Why MMA SUCKS For Self-Defense 

Next up! 👊 Watch part 1 where my guest Ramsey Dewey discovers Karate's grappling in MMA! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-g0OcHe9n8wI.html

I think it was one of my Shifus who once said to me, “If you’re getting into a lot of street fights, you might be a really good fighter, but you’re probably doing everything else in life wrong.”

Its one of those situations where martial arts won't protect you, but you'd rather have it than not have it.

For self defence i recomend parkour, to get the f out of there as fast as possible

To win Street fights, you need to follow the four rules of stupid: 1. Don’t go stupid places, 2. With stupid people, 3. At stupid times, 4. And do stupid things. You can get away with breaking one of the rules of stupid, but as you read more of the rules, your chances go down.

As a paramedic the best self-defense technique i learned ? Verbal de-escalation. 98% Of conflicts resolved by talking.

“A wise king never wants a war but is always prepared for one”

Some of the best, well trained soldiers die on the battlefield at the hands of an untrained rebel........ the training is not a guarantee you will survive a combat situation, it just increases the chances.

The entire fight changes when you throw out the referee, the clock, weight class and the rules.

Me too I'm undefeated in street fights. My record is 0 of 0. LOL.

I have been a paramedic for 19 years, I have dealt with drugged out combative patients on a regular basis. We go in with 3-5 people to control them, and even then it is hard. My martial arts training helps, but being wise helps more...

25 years in nightclub work and I’ll never claim to be badder than anyone .. I’ve controlled 300 lb men and I’ve struggled with 150 lb runts My girlfriend’s ex boyfriend bum rushed into our house .. I know way more fighting skills than him , but he was all sweaty, slipped my grip, got into my stomach and bulldogged me into a window.... I fish-hooked him, turned my hips, spun him to the ground and ended up in full mount with him on his side..... our roommate was friends with him so he took him out What I’ve learned over the years -you Never ‘know’ exactly what you’re getting into -footwork is easy to forget under stress -the shortest, quickest technique is the correct 1 -knockouts are fight ‘enders’ , submissions are fight ‘stoppers’..just because the guy ‘says’ he’s done, doesn’t mean he is.. if you favor subs , be ready for that dooshbag -do whatever you can to avoid a street fight, ESPECIALLY when there are numerous people, those become chaotic and super dangerous.. you can be a Gracie Black Belt, and your instinct to go to the ground can earn you a boot to the head from the guys buddy or any coward who just feels like being ‘funny’

One of my instructors use to emphasize cardiovascular training along with one's defense. No matter what style or type of art you study, means nothing if you're out of shape.

I heard that the guy who broke in Anthony Smitg's house was a wrestler. So it makes more sense to me on why Anthony Smith had a hard time controling that dude. Aside from how druged out he was.

First step of self defense is situational awareness and being prepared. Lacking that preparation is a critical disadvantage.

Q: Did the MMA fighter defend himself? A: Yes

My Sensei (Taekwondo) told me to run away when you can because, like everyone has already said, you don't know who that person is AND you don't want to get tangled up with law enforcement / legal system.

I do not agree that MMA doesn’t work as self-defence.

The guy Anthony Smith fought in that home invasion was a high level wrestler drugged out of his mind. Another thing that made it tough for the mma fighter was that he didn't want anyone to die. Anthony Smith just unloaded on the guy and the doctors had a hard time with how much brain swellinh there was.

This story actually tells me that MMA helped a lot. To wake up in the middle of the night and dominate someone who is prepared for this situation when you had no warning and the stakes are as high as they get (your family will be next) takes training and MMA is probably up there with some of the best training for this situation that is available. Obviously it's about how you use those skills. Damn right that when there's no Ref, no rules and no warning and you're half asleep it's gonna be the hardest fight of your life. It's a real fight. No corner man telling you what to do when you've got tunnel vision. No rounds, no water, no ice, sometimes there's no witnesses, nobody calling the cops, no doctor standing by. You win or you die. Nobody to throw in the towel in when you're unconscious and he's still choking you...

When a person is on drugs it increases their pain threshold and strength . So punches and kicks won't stop them they have to be chocked unconscious or kill be stopped.

