When you become comfortable in martial arts, you will find that you will want to try out Krav Maga as well. Modern clubs incorporate Muay Thai and BJJ into their syllabus now a days and therefore not a bad choice. If you are already well versed in MMA, Muay Thai and BJJ, Yoshinkan Aikido is not a bad choice, as your other arts will compensate for its weak points, there are many practical and fundamental aspects that will assist in your self defence. If you have never done KM though, its not a bad idea to do a short course and add that to your arsenal as well.
I can not say that I have ever heard of it. Rather stick to the tried and test in my opinion though. I would actually recommend BJJ as most of the techniques becomes muscle memory and although it looks like an intensive art on the body, it actually impacts the body a lot less. Proper technique will almost always defeat strength. Therefore as you grow older you learn to fight smarter and not harder. For the time being though it is not a bad idea to incorporate some Krav Maga as well, as they go hand in hand.
I would recommend BJJ as not only is it safer than a lot of other martial arts to start with, it is also very effective and will teach your child discipline, perseverance and reflex development. I'm at high school and for a male am relatively on the small side. I do not do any kind of sports and thus is quite out of shape. I'm considering taking a martial arts lesson for self defense, but is hesitant because I'd be starting quite late, and also I don't possess an athletic body.
I was wondering what style you think is effective for a small person who will most likely fight people much larger than him, but is also not too brutal so as to deter someone who is not physically fit from practicing at all. I'm trying to find the best self defense system for my daughters and your article helped me a lot. Here in Greece, TKD is very popular but to tell the truth, its good kicks may not be the answer. I have experience in muay thai and brazilian jiu jitsue as well as other arts.
I look to commit to a martial art so that I dont simply keep skipping from one to another and actually get in depth into the art. I am considering krav maga but I do like the martial art aspect of aikido, as an already experienced martial artist, do you think Yoshinkan Aikido would be an effective path to take?
Or should I just not waste my time in it and commit to krav? Loved the coverage, I'm an old black in , stopped all practice. On the web is there such a thing? Ive dabbled in various MA since a teen Im now around 50yo and want a "simple" MA that i can train now to keep in my skillset till im in my 90s.
So needs to be simple to remember and not physically hard on a body when im older. Yet found them complex to learn and be competant with them and may not be as useful in a street scenario as others as u have suggested. What do u recomend?
I assume Mauy Thai be too hard on the body as one gets older? Especially shin blocks. And BJJ may be not suitable when i get to 90yo or so. There is a guy who teaches KM in my area but this is not his main teaching. And there is also Mauy Thai and Bjj. I wasnt born in the east so dont have the time or patience to fully learn a complex MA such as TaiChi.
Any thoughts for others out there who may already be elderly but wanting to defend themselves in needed?? It is really an amazing article.. My 6 year old son started BJJ one year ago. Unfortunately the instructor moved. Ultimately I would want him to learn KM, however most clubs don't start until age In the interim, I want him to learn a martial art which is useful for self defence and above all improve balance, reflexes and coordination. Is copiera the best option, or finding another BJJ school?
I would be open to other suggestions also. I do however think at this age, body control, movement, reflexes and balance are the most important.
Your thoughts are much appreciated. Great article. I appreciate how you included knife and gun techniquest to compile a practical and realistic self defense art list. I have been considering taking Krav Maga. I studied Hwarangdo for 3 years and loved every minute of it.
It's a very effective and comprehensive combat art, and I found that even as a yellow belt, I could hold my own sparring and grappling against higher belts from other arts. I stopped training in Hwarangdo when the teacher turned his dojang into an MMA cage fighting school, and there are no other schools in my area. I'm not interested in cage fighting, but I would really like to get back into training an art that is effective for street self defense.
I am familiar with Moni, but I was not aware his techniques were not traditional KM. It seems like Krav Maga is the art I should check out, as there is a school here in the Reno area.
Thanks again. At this stage she needs to develop a love for martial arts and Capoeira is a good starting place. It will help with muscle development and reflexes but Jujitsu is a better choice for practical purposes and self defence.
