Self Defense practitioners, if you had to choose a combat sport for self defense training?

I've practiced Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun in two different schools, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kodokan Judo, Boxing, and Muay Thai. I've found some of these to be very effective, and some not so much. I love Karate, I love Judo, and I love Boxing. But I've found my home in the art of Muay Thai. I should note that in my experience, a combat sport is far more effective for learning to fight than a "traditional martial art". The reason for this is that in a combat sport, one is submitted to full contact training. Without full contact under controlled circumstances, one simply can't learn how to keep their composure while taking hits. After years of traditional styles, the first time I sparred I found that one well placed punch even at half strength could turn my defense into nothing.

I'm not saying that all traditional styles don't spar full contact, but in my experience maybe 1 in 10 does. When it comes to a combat sport, maybe 1 in 10 doesn't spar full contact. I would never hesitate to suggest that somebody who wants to defend themselves to try a combat sport.

On another note, and I admit it's a bit off topic, I would never tell somebody not to practice a martial art they enjoy. I loved Kung Fu. I didn't think it was the most effective fighting style, but I loved the workout and I loved that I could experience a style of martial arts that was so full of rich tradition and history that I could practically feel it. I wouldn't tell a police officer to learn it in case they ever needed to use it if boxing or judo was optional, but I would tell anybody who wanted a great hobby to go for it if it interested them.

MMA, Judo, or wrestling....

Largely because these train in elements that cross over into practical self defense. (i.e. maintaining balance with the additional pressure of someone pushing and pulling - someone applying pressure to you, sensitivity to the movements of another both visually and tactile contact, etc.) They provide a medium for exploring your own reaction to the pressure of someone coming after you.

Some forms of Karate or Tae Kwon Do focus entirely on point sparring (which means training in a way that "pulls" your punches and kicks). And there is more of a "stop-starting" of interactions that is not necessarily how a real self defense situation will go down.

Boxing wouldn't be bad, except for the lack of kicks and grappling.... And though not every fight/self defense situation goes to the ground, many times grappling of some kind comes into play.

I made the shift from Kyokushin Karate to Muay Thai and Brazilian Jujitsu when I moved, I know Kyokushin is a bit more everything (traditional/sport/self defense) but I honestly found the lack of full-contact sparring in any of the other schools a bit disheartening.

If I'm looking only at combat sport, I'd probably look at both a striking sport and a grappling sport. Judo for the latter, almost certainly (though Greco-Roman wrestling would be good, too). For the former, probably something based on Tang Soo Do.

Probably MMA. I'd want to know both striking and ground fighting techniques. Most combat sports only teach one or the other.

My idea of self defense is not walking down dark alleys, not smarting off to drunk people, using a firearm.

Oddly none of this comes up in this section comes up to much

probably the sport of mma lol

I would take sport judo so later I could take up the art of judo or sport karate so I can later take up the art of karate.

I can learn something from anyone, potentially, and I can definitely learn something from whatever training method people have used. Although I prefer to modify them to be more efficient.

So every sport is something I can learn something from. The good thing about athletes is that they will often be bigger, stronger, and faster than me. This allows me to train using sharpened instinctive awareness, and either test my own physical parameters or test non-physical parameters in sparring and drill work. Athletes also have a certain degree of physical courage, so they're not going to shy away if I ask them to try something or demo something or experiment with a movement that I need their input and participation on. Some people need to be heavier than 240 pounds for me to effectively attempt internal mechanics and power dynamics, so that I can easily review the feedback via sensitivity. The heavier they are, the more I am forced to utilize internal principles. The stronger and faster they are, the better I can test my own awareness and instantaneous decision making abilities.

In boxing, I'll ask the best boxers to try their fastest direct and circular strikes, to ensure that my hand defense positions are as efficient as possible. In TKD, I would ask them to show me their fastest and most powerful kicks, repetitiously, so that I can correctly visualize the movement from start to finish. A perfected kick, seen from up close and personal, is vital for anyone who seeks to nullify such attacks with leg or arm. People found out the hard way that they just can't figure it out on the fly against someone like Machida's straight kicks.

In BJJ and Judo, working counters and take down defenses against people who are expert at wrestling and very fast on the takedown can very quickly give a baseline progress indicator. Several practitioners of karate and other martial arts here, who don't do it for sport, don't like the term "cross training" because they associate it with MMA. But if you actually looked at how these people trained, they would go up against a lot of other martial artists and their styles, and adapted things in their style based upon the different experience. They will say that this is why they only need to take their own style because it is complete. I don't include fighting other martial artists and taking stuff they learned from other styles, to be "complete", however.

Athletes are a good bar to test yourself against, but not in the way most people think. They don't simulate the reality, not even close. They can be used to simulate other things such as intimidation, or confronting two or 3 or 5 people who are in shape, and who you can't out muscle or out wrestle, but yet must defeat in the end one way or another. Athletes have a certain level of physical aggression which will trigger some of my latent instincts, allowing me to simulate reality partially in terms of mental judgment. Most civilians or average hobbyists are not aggressive at all, and just don't have the intent, not even close, to simulate physical violence. Athletes do not know how to behave like criminals or serial killers, but at least they try to get their attack in, which for me is close enough.

The things that scare fellow students and civilians I have known, don't really affect me. That means I require greater levels of anxiety and fear to be introduced to the training, before I will hit that wall and start training my adrenaline state. Yet it's a fine line to draw, since too much just makes people confused, requiring things to be slowed down. But if you slow it down, then it won't be scary enough. It won't make a person's heart beat at the correct high rate to simulate actual conditions.

I deal with this issue by being flexible and using each training method as far as it can, to benefit me, without introducing things that would confuse fellow students or instructors.

I will say one thing. Most people's situational awareness sucks. And not just because they feel safe in the dojo/gym, but because they don't really care. They're not scared enough to look around 360 or even 180 using peripheral vision. That's a skill that's not on any black belt kata test, but it's a vital one.

boxing or mma..is that allowed?

@clowns..i guess that self def. (learning/trainig of it) is not the same thing as TMA/MA/MMA/anyMA..but that is only imo*

sport kyokushin, or sport judo. probably :P