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How effective is boxing for self-defense?

Which martial art is best to learn?

  • Boxing

    Votes: 25 24.8%
  • Judo

    Votes: 5 5.0%
  • Jiu-Jitsu

    Votes: 20 19.8%
  • Karate

    Votes: 2 2.0%
  • Kickboxing

    Votes: 6 5.9%
  • Drunken Boxing

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • MMA

    Votes: 21 20.8%
  • Krav Maga

    Votes: 7 6.9%
  • Aikido

    Votes: 2 2.0%
  • Capoiera

    Votes: 2 2.0%
  • Tae Kwon Do

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • Kung Fu

    Votes: 3 3.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 7 6.9%

  • Total voters
    101
You are free to have your wrong opinion bud.
Ha ha. If you can't stand on your feet the boxer will kill you.

But but I'll shoot the leg....try it pussy.

This isn't mma we are talking about. It's a couple of drunks trying to rob a guy. Unless you think everybody knows mma. Don't be that guy.

Couple of punches to the nose or sternum will send them off post haste.
 
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GymWolf

Gold Member
Ha ha. If you can't stand on your feet they boxer will kill you.

But but I'll shot the leg....try it pussy.
d7r6jxt-09b58277-eb53-407c-8953-9405d368e7a2.jpg


Imagine trying to act tough inside a videogame forum, holy shit :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 

YuLY

Gold Member
I dont understand why anyone would select the Boxing option instead of MMA.
MMA is literally street fighting with no rules, you also learn how to do knees and leg kicks which can be devastating against untrained people. I fail to see how boxing would ever have an advantage over MMA style of combat. Pick a top MMA fighter against a top boxer and the boxer would get destroyed. It is literally street fighting, you give a few blows to the enemy to get him on the ground and then you keep him there while destroying his brains over the asphalt, like nothing beats this.
 
You fight 2 guys and what you would take one to the ground. What do you think the other guy is gonna do, ref?
d7r6jxt-09b58277-eb53-407c-8953-9405d368e7a2.jpg


Imagine trying to act tough inside a videogame forum, holy shit :messenger_tears_of_joy:
That's you bud. I'm just being real.

Wanna go to the ground with two guys. Seems rather dopey. Just saying.

Bbbbuuuutttt I meant....sit down.
 
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YuLY

Gold Member
A lot of fights go to the ground because none of the dolts fighting know how to throw a proper punch.
Not everyone can get knocked out. There are people that just wont go down no matter how much you attack their jaw, their brain just wont tremble in the cranium to lead to faint. Depending on 1 taps all the way is not that safe.
 
I dont understand why anyone would select the Boxing option instead of MMA.
MMA is literally street fighting with no rules, you also learn how to do knees and leg kicks which can be devastating against untrained people. I fail to see how boxing would ever have an advantage over MMA style of combat. Pick a top MMA fighter against a top boxer and the boxer would get destroyed. It is literally street fighting, you give a few blows to the enemy to get him on the ground and then you keep him there while destroying his brains over the asphalt, like nothing beats this.

If you're a noob and you just jump straight into MMA they're probably just going to start you off with boxing anyway.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
I dont understand why anyone would select the Boxing option instead of MMA.
MMA is literally street fighting with no rules, you also learn how to do knees and leg kicks which can be devastating against untrained people. I fail to see how boxing would ever have an advantage over MMA style of combat. Pick a top MMA fighter against a top boxer and the boxer would get destroyed. It is literally street fighting, you give a few blows to the enemy to get him on the ground and then you keep him there while destroying his brains over the asphalt, like nothing beats this.
The only advantage is that in theory boxers throw better punches than mma fighters because they only focus on that.

And slightly better footwork.

But it's an abstract concept that doesn't always apply.

Many mma fighters coming from boxe (even national champions) had worse boxe than people who learned boxe through mma so not pure boxing, same for high school wrestlers getting their ass handed by people who trained only a couple of years of mma wrestling, it always depend on the individual.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
That's you bud. I'm just being real.

Wanna go to the ground with two guys. Seems rather dopey. Just saying.

Bbbbuuuutttt I meant....sit down.
Maybe you want to read my posts again where i said that all the advices are for 1vs1 and against multiple opponemts you are probably fucked.

