well i originally got into martial arts beating up my cousins after watching power rangers but later i started Kempo Karate here in AUS and i still remember how 2 bring a guy down with just 4 fingers  while he has his fist in your face... i do it to my mates just for haha's..
but im proud to say if never been in a fist fight so iv never has to use any of it.

likewise, ive been studying martial arts for 3 years now and still havent ever been in a fist fight.  it'd be interesting to know if anyone on here who studies martial arts has been in a real fight,  and how they dealt with the situation. 

Well i got really interested in it at the age of 9.
Me and my friend joined Kyokushinkai (full contact karate, but mixed with judo, kung fu n kickboxing)
Won a couple metals
Did Judo and Kickboxing in summer '07
Quit kyokushin (still extremely interested, but didnt practice)

Still a huge fan of martial arts though, a real geek about it lol. Seen every martial art fight, researched it deep, etc.

In a real fight, there are many factors. And it depends which martial art your doing. Kyokushin for example was full contact and teaches street situations so it was great for real fights. Although and experianced streetfighter (someone who fights in street situations alot) will almost always beat an average martial artist.

Learnt alot from kyokushin, positionings, techniques, counters, etc. But i learnt quite a bit from every martial art i did =P

At the end, be it Wu Shu, Aikido, Muay Thai, Shotokan, Ju Jitsu or whatever. If you spend alot of time into it and get experianced, its the best. The martial art itself is important, but the fighter is more important from what iv seen.

I've known and seen people fight who took martial arts. When it comes to a fight all your training goes out the window real fast. Building up strength will always be more practical for the average person. Boxing is a good way to go.

The main instructor i have at kickboxing was a door man for about 20 years.  He has a good knowledge of street situations so we tend to occasionally add in a few lessons on groundwork, evasion and impact striking (not to mention running- the best form of evasion!) that are more relevant to street fighting.

The actual kung fu aspect of my martial art is alot harder to grasp than the kickboxing and is less useful to a street fight however all knowledge is beneficial i say  :)

Chris Boughey - Chief Instructor