But as she is still very young Capoeira should be sufficient for now. My daughter is almost 5. She has started taking Capoeira classes. She could also attend combat jujitsu near our house. Kraal Maga she must be 14 so she will take that when she is eligible.
I think the Capoeira is more appealing to her at this point because of the music and acrobatic elements. Would this be a good way to develop good reflexes? The jujitsu is cheaper and closer to the house though. I am thinking of doing the capoeira until about age then the combat jujitsu then the Krav Maga at What is your opinion? If you have no prior experience with martial arts it might be a very difficult task to learn on just video and net material as some principles has to be taught in a class environment to prevent learning bad technique that might just get you hurt.
I say difficult however and not impossible as some has learned it that way and was successful. I recommend finding a muay thai class if possible even if it is only for a free class or 2 to just give you an oversight, there is a bunch of good muay thai beginner courses on YouTube, you can just search for it. InDefence is alligned with KMG and will be a good source for your training. They follow the correct form, all the best.
I am a 22 year old girl anf want to take up some martial art. My purpose for doing it is basically self defence, but I want to make a life long routine out it.
What martial art do you suggest, considering that I have no experience? Also, thanks to genetics, I have decent muscle strength, so I woudn't mind training in grappeling too. Also, I am from Delhi, India, and most of MA classes here are either a hoax or are way out of my budget. So I will be relying heavily on net for the lessons. So could you please refer some good websites or youtube channels that you follow? Tae Kwon do is a martial art that I have done and it works well.
I had a bully and once he saw what I could do he decided to do it now he is been taught discipline and has become more calm. I mean it is rather difficult to learn for practical purposes, but effective once you have mastered the basics. I have only trained in Savate unfortunately, but have found it to be quite effective as it has a lot of sparring.
I would however rather recommend Muay Thai above Savate as their techniques are in my opinion more effective. None of the systems however have any knife or gun defences and you would therefore have to do a Krav Maga course inbetween to learn those techniques. It depends on the dojo where you want to train kenpo, some schools focus on realistic training which has a decent self defence training factor and others are more focused on the traditional mindset which makes it less effective on the street.
If you can find a good dojo it is a effective self defence option. What does that mean? I am asking because I am about to train it. I am looking into learning a martial art which will help me know how to defend myself against a knife attacks and just in general from street fights.
I would like to take my brother with me who gets bullied at school and I am wondering what martial art you would recommend. A local instructor not too far from me teaches Wing Chun and another teaches Tae Kwon Do, so would any of these be a good option?
Give me your considerations about this Art. There is value in all arts if taught well and practised diligently, but most schools fail their students in not providing realistic practise. You must have the techniques to what's that are instinctive,. I actually got out of several ugly street scenarios what's I was physically outmatched by multiple opponents - not through my years of northern shaolin or kenpo etc. I would advise that you consider Krav Maga and supplement it with Aikido as Aikido will also teach you balance manipulation and core control.
If it was not for the lack of realistic training, Aikido would be a very effective art, adding Krav Maga will make it a very potent combination. I have experienced Keysi and agree it is very effective, since classes are only available in selected areas of the world I however left it off the list as most people reading this article would not have access to it. Very good article. Its nice that someone includes a reality factor.
What I eventually found worked for me were throws and hip tosses. It was difficult at first, to make them work in a situation where you didn't know what your opponent was doing, but eventually I realized you can, if done very smoothly, redirect your own body weight at the same time you carry out a solid hip toss or throw technique. It hurts when you throw your opponent on top of you, even in a safe environment, and you do learn how to apply proper force, in the correct direction.
Kali, and Aikido, are two of my favorite techniques to train for what I consider applicable self defense, as both can be done practiced by yourself. Do you qi gong? I am seeking a martial art which enhances health through chi cultivation, and also is effective for self defense. I think this limits me to the Chinese styles, and assumes that I can even find a kung fu teacher who truly understands and can teach these elements of chi and internal force.
