Top 10 Best Types of Martial Arts

I do Taekwondo, and I can say from experience that it is super effective, and probably the best form of fighting. You can learn to kick and punch super fast and with devastating blows. It works well for people of all ages and is super dangerous if used right.

Grand Master Kim's Taekwondo is one of the best choices my family and I have made. My Three Girls and I have been attending classes for about two years now. Since starting I have lost over 100 lbs. From a size 20 to a size 4/6! My girls and I are learning the five tenets of taekwondo (Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self Control, and Indomitable Spirit) and learning how to apply them to our lives, also I love the fact that we have something positive in common to work on and learn together. Even if you take your time to get your belt rank up in the words of Master Grimm "Don't Give up or Quit! Quitters stay at home!" For someone who has never done anything close to this before Grand Master Kim, Sr. Master Flint, Master Grimm, and the rest are all great instructors and we will be apart of our dojang for our Black Belts and Beyond!

The nice thing about Taekwondo is that it is a very modern martial art. Kung fu, and other arts are great in their own right, but in Taekwondo we do not focus on flips, and unneeded moves like Capoeria or Wushu (both of these arts are awesome but for a self defense situation they are not exactly the best to go with.) It is straight to the point. Fast and powerful strikes. We also learn knife defense, gun defense, along with grappling, and throws. Yes Taekwondo is weak when it comes to grappling, but you really should not end up in that situation in a real fight anyway. Grappling is more dangerous than a fist fight especially when the guy attacking you is bigger, and stronger. We are taught how to avoid getting into that situation, but we learn how to get out of it should it happen. I have lots of respect for other arts, but there is a reason why Taekwondo is the world's most practiced martial art.

I am a Second Degree Black Belt in TKD. I started when I was 6 years old and was in and out of it for years. Once I really got back in it, I've kept with it for 4 years straight. It truly is a great sport. But more than that, it is a way of life. I agree with the statement that you learn more than to just kick and punch. I myself have learned some grappling (wrestling), joint manipulations, and throws. Also, my school is starting to get into weapons, but those are not our main focus. TKD depending on the style and how it is taught can be a very useful form of self defense. I take traditional TKD and I find that this style is very practical for self-defense. It is not flashy and is based on good techniques, speed, and power.

In all forms of the traditional sense, martial arts is an art. Because of this, it is highly dependant on the person executing the art to be able to adapt to all situations, which makes for the best use of the art. Rather than emphasizing on one type of fighting, such as stance, wrestling, striking, kicking, weapons, grabbing, offensive, or defensive, Kung Fu has a great adaptation and usage of all of these. Wing Chun/Tsun of all the many chinese martial arts places emphasis on the technique and of attacking the attack, as opposed to the majority which defend and counter. The base concepts of all however take time. There is no wrong or right, and no better or worse style of martial art, but only what works best for you. Just as every martial art is different, every person is different, thusly every teacher is also different. Keep that in mind if you decide to study a martial art, and adapt it to make it your own.

Even though in a fight, it totally depends on the person and the situation as well as the environment. I believe that kung fu would have the best advantage. They are well diverse and have many strengthening and conditioning methods that go well above and beyond that of the norm. When I think kung fu, I think of a ton of martial arts, all well-versed in different things from striking, grappling, weaponry, and wrestling. I also feel that due to shaolin monks and their dedication to kung fu as art that they spend more than enough time and effort into not only honing speed, flexibility, power and skill, but a strong physical mind and spirit.

Kung fu is the mother of all martial arts, if you doubt it, go on and do a search about it.. Kung fu has being the "base" to karate, which later was adapted by the Koreans with the name of taekwondo.. Still is no the style but the practitioner itself.. I am 15, red belt in Taekwondo, I am not the most skilled person but I know some stuff, and my advice is: forget about the art and its effectiveness, choose one that you like, otherwise with you don't have passion for what you do, forget it, even a mere white belt will be better than you because of his true commitment to the art.

Now just go out there and train!

