Top 10 Best Types of Martial Arts
What are the best types of martial arts? Now, that's a bit of a loaded question. 'Best' is highly subjective, and it really depends on what you're looking for. Are you seeking a martial art for self-defense, fitness, competition, spiritual development, or maybe a combination of these? Each martial art has its strengths and weaknesses, and what's 'best' will vary greatly depending on individual needs and interests.So, we thought the best way to answer this question was to put it to the people! We've opened up the voting to the masses, asking people to weigh in on which martial arts they think are the best. But this isn't just a popularity contest. We're talking about the martial arts that have proven their worth over centuries, sometimes millennia, of practice. We're considering their effectiveness, their depth, their cultural significance, and the passion of their practitioners.
Vote for the martial arts that you think deserve to sit atop the martial arts mountain. Maybe it's the precision and discipline of Karate, the fluid movements of Tai Chi, or the practical self-defense techniques of Krav Maga. Or perhaps it's the competitive spirit of Judo, the holistic approach of Aikido, or the raw power of Muay Thai. Whatever your choice, it's time to make your voice heard.
Originating in Korea, Tae Kwon Do is a form of martial arts that emphasizes high, fast kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques. The discipline combines combat and self-defense techniques but also promotes a philosophy of self-improvement, perseverance, and responsibility. As a modern martial art, it is popular worldwide and is even an Olympic sport. 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.
Kung Fu, also known as Chinese martial arts, encompasses a wide range of practices that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles can be classified by common traits, such as physical exercises involving animal mimicry or training methods inspired by Chinese philosophies, religions, and legends. Kung Fu styles can incorporate kicks, strikes, throws, joint locks, and weapons training. 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.
Muay Thai is a martial art and combat sport originating from Thailand. It is also known as "the art of eight limbs" because it combines the use of fists, elbows, knees, and shins. Muay Thai teaches participants to use their body as a weapon for self-defense, and it is known for its rigorous training and physical conditioning. This is the art of eight limbs, also considered to be one of the most brutal martial arts in the world. Muay Thai even beats Karate, Taekwondo, and Kickboxing. I just started doing Muay Thai and it has made me stronger, faster, more agile, and more skilled in punching and kicking. There is no martial art like Muay Thai, it boosted my confidence and ego. Fast and devastating kicks and blows to the head, face, body, and legs.
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.
Karate is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom, which is now part of modern-day Japan. It emphasizes striking techniques, such as punching, kicking, knee strikes, and open-handed techniques. Some styles also incorporate grappling, locks, restraints, throws, and vital point strikes. Karate promotes discipline, self-control, and a strong spirit. 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.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art that focuses on grappling and ground fighting. Originated in Brazil and based on Kodokan judo, it promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger assailant using leverage and proper technique - most notably by applying joint locks and chokeholds to defeat the opponent. Bjj has been shown repeatedly to be the superior martial art through rigorous testing, such as the Gracie challenge videos. The strength of Bjj is that it capitalises on the weaknesses of other martial arts. For example, the majority of martial arts completely neglect the ground game. Thus Bjj perfects takedowns and then a very detailed ground game for control and inflicting extreme damage.
Another reason that Bjj is a better martial art is that it can be trained full contact, 100% resistance and as realistic as possible, with a measured approach only being required right before a submission goes on.
BJJ is such a great set of techniques, that you know exactly what to do when the fight hits the ground. In a normal given situation, the fight almost always goes to the ground. The people with Stand-up (No offense! ) do not usually have that proper skillset to keep the fight on their feet, as opposed to BJJ knowing exactly how to get the guy to the ground, and gain the control necessary. From there he can choose from literal hundreds of techniques he could perform, as opposed to Boxing where it seems like the two are just punching. A boxing guy does not know how to grapple, because he has been taught stand-up all his training, while the guy who's learned BJJ can get him to the ground.
Krav Maga is a martial art and self-defense system developed for the military in Israel. It focuses on real-world situations and practical techniques, incorporating elements from other fighting styles such as boxing, wrestling, judo, and aikido. Krav Maga emphasizes threat neutralization, simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers, and aggression. 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.
Judo is a modern martial art, combat, and Olympic sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. It's characterized by its focus on throws and grappling techniques, including pins and locks. Judo emphasizes efficiency, flexibility, and the principle of using one's opponent's strength against them. It also promotes physical, intellectual, and moral education. 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!
Ninjutsu is the martial art practiced by the historical ninja of Japan. It involves espionage, sabotage, guerrilla warfare, and assassinations. As a martial art, it includes the training of both unarmed and armed combat, stealth, disguise, escape, and evasion techniques. It also incorporates the use of various tools and weapons traditionally associated with the ninja. 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!?
