Quote: (12-19-2012 09:20 AM)Praetor Wrote:
I can't decide between KM, BJJ or MT either, and there are centers for all three of those not far from where I live. I've been reading the Krav Maga forums and many other websites and I still can't get an idea of which martial art to dedicate to learning first. I wrestled and played football for years and I'd be in the "heavyweight" MMA category. I was originally looking into boxing gyms but MMA has really exploded in popularity as of late.
From the research I've done, I'm learning towards Muay Thai because the learning curve is faster and striking is always useful while keeping a distance from your opponent. I'm probably going to pass on Krav Maga because I don't see myself ever gouging out somebodies eyes or destroying their trachea, and you will be in some serious shit for doing that to someone even in self-defense (unless you are in a warzone and 99% of us are not).
I'd say start with a striking art first, muay Thai specifically. You already know how to wrestle, and your throws can really come in handy if you get jumped by more than one person - throwing one or more of the guys down so you can deliver a kick or a few hard punches to their dome and focus on the other one(s), etc.
My wrestling strength and skills have always given me an advantage in fights, but I don't actually use them to roll around with anyone. That's foolish. Rather, the most important thing I learned from wrestling, besides knowing how to slam someone fast and quick, understanding basic leverage, etc, is
knowing how to avoid getting taken to the ground.
Even with skills, my hardfast rule is to NEVER allow myself to fight on the ground with someone unless 1) I'm
100% positive I can easily manhandle them (wrestling and bjj competitions teach you that there's no way to count on that, but you'll typically know after you've grappled for a couple seconds), 2) No one is going to jump in, which is hard to ever be sure of...
Even if someone can likely slug me out, my objective is to get them to the ground
but keep myself on my feet. Usually accomplished by acting like you're coming in to square off but faking them out and going for a double leg
that ends with you instantly back on your feet or exchanging a few blows, closing the distance, and using a good throw.
Here's the thing. On your feet you have control and leverage. You can let go, back up, and end the fight if you think they're unlikely to come at you again. You can dodge, duck, and skip out of the way. You can maneuver around if you've got more people coming at you and do your best to make sure no one gets behind your back. And you can also so drop some mean bombs on someone you've got pinned down with one hand on their throat (their hands will be busy trying to remove yours from their throat, believe me).
And if the situation gets bad enough, you can even turn and run for the hills.
Many will say it's a dirty way to fight one-on-one (getting someone else on their back or ass while you're on your feet kneeing, kicking, and punching), but in my honest opinion
fighting is dirty by default and way too dangerous, when on the street, to worry about keeping clean.
This is also why I never "step outside" with anyone. It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard - step outside like "gentlemen" into a situation with no rules and no guarantee it'll stop when it needs to? I'm either buying them a beer, shaking their hand, or swinging for the medal right then and there.
If you respect the danger of physical altercations and avoid fights but someone still attacks you or gets aggressive enough that attacking first becomes your best option, I personally feel you're in your right to get medieval on their ass. Just be careful and don't catch a case.
So again, you've got the basic wrestling, so work with that for now and learn some muay thai. Later on, you can work on your ground-fighting skills and/or learn some krav maga.
I
don't agree that krav maga is too brutal for everyday Americans either, especially with all the retards going apeshit and shooting up public places, stabbing each other, etc. If two shitheads come at me on a dark corner and there's no one there to help my ass, you can bet I'm going to use the dirtiest tricks in the book to get out of the situation and then jam out of there before the cops arrive.
That said, even in a situation like that, you can probably get out of it just by knowing how to smash someone in the head a few times hard enough to make them want you to stop, preferably with a weapon, and then use their moment of hesitation, fear, or delirium as a chance to get your ass outta there.
Obviously the level of violence you use in a given situation is something you determine based on that situation. But never assume that not officially living in a warzone means you'll never end up in a war-like situation wishing you had a few war-like tricks up your sleeve.
Beyond All Seas
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling