is kali any good for the streets?

**hero2u** · Posted On: 4/06/2008 5:35pm

PLEASE someone give it to me straight - is kali any good for street self defense against the typical road-rage idiot? Does it take several years to become half way proficient? Seems that good info on kali is as hard to find as a good school. BTW, I plan on moving to denver within a few months; any good kali schools in denver?

**mike321** · Posted On: 4/06/2008 5:54pm

Straight up, only proven method for taking on streets.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Jackhammer.jpg

**Matt Stone** · Posted On: 4/07/2008 12:09am

I started studying Modern Arnis with Datu Kelly Worden about 6 weeks ago with my 12 year old son. In that 6 week period, with 2 classes per week available, we've only missed 2 classes.

During sparring in class (wearing face/head protection and using minimally padded sticks), my son is able, with startling regularity, to pull off roof blocks with counters against more experienced adult students.

I've been studying martial arts for 23 years, and that includes some time doing FMA as well. Based on my experience, I'd have to say that, for flat out self-defense, armed and unarmed against armed and/or unarmed opponents, FMA definitely has a faster learning curve than many other arts. If I gave my son a rattan stick or a collapsible baton, and had to bet on him versus an unarmed adult or an adult armed with a similar weapon, right now my money would be on my son. If he was against multiple opponents, or a single opponent with a knife or machete (weapons you can't really "suck up" hits from), I'd say he'd lose. But that's right now...

I think FMA, whatever your flavor, is one of the very few martial arts on the planet that is in constant real-world use on a daily basis. Walk through the barrios of the Philippines, and you'll find more than enough evidence to support this.

**Whosthemaster** · Posted On: 4/07/2008 1:15am

Take a look at this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THW-c6E5nvs

Kali is very practical for the streets. It was made for that (actually, for something quite worse than a everyday man would encounter, more to the likes of gangfights or riots like in that video) and if trained right it is still aimed for that.
If you really get into the mindset, it is the best way for defending yourself in the streets - you will have learned how to defend yourself against a blade attack or a multiple attackers scenario the best way possible - attacking with your own knife. Even if you don't want to or can't carry one, I firmly believe the art has the best possible techniques for defense against weapons. Because we are always training with them and we know how to make them work the best.

Originally Posted by Matt Stone

If he was against multiple opponents, or a single opponent with a knife or machete (weapons you can't really "suck up" hits from), I'd say he'd lose. But that's right now...

My master is always repeting that concept: you can't "suck up" hits of weapons like you would do with a gloved fist. I had no previous martial art experience before joining, so I understood it quickly. Whenever new people experienced in sport fights come to train with us, it takes them a few hits to understand it.

**wikidbounce** · Posted On: 4/07/2008 6:54am

Kali is a lot of fun to train, but it does come down to the training method just as in all types of MA. There can be good or bad.

**new2bjj** · Posted On: 4/07/2008 9:05am

Dude, if you got the sticks or knife, and the other guy doesn't, I bet you can pull off a win- how's that for street effectiveness!

***DerAuslander*** · Posted On: 4/07/2008 9:32am

The things I learned in Kali were a tremendous help when I was bouncing regularly, and have carried over into the things I train now. If I had more time, I would get back to Kali training with less than a second thought.

**escrimador6** · Posted On: 4/07/2008 11:27am

Escrima (Kali, Arnis, whatever you want to call it) has been proven very effective for self-defense. But, as one poster already put it, you have to make sure you are getting good training. With the raise in popularity, I'm starting to see strip mall dojos tacking on FMAs.

If your looking for schools in Denver I know they have a Sayoc school and a Pekiti-Tirsia school. Google will probably show you some more.

**Whosthemaster** · Posted On: 4/07/2008 11:29am

Originally Posted by escrimador6

Escrima (Kali, Arnis, whatever you want to call it) has been proven very effective for self-defense. But, as one poster already put it, you have to make sure you are getting good training. With the raise in popularity, I'm starting to see strip mall dojos tacking on FMAs.

Really?
I'm guessing they don't do live blade sparrings?

**escrimador6** · Posted On: 4/07/2008 11:34am

Originally Posted by Whosthemaster

Really?
I'm guessing they don't do live blade sparrings?

Yeah, it's starting to happen. My guess is they don't spar at all or they do the spaceman padded suit point sparring. I've even seen it in my town. One of the strap mall places here had a guy teaching FMA that was awful. I'll give them credit for dropping him once it was exposed that he really had no business teaching.