Martial art for self defence

The answer to this question depends on two factors:

1. Your age.

2. Your philosophy regarding combat.

Now, someone young (say under 18) should study (IMHO) a classic art such as Judo, TKD or Karate.

Someone over 18, is perhaps ready for the full contact arts such as the two that you mention.

So, presuming that you are of age, which one?  Well, do you want to stand up toe to toe with your attacker and slug it out?  Or do you want to roll around in the mud and end the confrontation with a choke?

Both arts are strong in self defense, BJJ was developed by one family from a combination of Judo, Jujutsu and grappling.  It is an experts art on the ground and very powerful against a single opponent in ideal conditions. It relys on locks, holds and especially chokes to disable the opponent, knocking him out and in real life perhaps killing.  It has an animal finesse but not a grace.

MT is an ancient form of kicking art from the Far East.  It revolves around very strong fitness and is common for its use of knee attacks and elbow blows.  It is practiced as a full contact sport and is one of the "hard" arts that build very tough fighters.

As with all martial arts, there is no perfect answer as it depend on the person.  My advice would be to try them both.  The important thing is to find a good teacher.  I am sure the both BJJ and MT forums, organisations and websites can help you achieve this.

ME: My personal journey through the martial arts has been a "Stand up fighting one" and the majority of the arts I have tried are based around kicking and punching.  I am also very large and so would personally choose MT.

GL!

There is no right answer to this question.

They're entirely different arts.   Each is excellent.

I suggest you do some internet research and decide for yourself whether you are more interested in a grappling style (like jujitsu), or a striking style (like muy thai).

Try both and see which you like better.

I personally like BJJ since there's still not a lot of people who know about it and, if the need should arise, I know I have the upper hand in a fight. However, it's probably not the best against multiple attackers and other variables of that kind.

Hi There!

  I would say that between those two, everything depends on the instructor.  Much of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the beginning year or two is done on the ground, and if a person attacks you in a parking lot or a group of people attacks you in a bar or something, you don't necessarily want to go to the ground yet.

  However, Muay Thai requires an incredible amount of devotion and physical fitness to master to the point of being able to use it for self defence.  

   If you're looking specifically for self-defence, and you want something you can use pretty instantly, I recommend Jujitsu or Aikido.  They're excellent, soft martial arts styles that don't require much conditioning.

   But, if you live in an area where your only options are Brazilian Jiu-jitsu or Muay Thai, I recommend going in and talking to the instructors each individually.  Let them know that you are looking for "practical self-defence" training - the word practical is an important key word for martial artists.  It means they won't just teach you the "kata" or pretty forms of all the techniques, they'll teach you the down-and-dirty make-it-work forms as well.

   Good luck to you!  I hope you find that the martial arts becomes a valuable and rewarding part of your life.

  -K
 

for defence try chinese martial art,for attack try thai

i want you to know about muay thai chaiya

http://www.muaychaiya.com

I've studied and held rank in several martial arts. For a beginner I would recommend Shotokan Karate. Not because it's necessarily better than any of the others, but because of the discipline and philosophy a good instructor will include in the training. Plus it is a good and effective defense art. These factors are important, in my opinion, and Shotokan is the strongest in these areas. My second choice would be Tae Kwon Do, which is what I practice mostly. It would also not hurt to learn Tai Chi Chuan. Most people think of Tai Chi as a mild exercise, but it's also a fully developed martial art, just as effective as any other Chinese style.

I think your youth demands you learn the discipline and philosophy that Shotokan teaches. Once you have a few years experience, then you can make a reasoned judgement as to the other arts and which may suit you best.