It's not really fair to just have "Kung Fu" as this literally includes any Chinse martial arts. There is more variation between Kung Fu styles than there is between Kung Fu and other styles. This is how Kung Fu influenced such varying systems over the centuries. You've got full contact Sanshou styles which rival other kickboxing styles in power and are great for competitions, grappling styles such as Qin Na and Shuai Jiao which influenced Jujitsu, soft internal styles such as Tai Chi, practical street defense styles such as Wing Chun and then of course the more acrobatic flowery styles which people usually tend to think of when you say Kung Fu. Put all this together though and Kung Fu is an unbeatable system.

Personally I think muay thai is #1 as it has the best all round offense, what with punches, kick, elbows, knees and clinching. In my experience, kung fu only seems to work against other forms of kung fu. Put a kung fu fighter against somebody with a different art background and they tend to do very badly. It may look great in the films, but the tip tap kicks and the tap away blocks don't work in real life. This is why it looks great in demonstrations, but isn't actually practical in the real world. The same as karate, good against each other, but not very effective against muay thai. TKD is probably the second best and I still rate it highly, but muay thai is definitely the most dominant.

The art of eight limbs, Muay Thai. Over my years involved within various martial arts, whether watching or participating, nothing quite ever matched Muay Thai. It can give you an out of this world workout and provide massive aid within a persons psyche, whether that be a confidence boost or aid with anxiety. Whilst in other sports sportsmanship is a big thing with competing, I have never quite seen so much respect and admiration for an opponent anywhere else, Muay Thai is truly the greatest Martial Art.

Punching and kicking are already a powerful striking combatantion. Now if you add elbows and knees that would make it a very powerful striking art. And that art is Muay Thai. This martial arts is also a must have for mma. Muay Thai is 3 martial arts combined because boxing is punch's now add kickboxing witch is kicking and punching. But now add Muay Thai elbows and knees. You have boxing and kickboxing now add elbows and knees and you have Muay Thai.

Although I practise Wing Chun, I am voting for Muay Thai. I have seen too many fights where someone is on the ground, being kicked in the head by multiple attackers, so learning to hit effectively it is where it is at. The modern laws regarding reasonable force have largely removed the self-defense/sport distinction. If I was to do more than one, I would add Krav Maga.

Karate is a perfect martial art to learn if you want to lose weight, gain confidence and boost your self-esteem, improve your strength and durability, or all if you're really dedicated to it. I'm a blue belt in Karate and it really has done wonders for me. I've stopped some street fights in less than 10 seconds because of my speed and strength that I have gained from training in Karate, and it has brought me tears and joy through my 2 years of training.

Karate can't be seen in sport as being effective because the only techniques one can use legally in sport fighting are the one that most resemble kick boxing, so you very seldom see real Karate techniques in sport fighting so people sadly get the wrong impression and don't take it seriously! Karate offers everything Muay Thai has to offer (in a slightly different way) and more...so many techniques that when practiced with all effort, can end confrontation and fight fast and in devastating manner if need be! The best part of Karate is that it's a way of life and can can be practiced and studied an entire lifetime!

I am a Kyokushin Karateka and I can tell you that in 2 years I changed a lot...

First of all, my body is in a perfect shape... I mean not only muscles, but my bones are so strong that I can take a lot of hits without even feeling it... And most importantly, the Kyokushin Karate has to do a lot with the mind... I increased a lot in the spiritual area! I can take better decisions, I think more carefully about the decision, I take in tough moments, I always keep my cool! Thank you Sensei! Thank you Nakahata Dojo!

Mind > Body > Technique.

All around the best because it has some grappling, throws, powerful and light kicks, palm, hand, punches, elbow, knee, and other strikes, and they teach you moves to disable a larger opponent. Most of the others teach you to use your opponents size against them, well if you're against a large person in real life you're dead meat. I'd say 2nd is Taekwondo, 3rd is Kung fu, then MMA because they use too much Muay Thai.

