Martial Arts?

[Benm]

As i kid i did judo for a bit - guess i wasn't very good at it, but for fun and games, why not

Nowadays i see little practical application, and i don't really enjoy sports, so i don't do anything like that anymore.

The issue is that they have little use in the modern world - you cannot out-karate someone shooting at you with an automated rifle. You cannot defend yourself from someone using a chemical weapon that has a gas mask while you do not. You cannot protect yourself from a biological weapon someone made himself immune to using a vaccine.

It may be useful in a bar fight or something like that, but the ability to fight without weapons is utterly useless in the modern world. And even in bar fights it's fairly limited, i worked as a bar tender for some time and got bar stools thrown at me at some point - i recommend ducking and calling 112/911. Those bar stools were not aimed at me personally but just got flung around the place and hit anyone not seeking shelter.

One thing i learned in that industry though: never engage in a hand to hand fight with someone that could be under the influence of drugs. Even if you have the upper hand being taller, heavier and stronger, it can end badly. Someone much smaller than you, even 'a little girl' can inflict quite a bit of damage to you, just by something like biting off one of your fingers.

 

[GSS]

As i kid i did judo for a bit - guess i wasn't very good at it, but for fun and games, why not

Nowadays i see little practical application, and i don't really enjoy sports, so i don't do anything like that anymore.

The issue is that they have little use in the modern world - you cannot out-karate someone shooting at you with an automated rifle. You cannot defend yourself from someone using a chemical weapon that has a gas mask while you do not. You cannot protect yourself from a biological weapon someone made himself immune to using a vaccine.

It may be useful in a bar fight or something like that, but the ability to fight without weapons is utterly useless in the modern world. And even in bar fights it's fairly limited, i worked as a bar tender for some time and got bar stools thrown at me at some point - i recommend ducking and calling 112/911. Those bar stools were not aimed at me personally but just got flung around the place and hit anyone not seeking shelter.

One thing i learned in that industry though: never engage in a hand to hand fight with someone that could be under the influence of drugs. Even if you have the upper hand being taller, heavier and stronger, it can end badly. Someone much smaller than you, even 'a little girl' can inflict quite a bit of damage to you, just by something like biting off one of your fingers.

All true, but there's a bigger chance you might get mugged coming from a ATM than a chemical bomb.
but we all know all self defense teachings bring confidence, inner strength, etc.. They also teach to walk away and only fight back when only absolutely necessary.
Having a black belt or not, if someone has a gun its best to give them what they want.
Alot of bullies and thugs out there and you don't have to throw one punch or kick to defend yourself.

 

[RedCowboy]

You can buy the slickest cowboy holster and practice your quick draw all day long, but at up close and personal distances and then some the element of surprise can and often will render a weapon useless.

If someone standing close to you grabs your right cheek with their left hand and jams their thumb behind your eye only a highly reflex trained person will act based on training, most will try to stop the attack, most will grab that arm while the attackers other hand jams 3 stiff fingers into your throat digging in behind your collar bone, right down into the suprasternal notch.

Unless you have practiced to ignore all but thrusting your weak hand into their face ( mostly to obstruct their view ) and firing from the hip, you are likely to get a weapon taken away if you bring it into your attackers sight, or even let it be known that you are reaching for it.

Never hold a gun on someone and let them close distance, never wave a gun in someone's face, you need distance and that equals time to react.

Having some basic grappling and defense skills is important, it could be all you have, but mostly avoid trouble and walk away from idiots and people just having a bad day, you win nothing in a street fight unless your immediate safety depends on it, the legal aftermath and health risks of touching others blood is just not worth a moments ego, we can all be smarter than the animals, but that includes being prepared for as much as reasonably possible.

Being ready with knowledge and being physically fit are both good, but how you conduct yourself when facing a problem is the most important thing, remember if you can walk away from a fight you win, but I digress, my point was about reaction time and the false security people may have carrying a weapon and not knowing how to use it, best thing is to gain distance unless you are in the fight, in the fight you typically turn into your opponent which is counter intuitive to the novice, anyway if you walk away from a confrontation and you are forced to shoot someone who is chasing you down...see already it looks better, but be aware of your reaction distance, use command presence if you must and don't be John Wayne trying to stand toe to toe.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Light superglue]

Agree with last posts.
As a student I did some kung-fu, watched HK movies, wanted to practice karate and kendo but always regarded it as a type of sport. It helps to develop inner strength necessary to reach the goals in studies and other areas than just silly fighting. Indeed I never had to fight as a kid except I would want to... Soviet Union was very quiet country, the suppression machine knew its job well. I remember walking many nights through a big park from University residence to my home and never found any person. Once I had to do a 2h long walk (between 3-5am because metro was closed) from the Leningrad city center to my mother's flat in the sough edge of the city and did not meet any person not even a car except a couple of taxis. If everyone works at day, sleeps at night - there is no base for felony and gangs. Oh, and this must have been in or just after Gorbachev prohibition years as well!!!
But now it may be different - democracy has arrived and each person has to care about himself. Well, who likes freedom - will have to deal with all its consequences alone...

And you probably know that every country had its martial arts as a training system for future warriors, not only Eastern nations. But once grown up, the man had to use acquired skills only in organised groups called armies or at special events (competitions).
As part of team, phalanx, legio etc.
I also have read that it was a shame for Roman citizens to take parts in gladiator fights or like because one-to-one fights were only for slaves. Citizens were required to be organised in all they do. Like to fight - become a soldier! The real Emperor Commodus (not his image in Gladiator movie) was badly regarded by people for doing this.

And if anyone interested (sorry if off topic):
An old russian style of training (before guns were invented):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_boxing

"Modern times" martial art (after guns are invented):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_biathlon

 

[Accutronitis]

Back in the day I got a brown belt in Shorin-Ryu Karate taught by sensei Jeff Nagata and more recent but still years ago I practiced Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and a form of Karate at a local Vegas dojo taught by sensei Mr Max......

 

[RedCowboy]

I remember when the UFC was new and 8 fighters would pair up to produce 4 winners then 4 to make 2 then the final 2 fought and the winner of the night was the guy who won all three of his fights.

That and a 180 pound guy could fight a six hundred pound sumo wrestler, there were no weight classes and like 3 rules.

The Gracies really changed the game as they beat all comers at first because of what people didn't know, but now it's an ever evolving multi discipline sport with some insanely healthy fighters, I hate all the added rules but I understand the need.

This is a backyard bout where a street boxer goes against a BJJ trained kid who uses his science to survive.

 

[Benm]

All true, but there's a bigger chance you might get mugged coming from a ATM than a chemical bomb.
but we all know all self defense teachings bring confidence, inner strength, etc.. They also teach to walk away and only fight back when only absolutely necessary.
Having a black belt or not, if someone has a gun its best to give them what they want.
Alot of bullies and thugs out there and you don't have to throw one punch or kick to defend yourself.

Well, the point is that you usually survive getting mugged. It'll cost you money, perhaps some limited trauma, but you will not usually die unless you do something stupid and the mugger stabs or shoots you in the process.

Someone that mugs you wants only one thing: your valuable items. He does not usually want to fight you, injure you or kill you. All those things work against a mugger: Voilent crime is often investigated more by police, has larger chances of leaving evidence, and result in higher sentences if convicted.

Perhaps if confronted with an unarmed mugger confrontation could be an acceptable risk. I would not go for anything fancy though, if you can just kick them in the balls as hard as you can, and perhaps give them a good scratch so you have some DNA evidence under your fingernails if he manages to stumble off