Best Martial Arts for self-defense
A guide to the most practical martial arts for all-around self-defense
This is one of the most well-debated topics in the martial arts community, which martial art is the best for self-defense. Also known as what martial art is the most effective. If you ask five people this question, you may get five different answers, but some martial arts have been proven over the years to be effective in real fighting scenarios. In this article, we’re going to go over the top 5 best martial arts for overall self-defense.
Disclaimer** This article is not encouraging violence outside of sports competition. Also, keep in mind that the best way to defend yourself is always good situational awareness and just being respectful. Keeping an eye on your surroundings and treating people with respect is the best way to avoid violence. With that being said, bad things happen, and many people want to be able to defend themselves in those situations arise, so let’s look at a breakdown of some of the most effective martial arts for self-defense in existence.
1) Boxing
First on this list is probably the most popular martial art/combat sport, which is boxing. The reason I put boxing as number one is that most street fights start with a punch (and usually some type of sucker punch). Not only that, but the majority of strikes in a street fight will be some sort of punch because that’s the most instinctive strike for a person to through. There are very few kicks involved, and most people will look to grapple only after throwing a few punches. That’s why street fighting has gotten the nickname “throwing hands.” Knowing that, I think boxing is the best martial art to prepare you for that situation.
Having good boxing skills will help you to anticipate when a sucker punch is coming and give you the skills to defend against the opponent’s punches while countering with your own. Since most street fights start standing up and don’t last long, a good boxer will usually be able to land strikes, control distance, and win the fight with relative ease.
2) Wrestling
While most fights start on the feet, most fights eventually go to the ground, and American-style wrestling is one of the best martial arts for controlling your opponent in those situations. Wrestling is all about being able to take your opponent from a standing position to the ground and then controlling that person. Making it one of the most effective martial arts for self-defense. This one is also very good for people that are in high school or younger because many schools teach wrestling and have wrestling teams, so you can make it a social activity at the same time.
3) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
BJJ is one of the best all-around grappling martial arts. It covers the basics like takedowns, and takedown defense but with a heavy emphasis on submission work, which is excellent for 1 on 1 street fighting situations. It’s also a good martial art for people that aren’t natural athletes or are easily intimidated by the idea of fighting. Most BJJ schools make it very easy and non-intimidating to learn, which makes it great for beginners.
4) Muay Thai
Muay Thai is another striking martial art that is very effective and practical. Muay Thai has been used by MMA fighters in the UFC and other competitive MMA organizations to great effect. Muay Thai incorporates punches, kicks, knees, elbows, and clinch work (which is more or less standing grappling for those that have never heard that term). For a single martial art, Muay Thai probably covers the greatest range of techniques.
5) MMA
This one is at the bottom of the list because it technically isn’t a martial art but a combination of multiple fighting styles (thus the name mixed martial arts). But many gyms offer MMA classes, so it can be a good way to get exposure to multiple different martial arts at the same time. But keep in mind most of the things that you learn in MMA are taken from other martial arts.
Bonus***
This is a conversation between two very knowledgeable people when it comes to fighting and self-defense in general. Tim Kennedy is a former green beret and professional UFC fighter. Jocko Willink, the podcast host, is a former Navy Seal and BJJ black belt, so check out what they have to say about the topic.
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