You fight 2 guys and when you punch one in the face, what do you think the other guy is gonna do, ref? It's gonna punch you while you punch the other guy, so smart...

Then you may want to read your own posts again to see who is barking like a local tought guy, especially that "try it pussy" bit that made me piss my pants from laughing.
 
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That was the point. It was a joke.

Look man. You start in boxing and you work you're way through the disciplines. For normal people at least. If you have good hands most people will not fuck with you.

When you get into MMA you're either a huge fan (awesome) or going into the fight game. Let's not have the poor guy spending 12000 to learn how to heel hook a drunk.
 
1vs1 i think it's as useful as kickboxe, muai thay or almost any full contact martial art, not sure what is the advantage of being limited to only using punches versus using your 4 limbs or your elbows or knees.

And i would still pick wresting over boxe, stopping a double leg is way harder than putting your arms in front of your face to block punches, a double leg has the element of surprise because you can faint a punch and go for the legs.

Every professional boxer would get absolutely destroyed by almost every other martial arts because they are not used to block kicks or tackles, this is why you see mma fighters accepting boxe fights but no boxer accepting mma fights, it's because they know the result, boxe is an extremely incomplete "martial art".
A lot can go wrong when you start kicking.

You're never going to be sure it's a 1vs1 and wrestling is useless if it isn't. How many times you seen what looks like a 1v1 turn into a 5v1 soon as it moves to the ground? Most people are pussies, even aggressors.
 
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GymWolf

Gold Member
A lot can go wrong when you start kicking.

You're never going to be sure it's a 1vs1 and wrestling is useless if it isn't. How many times you seen what looks like a 1v1 turn into a 5v1 soon as it moves to the ground?
And how boxe does change anything of what you said?

You punch one dude thinking that it's a 1vs1 and another guy punch you in the back of the head.

You think you can punch 2 or more guys at the same time? Think again.
 
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Braag

Member
I'd say BJJ and Muay Thai are some of the strongest martial arts you can learn. If you ever go to a MMA class, those two are what they focus on a lot.
Boxing, Kickboxing and wrestling are also strong alternatives.
 

Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
Every professional boxer would get absolutely destroyed by almost every other martial arts because they are not used to block kicks or tackles, this is why you see mma fighters accepting boxe fights but no boxer accepting mma fights, it's because they know the result, boxe is an extremely incomplete "martial art".
We're talking about defending yourself in a street fight. Try choking someone out on the ground while 2 or 3 other guys are beating on you. I posted 5 videos of real life fights vs a guy who knows how to throw a punch and the guy who knew how to box won each time. I never said a boxer would beat some other martial arts in a controlled one on one fight. Show me a video of grappler or krav maga with their imaginary scenarios taking on multiple guys
 
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Majukun

Member
depends on the level of the assaliant.

boxe is great with striking but the moment you add kicks to the equation, and an opponent that is good with them, it gets significantly less effective

the usual answers about what is the best one it would be brazilian jiu-jitsu, since most street fights end up on the ground, BUT I'd argue it's not great for a street fight scenario for two reasons

1. in a no-rules fights the ground is not where you wanna find yourself, that's because you have no idea if the guy you are fighting has friends in proximity and in those cases, especially with alcohol flowing, human heads tend to start looking like footballs

2. since there's no referee or tapping out, once you get an hold in you either choke somebody or break their bones, and that can have some legal repercussions, even if you are the one getting attacked. You might not care about it now, but you will in the future.

unsurprisingly the best discipline to lean for self defense is...multiple disciplines.

a good striking style: muai thai is probably the best, especially for the conditioning and the tendency to use elbows and knees that are less prone to injury when hitting something hard

A good ground style: some BBJ for ground scenarios but with the idea that the ground is a place where you don't wanna stay for long

and maybe some more "no-holds-barred" systems like krav maga or generically street fighting so that you learn how to recognize scenarios, learn positioning and how to use objects around you to your advantage.
I would add they are supposed to be good for training against weapons, but I don't wanna encourage this kind of shit...the main idea against a weapon, even a small knife, is to RUN (or if you are getting robbed just give them what they want).
 
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MMA is literally street fighting with no rules
I think you're mistaking MMA, the discipline that mixes martial arts and has plenty of rules, with actual street fighting; even 'vale tudo' which means 'anything goes' had rules.
MMA doesn't even allow headbutts.
If you're starting with MMA classes, you're gonna learn (mediocre) boxing first anyway.
 
