Is Mixed Martial Arts The Best Form of Self Defense?

Many consider MMA the closest thing to a street fight and with the sport's popularity, several MMA schools have opened up. But how would it fare as a practical form of street self defense?

It depends.

MMA is a hybrid system of fighting consisting of boxing,Thai boxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, Greco Roman wrestling, western wrestling and judo. Depending on the circumstances, any one of these disciplines can be used effectively as self defense. But that pretty much goes for any martial art. As the saying goes, it's not the violin, it's the violinist.

However, the street is an unforgiving environment whose crimes are the lead story during the opening minutes of the 6 o'clock news.

Now I'm not talking about street fights as in clandestine 'fight clubs' which take place in suburban backyards. I'm referring to street self defense as in fighting off some degenerate thug.

So how would MMA serve as practical self-defense in life threatening situations?

For practical purposes, MMA would not be my first choice.

First MMA is a sport, whose athletes train for a cage, not for the street. The streets present a different problem than what a cage fight offers.

This is not a knock on MMA, as I am a huge fan of the sport. But the reality is that the streets don't care about titles, weight divisions, or fighter nicknames. There are no referees to break up a stalemate, no cutmen to spackle vaseline, and no cornermen who give advice. And if there were, they'd probably say it's not a good idea to jump guard on broken glass and concrete.

Is Krav Maga Better Suited For Street Self Defense?

Krav Maga was developed in the late 1940s by Hungarian boxer/wrestler, Imi Lichtenfeld. It was later adopted by the Israeli Defense Forces due to the constant violence along the Israeli border and the Gaza Strip.

Basically, Krav Maga is a matter of life and death so when it comes to street self defense, it has taken everything into account. It is designed for close quarter combat and instead of learning forms, stances and endless drills, Krav Maga helps develop an attacking instinct.

Below are two videos on Krav Maga from History Channel's Human Weapon.

History of Krav Maga, length 3:10


Krav Maga Pistol Disarm, length 4:24