Is the Keysi Fighting Method a legitimate matial art?

I actually think that KMF has some potential. It was created in the streets of Spain. Who knows if it is really effective. I do know most of it utilizes elbow strikes. And most would be considered illegal in MMA. So it wouldn't be an effective martial art for the ring. Now as for self defense i would say it is misunderstood. Your elbow is a heck of a lot harder impact than your fist and you can generate a lot of torque. And it is more for close range strikes. I feel KMF, Krav Maga, Systema, Sambo and a couple others are underrated and misunderstood. Only time will tell.

\@KW your reply is just what others have said abt BJJ/MMA and look where it is at today. Only time and street value will tell. BJJ/MMA is not that special either. Kids imitate that stuff all the time too.

I haven't looked at it yet, and before I even do I can answer part of this question. Anything that uses the word "method" is not a martial art. It's a combination of many different techniques, most often from different styles of martial arts, put together and packaged with a systematic training method in order to be branded and sold as a unique entity. So right away I can say it is not a good self defense martial art.

Keysi Fighting Method Youtube

It depends on what you mean by legitimate.

Like most new external methods, they have chain techniques which they try to teach new people to use. These chain techniques are based around the founder's preference and link muscles and arms/legs together in a certain smooth sequence. If you learn it, you can essentially mimick the technique.

I would say it is more of a practical exercise for people who want an internship and jobs on training, rather than 4 years for a bachelor's and a decade more for masters and Ph.D level education.

Actually, I've trained it a few times, and worked with guys who have incorporated it into what they do.

I wouldn't consider it a great stand-alone system, but I like a lot of the ideas and training methods. For example, from the first day of class, you're addressing defense against multiple attackers by having your training partners smack you with focus mitts while you try to cover and evade, and strike when called for it. I like how the "pensador" position allows you to use your elbows and head in a three-sided attack. I like how the emphasis is on covering up and constantly moving. I like how the basic response to an attacker standing over you is to grip whatever you can and claw/climb your way up while staying covered.

There are some things with it that I don't like, on the other hand. I've seen an emphasis on gripping the opponent's cheek bone, but unless they're Summer Glau, you're really not going to find much of a handle there. I've also seen some demos where they hit questionable target areas, and I'm not really sold on the "use a hammerfist/elbow to know the guy's guard down" tactic.

If someone surprised me with a haymaker at close range, my first few seconds of movement would have some KFM influence (cover up, whack him with some part of the pensador, close the distance) but it's very circumstantial. Of course, those particular circumstances are pretty likely in an uncontrolled environment.

Worth looking into. Don't make it your only source of training.

Edit: IIRC, both founders were students (long-distance, I assume) of Dan Inosanto. There seem to be elements of Panantukan (Filipino boxing/kickboxing) and a Silat system or two, which would make sense given their background. I think there's been some claim of a Gypsy system being incorporated, but I don't know if that's accurate, hearsay, or just for marketing.

All I can say is that the school I went to and the guys I trained with gave me something positive to take away. Like, from the first class- "That's a good drill, we need to do that more" kind of thing. As someone who's been doing martial arts since the 1980's, has a black belt in a traditional karate system, and has a coaching certification in an MMA-oriented system, I'd like to think that says something. Of course, I'm also that guy who looks for something useful in EVERY martial art- I can't say how much someone else would get from the experience.

Edit 2: Hollywood, how much KFM or KM have you trained? In fact, KFM is almost the antithesis of "situation oriented"- it's very freestyle.

As for your comment about needing head control for an elbow KO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ4wQ9StW7c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcBNhuN3KAQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70YMVPb3IWo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kmTPVPEPps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdwSiq3n6Zk

Apparently not.

Edit 3: JoKyoNim, the majority of KFM would be legal in MMA. Like, 95% of the strikes- even the headbutts can be modified, if your hands are covering your head. The majority of the takedowns, too. Even the flesh grabs can be turned into slaps or hooks of anatomical targets (knees, chin, etc). In fact, here's KFM co-founder Andy Normal in the first of three videos showing KFM-flavored ground-and-pound:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB9hRV44Hg4

KW: "And their opinions are the ones you want, like Pugpaws2, JwBulldogs, Kokoro. Their opinions matter more than 98% of the people that answer in martial arts section."

Maybe from a traditional point of view, but that's about it. The problem is with the TMA guys on here is that they try too hard to promote equality among martial arts... and I suspect that everyone of them deep down doesn't believe what they say.

Stick one of them in the octagon with a Wing Chun specialist and then put that same person in the octagon against a Muay Thai fighter or a BJJ fighter, and see how much more seriously they take each one before they even get to display their skill level. I have a hard time believing they would be just as intimidated by a WC fighter as they would by a MT fighter.

Keysi is about as useless as krav maga. It is too situation oriented and has too many assumptions and idealized scenarios. You also need head control if you want to take someone out of commission with an elbow, otherwise you'll just make the person angrier lol.

You should also take everything these guys with 20+ years of experience say with a grain of salt. I mean do you think if you trained knife fighting for a year, would it be that much harder to fight someone who trained knife for 20 years?