The Best Martial Art For Street Fights

[@openview8463]

In my research I have also observed that any SD fight has the potential for 5 basic stages. In an SD fight, these stages may all appear and even all appear in sequence, but usually we just get the first few stages. These stages can repeat and loop. The stages are Stage 1. Escalation and initial entry. An initial entry can be any kind of attack. Punches and takedowns are the most common. Stage 2. Initial response/continued attack - often this is a hitting stage but it may also be a grappling stage. It is never a kicking stage. The most common option is hitting but if that fails, the fight will quickly go to Stage 3. The INITIAL RESPONSE is very very important moment in a fight. Initial responses (initial moves to protect yourself from attack and launch a counterattack or escape) need to be trained more than anything else bcs they occur in every single SD fight. Stage 3. Standing grappling, very often involving clothes grabbing, but also head and neck grabbing, pushing, pulling, dragging, tripping, single and double legs, and body locks. The main goal is to put the opponent on the ground for kicking. Stages 2 and 3 often loop as fighters break, go to striking (or rarely and usually uselessly, kicking) and then if that fails go back to Stage 3 standing grappling Stage 4. One fighter on the ground and the other standing. This is usually the end of the fight unless the guy on the ground can get up quickly while protecting his head or can counterattack from the ground, which is not impossible but its very very rarely seen. Stage 4 is commonly seen. Stage 5. Two guys on the ground fighting. In most SD fights, this is a dangerous position for both guys. It is not very common. Most fights end in the earlier stages. We can see from this breakdown that some kinds of fighting skills are more important than others. Tight hitting from cover guards at close and even very close quarters is very important. Work on wrist strength and fist closure and the use of forearms, bracing and frames which allow us to combine hitting and grappling. Also central are skills for standing grappling, tripping, etc. It is also crucial to learn how to avoid being body locked bcs once someone has your waist, and plans to spear you into the ground, you are in a very very bad situation. The best thing is to not let them get onto the front foot. So aggression really counts. But there is not much you can do when your are body locked from behind by your opponent's mate. In brawls, the rule is "never stop moving" and "don't fight alone". Try to make 2-on-1s and watch out for the sneaky hitter from the other side who is floating around looking for targets. And if you hit the ground, get up as fast as you can, protecting the head. Kicking of any type is not an important skill in SD. Not even the use of knees, which video shows fail 99% of the time. Keep your feet on the ground and keep moving and getting good positions. Forget about kicking. People hate to hear that, I know, but it is simply facts.

[@andrewdevitt9380]

When fighting out of a sporting environment, you will not be fighting for belts, medals , or trophies . There will be no referee , no fair play . With that said, avoid conflict at all costs . But if cornered and there is no alternative flick that switch . Dangerous and formidable until the threat is removed . Confidence comes through training in combat techniques . True Combat. Never be big headed , arrogant, and don't underestimate anyone . Great content .

[@coachcraiguk]

Completely agree brother , avoid at all costs until you can’t avoid and in that case be first, be fast and be final thanks for your comment brother 👍🥊

[@mikemcmanus116]

Excellent advise. I reached the same conclusion-some basic pure boxing skills, muay thai basics and basic ground work. I studied a martial art from Trainers' Elite in a Dallas suburb and this was the approach. All hand strikes were boxing. We had a ring and bags. Kicks were thigh level and below, and we worked on takedowns, joint locks, and pressure points. It was not designed for competition but for the street. The use of the knees and elbows probably could have been emphasized more.

[@coachcraiguk]

I agree my friend you can’t really train proper defence for competition but so many people claim their style is the best with out ever looking outside their own style truth is you need to cross train and as you say have some boxing/ Thai boxing , some takedowns and takedown defence, and some basic ground work , I still think the best thing to do is avoid it as much as you can though brother 👍🥊

[@SmilingJack9420]

Love the video, interested in starting to train Muay Thai myself, so I'm glad to see that it is a recommendation from someone with such experience.

