Martial Arts, Combat Sports, Self-Defense Systems - What Do You Practice?

[MTF]

Self defense drills... here's a scenario. You hire a company, and some time in the next 2 years, they tear gas your house and shoot everyone who runs out with paintball guns. Or they ambush you in the work parking lot, also with non-lethal but very stressful force. Sounds unpleasant, but maybe it's the only way to know for sure how prepared you are . Personal red-team as a service?

Sounds interesting. From a practical point of view, extremely hard to pull off. People would get killed and/or injured by mistake.

 

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[heavy_industry]

Self defense drills... here's a scenario. You hire a company, and some time in the next 2 years, they tear gas your house and shoot everyone who runs out with paintball guns. Or they ambush you in the work parking lot, also with non-lethal but very stressful force. Sounds unpleasant, but maybe it's the only way to know for sure how prepared you are . Personal red-team as a service?

2 years?
I would not recommend trying this if you have bad memory and have easy access to firearms.

 

[hobbsie]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPysz3dYoxA


That's a pretty solid simulation for three different self-defense situations.

I once did something like this outdoors for wilderness first aid and let me tell you: in the heat of the moment this is WAY harder than it looks when you're watching it. After the fact it's all quite clear but while it's happening, even though you know it's a simulation, you're still going to do some dumb shit.

You have to take care of yourself first. As the man says, when you're in an airplane and the cabin becomes de-pressurized, you have to put you're own mask on first.

 

[Rabby]

2 years?
I would not recommend trying this if you have bad memory and have easy access to firearms.

My scenario is tongue-in-cheek, but there's also some truth to it. Enemies strike when you least expect them, so the timeline would have to be long enough that their preparations are diffuse.

Naturally, a personal service like this isn't worth the risk for most people, but similar services exist for military bases, critical computer networks, secure facilities, etc. The only way to know how well all those systems and preparations work is... to handle the unexpected at an unknown time.

That means someone actually infiltrates the base, actually attacks the network aggressively, actually gets into the high security vault, or medical facility, or government office, etc., but stops short of dealing a ruinous or lethal blow once they've succeeded.

Unfortunately it is possible for the red teamer to be killed on high security assignments... one security guard or soldier going above and beyond could be all it takes, so better be quick to show authorization documents when confronted with force.

 

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[GoldenSummer]

What martial arts, combat sports or self-defense systems do you practice and why?

As a teenager I practiced karate kyokushin for several years. In hindsight, it was bullshit from the perspective of self-defense but well...

A couple of years ago I practiced krav maga one-on-one with a coach. I was attracted to this self-defense system because of its focus on fast, brutal, effective self-defense. I later stopped when my coach stopped being available. I recently restarted it though I practice it rarely as my coach is too busy with his day job and other stuff.

I like krav maga as it mostly focuses on strengthening your instincts instead of using sophisticated techniques. It always assumes at least two attackers and teaches you how to protect yourself against various weapons like bats, bottles, knives and guns (though this is clearly ONLY if you can't run away at all). We worked through different scenarios including fighting in toilets, against a wall, in a crowd, etc.

What I don't like in krav maga is that it doesn't focus that much on proper stand-up fighting, let alone ground fighting. The assumption is that you defend yourself in 10 seconds (the standard MO is a nut kick and attacking the eyes or other sensitive spots) and run away. But things aren't always that simple.

For that reason, an since my krav maga coach isn't that available anymore, I decided to take up MMA (mixed martial arts).

My MMA coach is an ex-pro and makes a living teaching people how to fight, including competitive fighters. I started a couple of weeks ago and I've already improved my technique a lot.

Since it combines all different combat sports, I think it's one of the best options from the self-defense point of view (the best self-defense option is training sprints LOL). For the time being I'm still working on stand-up fighting but soon we'll also start learning how to grapple.

From the health/fitness point of view it's a great mix of conditioning, strength, power, coordination, mobility, etc. Your entire body gets a solid workout.

From the mental perspective it's also excellent as (safe) sparring is essential in this sport. It teaches you to trust your guard and stay in control as you get hit.

So, to repeat the question:

What martial arts, combat sports or self-defense systems do you practice and why?

Good question, I myself practice Muay-Thai/Boxing plaing to take some grapling lessons, I choose these martial arts because they are the most effective

 

[be-water]

I learned Krav Maga from the 3rd KM instructor for the IDF. I liked the way it was taught and the philosophy. Definitely different than other lineages of Krav Maga though.

I definitely want to start doing BJJ at some point because wrestling is a glaring weak area for me and takes a long time to master.

 

[loop101]

260lb Bodybuilder vs 160lb Wrestler. The big guy started with a cheap shot, he is lucky he only got taken down.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wj6g-WDNjU

 

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[Timmy C]

260lb Bodybuilder vs 160lb Wrestler. The big guy started with a cheap shot, he is lucky he only got taken down.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wj6g-WDNjU

I still wouldn't want to fight that big guy even though I have a fair bit of Martial Arts experience myself.
Imagine big clubbing blows from a guy that size. I would give myself a chance, but any untrained guy would get annihilated with that size difference.

Size matters, that's why weight classes exist.

 

[Oso]

Muay Thai/boxing for ~16 years now. Wanted to be a fighter when I was young, but when I was diagnosed with epilepsy, the dream was instantly killed. Once it was under control, I was cleared to spar/have friendly matches, but I was told I'd never get to actually compete.

Cheers.

 

[Brookzo]

260lb Bodybuilder vs 160lb Wrestler. The big guy started with a cheap shot, he is lucky he only got taken down.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wj6g-WDNjU

Shows that technique > weight if it's trained vs untrained person. Weight classes start matter when you pin people of similar abilities one against the other.

 

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[HoneyBadger302]

For about 6 years was active in Hwa Rang Do/Tae Soo Do. Law enforcement and military, LE especially had a fair bit of training and then I had practical applications of some of the stuff I had learned over the years.
Recently (after a rather long hiatus) have started with a local Korean-based martial art - kind of a mcdojo style, but at my age with my old injuries (not from martial arts), something a little easier to ease back into things is appreciated and I'm enjoying being able to regularly train without really risking aggravating old owies. I chose to start back at the beginning (they would have honored my previous training), since I'm so out of shape and my coordination in that regard is pretty bad, so I don't mind taking the time to work up from the basics again.
I still have all my old material and training, which I can supplement the current program with that as I want.