic fencing for several years and has just a brief overview of boxing versus someone who has done "boxercise" for five years.
Mixed is best.. you got to be good at all aspects
Nenad ИС XC Shuput am no fan of corpse stitching and applying principles that don’t agree with one another.
My first martial art was boxing and I would consider myself a good boxer, I was and still am very passionate about boxing and fighting in general and I'd say I'm pretty knowledgeable when it comes to the technical side of boxing.
I've also trained in kickboxing for around 2 years and I've been doing BJJ for the last year and I love it.
But if you ask me what is the best martial art (if you could only learn one) I'd say sambo.
I've never done sambo a day in my life but from the way I see it it's the best martial art for fighting.
It has all the best aspects of fighting, it's very wrestling heavy more so upper body (it's very influenced by judo), they have many submissions including arm bars chokes and leg locks, and they throw punches and kicks standing up and on the ground (the striking is very sloppy but still realistic), headbutts and groin attacks are legal.
And the best of it is that they have the wrestler's mentality they are very hard and driven and very physical people.
In my opinion it beats any one single martial art.
PS: I'm not really qualified to decide especially scine I have no experience in same at all but right now that's my personal opinion.
IDF Krav Maga is the best for street fights.
Not "krav maga", but IDF Krav Maga.
Does shorinji kempo work?
what no batman mask, probably got the socks on tho right?
so what one martial art does he recommend I cant understand all he is saying because of the way he talks
keep going the guy on the right says boxing, left says jiu jitsu, they said learning to strike and grapple with both is best
guys ,judo practionners ,they compete they sparr they are real beasts , and they compete under real stress . there extremly dangerous standing and in newaza and have you ever seen their transition from standing to ground with finish .i speak of course about high level judokas . there is not much from bjj that a very good judoka dont master in newaza
cherif legraf That's hardly true because many BJJ techniques are banned in Judo groundwork. I respect Judo, but the ground is bjj's territory mate.
sergjo97 . true some newaza are banned i judo tournement for safety reasons same in tachi waza some throws are banned but that doesn t mean that we dont practice them . i respect bjj but i can assure you that i ve seen judokas tapped bjj guys in bjj rules . i ve never seen a bjj guy winn a little higher judo tournement , usely they dont pass the second round . dont take that personnly i like bjj and what they accomplish .
cherif: you should not forget high level shuai jiao guys.
Not Shogun, but Shotgun!
Blue Gee should try grappling in a night club. Sure fire way of a hospital stay being a human soccer ball. I work security in a club and I would recommend any striking art, especially boxing and Muay Thai, before ground fighting. If every fight was one on one with no weapons, grappling would be a great option.
Judo...
judo is the best (next to wrestling) judoka's hit you with the floor
Judoka here. Judo is one of the best arts for self-defense, but it has it's limits. For one, it's MUCH harder to learn than BJJ, which is why you're going to suck serious ass for a very long time. That's one of the reasons it's unappealing to a lot of people in my opinion. However, once you do hit that lightbulb moment and figure out how to actually use it well, the things you can pull off are unbelievable. Long wait, great reward.
Best martial art is the individual!
Brett Jackson the individual must be trained in one or more martial arts
If you not sparring regularly you not boxing bro.
Muay Thai
What's with the air-quotes, man? can't you explain without gesturing with air-quotes?
Judo and boxing, anything that's full contact.
Ninja Hammer Time!
Then fight dont talk
Gunkata!
japanese ju jutsu is better
Stop it you put everybody in the same bowl
Gerome Egans Yep, he usually does. He has good BJJ instructionals however.
Old school Gracie Jiu Jitsu is the only martial art I'm aware of which is designed to allow a smaller, weaker person defeat a larger stronger opponent who doesn't know Gracie Jiu Jitsu. There are countless Gracie challenge matches demonstrating its effectiveness, against all other styles, irrespective of weight classes and time limits. If you're 6"2, strong and athletic, you'll probably be able to survive a high percentage of one on one encounters with an average person. If you're 5"5, how can you effectively box someone who's 6"2? You're only chance is to manage the distance, take them down, mount, pound them in the face, let them gas out trying to defend, take their back, RNC.
Once you start talking multiple opponents, all martial arts are bs unless the opponents are drunk or otherwise impaired in some way.
Street jiu Jitsu does not start on the bottom of closed guard. You might end up there but you don't start there.
This is just my opinion. I might be wrong about all of this.
ah yes.. the GU indoctrinated youtube commenter.. dont see that very often kek
Barry Allen I agree that with BJJ the odds of you being able to survive (or win) against a bigger opponent are higher than with a striking art, so long as the other guy is untrained and so long as you have done sparring.
damlurker I didn't see an argument in there. Maybe you have none
Ernest Changatrio I think the video is posing the question- "which is the most effective martial art for one on one street self defence". My comment was that Gracie jiu-jitsu is the only proven art, which gives a smaller person a chance to survive a street fight against a bigger, stronger opponent who isn't proficient in Jiu Jitsu.
Your comment did not contradict that.
Ernest Changatrio haven't completed since? Gracies are still competing
Nonsense, in the street you will get hit, and if the hitter is with boxing background you are down for sure. Even child knows that dont wrestle in a street.
@Ard Tru why only one chance?
@Ard Tru i dont see things happens that easy as u say... But good point👍
@Ard Tru 35years of training behind. Judo, boxing, thaiboxing and kravmaga. I have little experience...
@Ard Tru 😂weaker everyday, but i hope wiser.
kyokushin
7:55 long video on how to talk your opponent to death!
Boxing is a great foundation but I would recommend Vee Arnis Jitsu which is a martial art geared for the street. When a knife,gun, stick etc is involved everything changes. Boxing is for fighting...not street self defense
Kenpo is best for the streets, it’s what the cia uses.
If a government agency uses it then it must be the best? Alrighty then.
Sure cia uses kenpo, and sure it's the best for the streets
Kenpo uses strikes and grappling so it’s like a complete fighting system.
American kenpo?