If I find one who can and how do I as completely inexperienced even judge that? I am old enough to not have a few years to "waste" in a school only to find out that the art as taught is ineffective when needed, so I really want to choose the "right" school first.
This has left me so indecisive, yet I need to make a decision. Any advice please would be greatly appreciated, what do you think of the above? Good article! After 20 years of martial arts including Krav i'd say these are the most functional forms of self defence. Due to Wing Chun being a traditional martial art, I would not recommend it as your option for self defence.
Although Bruce Lee did train in it, he also trained in a wide spectrum of other martial arts as well. Krav Maga is combat proven and provides the best chance of defending yourself properly should you need to. Apologies for the late reply. Please do make a point of also attending classes or a course as you have to develop your reflexes to apply Krav Maga, and that can mostly only be done in a class atmosphere.
There were quite a few. My body chose Krav Maga due to being the most natural response. Thank you for your feedback. I did not base my choice on the authenticity of the arts I recommended, as I am well aware that Moni's version of Krav Maga is no where near the original form, but on the effectiveness of the techniques.
In my opinion it is still more effective than all the forms you mentioned except for MCMAP, which I did not mention as availability to train in it outside the US is almost non existent. Although the system does contain effective principles, it is still a traditional martial art that is not necessarily based on situations of today. If possible, rather consider Krav Maga.
Any idea how Wing Chun stacks up to other martial arts like Krav Maga? I've been thinking of taking it or Krav Maga.
The latter seems safer as it seems to be a lot more well known in fighting and self defense circles. Firstly, just want to say thanks again for your recommendation last year to have my 5-year old son start in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before moving on to Krav Maga.
He just started at ikmftoronto. If you don't mind, I do have another question: I'm thinking of getting a KM DVD course, mainly for use myself I may end up taking some adult classes at ikmftoronto as well.
There seems to be only two on Amazon right now:. Was it simply how you reacted? Capoeira is a very flashy martial art and although one cannot deny that it has self defence qualities, I do not consider it a good option for self defence due to many aspects including have no element of suprise and not being effective for multiple opponent combat. Striking is an essential component of being able to defend yourself and one usually avoids kicks as you risk a lot of balance.
Rather try Krav Maga or Muay Thai. If you really want to practice it for another reason then just do a Krav Maga course as well. If your budget is tight, I will definitely recommend Muay Thai.
It is not so specialized as Krav Maga therefore cheaper but still provides excellent self defence. Just have a look at the gun and knife disarms of Krav Maga on YouTube and add it to your arsenal as Muay Thai excludes such techniques.
Muay Thai is used for Krav Maga's striking techniques. EnduranceKravMaga is a good choice, they are true to the correct teachings of Krav Maga. Good day Mr. Martial Artist. I personally have never met anyone training Capoeira, so i was looking for the info from Google, and found out that Capoeira was just useless as we were trying to dance in front of the muggers with knives or baseball bats. I only have been training Shinkyokushinkai for nearly 2 years, so i have a slight wish to mix both arts.
Greetings martial Artists.. I spoke to the instructor on the link you posted.. It is completely out of my budget as I am a student..
I'll have to manage the expenses on it on my own.. I so desperately need to learn one.. One that would be really help full in any real life threatening situation And even in case of multiple attackers it would help me.. Oh and the 2 main krav maga centers got shut down. Mid south and the other one. So I can't train there. Again, what makes boxing incredibly effective is also its major setback: it is unidimensional.
It focuses on striking to such an incredible extent, that it creates art around it, but in the process, also forgets about all the other parts and functions of the human body. Boxing is effective for self-defense since you learn a myriad of different skills to a very deep level, which will give you a general understanding of how fighting works and also how to knock someone out if need be. Much of boxing is about footwork, which is arguably one of the hardest parts of it to master. This footwork will make you incredibly agile and, well, quick on your feet wonder where that saying came from….