This fighting style (based mostly on self-defense during a street fight) allows you to neutralize or take down your opponent as quickly as possible and holds a lot of tactics and techniques that might one day save your life during a street brawl. Krav Maga teaches you how to neutralize a threat as quick and efficient as possible, self-defend yourself at all times, and prevent things taking a violent turn.

Krav maga consists mostly of real life applications, including defense against a knife, gun, group, and just plain experienced attacker. It is purely realistic self defense techniques. Most other martial arts are mainly used as sports. Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and many others teach unrealistic methods of self defense (why would you want to bring an attacker to the ground with you when you are more likely to be stabbed or stomped on by his buddy). Krav maga teaches one to eliminate the threat at the most efficient and safe way possible. In my opinion if I were to be attacked, I would want to get as far as possible from the threat as possible, even if the methods included eliminating the threat in what other arts would call dirty moves. No other martial art teaches self defense as realistic as Krav Maga.

Doing it for years, been attacked twice on the street (once with the knife), in both cases the preparation I got in the classes were more than enough to be successful in both cases without taking any damage, to tell the true my pulse did not even rise in both situation, because it was "way easier" than on the training, where we are going trough the very complicated scenarios and situations. KM provides real street smart knowledge, including no violent solutions for confrontations, avoidance, and prevention. I also doing other martial arts (BJJ purple belt, doing MMA and Mayi Thai for years) - all are great and I love those as well, but KM is for the street and for survival, the others for competition and personal improvement.

I have no idea how karate is above muay Thai and Krav. Karate is all about tradition, same with tae kwon doe and Kung Fu. Not to discredit them in any way. They are all great fighting styles, Tae Kwon doe in my opinion the best of the three, but when comparing it to a form of fighting such as krav maga, there is no comparison. Krav Maga's design was to be able to 1. Get in and get out (of danger) 2. Disarm an enemy. 3. Defend yourself. and 4. Protect a third party. In addition to that, it is always adapting to new concepts.

As a Judoka with multiple martial-artist friends, I am obviously biased towards Judo. Despite this, I recognize its flaws - namely uselessness until you close the gap, by which point the strike oriented arts will have already pulled a few punches. However at this point, judo gains complete superiority. The only way I have ever seen a judoka not beat a karatist is when the simply run away until the clock runs out. If the fight ends up on the ground, all except Brazilian Jiu Jitsu loses for obvious reasons.

Agree... Judo should be in top 3. Much of the comparisons presented herein are of course speculative... As a lot depends on the fighter, drive, spirit and motivation. There was another comment that 90% of fights will end up on the ground hence the success of throwing/grappling in mma. I would say target two if you have time... Combine say Muay Thai with BJJ or judo and you will be well equipped!

Judo is a literal translation that means "power without effort"

I've been doing judo 7 years. My sense is an 8th degree black belt.
Judo is beyond what anybody imagine. Judo can unite people, and make people do things they could never do before. Judo brought me many laughs and tears.

There is no martial art the same.

Judo training is realistic (as much as it can be outside of real life situations) and fluff-free. You learn pretty quick if your techniques work or not in randori, as apposed to only learning stuff against fully compliant ukes. You also gain stamina and the right mindset for facing true violence.

The only reason I voted for Ninjutsu is that I studied it and I can vow for its efficacy. But I also want to say that these polls are a bunch of bull.
There is no way to prove that one martial art is better than the other. It all depends on the practitioner. While martial arts that feature an entire arsenal of techniques are really tempting (there are 18 disciplines of ninjutsu, ranging from empty handed and armed combat to manufacturing bombs and poisons), simple and empty minded fist fighting can prove just as efficient.
Also, ninjutsu and aikido are very much alike as techniques (not ideology). I don't understand why they're so far apart in this poll...

Ninjutsu is one of the most effective fighting styles in any situation. Instead of mindless punches we end the fight as soon as possible by paralyzing the opponent... It is no holds barred like Jeet Kune Do. Not to mention we learned strategy and tactics in real world situations. We also learned with the Ninjato, Katana, Bo-Staff, Kunai and many many more. Unlike most martial arts, Ninjutsu is very spiritual like Kung Fu. Overall, I think Ninjutsu and Jeet Kune Do should be in the top ten. And where is Wing Chun!?