By this standard we could say self defense does not exist... MMA lack some aspects of traditional martial arts like weapon training or strictly self defense application BUT is a system that teach you how to fight and stand an opponent... I see plenty of martial arts pracrioner who doesn t spar cause "our techniques are too dangerous" that literally will be crushed by the average boxe or muay thay or MMA practicioner or every other martial arts who spar on regular basis... And a violent guy on the street could even be worst. On the other hand someone used to fight will... Fight. As martial artists we never elevate ourself to our expectations but fall down to the level of our training.

I worked as security in one of the busiest bars in my city for years for extra income--god help my soul, it was awful. Our bar had a policy to talk as much as possible and touch as little as possible, and I was still put in quite a lot of situations where I had to defend myself as part of the job. I have trained a decent amount of kickboxing and BJJ and I was pretty competitive in sparring/rolling in the gym without having competed in any amateur or professional fights. While I agree verbal de-escalation and just not being an asshole are the most important skills in self defense, I was still able to stuff some drunk kid from the university wrestling team from double legging me onto my head on concrete, I was able to defend myself from strikes, gauge distance properly, move my feet properly, physically control someone who was attacking me, and in the worst situations where my safety was compromised, choke someone out without hitting them. MMA, by far, has the most application to real life fighting because you drill, test and MOST IMPORTANTLY SPAR more things that are applicable to actual fighting than any other martial art, regardless of whether hair pulling, eye poking, groin kicking, etc. are actively trained. Besides, if you know how to jab or post properly, or throw a proper inside leg kick, you know how to eye poke someone or kick them in the balls. It happens all the time accidentally. All of that being said, training for self defense is nonsense. Not being an asshole will get you much farther than any martial art ever will.

"The greatest warrior wins without fighting." - Sun-Tzu 🙏

Best advice I've ever heard, the best way to win a street fight is avoiding a street fight. Thank you Mr. Dewey and Mr. Enkamp for this.

What I got out of this is to do meth before fights 😤🙏🏽👍🏽💯

Love the street fighting advice. Years ago, studying Kenpo, my instructors' advice on street fighting was to not get in them. He also refused to teach board breaking. His answer whenever asked was "The first time you get attacked by a board, I'll teach you how to break one"

You can't beat my the ultimate art of staying home and minding your own business.

If the assailant was a high level wrestler then MMA obviously doesn't suck for self defense.

I teach self preservation and MMA. One of my students unfortunately discovered the difference. He had been dating a female that unknown to him was also dating another guy as well. My student spent the night with the female. He woke to a man on top of him trying to beat him with a bat. He actually woke to getting struck in the head by the bat first. The female had given this other a guy a key, but for some reason didn’t think this would cause a problem. My student woke and went straight into combat mode. He rolled out of the bed, his arms over his face. He was getting struck by the bat still. He was able to grapple and disarm the guy. He said he was a little dazed from being struck so he remained in the clench briefly while moving around to get the guy off balance. Once he was able to focus better he struck the guy in the face with an elbow, then struck his eardrum with an open hand. The jealous “other” boyfriend staggered back, then took flight from the apartment. My student grabbed the bat and took pursuit. Once the guy was out of the house, my student called the police. Then he called me, we talked until the police arrived. My student said he was glad he had training in both, cage fighting, and self preservation. I don’t call it self defense. Having several fights in the cage at that time, my student said it was a totally different experience what has happened. He said had he only known cage fighting, it might’ve had a different outcome. This video was awesome bringing that point out.

500 years ago: let's learn to fight to protect our family and homeland. Now: let's just learn to fight in the ring.

I once read in a Ninja book that your fighting posture should be whatever your doing at the time, carrying groceries, taking out trash, walking to your car, etc. Situational awareness and all that.

Ramsey started with the right premise, but did not explore it fully: self-defense is a legal term. It is not a tactic, it is not a skill, it is in no way, shape or form a method of action, once the fight starts. Self-defense is the legal justification for the application of force, and it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Now, you can apply principles of avoidance, deescalation , and what men like Craig Douglas and Chuck Haggard call managing unknown contacts. This is true, but it's not fighting, either. Do not feed the trolls. MMA is a strong foundation for fighting, and that is what we are talking about here, fighting. Is it a complete package? Well, yes and no. Good MMA is a complete system of unarmed fighting. Should a man learn to use weapons in addition? Then that depends on if he is learning MMA for a practical or sporting purpose. Purpose and intent determines the student's path. I hear the same argument among jiu-jitsu instructors, some from very prestigious schools. "You can't do sport jiu-jitsu in the street!" You think someone like Garry Tonon is going to granby roll three times to a de la Riva sweep to a leglock? No. He is going to exercise good fundamentals, close the distance, execute a simple takedown, and pummel his opponent to a pulp. Let's all step back and be realistic here.

I love this conversation. 2 martial artists being open minded. Much respect.

The “open hand slap” my long lost cousin speaks about does work but it’s not a slap. You use the bottom of your palm and you have to hit in the right spot. It’s called a brachial stun and as a corrections officer, it’s what we use since we can’t just be punching inmates in the face. It doesn’t knock them completely unconscious but it does take them off their feet with one strike.

Being a trained fighter also better prepares you for high stress situations.

I've used martial arts techniques in a home invasion and on the streets, as well as competition. The thing to bear in mind is asymmetry of objectives: whatever some guy in the street may want, maybe to look big, take stuff, whatever, my mission is to get home to my family in one piece - and ideally not do jail time afterwards. Using words, running like hell, jumping into a taxi - these are all things I have done.

There's this Zen story about a tea master who accidentally offended a ruffian, and was challenged to a death match. But the tea master was terrified, and pled to have some time to prepare. The ruffian agreed. The tea master went to a famous samurai for help. During the tea ceremony, the samurai noticed the tea master was very meticulous and focused. So he taught the tea master to point his sword with the same intensity as preparing tea. In the match, the tea master did what the samurai told him. The ruffian could not find any opening with the blade pointing straight at him, so he gave up and forfeited.

When someone is also high or drugged out of their mind, their pain tolerance is something you can't quantify. Every kick, punch you do might not even bother them, and they can just shrug it off. In my mind, I would avoid getting into that position in the first place. I would try to avoid and hide somewhere if I can to get away. I may just try to keep this attacker from touching me, or grabbing me in any way whatsoever. In my college karate class, it's noted that your best bet is to avoid, but a lot of the time you might not be avoid to them, you can't outrun them. We did a little exercise where one student would run across the dojo as fast as they could, and another person would chase them and if reached would lightly slap the runner's back, and out of 10 students, only 1 made it across the room without getting touched, slapped. This made it very clear that sometimes you might have to engage someone, stopping them in their place or enduring it til you get help or the attacker stops. At the same time, I know that adrenaline might make you faster, depending on being in a true flight or fight situation, when you get that goosebumps feeling or the hair on your neck stands up. I also really love live sparring or rolling. You feel a more realistic pressure on you if on the ground, and you learn how to deal with that position, keeping calm and being able to still think and move. I do get occasionally hit a bit too hard, but that helps as well. You get use to being hit in the chest, or maybe the head or face, that you start automatically reacting to defend, block and/or counter in response. I remember getting slapped on the forehead too many times during sparring, that I figured out how to read it and then how to react quick enough to block or avoid it. I think it's also important to always practice awareness, even if you are at home. Take note of entrances, including windows, doors, etc, places where you can hide, inner bathroom, closet, etc. If you have a weapon, knife, baton, gun (may have limitations, if you have to keep ammo and gun stored separately ), etc know where you keep it and practice how you would use it if something happened in the midday, late night or early morning. Or if you go into hiding, take the weapon with you and know how to use it if you must.

Respectfully I don't think any martial art can truly prepare you to have a "fun time" with a meth head / unstable person with insanse-person strength fighting you in a cramped computer room / home office like with Anthony. Especially so if it's less than a minute after being woken up at 4am in your boxers.

As an Aikidoka, from a very traditional non-competitive style, I just needed to say that you hit the nail on the head - deescalation techniques and situation awareness are priceless and the most important weapon in you reportoire. Kudos from Portugal

This meeting had to occur. You both are great and very knowledgeable. 🙇

MMA definitely gives you skills you can apply to defending yourself. But to the guys who say MMA is as close to real life as you can get, lets not forget MMA prepares you to fight in a cage unarmed and almost naked against another unarmed and almost naked man for 3-5 5 minute rounds where both of you are aware that you are fighting each other, and there is a referee to enforce rules and measures in place to prevent grievous bodily harm. Does that sound like the average person's daily reality? And does that sound like your typical self defense situation?