[@coachcraiguk]

Glad you found the video helpful brother , yes Muay Thai is excellent and great fun to train as well , if you have options , shop around, find a coach you really connect with, one who’s not going to use you as a moving punchbag for their fight team and has a dedicated beginners program my friend 👍🥊

[@openview8463]

I assume that when you say 'streetfight' you in fact mean 'self defense (SD) fight/situation'. This is an important distinction bcs when we say "streetfight", a lot of guys imagine some kind of fair fight situation but taking place on some wide, flat street where the fighting will be like an MMA fight. The vast majority of self defense fights are not like that. If you mean SD, then it is important to have a clear definition, otherwise how do we know what we are preparing for and how we should train? For me, I define an SD situation as something that will have most of the following basic features: 1. For at least one participant it is not voluntary (although it could develop from a voluntary situation) 2. It will very often be preceded by a period of escalation, which can be short or long. Someone may preempt. 3. No one rings a bell to start the fight. Rather, one of the participants will attack without warning. I call this the "initial entry". In my collection of 17,000 fight clips, I have observed that something like 40% of all initial entries fail. That is, the attacker fails to knock down the opponent or render him unable to continue fighting. Hard to believe, but true. If it weren't true, then we wouldn't see fights bcs they would all end at the initial entry. One important observation from this is that the two most important moments in any SD fight are the initial entry and the "initial response" by the person who is attacked. 4. Unfairness. Big on small, man on woman, young on old, multiple on one, ambush, sucker punch, etc. This is so basic, so common, so normal in SD that all of our training has to always be answering the question, "how are we dealing with unfairness here?" 5. Environment almost always has a role. First of all, the ground is hard and could be deadly. In terms of technique, probably the worst thing that can happen to us in an SD situation is to be body locked and slammed onto the ground. Can be fatal. But the environment is always playing a role in SD. Fights in traffic, in car doors, planter boxes, telegraph poles, road works, in restaurants among tables and chairs, in elevators, on stairs, against walls, etc. The fighting space will limit and control what we can do and also can be a weapon. 6. Clothing. 90% of SD fights will involve using the clothes to control or drag an opponent. We have to train to deal with that bcs it is powerful as clothes provide huge amounts of leverage. The usual goal is too unbalance the opponent, and drag him to the ground for a kicking. 7. Potential for serious injury or even death. 8. Potential serious legal issues. 9. And we should remember that not all SD fights are one on one or even multiple on one. Many, many SD fights are multiple on multiple, meaning brawls. There are basic tactics and strategies for brawling that SD oriented people should know. Anyway a good definition or description of a problem is the best starting point for solving any problem.

[@coachcraiguk]

Agree with all your points, best option is to avoid it, but that’s not always possible, like I said in the video, there’s no rules , no judges no time limits no safety equipment , your often blind sided cause most people are pussy’s etc 👍🥊

[@professorshadow68]

Loved this video, straight talking.

[@coachcraiguk]

Appreciate the comment my friend 👍🥊

[@user9005]

I started boxing and bjj last year and feel like Im way more prepared for self defence by just being more calm and knowing distance management. I've been hit in many street fights because I was so naive to let them get close to do damage in the first place.

[@coachcraiguk]

You definitely stand a better chance with some boxing/ Thai boxing and BJJ experience my friend 👍🥊

[@DedicatedSpirit8]

Iaijutsu and kenjutsu. Only down side is you have to walk everywhere with a katana, kodachi or wakizashi

[@coachcraiguk]

Never trained any of those so I can’t comment with an honest opinion my friend 👍🥊

[@DedicatedSpirit8]

@@coachcraiguk I'm a kendoka and ranked iaidoka... But I was joking. In a country where anyone can have a gun it is stupid to carry a katana around. BJJ, boxing, kick boxing, must thai, wrestling. Those are the real killers

[@coachcraiguk]

I thought you probably were joking haha but wasn’t sure , or of course get your own open or concealed carry licence, that will beat Thai boxing in a flash haha 👍🥊

