Are martial arts useful?

[Resistance205]

Well, in a way...I do Jiu Jutsu, but to be honest i haven't ever used it in a full and proper fight. Thats mainly becasue i am never in one. But if me and my friends are messing aorund, then yeah, sometimes i would use some jiu jutsu.

I have only been doing jiu jutsu for a few weeks now, and the last thing we learned was how to defend against normal attacks. Like, if a person who doesn't do any form of fighting lessons, they would just srot of go crazy. We learned how to defend against that, so I am sure at some point that will come in handy.

 

[ParkourMcGhee]

Apart from being fit enough to run away from a chav (basically run 200m without falling to the floor gasping for air), the use of martial arts pretty much extends to sport and that's it.

Oh and the current ninjutsu is nowhere near what the original art entailed. If you want to get what the real ninjas used, basically you have to go half-half on an in-depth historical research of the things used and joining the army and training stealth and evading capture, explosives... and a whole LOAD more things (basically become elite special ops). Ninjas had dangerous stuff for a good reason: they lead a bloody dangerous life.

 

[BubbleGumSnareDrum]

I have a few friends who practice martial arts and they claim they can use it in real situations at which point I explain the fatal flaw with martial arts, it has no natural defense against the tackle. Yes if you became buff you could stop it but in reality how many moves are there that are intended on stopping a large man from running into you knocking you on the ground and preceding to punch you in the face repeatedly.

There was a kung fu master who used to face bulls in the ring. They would charge him and he would kill them with a single blow to the skull. He was eventually impaled through the abdomen, ending up lucky enough to avoid damaging any vital organs irreparably, and survived. Then went back to killing bulls.

If ANY human being ANYWHERE was able to do that, I think most anyone who is fairly experienced with martial arts would be able to stop a large man.

 

[caz105]

Tackles are easy its called a hand off (could be a palm strike to the face)that most rugby players know how to do.
In my karate class we do unpredictable attacks i.e. we stand opposite each other and one person attacks the other with a random technique while the other person blocks and counters it. Needless to say You get used to being hit.

 

[Svenparty]

Karate Kid: HIIIIIIII.....
Robber:SHOOTS

End

That is traditional karate anyway...

 

[kawligia]

I have used martial arts skills twice IRL.

One was a drunk guy coming at me so I flipped him on his ass with an O Goshi. He didn't get seriously injured but he didn't come at me a second time.

The other time was just in an accidental fall. I used my falling skills instinctively and may have avoided a serious back/neck injury.

Not too glamorous, but oh well.

 

[Giovanto]

At close range..well...remember how Leon said in RE4 "Use knives next time, works better for close encounters"? Thats true. You should focus on getting your body AWAY from the front of the barrel. If its a revolver, put your finger over the hammer on the back if its DA, or if its SA try and squeeze it forward to impair the gun, or on a semi-auto, grip the slider as HARD AS YOU CAN. While disabling the gun you should put your knee in his groin, your head in his face, something to make him hurt.

This is the worst advice I've ever come across. This is not the movies, attempting to stop a semi automatic by grabbing hold of the slide will just give you a broken wrist and a burnt hand, then your assailant will shoot you anyway.

No, its not. Grip the slide tight enough and the mechanism won't be able to go off fast enough to stop you from disabling the assailaint.

It may not be a movie, but it is true. A knife is more useful close range then a gun. A gun doesn't make you a God of all combat, it has weaknesses just like everything else.

 

[Beowulf DW]

I've never had to use my training in actual combat, but I know people who have. One of the seniors in my old Tang Soo Do class was attacked by some guy on a city street once when he was walking home from his college classes. The guy pulled a knife on him, but before he got to attack, my senior had dropped his books and assumed a front stance. The would-be-mugger got scared and ran off. I suppose the idea of a "victim" who is willing and able to fight is not very appealing to most street thugs.

But really, I never started practicing martial arts for self-defence; that was just a nice bonus. I was in it for physical health and mental discipline.

Even the free-style knife defence that I practiced wasn't necessarily to prepare to defend myself from a knife-wielding opponent, so much as it was to help me learn to stay alert and attentive.

I'm practicing Aikido now, and that style focuses on the mental aspect even more than Tang Soo Do did.

 

[jamesworkshop]

Martial arts still apply to the military, civilian self defense is not a martial art

 

[The Wooster]

At close range..well...remember how Leon said in RE4 "Use knives next time, works better for close encounters"? Thats true. You should focus on getting your body AWAY from the front of the barrel. If its a revolver, put your finger over the hammer on the back if its DA, or if its SA try and squeeze it forward to impair the gun, or on a semi-auto, grip the slider as HARD AS YOU CAN. While disabling the gun you should put your knee in his groin, your head in his face, something to make him hurt.

