Does Martial Arts really help?

Jeet Kune Do · Blue Belt

Would martial arts really help in a fight? a one on one?
I feel that street fighting is its own martial art where its only form is the right way to punch and kick...
I have recently been in a Street Fight, but I did not use martial arts.
I fought the way to fight, I have learned that fancy moves are a waste of time and that Martial arts is only good for strengthening your body...

Seriously, if you have never been in a fight, you rally will not know how it feels until you actually fight...Martial arts is very different and does not feel the same

Been a long time since I have been here
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Truestar · Orange Belt

Martial Arts is a way of conditioning your body to be able to fight. While a high roundhouse kick is likely a bad choice in a real fight, by practicing your roundhouse kick you work on flexibility, and the ability to do the kick. A roundhouse in a real fight would best be done to the side of the legs, or in that area. A high kick could lead to loss of balance or opening up your guard which your opponent could take advantage of.

When practicing forms (katas) chances are you won't get attacked the way they are set up. But the purpose of the form is to show you how moves can flow together, and how they can be used with each other.

So I would say yes, Martial Arts does help. While chances are you won't be landing that axe kick to a collarbone, it can be adapted to the fight at hand.

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

I think that if you are fighting, then you are being Martial, and thus, being a Martial Artist, in a sense. Therefore, Martial Arts do work in fights, because fighting is Martial Arts/Sciences/Concepts/whatever you want to call it.

I see that you list Boxing among your styles; did you punch in this fight? If you did, I would be willing to bet that some of that Boxing skill you have accumulated paid off during the encounter.
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tallgeese · Black Belt

Martial arts should matter in a fight, it's what they were designed for. In the county, some schools have lost sight of that and are less efficient. I'll grant you that.

But at it's heart, MA's should be about fighting and one should be training to do so while in class. My feeling is that any ma system is only a systematic way of teaching fighting, nothing more. Labels beyond that are really kind of useless, they merely serve to define your own particular way of preparing for conflict.

I do think that any movements taught in class that do not immediatly prepare one to fight should be disregarded, therefore, I'm not a huge proponant of fancy manuvers or high kicks. And any movement that takes years to learn to use successfully is also suspect. However, everyone should train the way they see best, just be aware of the limitations of your chosen path to combative efficiency.

If you're in a school focusing on combat, you should be metally preparing for the realities of coflict as well. This, more th an anything, will prepare you to survive.

So yes, it should help. If it isn't then maybe you need to look at an art that will work on the thing s you see as more critical in the kinds of situations you're looking at. Or dig deeper into what you're doing. Even when all things are lined up on the trainnig side, you have to look at the very real possibility that things might not go you're way. There are too many variables in real fights to account for them all, no matter what you're training in.

Haveing been there a time or two, i can say that you're right. It's different than being on the floor. The difference part of the thing you have to mentally overcome and prepare for. I can't stress mental preparation enough, it's the key, no matter what you're doing. I can also say that the time I spent training was nothing but helpful in my circumstances.

Jeet Kune Do · Blue Belt

pittbullJudoka · KF Sempai

You can use your martial art training in a fight. You just have to be confident in your skills. Also you have to choose what particular moves are not going to work. Forexample I wouldn't throw a a jump spinning heel kick (even if I could pull this off in the gym). You will be more relaxed in said situation if you spar the way you intend on fighting. By this I don't mean throwing hard in training just stylisticly practice combos, put yourself in situations that may occur in a fight.

Throwdown0850 · Green Belt

BLueDevil · Blue Belt

"When pure knuckles meet pure flesh, that's pure Karate, no matter who executes it or whatever style is involved." -- Ed Parker
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bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

MMA_Jim · Yellow Belt

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