Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

As above. I would say krav maga has the best real world situations, and if you get a good trainer, they allow physical contact enough you actually feel in danger.

Other than that, the best self defense is not to get into the situation in the first place.

Ive been around so many masters, trainers, and people who have trained in martial arts for years and they told me whenever someone asks them whats the best way to stay protected or which martial art is best, they always say "Awareness and knowing how and when to run away."

As Trev said, unless your in a no way out situation to fight (in almost all isntances theirs a way out) Krav Maga, Aikido, Judo.

interesting post ; i've also trained in a lot of styles (wrestling, tai chi, reality fighting, kickboxing, shaolin kung fu, combat sambo, systema) and i believe the best style is no style.
the best move you use, may not be memorized, planned or choreographed, because you'll never know the circumstances and conditions... until it happens!
now, systema (which i trained in) has many skeptics and just as many proponents; in my experience, it was as close as i ever got to real world (short of being jumped).
i do remember talking with my teacher though and he said that all styles, irregardless of what they are, are hypothetical at best and that there was/is no best style.
because if you really trained with deadly intent and force, you or your training partners may not survive the training session...
i do like the above poster that mentioned running; sprinting is one of my top activities and i tell you what when you're talkin multiple attackers and weapons, i'll bust out right quick
in fact in any confrontation i'd prefer to be out before having to do battle unless it's my only choice (maybe all the yoga i've done is getting to me?)
that being said many martial arts are not defined as self-defense or fighting per se they are more survival systems and ways of life.
i resemble that; in other words, i want to go home at the end of the day and i want to live to see tomorrow

My friend was talking to me about systema. This was a year or two ago, I couldnt find any videos or much information on it.

there is all kinds of info out there both pro and con but here's a great site: http://www.russianmartialart.com/ to get you started
i'm not sure where you're at, but there are classes and seminars all around the world and mostly all the "comrades" i met are very open and friendly and all around good people.
there is a great place here in NYC (i used to train there) that is great to check out martial arts in general; on any given night they may have a dozen different styles training: http://www.fighthouse.com/
there are videos on line that are showing it in a positive as well as negative light, but i recommend to experience it first hand in person.
the core principles of relaxation, breathing, posture, and movement are the same core of tai chi, akido and just about everything else that transcends time and generations.
what also attracted me to it is the "no memorization needed"; it's like jazz as opposed to classical.
and when it comes to feeling safe, that's the idea; you face your fears so they are diffused or greatly reduced at the least...

Ok, this is from a totally biassed background, (wrestling, lil Jitz) but I would say most likely BJJ is going to give you the best but, ... only slightly better than wrestling, and in many cases wrestling would be a lot better for a brawl.

Most fights go to the ground. A wrestler will stay on his feet and on top, not on his back.. If a wrestler with no BJJ gets into it with a BJJ guy,... the wrestler is toast (and this from a 10 year wrestler) , but anyone else, I think the wrestler has a better chance.

however... alot of BJJ guys might be in trouble if they get in a fight on concrete, gravel, pavement, bar floor, sidewalk whatever.. and immediately try to go to their back, you can get the back of your head pretty rattled that way. Not to mention, being on the bottom ... if multiple attackers come at you.. wrestling will not help you but if you're on top, you can get up and get away easier than if you're trying to break a guys arm from the bottom or choke someone out.

Obviously the safest combo for protection, avoidance, and defending anything, including multiple attackers is great stand up mui thai/kickboxing combined with takedown defense.

Best martial art of all though.. hands down... 2 on 1.

Haha, I have to agree with SportyDog. Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Jits...where it's at. I took ITF Taekwon-do for 6 years, which taught me solid linear striking and devastating heel kicks, but is in itself a very incomplete martial art. Since I began training MMA, my confidence regarding how I would actually do in a street fight has gone up immensely, as the well rounded and high stress training really prepares you for the chaos of an actual fight. I just hope if I do end up getting in a street fight that it happens on grass or that comfy rubbery asphalt....because I'd really like to win by triangle choke. Yeah, that would be SWEET.

I'm with ronnie on this. I'm into the Bas Rutten stuff. He's a big proponent of Krav maga. I don't practice much so i'm not much of a threat. May never be in that respect. The arts are cool all around though. I admire the discipline and the flexibility.

The Tao of the crouching Glock.

I'm sure you've seen the Bas Rutten XTREME STREET FIGHTING VIDEO?!?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQVaTEPOsTA
(part 1 of 11)

This shit is fantastic and hilarious.

Teh win

http://youtube.com/watch?v=myuLR5LxRbc

If you feel safe from knowing a martial art then maybe you have fear issues? Personal comfort issues? Try countering a nuke.
Apart from that I would imagine aikido practitioners feel pretty confident. Same with capoeira. These two to me would be the internal safety and external. I would not consider any MMA stuff other than JKD to have any credit here because any smart assailant would have backup, and after you wrestle one to the ground the others will stab you in the back if they have not shot you by that point. This is all from my point of view though. Remember there is no spoon.

Gyre wrote:



Sometimes Gyre there is a spoon.Sometimes there are alot of spoons.Sometimes there are more spoons that forks.Other times there are giant spoons in multi packs.

Never deny the existence of a particular item of cutlery, that is knowledge.

Don't forget sporks

Muay Thai and Krav Maga

Hi, I prefer a type that is strictly self-defense. I have taken classes in TaiChi before, but I would like to practice something that is a little more "physically energetic" so to speak. However, I have heard that TaiChi is the Grandmaster of Martial Arts. Is this true? I am looking for something that has a "philosophy" as well as a physical discipline. What type of Martial arts should I start taking classes in?