Originally Posted by Moonshake

If you want the best chances of surviving against a bigger guy, do Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo or wrestling (if you can find it/have the opportunity). Boxing/kickboxing is effective, but trying to knock out a bigger guy will be very risky unless you're elite. Traditional martial arts, like karate, won't help you so much outside of their own frameworks. Wouldn't really consider anything else.

Originally Posted by Bird

I would probably say Taekkyon, because you are at a short distance and small strikes usually do best especially if you are faster.

Originally Posted by HeyBoom

Honestly if we're talking about an amateur then really you don't need anything. Punch his nose and he will stagger and probably give up. Most people never been punched in the face so they get real shocked by how much damage a bare knuckle punch can do.

Originally Posted by sirkill1

Ya I also live in America so concealed carry license and gun works best for us here.

You could have fun with something like Krav Maga or Filipino knife fighting aka escrima though if you're just looking for a new sport

Originally Posted by yuki

Thanks man! It's really helpful but what do you think about aikido?

Originally Posted by Jojo

wrestling wrestling wrestling

reason why all great mma fighters have a great wrestling base and build up from there

Originally Posted by Moonshake

Aikido will fall into the category of "traditional martial arts" -- it won't help you much outside of its own framework. Wing Chun is another popular one that has the same flaw. Taekkyon is going to be another one.

With that being said, this is not to discourage anyone from practicing these, as if you devote a lot of time to them, you'll develop a much better awareness of your body's mechanics, undoubtedly get into better physical shape, etc. -- however, if you're in a street fight against not only a bigger guy, but a bigger guy who just walks forward and grabs onto you, you're going to be in danger.

That's why I would primarily look at disciplines which focus on grappling (BJJ, judo, wrestling), because as random as a street fight can be, having the upper hand in a grappling art will mitigate most of the danger, because grappling is far more determinative in a fight than striking. This is what the early UFC experiment ended up proving, after all.

Also, I thought about mentioning Krav Maga before so I'll address it now: it's basically the CrossFit of martial arts. The curriculum is broad but shallow. I've heard from other people that they over-rely on wrist lock takedowns and groin strikes. You're probably not going to hit a wrist lock takedown on a bigger guy. They also rarely spar, so you'll have little opportunity to put what you're learning into practice -- this is what makes other disciplines (BJJ, Judo and wrestling) exceptional in this regard, because you can drill techniques literally thousands of times and then go on to use them in a full-resistance sparring session.



The main issue with wrestling is availability. If you have already finished high school, it's going to be difficult to find a place that offers a wrestling program for untrained adults. Once you reach adulthood, the best place to learn wrestling will probably be a BJJ gym, any decent one will have takedowns in their program (and not just ones that rely on the gi).

Originally Posted by yuki

You're right... But i think that'll only work if you're the attacker. Self defense is another story man, a lot of bigger guys will try to pin you to the ground, what would you do in that case?

Originally Posted by HeyBoom

The thing with these martial arts is that you can't learn much in a short time. If you have an upcoming fight in a week then it's pretty useless whatever you learn in that short period. BJJ can be very good but it requires skill. Judo is somewhat better in your case because shoulder throws are not hard to master and it works well. Wrestling is good but I wouldn't do it against a bigger guy especially not during a street fight.

However, if there's no other way and you don't want to run away or use a gun then just use dirty moves. Poke the eyes, kick the nuts, spit, pinch and lie.