The Truth About Martial Arts & Self-Defense

[Loki]

With all my respect, these Karate-Double-Dragon-Kung-Fu-Wu-Shu farfetch'd crap doesnt work in a ring, even less in a real life combat situation.

That's probably because most of these hot-shots never learned how to properly channel their inner qi, and maybe it never was for them in the first place. If you are truly motivated from the inside you can accomplish anything.

[Neanderthal]

That's probably because most of these hot-shots never learned how to properly channel their inner qi, and maybe it never was for them in the first place. If you are truly motivated from the inside you can accomplish anything.

I doubt a motivated qi can help you out when a freakin cholo punchs you in the face on the god damn subway trying to rob you out; You'll had no time for Katas or focusing your qi on those kind of situations.

[Ulf]

That's probably because most of these hot-shots never learned how to properly channel their inner qi, and maybe it never was for them in the first place. If you are truly motivated from the inside you can accomplish anything.

I carry some .38 caliber qi inside my holster. They're +P so it's a hot-shot.

[Peyton]

I agree boxing is strong martial art well adapted to real world fighting too.

However I have to point this out too, and I see it as boxing primary weakness in an actual fight, not in the ring ( and boxing does not have many weaknesses either)

Boxers tape thier hands and wear a glove in the ring. They learn to strike very powerfuly with this protection on in their training.

But if they strike like that in a real fight there is good chance they would break bones in their hands without that protection (tape wrapping their hands and a glove).

AS some of you know who have read my books or whaterr in the mid 70's I was a bouncer in rather large rowdy bar in New Mexico. Later I was the lead cooler there with 8 bouncers working for me.There would br 800 patrons there on a hot Saturady night.

I saw many serious injuries to people's hands who were boxing trained and got into fights and hit the other guy with a closed fist to the head.

The head is hard bony skull, the hands are small fragile bones, it is as simple as that.

It is true that the boxing training is very good and works at making the impact more 'one-way". but it does not always work that way in the real world and with no tape or glove a person can bust up thier hands with a closed fist strike to the head of the other guy.

Now even back then, in the 70's I had black belts in three arts ( Wado Ryu Karate, Judo and White Crane KF I also wrestled in high school on the wrestling team). But I do not have too many illusions about this stuff, and so when I had to fight a guy as a cooler who truned out to be a boxer, these were always my toughest fights without doubt.

The karate and kung fu guys were not a problem for me and so I did not feel I was in any real danger with them, but not so boxers.

The karate/King fu guys woud jumnp around and hiss and sometimes scream and throw ridiculus kicks and such (that were often were far short or were easily side steped) and so I would feel I was in no danger.

Hence, while they were 'attacking" me with their karate or kung fu I would be talking to them calmly and telling them 'we don't have to do this man ' and that "i saw" they were skilled and that "I did not want to fight them".

Oddly enough most times they would stop and only every now and then did i have to drop them.

But boxers were different, they got close and threw fast powerfull and well chained combinations. I knew to never 'box with a boxer' though. So I just shifted my weight to absorb the blow and totally covered up.

Then I got the pace and rythym of ther boxer's shots. Then I'd catch the next punch on the hard turning top of my skull and break his hand.

There were times when I'd see stars (purple lights on a the black backgroud). But the boxer was finished after he broke his hand.

A few times I'd catch them in miidle of their combination so unfortunately their next shot sometimes impacted when their hand was already broken. I admit I did not like that as it could cause them some likely permanet injury striking on an alrready broken hand.

But my techniue for boxers did not always work every time either.

However, if I caught their hand on the top of my skull they would at least split their nuckles. Most times I could then dance back and then they would know their hand was hurt,

Even if it was mostly just psychologically they were not fighitng as furiously as before with the hurt hand. I'd shout "man your hurt let's just stop this shit now, I don't want to fight your trained and too dam fast!".

THis most times worked and we stopped the sensless battle,

But a few times they went 'ape shit' when I said this and attacked in na ape shit manner.

Well they attacked in an ape shit manner and so it was not the former tight, controlled and effective boxing they had shown before.

In this case I could often throw them judo or jusjitsu style into the big wooden roof supporting beam or the bar edge or sometimes the wall. But the wall was plasterboard and when it shattered it absorbed the strike a bit and also the mangenment did not like the damage either.

Let me tell you, one reason some people (not all!) dress in white pajamas and jump around on mats and scream at each other etc, with liitel or no contact is that they are not willing tot kaer the punishment and pain that boxing training involves.

But having said all that, I also want you to know that after 40 years in MA and SD industry plus and having been too many parts of the world and seen so many fighting stiyles, I know there are some MA peope who can really fight.

There are people out there who can make their karate or other martial arts work in an actual fight. They are the few and far between it is true, but they can be very formidable too. Peyton

[Jamt]

Concerning hitting a grown man in the head with your fist you are absolutely right; it is a questionable endeavor. Aiming and hitting someone on the nose works as a cushion for the fist though, if you manage to hit it right. The unsuspected head butt and the cross suspension of the neck shirt collar of your opponents plus the age old practice of pushing idiots to the ground might work. All this is silly when considering your statement that Man is weapon user and has been sense for ewer. Self defense using your hands is shit and recommending women to rely on that it is shit ( a small concealed knife, pepper-spray or calling the attention of others is the only way) and the practical way of self defense might be rubbish as attack and hurting the other one is the key to any success. Anyway, thanks for the best comments on the subject I have seen Peyton.

[Germanicus]

I agree with Peyton's comments totally, here is an example from my own experience of martial arts training used in a real life scenerio.

Perhaps it was 12 years ago, that would have made me 39 at the time, i was a retired martial artist, was trained in full contact Karate ECKA.

On a night out in Leeds city centre at around 1.30AM standing roughly half way in a queue of maybe 30 waiting for a taxi with my friend, a couple of guys walked up to 2 men in the front, they dragged them out and started to beat them up.

One of the men was knocked down by the bigger guy who turned round to help his buddy floor the other guy, they both started to kick his head as he lay on the floor like a football.

The bigger guy moved to the other fallen man who was on his feet staggering, seeing the man still on the floor was still being kicked in the head i motioned my friend who i was with to help me stop the guy kicking.

My friend did not move, adrenilin kicked in and i moved quickily and cautiously to the kicking guy, but monitoring where the bigger guy was over the road.

Firstly i shouted to the guy who was still kicking the guys head to stop or he would kill the man, he did not stop, so i offered him my show of fists, he kindly obliged by stopping the kicking and engaging me in fisticuffs, i remember kicking him in the midsection and punching him in the mouth with a snap punch, the rest is a blur because it happened so fast.

The bigger guy came back from across the road and caught me in the mouth with a punch which split my lip, i took the punch but did not drop my guard as he expected me to.

Suddenly blue flashing lights, they ran off. Straight away the women in the taxi queue came running over and tended to me bleeding, and aiding the hurt man.

The women said to me "they were ashamed of all the rest of the men who was there for not helping and coming to my aid"

My reaction to help the downed man i believe to this day had saved him from death or severe brain damage. My bravery i suppose came from a confidence in my own ability in fighting, and to what i had been taught in the dojo.

[lei.talk]

mma in the real world:

in contrast, stand-up fighting:
one key concept of maneuver warfare is that maneuver is traditionally thought of as a spatial concept, that is -
the use of maneuver so as to gain positional advantage.

sordida plebs can not be expected to honor code duello

*