What's the best Martial Art to learn for toughness and street fighting.

[El Diablo Blanco]

Found out my nephew has signed up for Karate.  My brother says he wants his kid to toughen up and handle himself in school.  Now mind you he is only 7 years old.  I personally think Karate and TKD is no better than ballet.  It is all choreographed fighting.  I was telling him if he wants to have practical fighting skills that he can use to mess up bullies at school that he should take Jujitsu.

What do you guys think is the best thing to get him started in?

[Mussolini]

Wrestling and boxing. Wrestling will teach you how to avoid being taken down, which is the last place you wanna be if there is more than one attacker. Boxing will help you KO your opponents.

[FREAKgeek]

This is a 50+ page thread potential.

[JasonH]

Cue all the Getbig badasses chiming in with their expert opinions just because they've sat in their armchairs watching a few rounds of UFC. 

[The_Hammer]

Thai Boxing

[tonymctones]

in general anybody with even a small amount of training is going to whoop the ass of most ppl who dont. Whatever the discipline it needs to be geared toward real life, training for competitions is a good way of taking that route. Ppl in real life arent going to attack you like ppl do in karate especially the kata form of it. Which is where competition can fill in a little bit in relation to real life and how the skills you learn apply.

Fights in real life are brawls not sparring confined by rules...

most martial arts are going to be very choreographed when you first start off b/c you have to learn the technique. The more proficient you get at it the more you understand how techniques could be applied to real life.

Jujitsu is good I think judo is better for general self defense, judo focuses more on throws and take downs than jujitsu although jujitsu has a much better advantage on the ground a good judo player is going to dominate a good jujitsu player standing and if you throw someone who doesnt know how to fall they probably arent getting up.

If he is adament about striking Id go with boxing to be honest its the most similiar to an actual street fight.

[tonymctones]

Wrestling and boxing. Wrestling will teach you how to avoid being taken down, which is the last place you wanna be if there is more than one attacker. Boxing will help you KO your opponents.

wrestling is another good one, if his school has a wrestling program get his ass in that...

[Army of One]

Definitly kiai, watch how useful it is here against an MMA fighter

[Danimal77]

Found out my nephew has signed up for Karate.  My brother says he wants his kid to toughen up and handle himself in school.  Now mind you he is only 7 years old.  I personally think Karate and TKD is no better than ballet.  It is all choreographed fighting.  I was telling him if he wants to have practical fighting skills that he can use to mess up bullies at school that he should take Jujitsu.

What do you guys think is the best thing to get him started in?

Been doing Aikido for 8 years. I would highly recommend it. It teaches you how to defend yourself against multiple attacks at a time. It is ENTIRELY defensive. If you want a cool offensive art, I would recommend Wing Chung (Kung Fu).. Ninjitsu is also a deadly art.

[El Diablo Blanco]

Boxing is cool, problem is you can find a karate place in every strip mall and most martial arts places are a few miles to get to.  Boxing clubs on the other hand are minimal.  The closest one is probably 30 minutes away.  It's tough to do after work.

[Mussolini]

Thai Boxing

Thai Boxing would be my second choice for striking next to boxing. Possibley my first choice if I lived in a warm climate and could wear shorts. But here in Canada my clothing would usually restrict or greatly inhibit my ability to throw a knee so I would just stick to punching and sprawling. If it was one on one and he was getting the better of my I would take him down and pound him out Coleman style.

[Danimal77]

Boxing is cool, problem is you can find a karate place in every strip mall and most martial arts places are a few miles to get to.  Boxing clubs on the other hand are minimal.  The closest one is probably 30 minutes away.  It's tough to do after work.

There is also Jeet Jun Do, which is another form of Kung Fu and then there's Mu Tai. I go to many MMA and UFC competitions and expos and some of these Mu Tai guys can knee your head right off your body.

[tonymctones]

Boxing is cool, problem is you can find a karate place in every strip mall and most martial arts places are a few miles to get to.  Boxing clubs on the other hand are minimal.  The closest one is probably 30 minutes away.  It's tough to do after work.

well like I said in general somebody with a little training in how to handle themselves is going to kick the shit out of the majority of ppl who dont have any training.

so i wouldnt just throw karate out the window but its not the ideal discipline imho

it would however give him some confidence which goes a long way with not being bullied...