We're talking about defending yourself in a street fight. Try choking someone out on the ground while 2 or 3 other guys are beating on you. I posted 5 videos of real life fights vs a guy who knows how to throw a punch. I never said a boxer works beat some other martial arts in a controlled one on one fight. Show me a video of grappler or krav maga with their imaginary scenarios taking on multiple guys
Nobody beats multiple guys. You may get lucky with 2 but up that count and you are fucked. I promise.

Like I said earlier. Run Away or give them what they want. It isn't worth it.
 

Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
Nobody beats multiple guys. You may get lucky with 2 but up that count and you are fucked. I promise.

Like I said earlier. Run Away or give them what they want. It isn't worth it.
I realize the more guys youre up against the worse your chances are but boxing give you a fighting chances. Pun intended. Did you see the videos I linked?

Don't know why GymWolf GymWolf is trying to make this into boxing vs MMA. Thats not what OP asked.
 
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GymWolf

Gold Member
Will more people be willing to swing on you if you're on your feet or on the ground?
That's not what you said tho, you said that you can't tell when a fight turn from 1vs1 to multiple opponents and if that happen, boxe is not gonna save you, because it happen befors you can notice it.
How many times do i have to repeat that every martial arts isnot gonna do fine against multiple opponents? It's not just boxe.
Nobody beats multiple guys. You may get lucky with 2 but up that count and you are fucked. I promise.

Like I said earlier. Run Away or give them what they want. It isn't worth it.
Pretty much.
 

Raven117

Member
Fights are erratic and chaotic.
This. This right here is serverly under-considered. If you aren't a walking talking fighting machine who has alot of experience in fighting (and/or military close quarters combat), you have to keep it simple. Well executed BASIC stuff. There is too much going on in an open street fight to be worrying about specific fighting techniques. Really, GTFO out of there.
Ctrl + F wrestling

interesting
For a street fight? Its in the same camp as BJJ. Useful if you find yourself on the ground (and you might).
If you are against multiple opponents that attack all at once (so not like movies) boxe is as useless as any martial art, full stop, you are fucked both on the ground and in the standing unless you are a once in a million super fighter like that famous dude who fucked up a couple of (drunk) dudes that were insulting his woman inside a bar.


People in here think that multiple opponents in a small alley are gonna give you the time to take a stance and have freedom of dancing around them while firing 1-2...sure.
Pretty much this. Look for the weakest guy...Try and run him over and keep on running. But more than likely...you will be effed.

Edit: Also, Ive found too many guys who think they can fight because they have taken a few BJJ classes or something. It gives a false sense of confidence. In a straight up street fight where you have no idea who you are fighting or the situation, your first inclination should be to deescalate and GTFO. Guys say they do this, but you can see it...they want to try out their BJJ (or whatever). Then they get absolutely crushed because 6 months of BJJ (or any martial art) can't prepare you for a multiple opponent bar/street brawl.
 
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GymWolf

Gold Member
I realize the more guys youre up against the worse your chances are but boxing give you a fighting chances. Pun intended. Did you see the videos I linked?

Don't know why GymWolf GymWolf is trying to make this into boxing vs MMA. Thats not what OP asked.
I'm not.

I just have a preference for wrestlingi n a 1vs1 and i think that against multiple opponents it's just a matter of luck.

I'm gonna propose you another rare alternative that can happen like it can happen for a boxer to defeat multiple opponents, you take down one of the opponents and when you are on top you can menace the other of badly hurting the dude under you, if their friend care at all about him you can buy some time to get away or call help.

A takedown and then immediately go for the neck or an arm does it sound less realistic than a dude boxing 5 dudes alone?

If you think that saying that an mma fighter would absolutely smash a boxer is being pro mma then ok, it's what most people think and the reason why no boxer ever acceot an mma fight but they welcome mma fighters into a boxing match.

A boxer would do extremely pourly against kicks and wrestling, because they are factually an incomplete martial art that only train to defend against punches.
 
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Romulus

Member
Over 8 years experience as a bouncer in dangerous nightclubs. I've worked with dozens bouncers of various skillsets dealing with mob type violence(throwing chairs, ugly melees, stabbings etc.)