Boxing is a combat sport and martial art in which two people, typically wearing protective gloves, throw punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time in a boxing ring. It emphasizes speed, strength, reflexes, endurance, and strategic skills. Boxing is known for its rigorous training regime and has been an Olympic sport since 1904. I'm an amateur boxer with a few months of experience, I'll show you how good it really is. It's great if you want to improve on your striking. It helps with punching power, speed, agility, skill, endurance, and toughness. Boxing also helps with mental preparation, how to quickly get rid of fear before fights, and how to not fall for intimidation. It's called "sweet science" for a reason, you learn punching techniques and analyze the movement and style of your opponent so you can find ways to counter or finish them off quickly.
This is one of the easiest and most effective martial arts for almost all ages. I've trained in boxing for over 3 years, and I've upgraded my strength, speed, agility, stamina, and endurance ever since. If you guys have any questions about tips in boxing, let me know.
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 to offer. Bruce Lee himself incorporated southpaw boxing into his fighting style as his main hand strikes. I strongly advise anyone interested in the martial history of America to look to legends such as Sugar Ray before making such baseless statements as calling it "just fighting".
Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art that focuses on harmony and the blending of movements with those of the opponent. Techniques often involve joint locks and throws derived from jujitsu and kenjutsu. It's a defensive martial art that aims to control an attack through body movements to unbalance the opponent, employing minimal harm in neutralizing conflict. This art can be practice at any time regardless of age or gender, surprisingly takes longer to master but definitely a good foundation to start your martial arts training, not just the development of timing and fundamentals of proper falling but understanding techniques through training with weapons. The vast majority of practitioners welcome each other worldwide on open mat. Clearly, aikido is a very beautiful art to enjoy in one's daily practice.
Aikido is a martial art that's tailored to respond to any type of attack. There's that saying, the ultimate offense is the ultimate defense, and Aikido is a living proof of that. I even remember watching that UFC or that Japanese fighting championship (I don't remember which one was it) the aikido dude got disqualified because he didn't beat up anyone, his opponents quit, because they could not defeat him lol.
The greatest martial artist in the ENTIRE world was Yip Man, and he did Wing Chun. He trained Bruce Lee, and he is still better than him. If you are a master in Wing Chun, you could even beat a Taekwondo or Boxing Master
It looks like kung fu flashy stuff, but wing chun is the real life fight, we stuck in a fight, grabbing, pushing, trying to punch, but we can't punch freely in that distance. Losing balance and going to the ground maybe. Wing Chun is the martial art that has got it all to solve these problems in a real life situation.
Wing Chun is fast, short range to attack people closely so people cannot attack back, but for street fighting I'm not sure, and it is created by a girl called Wu Mei.
Sambo is a great form of martial art it uses throws, traps, and locks to knock down your opponent. There are different types sport, freestyle, and combat. Combat is more useful because it adds in kicks and punches also the stuff I listed above
It is a good martial art
Sambo is very useful for self-defense, it's way more useful than kwon do
Although no martial art can beat another, it's all about the practitioner, I'm gonna go with kickboxing... I've been a kickboxer for years and tried some other martial arts (taekwondo, aikido, kung fu, MMA) I find that kickboxing is the real deal, competition wise and I'm self defense situations, no meditating no ground grappling, just effective striking
Kickboxing should be higher on the list. I do tkd kickboxing and I am a second degree blackbelt and earned a few state titles. I've learned a lot since I first started and I'm happy I did.
Kickboxing is really fun to watch. Especially on Bully Beatdown.
Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins, and other grappling holds. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules, both traditional and modern, and it's a common base discipline in many mixed martial arts systems. Wrestling has been an Olympic sport since ancient times. 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.
It's better than karate. Karate sucks
Batman used it in two movies. The pensador stance fails, though...
The mother of all martial arts the most older and violent.
By far the best
Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, Kenpo, Boxing, and Chinese Boxing.
Formed in 1947, it's the first traditional mixed martial art. Used to help train military and federal contractors, law enforcement, etc. This along with Krav Maga is what makes these guys such bad asses... Yet so low-key in public.
A. Combo of karate jujitsu Kempo Chinese boxing. Very street effective. Also known for being dirty and sadistic fighting
Unpredictable, unorthodox, attacking from any direction and angle, speed, deception, and relentless attack, not to mention its grappling style. It's very difficult to fight with, especially if you haven't seen it before.