[WillGrant]

krav maga

[tonymctones]

krav maga

Ive never seen this or known anyone who has practiced this but ive heard good things, this is probably even more scarce though as far as gyms go

[Parker]

Gun Fu, or teach him the deadly art of being funny and cool. It kills them everytime. BTW, what happened that dude says his kid needs to "toughen up"? Some bully(ies) at school that got to him? Is he "sensitive"? Shy? Well, chances are sports would be best for him. Be good in sports, and self esteem rises and chance of him being bullied lowers...also, few dudes will mess with him at all in the future.

[El Diablo Blanco]

Gun Fu, or teach him the deadly art of being funny and cool. It kills them everytime. BTW, what happened that dude says his kid needs to "toughen up"? Some bully(ies) at school that got to him? Is he "sensitive"? Shy? Well, chances are sports would be best for him. Be good in sports, and self esteem rises and chance of him being bullied lowers...also, few dudes will mess with him at all in the future.

He's just being cautious.  The kid is very timid, but well liked.  My Bro and I grew up in shitty areas where we had to fight all of the time, now he has money and lives in suburbia where the only threat is boredom.

[Parker]

He's just being cautious.  The kid is very timid, but well liked.  My Bro and I grew up in shitty areas where we had to fight all of the time, now he has money and lives in suburbia where the only threat is boredom.

If he is timid and well liked, I Think sports might be better. No one knows how to handle a situation unless it happens. Hd could take lessons and cave like Flex Wheeler did in fights as a youth. He could go in for lessons and get handled by a girl---and that always blows. Or as the saying goes, those who are bullied become the bully.
Don't know you or your bro so I can only give those examples. If the kid likes the martial arts then go with it, if he hates it, it will show. Team sports as I said is probably the best way to go. You have the comraderie, the learning, the attention (and the pressure) and both dad and son can follow the college and pro level together.

Then there is always model rockets---the kid who knows how to build bombs and rockets, everybody fears.

[tonymctones]

If he is timid and well liked, I Think sports might be better. No one knows how to handle a situation unless it happens. Hd could take lessons and cave like Flex Wheeler did in fights as a youth. He could go in for lessons and get handled by a girl---and that always blows. Or as the saying goes, those who are bullied become the bully.
Don't know you or your bro so I can only give those examples. If the kid likes the martial arts then go with it, if he hates it, it will show. Team sports as I said is probably the best way to go. You have the comraderie, the learning, the attention (and the pressure) and both dad and son can follow the college and pro level together.

Then there is always model rockets---the kid who knows how to build bombs and rockets, everybody fears.

LMFAO yes please MOS get your nephew into model rockets and keep us apprised of his social progress

[Howard]

Found out my nephew has signed up for Karate.  My brother says he wants his kid to toughen up and handle himself in school.  Now mind you he is only 7 years old.  I personally think Karate and TKD is no better than ballet.  It is all choreographed fighting.  I was telling him if he wants to have practical fighting skills that he can use to mess up bullies at school that he should take Jujitsu.

What do you guys think is the best thing to get him started in?

In my opinion ANY legit thing that helps a kid develop confidence, discipline and some actual athletic fighting skill and  is great.

As an adult I practice the art of 38 calliber for my self def.

[Parker]

LMFAO yes please MOS get your nephew into model rockets and keep us apprised of his social progress

You do know I was being sarcastic.
Model rockets only insures that he will be picked on, then going on to build bombs...or a 800k job at NASA

[tonymctones]

You do know I was being sarcastic.
Model rockets only insures that he will be picked on, then going on to build bombs...or a 800k job at NASA

oh ya I know, I just thought it was hillarious

Id like to hear exploits of shooting rockets at kids and modifying fireworks...

[MAXX]

In my opinion ANY legit thing that helps a kid develop confidence, discipline and some actual athletic fighting skill and  is great.

As an adult I practice the art of 38 calliber for my self def.

you carry a gun on the streets?

[ThaRealist]

BJJ and boxing.....

[no one]

krav maga

^ this