This is the worst advice I've ever come across. This is not the movies, attempting to stop a semi automatic by grabbing hold of the slide will just give you a broken wrist and a burnt hand, then your assailant will shoot you anyway.

No, its not. Grip the slide tight enough and the mechanism won't be able to go off fast enough to stop you from disabling the assailaint.

That's not how it works. The movement of the slide is caused by the gun going off not the other way around. What would actually happen is A: you'd get shot B: The movement of the slide would rip the skin from your hand and probably break your wrist c: then it would eject a hot casing into your freshly sliced up hand.

 

[Typhian]

I took kick-boxing, but have been fortunate enough not to need it yet. Does that fit the category?

 

[Angelic-Dragon]

I've done martial arts and the things that I have learnt from it are (in no particular order)
1. Be peaceful and don't resort to violence
2. Don't 'brag' about your skill (this includes talking about fights like their just everyday things)

You'll normally find that people that practice martial arts. Such as yourself OP, that your more calm towards situations and don't need to 'relieve' the person of their consciousness for a while.
So if they have been in a situation where they have had to use martial arts (which they most likely have as some people hunt for fights) they may not speak about it.

 

[Ninja D]

I?m going on my 17th year of martial arts these days and my 5th as an instructor of akijutsu, okinawan kempo and iado. That figure kind of makes me feel old. Regardless, there's a reason you haven?t been in several fights: you've been taught to diffuse situations. One goal of martial arts is to not have to use it in a street situation. Sure, it happens, that's just how it goes sometimes. I?ve used it. I?ve used it several times. I?ve been a bartender, a bouncer, and a guy that's gotten mobbed. Sometimes there's nothing you can do. If someone comes up behind you with brass knuckles, or a knife, or a ball bat, you get hurt. Trust me, I know. There's not much of a difference between losing a fight and winning with a switchblade sticking out of your ribs, either. 9 out of 10 situations, however, can be avoided by walking away or just telling the other person what they want to hear. That's always the desired outcome.

 

[October Country]

I have practiced two different martial arts, though I am not very skilled in either, and luckily I haven't had a chance to use any of my knowledge in real life. If I did get assaulted I would probably just try and get run away at the first chance I got. I mostly practice it to keep myself in shape.

 

[Seldon2639]

I'm with the other people who've trained on this:

The reason you don't fight if you've learned a martial art is that you almost never really *need* to fight. Unless someone is threatening your life, someone else's life, or bodily harm, there are always other options. One of the first things drilled into me in my dojo was that fighting isn't good. Yes, it sounds a little cheesy, but it's about being able to defend yourself, as well as the athletic and mental aspects, far more than it is the utility of fighting.

If a guy is mugging you, give him your damned wallet, Ipod, or anything else. Unless he's made it clear that he intends to kill you, money isn't worth the fight. Ever. The people I've seen really get into fights are people with either no or minimal training. The kind of person who'd pick a fight in a bar over a woman is the kind who's never had good training.

I've never had to use my training in actual combat, but I know people who have. One of the seniors in my old Tang Soo Do class was attacked by some guy on a city street once when he was walking home from his college classes. The guy pulled a knife on him, but before he got to attack, my senior had dropped his books and assumed a front stance. The would-be-mugger got scared and ran off. I suppose the idea of a "victim" who is willing and able to fight is not very appealing to most street thugs.

I wanted to respond to this for a moment. I don't know if Tang Soo Do does things differently from Aikido and Shotokan (the two things I've trained in), but I've been trained first not to fight back during a mugging, and second not to drop into a stance in that situation. If it was just for intimidation, that's fine, but it's bad strategically. If you put your opponent on his guard and he's anything other than an idiot, you've given him an advantage.

On the "grip the slide question":

You're both half right. Gripping the slide before a shot wouldn't help anything, since the slide only moves due to the recoil of the round being fired, so it would still fire. But, you could prevent it from chambering a second round, which might be worth something if you're willing to burn your hand pretty badly. That said, the best method to defuse a gun threat is the same as that with a knife:

Control the gun hand, make sure it's pointing up and away. Breaking the trigger finger helps a lot, because it's downhill from there. Don't try for anything fancy like disarming him, you're likely to either get shot yourself, or get someone else shot. If all else fails, control the barrel of the gun itself (as a very, very, last resort). For all guns, if you can interfere with the hammer falling, you can stop it from firing (every gun uses a hammer), but that takes a lot more chances.