Like boxing for example, I've known about it and seen it so many times when sparring or watch T.V... So, I already know what to expect against a boxer his attacking pattern and strategy, but against Silat, it's very difficult. It's like a free flow without a pattern martial arts. Difficult to counter and predict.
That's what my experiences is when fighting against Silat fighter a couple of years back.
So yes, it deserves in the top ten spot.
Silat is Malay Archipelago originated MA. It's one of the most ancient in the world. Mostly in Malaysia and Indonesia. It's more like Kung Fu, with more fatal and more killing moves. There are many varieties and they have at least have 300 types of Silat moves. From dancing types, to striking types. Easy to understand. It's like Krav Maga mixed with Karate and Kung Fu. It's mostly based on tiger moves.
Been a practitioner since I had this as part of my subject in college, at first we might thought that it was just a simple stick fight, but when you go deeply, it involves different useful tactics that will greatly save your life in a common street fight, with or without weapon, it was a complete package, you can do it empty handed or use just anything in your surrounding for added reach advantage(even a barbeque stick would do), from proper stances, blocks, evade, disarming, pin down, etc., with all kind of weapon, from short swords to long sword, dagger to spear, maybe if arrows are still on the mainstream they might have tactics to block those like a spartans.
Common misconception is that eskrima focuses only on weapons. Think again... It is one of the most complete fighting systems ever created. There are a lot of styles and systems other, so do research first and look for what fits you and make sure you train under a legitimate teacher.
Kon'ichiwa, I am a practitioner of Japanese Jujutsu and want to express my views as a martial artist. Jeet kune do fighters are-like Bruce Lee said to be like water. Actualize yourself as a fighter and not do pick and choose which style you like. To understand fighting you need not to become a product of patterns and fixed thinking throw away prejudice etc. Things like Boxing and Judo (no offense to those people) are styles which could cloud the truth of combat and hide the expression of human emotion though patterns; you should aim to utilize all types of combat skill and self awareness, to use only punches or only to grapple somebody is ineffective against a group if you are no master. I'm a martial artist myself but I find that some locks and other techniques may not be useful in the quick reaction situation but do not hate technique, seek to understand every technique forward and backward, to understand what is useful and what is uniquely your own philosophy. Any martial artist from any style can become the best, you just have to be open minded about the fight. I give my vote to JKD because Bruce Lee the founder of which was the best fighter. No style is the best. It would all depend on the fighters. The knowledge of two different fighters reflect on the fight and their ability to actualize themselves as fighters like Bruce Lee was clearly very good at, not because he belonged to style but to knowledge of the fight whether the person is very strong or tall etc. Ultimately martial arts are self defense and you should strive to express you feelings through martial arts. Lastly I want everyone to know respect all the styles and schools and so should everyone else all styles are good and perhaps some are more effective at an earlier state of training. I hope you agree with me as a human being and see how I am attempting to enlighten
My children have just started this class and they love it.
Tang so Do is the best! I also do Tang so DO
Tang so do for the win
Although Taekwondo is a good martial art, it's kind of limited compared to Hapkido. Also, Taekwondo is considered more of a Korean sport rather than a martial art. It's still good, but Hapkido has more things to do.
I did Hapkido for 8 years and it taught me enough to accidentally almost hurt two of my friends pretty badly while we were rough housing... when I was 6... Hapkiod has taught me a lot.
Hapkido is the only martial art that operates in ALL four self defense ranges, beats ALL the martial arts listed above.
It is an Indian martial art- one of the oldest martial arts in the world. No doubt it is the best, because-
1) Many ancient battles was won by the use of this martial art.
2) It is not only fighting- it is like flying fight
3) Various types of weapons like Axe, Bow and Arrow, sword, shield, sticks are used in this style. Even one can defeat his opponent ( who may be armed) only with a towel.
4) They chant mantras to increase their spiritual power.
5) Their combat techniques deals with flexible movements, jumps and pressure point strikes. No doubts they have the highest level of physical fitness and yoga is in their regular routine.
6) there is high level of medical knowledge of Ayurveda so their treatment do miracle.
7) More over all it teach us to always respect your opponent even if he is lying on ground.
For all these reasons, it is clear as daylight that Kalaripayattu is the greatest martial art in the world.
Haven't leraned this art but I know only one technique in which I used in my life. I was gonna be pushed on violently to my chest but I reversed it and pushed my aggresor back, avoided an ugly fight thanks to tai chi!
The basic idea of using the opponents strength to defeat your opponent. "nothing is softer than water, but nothing is stronger than water. All depending on the wind" & taichi is good for your health.
What about tai chi?