I would ay this, the fighter would be in far worse shape if he didnt know how to fight, its not useless to know how to use mma, it just he couldnt control him true but he would have been hurt much more if he didnt know mma.

THE KAMEHAMEHA IT IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN MMA

Sometimes you just end in situation when you are assaulted. I mean this MMA fighter didnt exactly chose that some psycho get in his house, right? Self-defense does not equal all street fights. Self defense is a street fight that you dont have option to not participate, at least to some degree. And so called 'win' in self-defense is basically getting out of it relatively unharmed.

Thank you. I like these talks. They reflect so much of what not only you are about but also your take on martial arts and your love for it

This is great! So much information in this, I’m looking forward to more!

MMA is a sport - as such it is designed to protect the competitors and extend the length of bouts - 2 qualities which are precisely the opposite of what you want in a self defense system. Furthermore 90% of self defense is mental not physical - situational awareness, the ability to de-escalate conflict, and simply not going to places where there is a greater chance that you will need to defend yourself, will do the job most times. But that doesn't sell dojo/gym memberships. The confusion arises because MMA is a pretty effective fighting system and people often mistakenly conflate the defending yourself with fighting- they aren't the same thing - for one thing one is legal and the other isn't.

From my experience when you end up in a situation where you need to use "self defence" you already failed to do few steps self protection, like awareness, removing your self from potential harm, deescalating verbally if possible etc. But if you get into one understand that attacker/attackers have the advantage. They are prepared pumped with adrenaline, usually drugged or psychologically twisted in some way. And if fight happen, you first need to buy yourself time to pump your adrenalin, and then use all you have and unleash hell. This is not legal advice this is advice how to survive. Legal consequences will come later and there will be some. But that is a price for having legal system that favors criminals and lunatics. If it is not home invasion do what you must and as soon as window of opportunity presents itself run away. Of course not a single human wants to badly hurt or kill another human being. That is why I think self protection experts as well as all old masters insist you don't use force unless it is necessary to protect your life and/or the life of your family. As far as protection from home invasion goes, it's not bad to have one or two rotwaillers. They are kind of hard to be ambushed in home invasion scenario. Stay safe and take care.

Cage fighting and fighting for survival are completely different.

Oh man, I LOVE these cooperations! Two fighters, with, what feels like very similar mindsets coming from completely different corners of martial arts, exchanging their expertise. It's pure gold. Please keep it up even after corona has passed!

From experience i fought off a crackhead & believe me it was like fighting the terminator the only eay to get him to stop was to do the unmentionable which i cannot say (due to incrimination) ..

I have family members that talk like getting into fights on a night out is unavoidable. And I'm like "how come I never have these problems then?"

The intruder was a star high school wrestler, this had nothing to do with MMA not working for self defense. The guy was just tuff!

Reminded of our good friend Sensei Abernethy’s breakdown of consensual vs non-consensual violence

“Avengers Endgame is the most ambitious crossover ever made.” Jesse & Ramsey: Hold our beer

Self protection/defence is a different ‘animal’. For example, whilst I train regularly, I carry pepper spray and other items that are legal. However, i have no intention of playing it “fair” if I have to deal with unsolicited violence. In my home, I take it to a whole other level. “Empty hand” is an absolute last resort.

I won my first street fight, with a lot of luck, but I was injured. that changed my view of martial arts. Since then, I've only been striving for efficient self-defense beyond all rules

It’s so great to see you & Ramsay having a deep conversation about a very important topic.

These discussions have been very great and productive, especially self-defense which is a tricky topic, thank you Jesse and Ramsey, always entertaining to watch!

Let me tell you something: MMA is good for self defense, but the problem is about the way is shown, because normally they train only for sporty/competitive combats. When they learn to use those various martial arts to self-defense, everything change. And obviously, some martial arts suck for MMA (like Taekwondo, Ninjutsu, Capoeira or Aikido) and others are really effective (like Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai, Judo, Wrestling and Brazilian Jujitsu). If the fighter know how to mix those martial arts correctly (if you don't believe me, ask Oliver), will go beyond every expectations...