The number one person we absolutely did NOT want working with us is a dedicated BJJ person. Forcing the fight to the ground when surrounded by dozens of random people can be a death sentence. Literally. I don't care how many people you can submit in gym in a controlled environment, you cannot predict who is your ally/foe when you're the ground. Someone can not like your skin color and football kick you in the head while you're going for that beautiful triangle choke. Seen it happen.

BJJ is great, but it has to be in combination with a stand up style of your choice. You can't run while wrapped up with an opponent on the ground. Running or repositioning is the name of the game when the fight isn't in your favor. Being severely outnumbered for example. BJJ is a nice skill to have, but stay on your feet at all fucking cost. The 1v1 shit is a thing of the past, I can tell you that for a fact. So many have this natural instinct to football kick/stomp someone of the ground. It's become part of the culture.

My combo was Muay Thai/BJJ, along with some wrestling and judo. I trained oblique kicks and straight punches. Anyone who knows anything about fighting knows that if you focus on those two things, you can really keep someone at bay. I had round kicks and front kicks in the toolbox too, but got damn I don't want them close to me. You'd be wise to do the same.
 
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That's not what you said tho, you said that you can't tell when a fight turn from 1vs1 to multiple opponents and if that happen, boxe is not gonna save you, because it happen befors you can notice it.
How many times do i have to repeat that every martial arts isnot gonna do fine against multiple opponents? It's not just boxe.
Fight is more likely to turn into multiple opponents when you hit the ground.

Staying on your feet gives you a better chance and I've been saying that with every post.
 

YuLY

Gold Member
I think you're mistaking MMA, the discipline that mixes martial arts and has plenty of rules, with actual street fighting; even 'vale tudo' which means 'anything goes' had rules.
MMA doesn't even allow headbutts.
If you're starting with MMA classes, you're gonna learn (mediocre) boxing first anyway.
I think I'm misunderstood, which I admit I could have made the post more clear. I meant someone who is trained in MMA having to fight on the street, I know that actual MMA sport has rules, such us no underbelt hits or behind the head. I just meant someone who is trained in MMA (so good at ground fight also or having to use leg kicks) vs someone who is trained at boxing having to fight on the street. So everything is for a street fight scenario with no rules, I believe MMA is above the rest, ofc that doesnt mean the rest are useless.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Fight is more likely to turn into multiple opponents when you hit the ground.

Staying on your feet gives you a better chance and I've been saying that with every post.
Dude when a fight start you have 3 options:

The dude is alone and it's a 1vs1

You think the dude is alone so you attack and his friends attack you from the back, and you are fucked because you can't even see the aggressor.

You already know that it's a group, you attack one and if the others are not complete morons or drunk thay attack all at the same time and you are fucked 99% of the times.

Yes i still I think it's more of a matter of luck than anything else in the end.

I uave to go at the gym, we can continue later.
 

Raven117

Member
Dude when a fight start you have 3 options:

The dude is alone and it's a 1vs1

You think the dude is alone so you attack and his friends attack you from the back, and you are fucked because you can't even see the aggressor.

You already know that it's a group, you attack one and if the others are not complete morons or drunk thay attack all at the same time and you are fucked 99% of the times.

Yes i still I think it's more of a matter of luck than anything else in the end.

I uave to go at the gym, we can continue later.
This is flat out correct.

As is staying on your feet to run the eff away.
 
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YCoCg

Gold Member
Look up bouncer/bodyguard defence moves, the main aim of those is to break out of any holds and grabs against multiple people and how to stay on your feet. From there pick a style you'd be comfortable with, don't go for flashy, you want something efficient that exploits weight to counter and get the attacker on the ground.
 
Dude when a fight start you have 3 options:

The dude is alone and it's a 1vs1
You should never fight like it's a 1v1 unless you're literally the only 2 people.
You think the dude is alone so you attack and his friends attack you from the back, and you are fucked because you can't even see the aggressor.
OP is trying to defend himself not become a mugger.
You already know that it's a group, you attack one and if the others are not complete morons or drunk thay attack all at the same time and you are fucked 99% of the times.
Never said just learn how to box and you'll fight off 5 people. Just that it'll probably give you the best chance at surviving while you look for an opportunity to escape.
 

