Sport Fighting vs Self-Defense: Are all Martial Arts created equal?

Many people turn to martial arts for two main reasons: to get stronger and fitter and to learn how to protect themselves and their loved ones.  The first reason is easy to address, and training in pretty much any martial art will increase your cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, agility and more.  But when it comes to learning how to defend yourself and family, not all martial arts are created equal.

There are generally three types of martial arts.  The first type is sport fighting, competitive martial arts.  These include boxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, MMA, some types of Karate, sambo, etc.  Others are combat oriented, self-defense systems.  These include Krav Maga, Systema, etc.  And the last type is the art oriental styles, such as some forms of Kung Fu, Tai-Chi, etc.  This last form of martial arts has little benefit to modern self-defense needs, and mainly focuses on form, strength, agility, spiritual peace and overall health benefits of the practitioners.  So the choice of personal protection often narrows down to two types, sport fighting systems and self-defense and combat specific styles.  Both deal with fighting and combat but from two very different perspectives.

Sports fighting and competitive styles deal with two fighters that are matched nearly equally by weight.  Both fight by the rules of the sport and the rules of the tournament.  Both fight on equal terms, without weapons, without additional friends jumping in to help one or the other fighter, and usually with the presence of the referee to arbitrate the event.   The ultimate goal of each competitor is not to cripple the opponent, but simply do enough to win the bout and go home victorious.

Self-defense and combat orientated styles deal with a completely different type of violence.  The type of violence that doesn’t have any rules, that is unpredictable and certainly is not fair.  We deal with the concept of an attacker trying to inflict severe harm to you and your loved ones.  This may include the use of weapons, multiple assailants, surprise attacks when you least expect them.  No referee and no rules to limit the type of damage these people want to inflict upon you.

So when looking for a martial art that will best prepare you to protect yourself and loved ones, the answer is clear, train in that system that best addresses real world violence.  Unfortunately many people still believe that training in sports fighting will prepare them just as well, if not better to deal with real world altercations.  This is a dangerous misconception that stems from not understanding the reality of violence.

Most people are exposed to fighting from watching boxing and MMA matches.  Their perception of violence becomes linked to what they see on TV, without realizing that and real world attacks are far more different then a competitive MMA match between two trained athletes fighting with clear rules and regulations.  So to get better at fighting the person that was once watching MMA on TV decides to join an MMA school, where he trains in boxing, jiu-jitsu and other styles and becomes further exposed to opponents fighting under the same rules as he is.  The misconception about fighting grows even further, making the person think that all fighting and violence is the same, and he is more than equipped to handle himself if anything were to happen to him outside the mat.

But the reality is that attacks on the street don’t follow set rules of engagement.  If you pull guard on your jiu-jitsu partner he will try to pass it.  But if you pull guard on an attacker on the street he may simply pull out a knife and stab you.  Or maybe his friends will jump in and start stomping on you while you are trying to set up an armbar.  And if you never trained for these circumstances, you will not know what to do and how to best react if these things were to happen.

Think of it this way.  You excel in what you train.  If an athlete trains to compete in football, and during the match day he is suddenly thrown into a rugby game, he will probably not fare well against athletes that have been specifically trained to play rugby.  Why?  Because although there are some similarities between the two sports, the rules and regulations are quite different, and being able to train specifically for your needs is the key to the athlete’s success.

When it comes to fighting, the requirements are the same.  To get better at competitive fighting, train MMA, jiu-jitsu, boxing, etc.  Krav Maga is not the answer if you want to compete in the UFC.  But if you want to learn self-defense, Krav Maga is the perfect answer.  Training Krav Maga will prepare you to deal with attacks you may most likely face from real attackers that do not adhere to the rules of sports fighting, and will give you the peace of mind knowing that you can defend yourself and your family if you ever find yourself in a real world violent situation.