Three times i have used my mma skills in self defense. Three times I was quickly looking for an escape route after quickly stopping my attacker.

Good topic of discussion, and I'm really glad you guys were able to find so much middle ground! Even if forms, or techniques can vary widely between different arts or styles, it seems to me that generally the mentality behind them is the same. The best self defense is walking away from any potential fights, and the best practitioners of self defense are those who never have to use it. Good video, Jesse.

Thanks! This video is really interesting. It gives me many insights

I think what people forget about MMA practitioners, is that their bodies have been conditioned to withstand a whole lot of punishment that a typical guy on the street can't handle no matter how tough or how high on adrenaline they are. A few punches from an MMA fighter could be devastating to a guy who does not get his body beaten up by a fellow combatant on a daily basis. So yeah it might not be perfect but It's highly effective if push comes to shove and you have no other option but to defend yourself.

I find it hard to find a “Karate” school, do they even exist? The sign on the marquee of the shopping mall says Karate but when you go to the door of the school it says Tae Kwon do.

Great upload....Thanks. Excellent as usual!!!

I love 💘 your cooperation here! Both of you're are very knowledgeable and break down and talk so people can actually understand without having any martial art background. I would like to se more of you two together! Thank you!

I think also part of the reasons why its sometimes difficult to fight newbies in sparring is because they dont use technique or any type of rhyme or reason, so they can catch you off guard.

There have been a couple of instances where I have been heavily provoked, with some physical force involved, and I walked away without responding. I find it afterwards it is the hardest thing to convince yourself that walking away was better than engaging...

Thank you, guys. This was spot on. Also, it's even more enjoyable to listen to two experts instead of just one.

This is a great video, thank you both, I do teach self defense, and found really interesting hearing you talk about laws and the concept involving the difference between purposes at appliance because it's not usual, and something really hard to make students understand it, that are different ways to apply 🙏 Respect, 0 street fights, 0 loses, and if you fight, you are the problem

In India quiet often we see in news that young girls defend herself from a gang of thugs and she knows karate. Thats karate for you. ❤

That's a thing with martial arts. Having done quite some years on TKD I realized that martial arts have descended to the hole of "Score points=win" (that's not to say that all martial arts and all dojos are like that) and that is not practical. The point of most martial arts was and should be no more than pure self defense. The mentality that in martial arts there are rules, like for example no hitting in certain positions, not allowed to use certain techniques and stuff like that is just wrong by me. I know it is a bit out of context with the whole video but that's just my feelings and opinions...

In Baltimore in 1983 I was randomly assaulted by a guy who was high on PCP. He had no idea what punishment he was taking but kept coming back for more. I refrained from injuring him seriously. Finally the police came and arrested him. I did not press charges but told my assailant to get off drugs.

I like these discussion videos and breakdowns

Last year i ended up in like 6 street fight i dont know how because other ppl in my school didnt only me i think i am too kind at first and then ppl take advantage of u and when they keep on doing that i have to defend myself verbally but it always ends up as a fight, but by fighting they start to respect u even if u lose i won like 5 of them and i lost one, but he started to be nicer to me too after that, but i try to avoid fights at all cost cuz it is also scary as hell

This is something that should be remembered when "the arm chair quarterbacks" watch a short video clip of a law enforcement officer in a real fight with a suspect who may or may not be bigger than them and are critical of the officer's actions. As shown in this interview of the MMA fighter, it is much harder that people can imagine to place hand cuffs on someone. Drugs, mental illness, and adrenaline all play a role. Thank you for discussing this issue.

Great Video. I love your channel. You are a great guy👍👍

Love seeing you and Ramsey talk

Streetfight can occure even if you apply situational awareness. Yes, combat sports work in streetfight. I would say, learn traditional forms of Karate or kung fu (choose hung gar kung fu), meanwhile get training in competition combat sport, and go to the competition with ko authorized. This helps getting used to stress management and strike precision. You ´ll have more than a chance to win a streetfight when, unfortunetly, needed. Strike as hard as you can to the body but becareful with head strikes as it may hurts your hands very quickly. Do you agree with me ?

