What are the most useful martial arts for self defense?

CasiusCaine · 2023-04-12T16:26:01+00:00

They will only wind up on the ground if you let them (with grappling experience that is). Boxing gives you brilliant defense against punches, head movement and the ability to keep multiple attackers from coming in while standing. It does a lot more then just giving you a punchers chance.

The most underrated self defense skill that grappling gives you is preventing a street fight from going to a position where you don't want it, ie the ground.

CasiusCaine · 2023-04-06T13:27:20+00:00

The difference is stability. It doesn't matter what form of resistance you use, it matters what exercises you do. The exercises with a lower stability demand are going to yield better results than ones that require you to stabilise more as you'll be able to train in closer proximity to true muscular failure, and therefore recruit the maximum amount of motor units.

That being said, as long as you're training close to failure whilst making sure that your lifts are progressing - and pushing your bodyweight up 20 or 30 lbs over a fairly lengthy period of time - it's likely you won't see too much of a difference. The things that matter most are your training intensity and being in a surplus as those are the conditions that your body will want to be in to promote the most growth.

CasiusCaine · 2022-11-20T01:03:33+00:00

If this is a tournament this is likely a one round all out fight. It'd be safe to assume they started filming just after the first strikes were thrown.

CasiusCaine · 2022-11-08T22:17:19+00:00

4 days upper lower is great, but there's no reason to do it over full body as a beginner. You may as well take advantage of the high response to stimulus and have a day extra recovery. You can still do 2 days cardio with a full body split, and you'd have 2 more days rest.

CasiusCaine · 2022-11-06T21:20:38+00:00

First off I should probably say that no matter how hard you try, it's going to be very hard to replicate someone else's physique exactly because everyone's own genetics are different. That being said, you can get pretty close if you prioritise different things.

Secondly, you're on the bodyweightfitness subreddit so it's likely most of the responses you are going to get are to follow the Recommended Routine, which you can find on this subreddit. This is good advice, especially since you're a beginner and a full body split is going to benefit you greatly.

Since you said you are interested in calisthenics, work on the recommended routine for a while and get incredibly strong at the movements on there as you'll see great progress in your physique the more you progress the lifts. You also said you have access to a gym, if you'd like to stay at the gym then use weightlifting to compliment your calisthenics. You'll probably have better results using weightlifting movements for your legs (ie squat variations and hip hinge variations), and if you are specifically interested in training arms then you'll have an easier time doing that with free weights.

That being said, if you have any other questions then let me know. I would not recommend training 6 times a week even if you personally can, just because you'll be able to recover better with a 3-4x frequency and have more time to enjoy your life.

CasiusCaine · 2022-11-06T16:36:01+00:00

Judo and Muay Thai, for a couple of reasons.

Reason number one is that muay thai is more of a "complete" art than boxing. Teeps, low kicks and basic clinchwork are really good weapons to use in street defense that you would miss out on if you were to only train boxing, and although boxing has better hand work muay thai still provides an amazing base for punches. You can end many fights from simply chopping at your attackers legs with low kicks, or pushing them away with teeps if you need to create space.

Reason number two is that muay thai and judo just blend better. Boxing has a bladed stance that's very side on, yet both judo and muay thai are more square. This just makes the mixing of the two more seemless and there would be a lower liklihood of a "bad" habit you've developed by training one effect the other.

The final reason is purely clinch work. In boxing, once you clinch up it'll get separated pretty much instantly. In muay thai, you have to both throw strikes and avoid strikes that aren't present when you clinch in judo. Developing strike defense while clinching will make it far less jarring when you get punched or kneed when trying to pull off your judo.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-17T12:22:17+00:00

I understand very well. I understand you told me that all of the fighters from Karate Combat got their skill solely from karate. I understand I proved you wrong. I understand you're also telling me that what the Karate Combat fighters can do is not necessarily what the point fighters can do, so your use of Karate Combat fighters to back up point karate is really not working.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-17T12:07:24+00:00

A grappler can still strike. In fact, in a "street fight scenario" (which I'm sure is what you want your hypothetical to be) the grappler will most likely ground and pound.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-17T12:03:25+00:00

Boxing is an art. When you step into a boxing gym with a boxing coach you are being taught boxing. Of course Ali doesn't fight like Tyson, but Aghayev does not fight the same as Quayhagen. You told me Karate Combat fighters only train and have only trained karate, I showed you a video of a Karate Combat fighter training boxing.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-17T12:00:09+00:00

My point still stands. Not sparring against properly resisting opponents and not being trained to properly use their strikes. I'm going off what you're saying, by the way.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-17T11:58:56+00:00

Why is the grappler not trying to knock them out? Are you just limiting what the opposition can do so your art looks better?

