Drawing Exercises

What would be the best marital art for me to study?

I’m not so much interested in the “art” part of martial art. I’m looking for 1.) Something that would be very useful in a street fight, regardless of whether it’s “pretty” like Taekwondo or not. I want to avoid confrontation whenver possible, but need something pretty brutal if I can't. 2.) Something I can practice, apart from self defense, as good exercise. I’m thinking boxing or Muay Thai???

Public Comments

1. I would suggest Muay Thai. In most streetfights the opponent will try to over power you with their fists. Since Muay Thai uses kicks, it would give you more reach. Muay Thai also teaches you to make use of your elbows, knees and shins as well as your fists giving you eight points of contact. It is more practical than other martial arts I know that use kicks. It has nothing so fancy that it would be inneffective in a streetfight. It also gives you an excellent cardio workout. It takes a long time to master properly though (but so are all martial arts). And if you want my suggestion in a street fight - walk away if you can. Only fight if you are in a situation where you have no choice, and if you do find yourself in such a situation remember that you can use other stuff that is not a part of Muay Thai such as kneeing in the groin, eye gouging, sticks..etc. There are no rules.
2. be open minded i would say muay thai to get a solid stand up skill, and also jiu jitsu mixed with wrestling, so you can be well rounded in stand up strking, and also ground fighting
3. karate has the most to offer
4. I would say Boxing. It would be enough for a street fight and is a great exercise because it's really focused on conditioning. Plus if you turn out to be really talented, you can earn lots of money. Boxers still earn more money than MMA fighters despite of the popularity of MMA. Surely, Muay Thai is more effective than Boxing in a fight situation because more parts of the body are used in striking. But the more you know, the less likely you are to avoid a fight, and avoidance is still the best way to deal with it. Besides, how many guns are out there in the streets? It will not matter how good you are in Muay Thai if your opponent points a gun at you.
5. most arts are pretty good for the street if used correctly. i am currently doing TJJ and from what i've learn you can end a fight pretty quickly with just one or two smart moves.