Hand-eye-coordination, general fitness, cardiovascular health, and more are just a couple of the benefits you can get by training boxing, all of which can come in handy in self-defense scenarios. Another really important aspect of boxing is that it is quite stunning. Say, you get attacked by multiple attackers. You take on the first one, since you see no other way out, and realizing that they are completely untrained, you knock the first attacker out cold or perhaps just neutralize them with a strong hook.
The rest of the attackers will definitely be more cautious in approaching you. This might not really be the case with grappling-based arts, since going to the ground might just be the last thing you want in a fight, and definitely so in multiple-attacker scenarios.
However useful and effective that is, it is still not the absolute best option, exactly due to its one-dimensional approach. Nevertheless, if you train in boxing, you will be confident about your skills in 6 months to a year, and what is even better, it is probably the most widespread art in the Western world. You will struggle to find a more common art than boxing. If you would like to learn the fundamentals of boxing, or just improve your existing boxing skills, the course I highly recommend is the one by Teddy Atlas, one of the greatest boxing coaches of all time:.
Western wrestling, often referred to as Greco-Roman Wrestling or French Wrestling, is a sport that dates back to perhaps more than years ago.
It is a form of combat that has been depicted in cave drawings, suggesting that it might be as old as humans themselves. Many very famous and successful UFC fighters have had their beginnings in wrestling, like for example Daniel Cormier, one of the best heavyweights of all time. Wrestling, though it is a category of its own, is a grappling-based martial art that focuses on disrupting the balance of the opponent in any given way footwork, throws, sweeps, etc.
What makes wrestling highly effective is the speed at which takedowns are possible. There are no strikes in wrestling, but it makes up for that with all the types of takedowns practiced in any regular wrestling gym. This is where wrestling comes into play.
Shooting for a double-leg takedown can happen in the blink of an eye and completely catch the opponent off guard and surprise them. Aside from that, a person not trained in wrestling or other ground- and grappling-based martial arts will have no clue what to do on the ground, so you can decide what happens from then onwards. It is also a highly accessible martial art, available in most cities in the Western hemisphere, and in most schools in the U.
The one aspect of wrestling which forces it behind a couple of other martial arts is that it happens on the ground or very close to it. Though on a one-on-one situation, this is probably the easiest place to subdue an opponent for a skilled fighter, it might not be optimal in actual self-defense scenarios.
Nevertheless, wrestling is one of the most effective martial arts one can train for self-defense, since aside from all the practical and useful skills and techniques, it improves confidence, physical strength, and stability.
All of these combined can help anyone overcome a large majority of untrained people. If you would like to learn wrestling, or just improve your existing wrestling skills, the course I highly recommend is the one by Henry Cejudo, former Olympic Gold medalist and two-division UFC Champion:. Though there are some relatively significant differences, I consider Kickboxing to be as effective as Muay Thai and definitely in the same league, which is why all that I will write in this section represents both of these incredible martial arts.
Muay Thai, also called Thai kickboxing or Thai boxing, is a martial art with roots dating back hundreds or thousands of years. It is a traditional way of using the entire body to fight in close-quarters combat, developed by the Thai people of Thailand in Eastern Asia. Kickboxing, also known as American Kickboxing, actually dates back to around the s, as that was the time it was developed as a combination of several martial arts.
It does, however, get its roots from Muay Thai, which is why it is fair to rate them similarly, and why I will consider them to be the same for the sake of the review. This is what makes Muay Thai so deadly and also versatile, and what gives it a really good ranking in terms of self-defense. The conditioning of bones together with the rigorous training of the most effective striking strategies of arguably any martial art, Muay Thai is to stand-up fighting what Jiu-Jitsu is to grappling.
It is the number one, undisputed striking art. Aside from the aforementioned factors, the versatility of the art is also what makes it incredibly effective in a self-defense scenario. Be it a long roundhouse kick or a short elbow strike to the chin, or perhaps a medium-distance jab, Muay Thai has got all ranges covered.
Muay Thai also works a lot on the clinch, which is the shortest-range stand-up fighting that exists. The opponents are holding each other by their arms, head, and shoulders to try to secure some close-range elbows and knees. Muay Thai is arguably the best stand-up clinch art. This versatility, which allows you to fight in any rage without having to resort to getting on the ground is fantastically effective.
