I would also add it has been my experience that everyone thinks their particular from of martial art is the "best".

Humans are just like that.

Just remember, what we do is only the best compared to what we have experienced.

[Edit by afaik - I can't spell]

[edit on 10-10-2008 by afaik]

you guys should check out bullshido.com you can learn about what styles work and which dont

I know this topic has been dead for quite some time but I'd still like to chip in since i've noticed something very disturbing.
I've been working as a bouncer for the past 7 and a half years at the Zenzi club in downtown mumbai, where a fight usually breaks out atleast once a night. and I have to say that ground fighting is simply the worst thing you can do in a real fight. In any fight for self defense your main focus is on either getting out of there yourself or throwing the guy out of the door. Going to the ground and trying to get a "dominant" position is the very worst thing you can do. I speak from experience

1) you have no guarantee that the guy who is the source of the disturbance is alone. the last thing you want is to take someone down to the ground and then find yourself getting kicked by a bunch of his inebriated friends

2) in a minuscule minority of the cases someone has pulled out a knife or smashed a beer bottle and tried to use it as a weapon. thank fully most of these people were drunk and the worst ive had is stitches on my fore arm but even with these people tackling them, taking them to the ground and trying to wrestle the weapon from them is one thing you do not want to do.

3) Although most of the altercations I've been involved with have been at the club where the goal is to kick the guy out of the door. In any self defense situation the goal is to get away from your assailant. taking him down and rolling around with him trying to to a dominant position is very counterproductive.

4)most groundwork move's I've seen would be seriously inapplicable in a real fight. using an armbar or any kind of joint lock and snapping someone's limb is probably going to end up in you doing time. protecting yourself is important, but your focus should also be on ending the fight as soon possible and trying to avoid doing things which would leave you legally vulnerable.

Now I know a couple of people here have recommended groundwork based styles and some have even claimed it's the best, but to be frank it's not it's about the worst you can do. I'm sure you feel strongly about your style and have no doubt worked hard, but it simply is going to work in real life all those things sound great in theory but in real life they just fall apart. I've had an unfortunate and intimate relation with violence regularly for the past seven years and a half years give or take a few weeks, and from what i've seen heard experienced and be hit by has lead me to draw this conclusion. If you are training to defend yourself then the ground is the last place you want to be.,

Intelligent speaking will avert almost any fight. Most arts that I know of are "Highhhh Karatiiiiieeee" This will get you killed if you ended up matched against a Judo student.

I know Judo (a little) Jujitsu stuff. I trained and did well in taking on two assailants- both forward or fore and aft. Move is the preferred action. There are 200,000 moves.

Then the real world situations started happening- and I reacted in defense due to my brief training

A chop in the neck never failed me yet.
Lean down (for movement and protection) send a closed fingered chop to the neck.

Judo is the best defense, I am here today because of it.

I love threads like this. The martial arts are so interesting. One thing I am wondering is are there any eastern and more spiritual arts that relate well to fencing? When it comes to weapons, they all seem to use edged blades like katanas or swinging weapons of all kinds. It would be interesting to know how the (perhaps) eastern arts developed their own version of what we have as fencing (which seems to be a western thing).

I am a big fan of the philosophy of Aikido and I like how it's creator developed it as an alternative to the more vicious arts he was surrounded by, but I admit it makes sense that it wouldn't be the most effective on the street. I like anything that uses reflexes and speed to neutralize an attack or swing practically before it happens, then counterattack hopefully with a throw or a bodyslam (lol)- which martial art is this? I saw a bit of it in the "Chinese Inner-Martial" arts videos.

Originally posted by BlackOps719
Krav Maga, hands down the most practical fighting system in the world.

It cuts straight through the B.S. and teaches you how to not just defend yourself, but how to survive in a life and death struggle. No fancy Bruce Lee kicks or neat katas to perform, but if you want to learn how to put your enemy in a world of hurt, the Israelis have it down pat.

Good old fashioned Marine Corps line training isnt bad either, very similar, lots of practical, real world self defense without all the other junk. Muay Tai would be another good choice. Steer clear of TKD or anything along those lines, applying tae kwon do in a street fight is next to impossible and could get you seriously hurt.

I wouldn't cal krav magda a martial art. Krav magda is a a fighting system. I agree withthe rest I would also claim wing chun IF the teacher knows the entire system. The entire system of wing chun includes butterfly knives and the six and a half point pole. It is only at t that stage that you know the full system.

But one of my favorite martial artists was the late great Mas Oyama. What a martial artist. Mas always seemed mildly annoyed with shotokan and I did it for over 5 years but he was a living inspiration.

I believe in the martial arts as we practioners are artists first. Best fighting system is a loaded shotgun. I never understand how brits can buy them as easily as Americans can buy handguns....

Anyone thinking of training should not waste time asking hypothetical questions. Just join any club and start training.

Also a good teacher is a good teacher wherever you go. The best technique is the one that puts the assailant on the floor !

The one where you don't play fair.

Originally posted by tiger5
Originally posted by BlackOps719
Krav Maga, hands down the most practical fighting system in the world.

My daughter takes Krav Maga and I will be taking classes starting in Jan probably. A ton of military and law enforcement is trained in it, here in the states.

Some people erroneously believe that kickboxing is the superior martial art because it is often chosen in modern competition. However, kickboxing in this sense is more akin to fencing. The point is to get a "touch" or love tap on your opponent. And indeed, if a tiny little touch is all one needs to score a point, then kickboxing is superior due to its reaching jabs.

However, in a real life situation, or in a more traditional competition where people are trying to knock out their opponent, kill them, or disable them, kickboxing would not be as favored.

What would be favored are a couple particular forms of Kung fu, and a few other exotic martial arts.

Shotokan karate is not competitive. Bruce Lee and even his less-skilled students demonstrated that they could disable the most skilled karate expert in less than a minute using a freestyle form of kung fu.

The best Martial art style is the person who is using it . But I'm personally fond of Goshin Jitsu

I like systema, I don't like flashy fighting, I like fighting that gets down to business.

Jeet Kun Do has been considered the most universal martial art since it's creation but as MMA has shown, no one system should be considered the 'be all and end all'. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is useful for grappling, as most fights end up with the fighters in close contact fighting on the deck.

For self defense from all the styles recommended here I'd say Krav Maga is the best most of the points made by instructors on their websites seem to be practical and the people talking seem to know what they're talking about.