EverydayBeast

ChatGPT 0.1
Being athletic is promising, I think that’s a better sell to people especially in the last few years before I would think about taking fighting classes no question I would get physical, and I feel like talent wins fights.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
This. This right here is serverly under-considered. If you aren't a walking talking fighting machine who has alot of experience in fighting (and/or military close quarters combat), you have to keep it simple. Well executed BASIC stuff. There is too much going on in an open street fight to be worrying about specific fighting techniques. Really, GTFO out of there.

For a street fight? Its in the same camp as BJJ. Useful if you find yourself on the ground (and you might).

Pretty much this. Look for the weakest guy...Try and run him over and keep on running. But more than likely...you will be effed.

Edit: Also, Ive found too many guys who think they can fight because they have taken a few BJJ classes or something. It gives a false sense of confidence. In a straight up street fight where you have no idea who you are fighting or the situation, your first inclination should be to deescalate and GTFO. Guys say they do this, but you can see it...they want to try out their BJJ (or whatever). Then they get absolutely crushed because 6 months of BJJ (or any martial art) can't prepare you for a multiple opponent bar/street brawl.

Exactly!

I'd like to add that kicks should be LOW, below the belt. Economy of motion is important.

If you find yourself with nowhere to run against 2 or more opponents, backing up while striking (boxing) as fast and hard as you can (speed = force ... Look at Tyson and Ali) ... Get the weakest one and create that opening to run away.

If you are fighting one on one and they're also unarmed... Low kicks, punches and backing up while striking (your footwork HAS to be on point) ... Low kicks are close quarters... The backing up puts them at a disadvantage because they're moving forward out of need and you're moving backwards (situational awareness is key so you don't fall) out of strategy (one of many in one on one) to trip them up and create an opening to put them down.

Also... MMA literally means mixed martial arts. Meaning it's not a set discipline. The uninitiated may not understand that. That's why some of us have saying use boxing as a base to start off from because you need to be able to cover all your bases.

Train for realism and speed. The ring is great for that. Invest in Jeet June Do gloves... You and a partner.

Throws, elbows and knees, low kicks to the legs, quick but powerful punches, quick footwork, joint locking, making anything into a weapon, training for realism... Most folks aren't fighting masters ... Not even a tough street fighter . But training in different martial arts to become well-rounded in self defense will give you a huge leg up!

Sorta unrelated, but you CAN win with high kicks if you're flexible and fast enough .. it's been done multiple times in the UFC.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
Oh yeah, one more thing:

Don't get into a fighting stance when you're ABOUT to be attacked... Keep your body relaxed. Have your hands up already like you're presenting yourself to be non-threatening... Palms forward head high but ready ... Kinda like this:

UXSBGDX.jpeg


Your hands are in position to protect your head as well as intercepting a strike and you counter readily with a punch or grab and low kick or grab and throw ... You have flexibility here to actually defend from almost any frontal attack.

Again, situational awareness... Train for realism ... Invest in Jeet Kune Do/Kenpo gloves... Do it in the ring ... And in a real fight, fight dirty!
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
Not everyone can get knocked out. There are people that just wont go down no matter how much you attack their jaw, their brain just wont tremble in the cranium to lead to faint. Depending on 1 taps all the way is not that safe.
Don't need to be knocked out. A busted nose or just getting your head rocked or a jab to the gut might make you rethink harassing some guy and his girl.

More importantly, knowing you can rock a guy and handle yourself in the ring usually makes you less of a target for others. Bullys don't like a challenge.

And most importantly, LEARN SOMETHING, be it boxing, judo, bjj, taebo, or even wii fit boxing.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
Oh yeah, one more thing:

Don't get into a fighting stance when you're ABOUT to be attacked... Keep your body relaxed. Have your hands up already like you're presenting yourself to be non-threatening... Palms forward head high but ready ... Kinda like this:

UXSBGDX.jpeg


Your hands are in position to protect your head as well as intercepting a strike and you counter readily with a punch or grab and low kick or grab and throw ... You have flexibility here to actually defend from almost any frontal attack.

Again, situational awareness... Train for realism ... Invest in Jeet Kune Do/Kenpo gloves... Do it in the ring ... And in a real fight, fight dirty!
The SPEAR technique is like this. Tries to take your natural instincts to raise your hands to protect yourself and weaponize them.


Lots of folks try to teach you just a couple techniques in an hour that you can use in desperation. Bit different than learning an entire skillset that you devote significant time to.
 
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