Crackheads are immune to hand to hand combat, cars, dogs, house alarms, falls from great heights and sometimes small arms fire. They also can run at near superhuman speeds like captain america. I think it has to do with the way the brain can rewire itself (hysterical strength) especially after drugs. Even elite athletes can only use 60 to 70% of thier total strength after years of rigorous training. This is something we've known in the "hood" for a very long time guys...btw not all people have the option to avoid or de-escalate physical altercations (h2h, h2w or w2w) most of it has to do with the environment and the culture of the area.

I know a person who died exactly because of having martial art background. Got accidentally stabbed by mugger when doing judo throw, the mugger didn’t mean to use the knife.

Awesome conversation with the karate nerd and the coach!

I would rather have a lot of MMA experience, than no experience at all!

I agree about not getting into street fights. Extremely rare that someone is going to hit you without reason, and that only happens to certain types of people. Build your body, look like a deterrent, train in a martial art or fighting style, and then just go about your business knowing 99.9 percent chance you'll never have to use it if you don't look for problems.

This is the best chat that I have read in a long time. Everyone here has a lot of good talking points. I can tell just by some of the things I read here that I'm among true Martial Artist. Thanks for your wisdom guys.

Thank you Jesse for a great description in self-defense not only in technique but mentally. There are so many people that ask questions about how many street fights and when I tell them I usually have talked my way out of most situations or walked away from possible situations. I have been training since 1973 and had to, unfortunately, defend my self only a couple of times and it was not pretty. In one instance even with my knife defense training, I was cut up pretty well when a surprise attacker outside a movie theatre in 1982 tried to rob me and the two lady co-workers I was with. Mind you I came out by taking the attacker down and saving our lives but not without lots of stitches and healing time. I think many martial artists do not teach about the very viscous nature of self-defense and its something I express consistently with my students, future law enforcement groups, and sports fighters that I train and have trained. One thing I tell them is you may be prepared physically, but mentally you don't know until you see how you can control your fear. Like anything not being able to control that fear is dangerous and most people that would do harm to you will try to instill some kind of fear or control you. There is a huge difference between a street fight(which seems to be prevalent when questioned) and defending oneself from impending violence and these situations have to be tested and trained. Thanks for all your insight keep up the great information out there for everyone especially nerd like us to make sure we are giving "correct" information.

I have always tried to avoid fights but sometimes those fights found me in my earlier years. Done some weird things to get out of fights. Lol.

2:10 Dead wrong. In every state, force, including asymmetrical and deadly force, following a physical attack where threat of harm is present, is justified in criminal and civil law. The differences between the states primarily address the definition of a credible threat and how the law looks at things like retreating assailant or whether there is a lower threat standard in a case of trespass. Yes, I'm an LEO.

I'm 68 years of age. We were talking about the subject as this video. That was almost 50 years ago. Sensei Si Fuentes said, "see that fella over there" even I a black belt know better than to get into a fight with someone raised on the streets. He's a street fighter. In his world there are no rules. It's survival.

Beautiful energy from both guys, an amazing video whether a practitioner or just curious minded

The only major downfall of mma when it comes to self defense is the lack of weapon training. Which generally although easily could be implemented into mma. It is call Mixed martial arts for a reason. MMA is very versatile is arguably one of the best things to train for self defense. There are a great many of fights that happen without weapons and I'd much rather feel comfortable fighting them in all aspects rather than only being good at boxing or juijitsu, not to say those in of themselves aren't viable methods of self defense. I am sure most of us have seen the videos on youtube of a dude getting choked out or boxed, but generally I think MMA is probably the best way to go for self defense, which can include the likes of weapon self defense. I don't know why these guys are limiting the term mma to only what we see on tv.

My trainer told me that boxing can help with self defense, kickboxing can help as well in my opinion so can jujitsu

Amazing video! Well done!

Best way is to run away, but if you are left devoid of that option, knowing some form of martial arts is way better than not knowing anything at all.

I attended a martial arts seminar where the boxing instructor thought the karate students were brutal (because we train groin kicks, face gouges, etc.), and we thought she was brutal (because boxers punch each other in the face for 12 rounds! It was a great way to understand the different purposes of training.

MMA is one of the best martial arts that you can train for self-defense.

Nice to see you both guys exchanging ideas.