Back when I was a kid, I was pretty sure Bruce Lee was the deadliest man alive, so naturally, as an extension of that, every kid who had darkened the door of a Karate Dojo was equally feared and spoken of only in hushed tones. Then Kung Fu showed up, and it became the most deadly martial art in existence, at least for as long as the TV show by the same name was on the air. We went through many “deadliest art” seasons, which included Judo, Taekwondo, Aikido, Hapkido, Kenpo, and a multitude of others. All of them offered discipline and skills that one could learn. With regular attendance and lots of practice, one could progress through the rainbow of colored belts, each designating the level of proficiency one had attained.
In 1993 UFC introduced to Mixed Martial Arts in the form of cage fighting. A slender Brazilian guy named Royce Gracie, who was averse to throwing the usual kicks and punches, dominated the top cage fighters in the world using a new fighting style we have come to know as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ.
The Gracie family mastered the fighting style that originated in Japan, then exported it to Brazil, perfected it, and it became the worldwide popular sport and fighting style it is today. When they brought it to the cage in the form of mixed martial arts, they were full-on fighting. Not just scoring strikes or breaking boards. The fight ended if someone either knocked out their opponent, made them quit by submission, choked them unconscious, or scored more points for aggression, domination, or physical damage. BJJ focuses on holds that incapacitate, or provide pain compliance, chokes, and submissions and much of it is done on the ground with out punches, kicks or other strikes.
Another fighting style that proved extremely effective in the cage was Muay Thai, an ancient fighting art from Thailand. It was originally developed centuries ago for military purposes. Hands were wrapped in fabric and rolled in ground glass, as the intended purpose was to quickly and brutally kill or incapacitate an opposing soldier on the battlefield.
Muay Thai exists as a sport today and remains incredibly brutal, but it is intended to be a controlled sport contested most often in a ring or cage. It involves the use of punches, kicks, knees and elbows and can be very effective for self-defense purposes.
Of course, there is good old-fashioned boxing, which, in my opinion, is a great place to start. Boxing fundamentals will establish balance, movement, power, defensive, and offensive strategy and tactics. Boxing improves physical conditioning, speed, reflexes, and punching power. Boxing is a great place to develop a foundation, and in my experience, it helped me tremendously when I got into Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai months later.
There is value to training in any martial art or fighting style. However, Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai are taught and trained with the sole intention of winning actual fights and are applicable as a form of self-defense if attacked where your life may hang in the balance.
Things to know before you commit to learning how to fight:
- Commit yourself to training 2 to 5 times a week, as repetition is the only way to master skills and techniques, and to become sufficiently conditioned to last in a fight. The rule in fight sports is that the most conditioned guy wins most of the time.
- Don’t be afraid to spar. Getting and giving punches and kicks takes the fear away of getting hit. It hurts far less than you think, and you get dramatically better from live sparring.
- Pick a gym and coaches who maintain control in their classes and are patient teachers. Some coaches only want to work with the best fighters as they make the coach look good, so they will throw newer and less skilled fighters in with seasoned fighters to build their confidence, while the less skilled or new fighter gets hurt.
- Move at a pace you can handle, but expect to push yourself and be uncomfortable, or you simply won’t improve. Fighting is as much a mental thing as it is physical. If you discipline yourself to be uncomfortable and keep in the fight, you will not give up in an actual encounter on the street.
- Never make excuses. Excuses don’t win fights and won’t keep you safe in a violent encounter.
- Be consistent, train even if you don’t feel like it, feed your body well, and get rest so you can recover from the workouts. Make fitness and health your lifestyle, and fight sports your passion.
- Never look for a fight and do everything you can to avoid getting into one, but if it’s going to happen, strike fast, and don’t stop until your attacker is defeated.
- There is no such thing as being too old to train in self-defense. Work at your own pace, be consistent, and if you can stand and throw a punch, you will get better with consistent training.