But, I'll reiterate: there's almost never a reason to fight. Be ready to part with everything on your person before you're ready to actually fight. Unless someone just wants to hurt you or someone else, there's no need to fight.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Martial Arts are very rarely practical from a self-defense standpoint. Yes, from time to time you do hear about someone beating down a mugger with fancy karate gimmicks, but at the end of the day the untrained man with a gun is probably far more dangerous than a well trained man with his hands.

That said, there are aspects of martial arts that are still useful. There's the obvious health benefits of course, which go hand in hand with several useful mental side effects (relaxation, oddly enough). If you partake in a competative martial art, I'd have to wager you are improving your non-linear thinking, given a great deal of martial arts involves rapid assessment and reaction skills along with fairly long term planning. At least that's true in fencing.

As an example - the simple, direct attack will almost NEVER succeed against a skilled opponent, so you're forced to fight in second, third or even fourth intention. Essentially, through observation and intuition you attempt to create a scenario where your opponent opens a line of defense. If I notice my opposition will parry my attack but fails to reposte (an attack that follows on the heels of a defensive action), then I can always throw a "feint" to draw the defense, disengage (move my own blade out of the way of his defense) and continue my attack. Those same basic skills are found in every day life.

 

[ace_of_something]

has anyone that has practiced martial arts actually applied it to real life situations? i have been studying ninjutsu for a number of years now and not once have i had to test my skills in a real life situation...

(note: im looking for stories, it wasn't meant as a whinge.)

Yes many times; I was formerly a police officer now a corrections officer. As a Policeman i had to do this about once a week maybe every other week. AS a C/O about once a month.

 

[Danzaivar]

A friend of mine is a Black Belt in Taekwondo, back when we was at school some kids tried to happy-slap* him while he was walking home. This kids comes running up to him with his fists waving about, the moment hes close enough my mate spins round and does a back kick to the guys FACE. He then walked away with this kid writhing about on the floor with a front tooth missing and blood pouring quite rapidly out of his nose, the one filming the whole thing then legs it.

I'd say it certainly can be useful for self defence if you're good/disciplined enough.

*happy-slap - A chav fad in England where one person randomly assaults someone else, and get a friend to film it on their mobile.

 

[Beowulf DW]

I've never had to use my training in actual combat, but I know people who have. One of the seniors in my old Tang Soo Do class was attacked by some guy on a city street once when he was walking home from his college classes. The guy pulled a knife on him, but before he got to attack, my senior had dropped his books and assumed a front stance. The would-be-mugger got scared and ran off. I suppose the idea of a "victim" who is willing and able to fight is not very appealing to most street thugs.

I wanted to respond to this for a moment. I don't know if Tang Soo Do does things differently from Aikido and Shotokan (the two things I've trained in), but I've been trained first not to fight back during a mugging, and second not to drop into a stance in that situation. If it was just for intimidation, that's fine, but it's bad strategically. If you put your opponent on his guard and he's anything other than an idiot, you've given him an advantage.

Perhaps "stance" means something different to you, being in a different style, but when I said that, I meant that he got his hands up to block, and positioned his feet so that he could retreat properly if he had to. The guy already had the knife out, so the logical conclusion would be that his guard was up already.

You're right about our policy on not fighting back during a mugging, though. Our policy is, "If you can take the other guy down, do it." Our master often told us that if an opponent pulls a knife, we should take that as a declaration of intent to kill, and respond with appropriate force.

 

[AntiAntagonist]

Martial arts are still applicable in today's society. In some cases they are more applicable.

Hundreds (and thousands in cases) of years ago soldiers wore armor. Many techniques rose in prevalence to make the use of armor a smaller factor. The armor of then and now are very different. However basic principles apply- attack the aggressor's limited mobility.

The big difference isn't social acceptability or competing tactics/styles (in the hypothetical day-to-day defense situation), the difference is the number of aggressors, the availability of help and the weapons used. Firearms were much less prevalent back then; more modern martial arts and modern versions of old techniques cover defense techniques for them.

Purpose of martial art also varies greatly. Certain martial arts are for made for brutality or war; in these cases injury or the aggressor's death(s) is the name of the game. Some of these martial arts have adapted and concentrate on restraint or injury techniques only.

Pick a style (or styles) that reflect your lifestyle and location. If you live far away from any sort of help consider that would end the fight quickly. If you live in a city with much security (or litigation) consider self defense and injury based fighting systems.