As active anti-capitalists (And with that, active anti-fascists) we need to learn how to defend ourselves from attack whether it be from fascists, security guards, police, military or whoever else.
But which is the best system to learn? Some people are born with a knack for fighting whereas others are not but in both cases learning a martial art is a good way to prepare. In my opinion a good martial art is one which is practical for use on the streets. The following are my suggestions as to which ones people should look into:
- Krav Maga
- Systema
- “Western Boxing”
- Muay Thai
- Mixed Martial Arts
Krav Maga – Jewish martial art originating among the Jewish community in Hungary. It was originally started to actually fight nazis on the streets and to defend against pogroms. It combines various styles such as “Western boxing”, Aikido, Wrestling, Judo and later KAPAP. It also places a good amount of attention on defence against firearms and bladed, edged, blunt and sharp objects. It also teaches the psychology of street fighting, teaches threat assessment and recognition and employs a hit them hard and leave the scene approach, which is very sensible in this day and age.
Systema – A Russian martial art which works on grappling, knife and blunt object training, hand-to-hand combat and firearms. Training requires fluidity, the ability to learn and sustain good breathing and relaxation. Again, very useful for use on the streets.
“Western boxing” – Basically as we think it is and most people already know what it is. Involves heavy and sometimes sustained punching between opponents. Very practical but only focuses on the punching aspect. Whilst HIGHLY useful and effective makes “Western boxing” limited if the hands have became debilitated or something else which would render the hands less effective. However, highly recommended.
Muay Thai – Thai martial art which focuses on standing-up whilst striking and clinching techniques. Can be brutal if learned effectively and is an essential component of mixed martial arts.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) – Most commonly associated with cage fighting and employs full-contact methods such as grappling and striking whilst standing, in motion and on the ground. It is one of the most popular martial arts at the moment and like those above is very useful on the streets and employs brutal and effective real world tactics and methods. A very good list of styles employed is found on Wikipedia:
“Striking: Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Kyokushin Karate, Taekwondo, Combat Sambo and Sanshou are trained to improve stand-up striking.
Clinch: Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, Judo, Sambo, Sanshou and Jujutsu are trained to improve clinching, takedowns and throws, while Muay Thai is trained to improve the striking aspect of the clinch.
Ground: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Sambo, Submission wrestling and other arts are trained to improve ground control and position, as well as to achieve submission holds, and defend against them.” (I do not usually use Wikipedia as a point of reference but it does provide a good overview in this case)
So there you have it, choose whichever martial art you like but I do recommend one or a combination of the above, you will need it if you are serious. They can be used to either kick the shit out of a fascist, defend yourself against pig or security guard violence or just general self-defence and fitness (Because by and large the fitness levels among libertarian socialists are ridiculous).
In the words of the Oi Polloi song “Bash the Fash”, “A life or death struggle – not some kind of game,l earn at least the basics of some martial art, then you’ll be ready when the aggro starts”.