coffee_addict

Well if your Krav classes include live sparring (not point or light sparring) then it's going to be more effective than the classes I have observed. And that's kind of the issue with Krav, maybe you'll learn some useful techniques and maybe your classes involve sparring, but there's no guarantee. And if you do have sparring it just ends up looking like poor boxing and BJJ. Why not just learn the real thing?

At the end of the day, of course techniques matter, but it's far more important that your martial art incorporates LOTS of live sparring. It needs to become second nature to apply your techniques against live/resisting/struggling humans that are trying to apply their techniques on you. That is why wrestling/judo/BJJ/boxing/MT are so dominant in MMA, NOT because of the "rule-following" techniques they use.

If a guy who has spent his training learning "street" techniques that you can't actually spar with (eye/groin/throat attacks) had to actually fight someone who has spent his training applying "non-street" attacks live for hundreds of hours, it wouldn't even be a fair fight.

> The problem is that there’s a big gap between “sports martial arts” rules and “self defense.”

The "sport" aspect is the most important part for becoming an effective fighter. And being an effective fighter is paramount for self-defense situations.

The "sport vs self-defense" argument is a false dichotomy anyways. If my "sport" consists of me wrestling resisting humans to the ground, controlling all of their limbs, and potentially putting them to sleep, then my "sport" is an extremely effective form of self-defense.