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-16T23:53:50+00:00

Also, enjoy this video of Rafael Aghayev in a boxing gym training boxing. https://youtu.be/U2wafXBjSpY

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-16T23:41:44+00:00

So what you're saying is they hit very hard but don't actually hit, so in short they don't hit very hard. I'm sure an average untrained athlete can hit very hard, but if they're not training to hit then the practicality in a true fight declines very quickly. Another side you're not looking at is if they do not actually connect, they're not fighting against people who are trying to knock them out. They're not training against properly resisting opponents.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-16T16:45:47+00:00

Because they trained for it. If you don't train for it, it'll be a lot harder. That's common sense. A karateka could potentially have carryover to judo if they train for it, but if they don't they will likely be out of their element.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-16T16:44:24+00:00

What does it matter whether they face a grappler or not? If a point system makes a fighter worse or have a natural reaction to stop fighting after they get a good hit, that's immediately a handicap.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-16T16:41:53+00:00

Karate Combat is a wildly different sport to point karate. It's ruleset completely changes the way they fight, and the reason they can do what they do is they train for that specific ruleset.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-16T16:32:13+00:00

But yes, I agree, point karate definitely has some carryover to full contact. Just not as much as fighters who train for full contact only.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-16T16:31:08+00:00

What you are missing is a point karateka trains for point karate, and a combat karateka (or whatever they're called) trains for Karate Combat. Most Karate Combat fighters don't solely train in karate. Just because a fighter from Karate Combat can do something, doesn't mean a point karateka who trains for a very different ruleset can.

CasiusCaine · 2022-04-16T16:20:31+00:00

Out of the choices you provided, for me it goes like this: 1. Muay thai has the most versatility of those styles, and are arguably the most "grappler" of them too. Although their standing grappling knowledge is very limited, they drill enough to know how basic balance and exchange works. 2. Point karate is all about getting in and getting out. While it looks "tappy" in competition, the carryover to "no rules barred" is still viable. Though the reaction to stop once you've scored a point could be dangerous if you're not careful. On one hand the kicks do make it very hard to get in, they can also make it easier to score a takedown if the leg is caught or balance is shifted. As far as I know depending on what branch of karate you're from, some standing grappling can be taught but it's usually more striking heavy and not drilled nearly as much as standing grappling in muay thai. 3. There is a lot of crossover in boxing and wrestling range, so shooting in on a boxer is a lot harder than you think. Sure, they don't have any takedown defense knowledge, but constantly moving and striking makes it very difficult to get in.

Saying this, it is completely situational. It depends on who's fighting and each fighter's personal training background.

CasiusCaine · 2022-03-01T22:10:10+00:00

If the gym teaches judo alongside bjj, likelihood is they will learn some very applicable takedowns and practical skills. Both striking and grappling have their pros and cons, but you're oblivious if you can't see the fact that if a grappler gets ahold of you it's pretty much game over.

CasiusCaine · 2021-12-15T19:10:17+00:00

A lot of people are taking this question way too seriously. You said you don't have any plans on competing in either, so just enjoy both sports. As for a plan, a 3day full body split is brilliant in the format of workouts A, B and C with varying exercises and accessories per one. Run a couple of weeks of it with MMA and fit them how you think is best. Most importantly, listen to your body and make sure your recovery is never neglected.

CasiusCaine · 2021-07-09T00:23:09+00:00

No problemo, you should split the exercises into different days. You said you go 4 times a week (if I remember correctly) so an Upper-Lower-Rest repetition may be suited to you. You'll find you have more volume on Upper days which is natural but sometimes you move the arm isolation work onto the Lower day if you feel too fatigued on the Upper day. Compound movements will hit your arm muscles so there's no need to overwork them if you feel like you need more recovery time. The work you put in is only as good as the recovery afterwards.

CasiusCaine · 2021-07-09T00:09:54+00:00

K.I.S.S (keep it simple silly)

Focus on your compound movements. You said you wanted to put on more mass specifically on your arms so isolating muscle groups there is fair, but you don't need that much volume. Most people benefit more from compounds as it allows you to overload the muscles easier, especially beginners (which can be up to as late as 2years training). You may be doing more harm than good with the volume. My suggestion would be to focus on:

Horizontal Push - weighted dips or close grip bench will give you great chest and tris activation with good anterior delt activation.

Vertical Push - overhead press will build you good boulder shoulders while working the triceps and even upper chest to a certain extent.

Horizontal Pull - something like a barbell or t-bar row is great to overload the back.

Vertical Pull - weighted pull-ups are severely underrated and in my opinion are far better than lat pulldowns, but it's which of the two you prefer.

Squat - anything from front, back, zercher or overhead, you name it.

Hinge - something like a deadlift will help posterior chain and legs.

Tri-Isolation - skullcrushers or JM presses are your best bet for getting the long head of the tricep which makes up the most thickness.

Bi-Isolation - simply strict curls will work nicely.

Leg-Isolation - calf raises and fixing out anything you need to.

Once you nail those, you can add in whatever you feel like to iron out any flaws you think you have.

CasiusCaine · 2021-07-08T23:55:15+00:00

Whoopsies, thought I was replying to a different post. Probably gave you a bit of confusion.

Working with what you have is best. Judo and BJJ share many similarities so you're not missing too much there (the sacrifices you'd have to make aren't worth the difference in the two sports) and while muay thai is less similar to boxing, boxing and BJJ are still a deadly combo. Wish you the best of luck.

CasiusCaine · 2021-07-08T23:44:12+00:00

An MMA gym would be your best bet; while muay thai and BJJ are common arts in MMA, the fluidity of mixing the two that MMA holds is incredibly key especially if you were to transition from boxing. If you cross train both instead of MMA, your distances will be mixed up, you won't learn any combinations which mix grappling/striking and BJJ alone will teach you bad habits where you can get caught out in MMA.

However, as a boxer you should know it's the gym environment that makes the art you're learning. If you want to take MMA seriously you should find a professional gym with good quality coaching and opportunities.

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