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> I seriously question the practicality of Aikido Actually, I seriously question the practicality of any martial arts. I practiced judo and thai boxing for 20

> I seriously question the practicality of Aikido Actually, I seriously question the practicality of any martial arts. I practiced judo and thai boxing for 20 years (both sports are considered practical), and I certainly don't see myself in a street fight. Actually, I was mugged once in NYC and "fighting" was the last thing in my mind! I'm not saying that fighting can't have a practical value, but it's so unlikely that it can help, that it doesn't have to be a criteria when choosing a martial art. I'd recommend people to choose a sport that they like, rather than something that they think can be practical. There are endless discussions about which martial art is the most practical for "self defense", but if people are so concerned about their safety, I'm sure it's much more cost effective to invest in a better diet, drive more safely and so on rather than practicing boxing 3/4 times a week for years Also, fighting sports can actually hurt your body in the long run.

atom-morgan 11y ago
I agree with you to an extent here. I've always believed the best form of self-defense is probably a gun. In real life, you're not likely to encounter one person who wants to fight. Chances are they're armed or they have many other people with them. So when I say practical I'm largely referring to its near lack of existence within the world of mixed martial arts.
matwood 11y ago
> Actually, I seriously question the practicality of any martial arts. If in a fight, typical MMA training does work. First, it prepares you to get hit. Most people have never been punched and that first time is such a shock that people freeze. Second, most street fights end up on the ground in some sort of grappling which is what MMA training will teach someone to deal with. So, guard yourself, close distance into the grapple, and throw shots when there are openings. I would advocate to obviously avoid a fight if possible.
- gaius 11y ago
  MMA is based on the assumption of a single opponent. Going "to the ground" against multiple assailants is suicide. This is why when the USMC needed to teach a martial art to Marines they had to develop their own, because Brazilian Ju Jitsu is only useful for sports. But yeah, the best martial art is to spot trouble in advance and be somewhere else.
  - rcurry 11y ago
    There's a great movie, called "Man on the Train", that I always remember because of a scene where a school teacher and a gangster are in a cafe and they get hassled by a coupe of local punks. The gangster, who is - by cinematic standards - a total, murderous bad-ass, does nothing as they get taunted by a couple of local hoodlums. Afterwards, the schoolteacher is confused and asked the gangster why he didn't react to the couple of punk kids who were bothering them - he says something like "one guy can't take on two, except in the movies."
  - matwood 11y ago
    If you're talking about a gang beating, then nothing is going to protect you. Typically when someone says fight I think a couple people somehow end up a disagreement and confrontation may occur.
shin_lao 11y ago
You didn't learn martial arts, you learned how to fight in a ring (which is awesome, don't get me wrong). You learned how to defeat your opponent according to a certain set of rules. Martial Arts and self defense is about training you how to react in real-life scenario. They are meant to incapacitate and perhaps kill your aggressor by any mean necessary.

atom-morgan 11y ago

I agree with you to an extent here. I've always believed the best form of self-defense is probably a gun. In real life, you're not likely to encounter one person who wants to fight. Chances are they're armed or they have many other people with them. So when I say practical I'm largely referring to its near lack of existence within the world of mixed martial arts.

matwood 11y ago

> Actually, I seriously question the practicality of any martial arts. If in a fight, typical MMA training does work. First, it prepares you to get hit. Most people have never been punched and that first time is such a shock that people freeze. Second, most street fights end up on the ground in some sort of grappling which is what MMA training will teach someone to deal with. So, guard yourself, close distance into the grapple, and throw shots when there are openings. I would advocate to obviously avoid a fight if possible.

gaius 11y ago
MMA is based on the assumption of a single opponent. Going "to the ground" against multiple assailants is suicide. This is why when the USMC needed to teach a martial art to Marines they had to develop their own, because Brazilian Ju Jitsu is only useful for sports. But yeah, the best martial art is to spot trouble in advance and be somewhere else.
- rcurry 11y ago
  There's a great movie, called "Man on the Train", that I always remember because of a scene where a school teacher and a gangster are in a cafe and they get hassled by a coupe of local punks. The gangster, who is - by cinematic standards - a total, murderous bad-ass, does nothing as they get taunted by a couple of local hoodlums. Afterwards, the schoolteacher is confused and asked the gangster why he didn't react to the couple of punk kids who were bothering them - he says something like "one guy can't take on two, except in the movies."
- matwood 11y ago
  If you're talking about a gang beating, then nothing is going to protect you. Typically when someone says fight I think a couple people somehow end up a disagreement and confrontation may occur.

shin_lao 11y ago

You didn't learn martial arts, you learned how to fight in a ring (which is awesome, don't get me wrong). You learned how to defeat your opponent according to a certain set of rules. Martial Arts and self defense is about training you how to react in real-life scenario. They are meant to incapacitate and perhaps kill your aggressor by any mean necessary.