In Ninjutsu it's not just self-defense or self-protection, it's a way of life, Psychological, physical, spiritual and you dissolve the situation or conflict immediately. The fight is over before it even starts because of the superior mind of avoiding the fight. If ever in the fight, the ninja itself should know and how to use every weapon available, they can walk into a room and find endless of weapons. Their body itself is a lethal fighting machine. Don't underestimate the mind and body of the Ninja. In my opinion the list should be 1.Ninjutsu 2.Kung Fu -(all forms) 3.Tae-Kwon-Do-(traditional) 4.Muay Thai 5.Krav Maga 6.Karate 7.Aikido 8.Judo 9.Hapkido 10.BJJ

Ninjutsu would be my first pick simply because of the diversity that it has, as a practitioner of ninjutsu must know all other martial arts. and if you become proficent at joint locks with it, you can successfully defeat some very good jujitsu artist. I was just sparing with a girl that was quite good at jujitsu and I allowed her to get a wrist lock started, but then I reversed it within a split second. do not underestimate ninjutsu it could be proven a fatal mistake.

People have become so enamored with the esoteric and exotic practices of the East that they have forgotten all about what the Western world had to offer to the art of self defense.

"It's just fighting", "It's not a real martial art". How easily we forget about legends like Muhammad Ali dodging 21 punches in 10 seconds or Jack Dempsey knocking a man out with a single punch.

Boxing is a science and an art. Boxers are trained to be fluid and fast, darting into and out of the enemy's range and testing and dismantling the opponent's defense with quick jabs before delivering devastating straights and hooks to the liver. The strength behind these punches is not generated from the arms, but instead from powerful torsion of the entire body and the ground. I've seen this technique send heavy sandbags crashing into the wall behind them.

There is fluidity, power, and speed behind the art of Boxing, and it deserves consideration by every decent martial artist for what it has ...more

In mma boxing is a must have. It is the bread and butter to striking. Yes wrestling and jujitsu are great for mma. And muay Thai is up there as well. But when you set up for just about any style you use your fists. And boxing is all about that. Even bruce lee recognized that and incorporated it into his jeez kung do. In my opinion boxing can hold its own against any martial art.

Boxing is one of the few martial arts that actually works in and out of the cage. Think about it, how many people have you seen in the street puling off huge kicks and big rolls. It just doesn't happen. And in the ring, it's proven for many many years that boxing works. So next time you're thinking of choosing a martial art, put boxing on your list!

I accidently vote for Kung Fu. It's one of the worst Martial Arts. Boxing is the best. I have a long chat with National Chief Coach of Muay Thai and also personal coach for the MT World Champion. He mention that with no doubt boxing have the best upper defense and best practical Strikes. Also Taekwondo 8th Dan Master agree that Boxing have the best punch.

My friend is amazing at wrestling, but he uses both his arms and legs to pin me down, leaving him open in many places. Not a good position to be in with a person like me. He left his face open many times, and his nuts, but I didn't want to hurt him. I told him he needs to cover his body or he will get really hurt.

Everyone can do a punch or kick or whatever the form it's. But not everyone can grapple or lock properly. See MMA the majority of movements are wrestling. Wrestling is dominance.

by the way the list and voters are sucks too much eat movies brainwash. Most of the list are a joke irrelevant and outdate.

I agree with the comment below. The last thing one wants to do in a battle is leave his sack (knut sac that is), open to a grab, pinch, flick of the middle finger or worse yet, a bite, as taught in the dreaded Filipino martial art 'Kali Une Graba Saka', which translated in Tagalog means 'grabber of knut sac'. Certainly the sac leaves one open to a plethora of pain.

Wrestling should be a lot higher because if you watch mma or have anything to do with it. They will always talk about the person's wrestling