Surely you should look at what’s available in your area before setting your heart on a style and finding out there isn’t a class for 200 miles.
I’m 6’5" and 240lbs with very long limbs. Welcome to the club. If Bones was white, he would be named Malchir…
Wrestling, boxing and standing chokes have been the “things” I have used the most when bouncing and feel most natural. Top game BJJ and some aikido when controlling instead of all-out brawling.
Style that works the best with overpowering strength is imo wrestling.
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
[quote]lemonman456 wrote:
So why won’t a kick work in a street fight?[/quote]
They can, but to throw a kick a lot of times you need room to throw it. A lot of the places fights tend to happen are very cramped spaces. On top of that, real fights start in much different fashion, often with a sucker punch or a sneak attack with some kind of setup coming first. Time to actually throw a kick is a luxury in those situations.
Also, I don’t like throwing kicks because they put you off balance. You slip on some beer that was spilled, you get pushed by one of the guy’s friends, you had too much to drink and your balance ain’t great to begin with… There’s a lot of complications that come with it.
I haven’t seen a kick thrown in a real fight since I was in grade school, and they didn’t work then either.
I realize people are going to have different opinions and I don’t want this to turn into a style vs. style thing, but boxing is simple and effective… and most importantly, it teaches you how to slip punches and hit back immediately- something that most other arts are sorely lacking in. It becomes reflexive to do these things.[/quote]
i agree
im 6’2, but im pretty long limbed. boxing is a beautiful thing to start out with. at age 9 i got taken to try shotokan and then TKD, stuck them for a while but instantly found boxing more practical when i tried it, as a taller guy you will find yourself throwing punches smoothly and naturally rather than kicking which will be awkward at first. plus flexibility is a huge factor and takes time to build to kick effectively, while you can come into boxing and progress pretty quickly. when i started i found myself sparring within a week, and even though i sucked back then, the experience was useful for real life situations.
80% of fights i’ve been involved in start almost face to face. you know the trash talking prick who squares up expecting you to back down. boxing will teach you to instinctively detect movements that tell you a punch is on its way, and your reflexes throw you into a slip. in the ring, you’ll learn to defend yourself against fast, accurate punches and counter them effectively. this will put you on another level to guys on the street, since most of em will telegraph a punch pretty clearly.(especially when alcohol is involved)
im not saying martial arts isnt useful, it is, and can be applied dangerously. but for a tall lanky kid boxing will get him where he needs to be faster and give him a solid base without getting complicated. whatever you choose, the most important thing will be the confidence boost it gives you. you’ll feel like you can handle yourself and that alone will help you on the street.
“80% of fights i’ve been involved in start almost face to face” - They also often involve a palm in the chest from a drunken dickhead. Then it’s time for Nikyo from Ryotedori and a good laugh all round.
As far as I’m concerned, boxing is a martial art. As is wrestling.
Don’t get wrapped up in a ‘martial art for body type’ thought process. You learn to work with what you got. Example: a tall striker may have an advantage at range but a shorter guy can play the inside game.
Unless you are out on the physical fringe (i.e. if you are 300+lbs, sumo would be a good choice ) or have a disability (i.e. boxing may be a bit challenging if you are missing a hand/arm), find something that you like and give it a shot. I’ll throw out some generic advice that will hopefully help.
Don’t (necessarily) pick a style first. Pick an instructor/school by observing/trying a few classes. Given your ‘self defense’ interests look for classes that use focus mits, pads, kicking shields, heavy bags and sparring/rolling as a significant part of the training.
Katas/forms are fine if they are linked to application and action. You can find good instructors in ‘weak’ styles that will benefit you more than a lousy instructor in a ‘great’ style. Find a place that seems to meet your objective and you like.
Another consideration: convenience of times and location of the gym. The easier it is for you to get there consistently, the more likely you will go train every week. That repetition is why you will develop skills.
Unless you are going to hit a MMA gym, it will be difficult to find a top notch striking AND ground game in the same place/style. MMA places tend to have a competition mind set as opposed to defensive.
Have your BS detector switched ON. Too much mysticism or ‘lethal’ techniques should be a major warning sign.
Styles that tend to show up consistently to answer questions like yours have been:
Striking: Boxing, Muay Thai, JKD (can have a bit of everything)
Grappling: BJJ, Judo/Sambo, CSW (Erik Paulson’s blend)
Combatives: Krav Maga, Systema, RMA
Filipino/Indonesian MA: Silat, Kali/Escrima/Arnis
Remember a ‘sport’ style (i.e. boxing or BJJ) will need to be adapted to a defensive mindset.
[quote]FuriousFists wrote:
80% of fights i’ve been involved in start almost face to face. you know the trash talking prick who squares up expecting you to back down. boxing will teach you to instinctively detect movements that tell you a punch is on its way, and your reflexes throw you into a slip. in the ring, you’ll learn to defend yourself against fast, accurate punches and counter them effectively. this will put you on another level to guys on the street, since most of em will telegraph a punch pretty clearly.(especially when alcohol is involved)
[/quote]
This is a big point also.
When you box, you get so used to people coming at you that while a lot of people would panic because it happens to them so rarely, you’re not only used to it, but you’re comfortable.
I noticed it the other day when I was doing padwork and we were doing drills where I hit with a combo and then the pad holder comes in with a flurry- you get to the point where all you’re doing is keeping your hands up and looking for a way to pivot out and get a good angle. “Panic” doesn’t cross your mind- it’s just work, like going to a day job.
The difference is huge.
OP - IMHO whatever style you choose you need to do something (either in or out of class) to prepare yourself mentally for the realities of actual violence. Dramatic physical and psychological changes take place when you are faced with a real threat which do not take place in the gym/ring. If you are not prepared for this you may very well find it extremely difficult to apply what you’ve learned when it counts, no matter how good your training is.
That being said, I agree with the idea that boxing+judo provides a pretty good starting point, if quality instruction is available. I would suggest starting with whichever one (striking or grappling) that you feel least comfortable with. Even if you prefer to strike you may end up grappling and vice versa. Generally kicking is of fairly limited value IMO, but knees and elbows are definitely helpful inside.
“Reality - Based” stuff can be excellent as well, but quality of instruction and price vary wildly and you need to be really careful, as it seems to be the money grab flavor of the moment.
I’d also suggest seeking out a boxing gym. Not because I think that boxing is the hands down best art out there for self defense (although, I would consider it among the most practical “sport” systems), but because it is such an established system and therefore finding a good gym is generally possible regardless of location.
If you have access to top notch instruction in a more “reality based” system (Krav, S.P.E.A.R, Dynamic Combat, Sento, iCAT, etc…), then I’d suggest pursuing that route since those systems are specifically geared towards self defense (and the good ones generally teach boxing skills on top of other skill sets anyhow). But, those systems are not as well established as boxing and as a result it’s harder to find instructors/schools.
Whichever style or method you choose, keep this arrow in your mental quiver , “Train hard, because if you don’t, you are just prey to someone who does”. Good Luck.