Hey guys I am about to join a gym and they have a few different fighting styles to train in. I was wondering which one you guys suggest. I would like the one which provides the most real world self defense benefit. My choices are K1, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and MMA.

thanks

Hello and welcome.

As to your question, here are a few points to consider:

i) Any of the arts you mentioned can and have been used "self defense". Some people will try and convince you martial arts are papaer, rock, scissors. It's not always that simple. Style A doesn't always beat Style B. It's more to do with who can impose their strategy in a fight. A grappler will lose to a boxer if the grappler is tentative and doesn't close the distance and engage (see Roger Gracie vs Muhammed Lawal).

ii) Regardless of what your goal in martial arts is (be it to become better at fighting or get in shape), you will get the most benefit by training consistently. In order to train consistently, you have to ENJOY what you are doing. If you don't enjoy training sooner or later you're going to quit.

Finding something you enjoy is the most important thing to consider.

iii) The only way you will know if you enjoy a class is to try it. So the advice here would be to try all the classes and see what you enjoy the most.


Good luck!

sounds good thanks! I am not really into grappling or kicking much and I used to spend hours on the punching bag at my schools gym obsessed with it so I think I will try boxing first. The training will be 5 days a week so ur right I should do one I like.

Try the art of fighting without fighting!

To get more of a feel, YawYan (Dance of Death) or Filipino Dirty Boxing would be a good advancement from Western Boxing!

The thing is in the US 0f A you have more of a choice of styles and a few "home grown" styles too!

Just wenjoy your training and remember its not about how big your Ego is, its about how placid you are even when confronted!

You said you wanted to choose the one that is most applicable to self defense but will avoid grappling or kicking stuff because you aren't into it? Why ask our opinion if you're just doing what you want anyway? Not that that's a bad thing just seems odd. In any case boxing is great but if you're concerned about self defense you really need to take at least a few classes in BJJ because the ground, in a street situation, is worst case scenario and you need to have some tools for dealing with that.

Fighting and self defense are two different things.

For self defense I recommend you use your brain.

That being said: like always look around at what is available in your area, how these schools are and which school you like. It's not about the style, but about what you put into it and what your goals are.

Well physical confrontation and preparing for it is one aspect of self defense though it's the least crucial. Whether you want to call it fighting or whatever. But yeah using your brain is the biggest thing for SD, awareness and avoidance!

@ paul8
Most styles/formats you list are considered martial sports by many. This means they will most likely train to function within a rule bound competition format. You have to ask yourself: "Is that what I want to do?" You also have to discus this with the instructors at the gym you try out.

One thing most will advocate I think, is this: first try a couple of classes, then decide to join or not. There is no reason to sign up for classes that turn out (after several classes) to not be your cup of tea!

Please also browse the sticky's. They gut good information.

Since when does anyone train with no rules? I can't see training partners lasting long that way. Only way to do that is with zero resistance and while a little of that is certainly ok it's not really useful at all to base all your training around it. If you can slip a jab you can slip an eye gouge. 90% of self defense is awareness, avoidance and if all else fails simple techniques with a lot of aggression combined with good conditioning (and fight sports tend to build conditioning well). The Army close quarter combat program is based on and predominantly uses BJJ, wrestling, and kickboxing for that reason.

If someone wan't to learn for self defence, that person has to make sure that he/she recognises the limitations that comes with the chosen training format.

Training to function well within a rule bound competition format, which most likely will involve making use of those rules to get your opponent penaltied, is something different then training to do harm; so not hindered by rules.

Training without rules was never mentioned by me in my earlier posts.

So you could say awareness (+ avoidance, adaption, etc.) both in regards to training as well as in regards to your surroundings can aid in self-defence(-repetoir).