[@warhawksmemories3071]

Best advice. Sorta learned my lesson in my late teens with a few friends been boxers one of them had less than 2 years training. Traditional Martial arts can be fun and looks cool though. BJJ is definitely a humbling experience but injuries are high and both boxing and Thai boxing feels more natural. I still look at Urban Combatives and some street defence systems. I think if people just focus on protecting themselves or others, they should do something that they can do even when they get old

[@coachcraiguk]

Honestly for a lot of years now I’ve just avoided the situation as best possible, I’ve had my fair share of fights in my younger days but there’s always consequences for all involved and they are never good, a good friend of mine got stabbed 8 times going to the rescue of a woman being slapped about by a man , he had done kick boxing with me Thai boxing with me, thought he was helping out and ended up in hospital for weeks

[@warhawksmemories3071]

@@coachcraiguk scary world indeed. Same avoiding as much as I can. Almost 25 years no real trouble

[@coachcraiguk]

@@warhawksmemories3071 thats the best way brother, same here, ive got nothing to prove to anyone anymore, i just agree with people these days, i think i could take you in a fight, yeah i agree you probably could

[@openview8463]

​@@coachcraiguk I once "saved" a woman being chased down the road screaming "he is trying to kill me". I sorted him but then she attacked me. I won't say "never again" but...

[@coachcraiguk]

Your not the only person I’ve heard say that or something similar where they have gone to the rescue and ended up becoming a victim themselves

[@neilmerlino6475]

#1 = A Pistol Checkmate, mate.

[@coachcraiguk]

That will certainly do it my friend 👍🥊

[@jamiehewlett3254]

Do you actually think Bruce Lee when he was alive and not doing a film could take on 10 people at once. Then you see on KZbin can Bruce Lee take on iron Mike tyson or Ali, even know they were much bigger

[@coachcraiguk]

Definitely not I don’t think anyone can take on 10 people realistically 👍🥊

[@vgusti75]

Why such a topic? This is a boxing channel, please post accordingly. Just kidding, of course you can post anything, it’s your channel after all. Regarding the topic (off, again 😊) my humble opinion is that there is no such thing as the best martial art for street fights. What is more important is the practitioner, the person. I think that even a man untrained in any combat system can kick martial artist or boxers, mma fighters etc asses all day long if he is physically fit and strong. Take for example a shepherd or a wood chopper or some guy who works all day cracking asphalt with a jackhammer vs a three times per week combat sports practitioner. I put all my money on the first one. At the matter fact, I think that martial arts can be, at a point, dangerous for the practitioner, he or she believes that can handle a street fight situation because he/she “knows karate” and it can finish really messy or sometimes tragic. For the karate guy

[@coachcraiguk]

I thought oh no 🙈 someone hates the fact I’ve done this haha, I completely agree with you I’ve seen it many times over 4 decades, someone who thinks they are handy in a fight because they hobby train martial arts twice a week , get totally lit up by a person with no training what so ever, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight it’s the size of the fight in the dog, the safest thing to do is avoid the situation in the first place isn’t it my friend 👍🥊

[@vgusti75]

@@coachcraiguk well said my friend, best way is to avoid

[@coachcraiguk]

@@vgusti75 certainly is, many years ago id back down from no one thinking i had to prove how tough i was, for the longest time now i just avoid the situation my friend

[@openview8463]

People go to the dojo and get an unrealistic idea of how violence usually plays out bcs in class they never focus on unfairness. Bad guys only pick on people that they think are easy prey. They tend to skate around guys who are 6' 4" and 250lbs. Bcs size and strength and weight really do matter. Or dojo people may not realize that in SD situations it isn't going to be a fair fight. You won't be squaring up. You won't be in a perfect space. Two guys may be dragging your wife out of her car. What can the dojo tell her? Or you may be fighting back from a sucker punch against two guys. So yeh, be alert and avoid, avoid, avoid wherever possible. But in your back pocket you also need to know how to be suddenly brutally aggressive.