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Personally i've always been a firm believer that their is no such thing as an effective style or technique.

It's all about mindset, the ability and having the bottle to be first in combat and being up to finishing the job.

You stand no chance in a combatitive situation if you do not strike first.

Of course i'm talking about situation where avoidance is no longer an option.

In the street you will always be outnumbered as the enemy will always fight in packs. If you do not seize the opportunity and attack first then you wont get an opportunity at all because once your opponant has struck he's mates will be all over you.

If you have to choose a street effective technique then I would recommend one that will provide maximum damage with the least effort. This is because once you've dealt with the closest opponant you'll have to deal with the rest.

The strikes should really be with your hands as they are the most clinical of all the ranges. Your strike should typically be delivered in a straight line as it's the quickest way to get from point A to point B. There are of course exceptions to this rule. You may wish to deliver strikes which come from outside their field of vision such as an upper cut or hook. If we get any closer than that and use techniques such as ellbows and knees then we are reaching dangerous grounds because we are hitting vertical grappling territory and in a multiple attacker situation it can be suicide.

The only time a kick should really be utilised is if you've lost the element of suprise and you need to throw a lower leg kick to drop heir hands for an opening shot.

The simpler the strike the better because remember your targeting will be off due to the effects of adreniline.

Targets to aim for could areas such as the eyes, throat, groin, and jawline.

I'll give few examples of strikes that I find effective but you'll have your own preferences as we are all different so we much each find what works for us.

I'll split the strikes in to two different catergories, straight strikes and outside the field of vision strikes. I'm only going to list a few of each. Any of these strikes can be thrown off the fence/distance control (see my street fighting article for reference).

Straight strikes:

1. Right or left cross, providing your technique is good and you flow/pivot from your hip to your toe this is great for KOs and setups.

2. Eye jabs, excellent for disabling your attacker if he can't see he can't fight. I like to use a spear hand (keeping your fingers together) attacking one eye. It'll cause more than enough damage to put him out of the game.

3. Haven't got a name for this strike but it envolves striking the nose with the palm using an upward motion and the using the fingers to reach into the eyes.

4. The headbutt, god I love this one. As a rule never headbutt any one above the eyebrows as you'll ******** yourself up. Alway aim below the eyebrows as your forehead will destroy the soft fleshly areas of the face. Put your body weight behind the strike for great results.

Outside the field of vision strikes:

1. Left or right hooks, my personnel peacemakers. As with the crosses try to flow/pivot from your hip to your toe. I like to follow through with the elbow for good measure.

2. Slapping, sounds girly but is more of an open hand strike. Comes from the furthest hand and moves outside the field of vision the arm is nearly straight and the technique is the same as a hook using the full pivot of the body. When it connects against the left side of the face you are striking a large surface area so the brain goes into a information overloads and shuts down causing a KO.

3. Uppercuts, another great one. Just make sure that your technique is good as with the above strikes.

If the first strikes fails then follow through with another until you finish the job. Practice your strikes on a heavy bag or with a friend on focus mitts to build power. Ask your partner to pick you up on whether you are telegraphing the move or not, the last thing you want is for your opponant to see it coming.

Well, since its street fighting and anything goes... I wouldn't say that there's an art that works on the street best. Street fights can go anywhere, and because of that reason, I'd say that it depends on whom you're fighting. WHat might work against one person, may not work on another.

But as far as a single best technique, I would say from my experience that the Finger Jab is probably the most effecient and most versatile. It can be used in just about any situation, and doesn't require great amounts of effeciency to use. I mean, even if you just touch the eyeball with a light flick... your opponent will still be disabled. Its a great technique.

No matter what art you choose you'll always find a bullshido alturnative.

These are the ones I recommend:

Boxing, Muay Thai, Judo, Brazilian Ju Jitsu, Vale Tudo and submission wrestling.

If you are learning purely a grappling art then combine it with a descent stand up art and the same goes with the stand up arts.



Boxing: because I feel that it is the single best art for developing your hand speed, power, cardio, conditioning, combinations, upper body strength etc. The sparring is also full on and will help to prepare you somewhat for the real world. If you had to develop one sole range for the purpose of self defence the it's got to be the hands because they are simply the most practical and fastest of the ranges.

Muay Thai: because I feel that if you had to choose one art for stand up then this would be it. It combines effective use of the hands, legs, elbows and knees. As well as that it has excellent conditioning. As with boxing the sparring will sharpen your skills ten fold.

Judo: An excellent art for learning throws and take downs which also covers ground work. If you can combine this with a striking art then you're laughing. My only critsism is their ******** obsession with pins during sparring and their lack of submission skills. Other than that cross training with this art is great.

Brazilian Ju Jitsu (not to be confused with japanese ju jitsu): This art is excellent for learning your way around on the ground. The submission skills in this art are second to none and can be applied as quick kills on the floor. My only critisim is the lack of throws and take downs. If you combine this with the take downs of judo and a good stand up art you're quids in.

Vale Tudo: This combines both striking and grappling a great all rounder.

Submission wrestling: Basically no gi grappling. Great submissions with wrestling takedowns. One for cross training.

Kali would definately be up there with them but I don't feel experienced enough in the weapons department to list all the effective.

Its just a shame there's no decent school for any of those martial arts around here... dammit, tho there is a boxing gym but I've heard some bad things about em (quite a few of the town 'hard' men train there, you know the type, like to go round beatin on defenceless students)

even if you can drive the distances involved make it impracticle, and driving isn't cheap

That would be one of the reasons I began Tae Kwon-Do. There was no alternative art in the area I could afford travel to in the South of Wales, and so... yeah - I don't personally believe I joined a Bullshido club, however. I can easily be argued with, though - it WAS under TAGB, afterall. Became accustomed to it, and then lo and behold, near two years later, a load of clubs open up with various arts. Tai Chi Chuan, Eskrima / Kali, Kickboxing (Blargh!), Shotokan, and a combination cross-training one.

Effective Techniques, i'll agree with Thunder - if it works, it's pretty effective. It's just situations that make each technique effective or not.

Side Note: I'm currently looking at the Eskrima/Kali club. Anyone with any information pertaining to these? I'm sort of clueless on them. Also, what would I be looking for specifically to note a bullshido effect in the club, if or when I visit a session to watch or take part?

First off, thanks very much for the information, Bah. Mighty handy.



This sentence seems to make me want to go visit, now. Grappling, I suck a** at. Curse my poor physical upper-body strength.