Which martial art is the best choice for self-defense is a debate that seems to never end with consensus among the participants in it. It is interesting, however, to hear what the popular MMA coach Firas Zahabi thinks about.
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Zahabi is the owner and head coach of the popular Tristar Gym in Montreal, and he has been reputed to have been one of the leading coaches in mixed martial arts over the years. He trained some of MMA's biggest stars, including Georges St. Pierre.
Zahabi is known for his tremendous knowledge of martial arts, let's see what his answer to the question is, "What martial art is the King in the street?"
According to him, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the best martial art that can be applied for self-defense. He also exemplifies the dominance of Royce Gracie in the early days of the UFC.
"Gracie had the weakest body of all, he was the lightest among the fighters. But you know he did not win his matches with physics, but with technique. This proves that jiu-jitsu would win against boxing, wrestling or other art. I think it would win in most of the cases. "
Zahabi notes that this is not a complicated technique that requires years of training. He exemplifies that he is a high-level Muay-ta'i fighter who can kick an opponent in the groin much stronger than a krav maga practitioner, although it is an illegal move in his chosen sport.
Zahabi also admits there is justifiable criticism of the extent to which the Brazilian jiu-jitsu would be effective in a situation with numerous attackers. In this case, he notes that it would be "very dangerous to bring the battle to the ground", which is why striking-oriented art such as boxing, muay-tae, or kickboxing would be more appropriate.
But he thinks that most street fights would be in a one-on-one situation, and if you happen to face a larger number of attackers then you'd better know how to "blend" the different martial arts.
"Most of the time, street battles take place one by one. And if this is not the case, then I would like to have a hot spray. I think the hot sprays are a stronger tool in a similar situation than trying to defeat a number of attackers with Muay Thai. If I'm good at jiu-jitsu and have a hot spray in myself then I can go far. Far farther than being a Muay Thai soldier who thinks he can deal with four or five strong boys. "
Zahabi adds, though, that while the Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the best martial art for self-defense, there is one step ahead of him.
"If you really want to raise your self-defense to the next level, practice mixed martial arts. This is the real king on the street. The only thing that defeats jiu-jitsu is jiu-jitsu, mixed with something else. Jiu Jitsu with boxing, jiu-jitsu wrestling or jiu-jitsu with something else. "