With throws also implemented, you can really develop a well-rounded understanding of self-defense in all situations. There are two factors that stop it from reaching higher rankings on this list: availability and the learning curve. Muay Thai, though increasing in popularity by the day, is still relatively uncommon. Every city or town has a boxing or wrestling gym, but Muay Thai gyms are quite difficult to come by. Also, the learning curve is quite steep and difficult.
There is a lot of pain and conditioning often involved with the traditional Muay Thai path, so the ones who make it to the top need a lot of determination and perseverance. If you would like to learn the basics of striking, or just improve your existing striking skills, the course I highly recommend is the one by Anderson Silva, one of the greatest strikers in MMA history:. Jiu-Jitsu is arguably the martial art with the steepest rise to fame, seeing as some of the main founders have just passed away a couple of decades ago.
At the end of the 20th century, a Brazilian man by the name of Carlos Gracie met Mitsuyo Maeda, a world-renowned Judo champion and practitioner. After mastering all he could from Judo, Carlos Gracie, with the help of his brothers, developed this modern art, which is the epitome of all grappling arts.
It is the pinnacle of ground fighting performance and skill and is very often regarded as the best martial artists of our time. In many conversations, Joe Rogan, an advocate of Jiu-Jitsu and also one of the most popular podcasters on the planet, points out that though even the most inexperienced fighter could knock out a champion with one stray hand landing in the right place with the right power.
However, on the ground, there is no element of luck to it, it is pure skill. The only part that Jiu-Jitsu lacks is stand-up fighting, but that is made up for by the extensive emphasis placed on takedowns. Once an experienced Jiu-Jitsu practitioner gets hold of their opponent, standing up or on the ground, it is very likely game over for the opponent. Also, in a strict self-defense context, as Jocko WIllink puts it on multiple occasions: you can run away from a boxer.
However, once they grab a hold of you, you have nothing left but to fight your way out. Some branches are more useful than others for street self defense. Many karate schools are washed down McDojos that will not allow you to spar and will not teach you anything worthwhile to defend yourself.
Stay away from these schools. Instead, if you want to learn karate, go to a school that spars often. Preferably, a full contact karate school. Again, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of sparring , especially full contact and hard sparring. Although you should not spar hard all the time, you should experience what it is like to fight realistically. Boxing is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. It is a martial art which holly focuses on hand dexterity.
Boxing consists of four punches—the jab, the cross, the hook, and the uppercut. But from those four punches you can develop many dangerous variations. If you learn boxing, you will learn how to evenly distribute your weight, how to move your feet, how to move your head, how to avoid punches, and how to punch properly.
All these things will give you a huge advantage in a street fight. Additionally, boxers often fight with big gloves, especially those who do not box competitively. So when fighting in the streets, you will find that punches from your opponents may graze or land just because they do not have big 16 oz gloves on. Judo , the parent of jiu jitsu is also another great martial art system.
Some of their throws are violent and can be a game-ender, especially on hard concrete in the streets. Unlike wrestling, judo throws and trips do require a lot of practice and technique to be able to execute properly. But a season judoka judo practitioner will have great balance and hand-eye coordination, and be able to execute deadly throws. In kickboxing you learn to fight with both your hands and feet.
And while kickboxers may have stylistic preferences as to whether they want to predominantly kick or punch in a fight—kickboxers are capable of doing both. In a street fight, I would rather know kickboxing rather than just boxing. Kickboxing is a huge advantage in a street fight as it gives you skills that most people do not possess. Kickboxing also allows you to stay out of punching range but still be able to strike by using your legs.
This martial arts teaches the effective use of kicks, punches, elbows, and knees—thereby consisting of 8 limbs. No matter what you think of the style, there is no doubt that it is one of the most complete striking arts out there. When it comes to getting prepared in terms of physical conditioning, aggression, and takedowns, nothing will prepare you more than wrestling.
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