Exploring Modern Self-Defence: A Review of “I tried 5 different martial arts & here are my thoughts…” Video by MMAShredded
Jeff Chan, the knowledgeable MMA fighter and star of the YouTube channel MMAShredded, invites his followers on a unique journey through the world of martial arts. Recorded during his time at the Rebel Martial Arts Festival in Nuremberg, Germany, Chan exposes his audience to various martial arts forms, providing them with a comprehensive and unbiased perspective on their effectiveness in a modern self-defence context. The first martial art in focus was Capoeira. Chan acknowledged the intricate movements of this Brazilian martial art form, which includes deceptive handstands and lunges. He likens Capoeira’s stances to his own unorthodox style in MMA, noting the potential for unexpected and lethal attacks. Chan suggests that the application of Capoeira in MMA could provide an unpredictable fighting style that would be difficult to counter if incorporated properly. Chan then moved into Aikido, a martial art primarily focused on redirecting the force of the opponent. He pointed out that Aikido’s effectiveness largely depends on an opponent’s commitment to their attack, making it beneficial against opponents who over-commit or are untrained. He emphasizes that every martial arts form has strengths and weaknesses, and the application of Aikido would need careful strategic planning to maximize its leverage in competitive fighting or self-defence. Next up was a class that emphasized body strength, flexibility and memory. While the martial art form wasn’t specified in the video, Chan offered insights into the effectiveness of these attributes in strengthening the body for combat. Chan appreciated the physical condition of the martial arts instructors, noting that physical conditioning is an integral part of preparing for real-world self-defence scenarios. Traditional Kung Fu was his next challenge, and Chan quickly noted some similarities to Muay Thai, his primary discipline. He noted that practicing the techniques, particularly those relating to redirecting kicks, could be effectively incorporated into MMA. Chan stressed that the effectiveness of any martial art form within MMA boils down to the practitioner’s ability to use learned techniques during sparring or combat. Finally, a class revolving around a long stick introduced Chan to weapon-based martial arts. While not directly applicable to MMA, he emphasized that the forearm strength developed during such training could be incredibly beneficial in ground-based martial arts like Jiu-Jitsu. Throughout his exploration, Chan remained objective, noting that all martial arts contain valuable techniques, strategies and skills. He stressed the importance of adapting these arts into the MMA framework to maximize effectiveness. From his reviews, it’s evident that in the right hands and with the right training, rather “non-traditional” martial arts can also provide striking advantages in modern self-defence scenarios. This video serves as a reminder that the world of martial arts is vast and varied. The key to effective self-defence or competitive fighting lies not in the adoption of a single discipline but in an open-minded, adaptable approach to learning from multiple martial art forms. As Chan aptly says at the end of his video, martial arts is about community, respect, discipline, self-control, confidence, and not just competition. His experience in Germany is a clear example of how martial arts can become a part of anyone’s life, offering so much more than just self-defence skills.MMA Block
MMAShredded is a YouTube channel run by Jeff Chan, a professional MMA fighter. He uses his platform to educate his audience on MMA techniques, sharing his knowledge and skills gained from years in the sport. His channels offers tips, fitness routines, and inside looks into his training sessions, championship fights, and more.
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Did you visit Ranton while in Germany?
I respect that Jeff dosent just go with the crowd and say that capoeira for example dosent work and he goes and trys it
Great festival. Where can we see more info about the upcoming events and festivals? Looks amazing.
Again I am observing you with disclosures of one with an open mind, as well as utilizing what works for the individual not one as the best. Decades ago students were told not to explore other sytles or run the risk of being discharged from the school you were attending. I guess I was fortunate because my instructor did not believe that philosophy. Started with Shotokan Karate for a few years. My instructor had several Korean friends and one Grand Master's school flooded 3 times in one year na dof course he would lose his school. My instructor asked if he was interested in instructing at our school and that we would change to Tae Kwon do over a period of time. I was so fortunate because to this point I had been traind by 2 well known Grand Masters. Years later my instructor would close the school he had and I would meet a well known boxing Commissioner. As I trained with him I was also introduced to Kyo Kyu Shin school and trained in both areas. Currently I study the sword because I wish to stay loose and am of the retirement age from my job. As we age workouts become more difficult. I am so appreciative of the fact that I was able to train with some of the best in their field. I would love to travel to Thailand to meet Sanshi and Baubaw (not sure of the spelling) to see how they train. Sir thank you for sharing.
I'm sure the Wushu coach is very proficient at what he does, but when you were doing the forms with him, your movement looked much smoother. You are probably one of the most athletic martial artists around. The coach's full intensity demonstration was pretty impressive, though. Getting to that level very likely takes many years.
At 3:00 you are right, ANY martial art/sport working against untrained, btw i think that all ancient styles designed against untrained or very aggressive and multiple opponents.
I remember being this workout seminar thing back in like 2006 and this huge tool was doing what seemed like either a kung fu or wushu kata thing. it was semi cool, but the guy was such an arrogant prick and showing off so bad because literally no one asked him to do his whole routine, it was unwarranted for what we were doing. it was so out of place and looking back the its just non sense van damn/ segal kung fu movie stuff, and hey it looks cool but would never work against a BJJ black belt
It's not the Art, it's the Practitioner.
Nice hot takes on Aikido. I did Hapkido for years, and when I finally pressure tested the traditional wrist locks techniques against a resisting opponent, they were extremely difficult to apply in real time. They're great for use in rolling though, under the right circumstances. A lot of "dirty wristlockers" come from Hapkido/Aikijitsu backgrounds.
I love how ur so willing to learn your the man
Here is a tip for you from a sort of HEMA guy: Longsword fighting is similar to wing chun in the sense that with every strike, you are also blocking. and rather than putting up a long guard with your hands, you always keep the tip pointed towards your opponent and move the handle around it kind of and then go from there. I would love to see you try it sometime. it is very facinating.
Wushu and Kung Fu are the same thing
Nicest yet toughest guy / legend
Jeff Chan doing gods- I mean Bruce lees work. 🙏 ☯️
Try a systema class, I am very curious what you'd think of it.
Pro tip: Go when you see them start to swing their arms an dhot each other, lots of systema is not systemised, you just go in class and learn whatever they're doing at the moment.
Great video; HEMA really looks awesome. Always wanted to try it out.
Finally Capoeira! been interested in seeing you do that for sometime. Be awesome if you tried it for like a month
Will you ever try Savate?
Very nice. Very refreshing
Aikido works on people who don't overcommit when you learn to create momentum where they didn't. You create the motion when they don't with pushing, pulling, spinning.