So, what is the best martial art for a street fight?
Well, there has always been considerable debate about this topic, so let me throw in my two cents.
First of all, what needs to be considered are the key principles to winning a street fight, which are…
- Hit first
- Hit hard
- Attachment and control
- Continuous assault
- Hit high and low
- Move forward/take ground
Secondly, we need to consider some other characteristics of a street fight…
- Street fights rarely occur where there are just two people fighting alone… there is usually a crowd, and one or both combatants likely have friends nearby.
- One or both combatants, or one of the friends nearby are often armed.
- Your body will go through significant physiological changes when faced with a confrontation… in particular a massive dump of adrenaline.
With these principles and characteristics in mind what is the best martial art for a street fight?
Characteristics of the best martial art for a street fight
Many martial arts schools will try to tell you that one style is better than another for such and such a reason, mainly to attract students and keep them there.
For instance, I remember having a discussion years ago with a friend who had been training at Brazilian jiu jitsu for a bit. They felt that this was the best art because they were told that 90% of street fights go to the ground.
Let me tell you… the last place you want to end up in a street fight is on the ground.
Most street fights do not occur where the two combatants are fighting alone in a dark alley.
Most occur in a bar or where there are multiple people present. That means one or both combatants have friends nearby.
If you go to the ground, you are vulnerable to attack by one of your opponent’s friends. Therefore, the goal should never be to go to the ground.
Tae Kwon Do schools place most emphasis on kicking, and you will see many such practitioners with the ability to throw a kick to head height quite easily.
However, since the emphasis in these schools is competition, there are rules.
Most of these competitions involve point sparring, where you score a point if you can quickly land a kick or punch on your opponent. However, unless protective gear is worn, no shots are allowed to the head and groin.
There are no rules in a street fight. And, quite frankly, the ability to land a kick to the head is not going to be worth much in a fight conducted on uneven terrain or a slippery surface, especially when your legs are shaking due to the adrenaline dump.
Speaking of that adrenaline dump, how many fancy techniques and sequences will you remember when you are under substantial stress?
Unless you’ve been training regularly for 20 years, you probably won’t remember much.
With this in mind, the characteristics of the best martial art for a street fight are as follows:
- It is well rounded in that you learn how to strike, kick and grapple
- It is simple… there are few techniques to learn
- The techniques involve big muscle movements rather than fine motor skills
- It focuses more attention on developing the proper mindset to deal with a confrontation than on learning hundreds of techniques
So what is this martial art?
In one word… Combatives.
Combatives training is as close as you can get to a real street fighting situation or criminal assault.
Krav Maga is probably the most similar “art” to combatives. Designed for use by the Israeli military, it is probably the fastest growing martial art, at least in the U.S.
However, it has become more commercialized to attract students in a similar manner to other types of martial arts schools.
Further, few schools conduct the type of simulation and scenario training that you will find in actual combatives type training.
Combatives
Combatives are rooted in the actual training given to commando troops in World War II. The training had to be simple and effective, because the troops were learning over a relatively short period of time.
W.E. Fairbairn is recognized as the father of modern combatives.
Born in England, Fairbairn joined the Shanghai Police in 1907 and reportedly engaged in many fights over the course of his twenty year career there. He ultimately trained an anti-riot squad for the force based on his experience.
After he had joined the Shanghai police, Fairbairn studied a variety of martial arts such as judo, boxing, wrestling, etc. Based on his studies, he developed his own system of fighting which he named “Defendu.”
He was then recruited by the British Secret Service during World War II to train commando forces along with Eric Sykes.
In more modern times, combatives instructors such as Carl Cestari, Lee Morrison, and Kelly McCann have expanded on the Defendu system to develop systems that are more relevant for current society.
Most such instructors have also studied a variety of martial arts similar to Fairbairn, and then have effectively taken what they feel works best for them.
They’ve then put this material together in their own systems that allowed them to become among the most respected instructors in the world.
Carl Cestari passed away from cancer in 2007, but in the years prior to that, passed on his knowledge to Damian Ross.
Damian took everything he learned from Carl and created the Self Defense Training System, a self defense training system that can be learned completely online.
Final Thoughts
The best martial art for a street fight is one that keeps things simple and can adapt to any situation. It focuses on few basic principles, rather than hundreds of techniques.
Most martial arts are extremely helpful in developing skills and athleticism. However, most people train in martial arts as a hobby. Therefore, they tend to freeze up during an actual altercation.
Combatives training focuses more on the basic principles needed to win a street fight or to prevail during any type of assault.
With this in mind, if you are searching for a martial arts school near you, look for instructors that also offer combatives training as part of their curriculum.
If that proves difficult, consider adding online training from the Self Defense Company to your arsenal.
Thanks for reading!
