NationStates Jolt Archive

A question for the martial arts people here. I have been looking around for an effective self-defence style, found a few and got some questions.

From what I've read, Krav Maga may well be the most effective way of quickly learning to defend yourself and others have said this aswell.

However, looking at Systema, or Russian Martial Arts, it certainly arose my interest. It looks much more fluid and not quite as violent, which would suit me since I don't enjoy hurting people more than I must. It does however, look a bit too easy at times since all the videos are staged. So is it really viable as a mean of self defence?

Anyone know?

Theres no quick way of doing anything. You can learn more that somebody else might if you put more time and effort it in it than they do over a certain period, or if you're naturally "quick" to pick things up...

Yea it works.

It's not more fluid or less violent than other martial arts. I'd say quite the opposite. Where most other martial arts focus on the fighting or defense, Systema teaches you to fight dirty and inflict bodily harm.

If you want a relatively peaceful martial arts form that focuses more on keeping your skin intact than kicking the living shit out of people, I'd suggest Wing Tsun, or some other defensive martial arts form. That said, I'm quite certain Systema will be handier if you want to win fights outside the training hall.

Yea it works.

It's not more fluid or less violent than other martial arts. I'd say quite the opposite. Where most other martial arts focus on the fighting or defense, Systema teaches you to fight dirty and inflict bodily harm.

If you want a relatively peaceful martial arts form that focuses more on keeping your skin intact than kicking the living shit out of people, I'd suggest Wing Tsun, or some other defensive martial arts form. That said, I'm quite certain Systema will be handier if you want to win fights outside the training hall.

Aikido is also pretty defensive and should keep you in one piece.

Theres no quick way of doing anything. You can learn more that somebody else might if you put more time and effort it in it than they do over a certain period, or if you're naturally "quick" to pick things up...

I didn't mean quick as in "I'm gonna beat Remy Bonjasky next week" but more of a fast learning curve which is somewhat easy to adapt to different situations. I mean, if I had the time I'd pick up Jeet Kune Do or something like that and train for years. But I don't have that time and I want something effective to be able to take care of myself if I have to.

Yea it works.

It's not more fluid or less violent than other martial arts. I'd say quite the opposite. Where most other martial arts focus on the fighting or defense, Systema teaches you to fight dirty and inflict bodily harm.

If you want a relatively peaceful martial arts form that focuses more on keeping your skin intact than kicking the living shit out of people, I'd suggest Wing Tsun, or some other defensive martial arts form. That said, I'm quite certain Systema will be handier if you want to win fights outside the training hall.

Well, dirty tricks sounds like my deal more than fancy techniques haha... I'm more concerned with saving my own skin than not hurting others, in the end. :) How well does it fare against Krav Maga when it comes to learning curve and effectiveness?

I didn't mean quick as in "I'm gonna beat Remy Bonjasky next week" but more of a fast learning curve which is somewhat easy to adapt to different situations. I mean, if I had the time I'd pick up Jeet Kune Do or something like that and train for years. But I don't have that time and I want something effective to be able to take care of myself if I have to.One of my mates used to train, so this is secondhand info, but.. Systema isn't quick to pick up. Like most other things, it requires lots of training before it's really useful. Unlike many martial arts forms though, it's fairly physically demanding. Like I said, it's the art of fucking people up badly, and doing that takes physical strength.

In my opinion, the best 'quick fix' is boxing. It gets you in shape, teaches you to hit what you're trying to hit, protect your face, and not be terrified of getting your ass kicked. That's a winning formula in any fight. And you don't have to become particularly good at it to gain those benefits.

EDIT:Well, dirty tricks sounds like my deal more than fancy techniques haha... I'm more concerned with saving my own skin than not hurting others, in the end. How well does it fare against Krav Maga when it comes to learning curve and effectiveness?Beating people up isn't necessarily the best way to save your own skin. It's probably a bad way to go about it if you're just caught up in a brawl.

The 'best' martial arts form is the one you can really get into. You shouldn't try to compare which fates better against X. It's an exercise in futility.

In my opinion, the best 'quick fix' is boxing. It gets you in shape, teaches you to hit what you're trying to hit, protect your face, and not be terrified of getting your ass kicked. That's a winning formula in any fight. And you don't have to become particularly good at it to gain those benefits.

EDIT:Beating people up isn't necessarily the best way to save your own skin. It's probably a bad way to go about it if you're just caught up in a brawl.

The 'best' martial arts form is the one you can really get into. You shouldn't try to compare which fates better against X. It's an exercise in futility.

I'm a fast runner, which has served me well in the past. Sadly, my woman and future child won't be able to keep up, so I'm thinking it would be kind of good to know how to throw a punch if I need to. I'll definitly look into regular boxing though, guess its so obvious I didn't even look at it, duh... sometimes you get blinded by what's right in front of you ;)
So I guess I should try them all three and decide later then. Thanks for the information, I appreciate it!