Nowadays there is a huge variety of martial arts of all kinds, schools are developing, adopting experience from each other, resulting in the emergence of new styles and directions.
But are all of them so effective for self-defense?
It is sad to see when people spend 20 years studying martial arts and end up in real situations being beaten on the street by people who never practiced any martial arts.
Unfortunately, such cases occur and as a result it turns out that you just lost your time. However, there are many martial arts that will adequately prepare you for self-defense when the opportunity arises.
We have compiled a list of the top 10 martial arts for self-defense on the streets. So if you are going to learn a martial art, study one of these 10.
Wing Chun.
Wing Chun is a Chinese martial art that specializes in close-quarters combat and is popular thanks to master Ip Man.
The system emphasizes quick attacks from close range in a row and places great importance on hand traps. Because it is a “southern style” Chinese martial art, Wing Chun emphasizes punching with the fists and palms, unlike “northern style” Chinese martial arts, which emphasize kicking.
In Wing Chun, punches are practiced on wooden dummies to improve your skills and to get your hands full. The problem that will become relevant with Wing Chun in street fighting is that the system puts too much emphasis on linear movement.
Linear movement in a street fight can actually be a hindrance because your opponent is likely to fight linearly as well – thereby making it a fight of attrition and giving your opponent a “punching bag” mode of operation.
Taekwondo
Tae kwon do (TKD) is a martial art that focuses on kicking.
Although there are many disadvantages to athletic TKD, an experienced practitioner will have the dexterity of the feet to strike quickly at an opponent. But there are drawbacks: the high kicks in the air seen in TKD can be extremely dangerous in the streets, especially if someone confronts a wrestler who might just knock you down.
The athletic aspect of TKD made it a little less practical for street fighting. In TKD sporting events, punches are rarely (if ever) taken, and punches below the waist are not allowed. So it has created an incentive system that relies too much on feints and fancy punches rather than practicality.
Jit Kung Do.
Jit Kung Do (JKD) is a military fighting style that was created by the infamous Bruce Lee.
Jit Kung Do was created with a thought for realism and was fueled in part by Bruce Lee’s early childhood, in which he fought many times on the streets of Hong Kong. JKD emphasizes fighting without the preconceived forms or patterns that are so unavoidable in most traditional martial arts.
Rather, JKD has a set of guiding principles to guide the practitioner. This martial art emphasizes a nimble but sharpened stance with plenty of side kicks. Bruce Lee also adopted many boxing techniques, including roll and forearm blocks.
JKD emphasizes practical punches, low blows that are hard to block, and effective use of energy, making it a good martial art to learn to defend yourself in a street fight.
Contact Karate (full contact)
Karate is Japan’s native martial arts system.
Although karate is one martial arts system, there are many styles of karate. Some styles are more useful than others for street self-defense. Many karate schools are very questionable, 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 emphasizes sparring. Full contact is desirable. Again, I can’t stress enough the importance of sparring, especially full contact and hard sparring.
Although you shouldn’t be sparring all the time, you should experience what it’s like to fight realistically. Many traditional martial arts schools are not gentle enough. Stay away from any school that doesn’t allow you to spar frequently.
Boxing
Boxing is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. It is a martial art that focuses on manual dexterity.
The 10 most effective martial arts for self-defense
Boxing consists of four punches – a jab, a cross, a hook and an uppercut. But of those four punches, you can develop many dangerous variations. If you learn how to box, you will learn how to distribute your weight evenly, how to move your legs, how to move your head, how to avoid punches, and how to throw punches correctly.
All of this will give you a huge advantage in a street fight. Once you get really good at boxing, you can develop the “punching power” that can knock your opponent out with just one punch.
The one thing I don’t like about boxing in a street fight is that you are also standing in your opponent’s punching zone, thus giving your opponent a “punching chance” that can knock you out. Also, boxers often fight with big gloves, especially those who don’t box competitively.
So when you fight on the streets, you will find that your opponents’ punches may be more dangerous just because they are not wearing big gloves.
Boxing is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. It is a martial art that focuses on manual dexterity.
Judo
Judo, the parent of jiu-jitsu, is also another great martial arts system.
Although the focus of sport judo has changed slightly and deviated from the basic philosophy of judo, the martial art remains very dangerous. Some of their throws are quite violent and can be traumatic, especially on concrete in the streets.
Unlike wrestling, throws and holds in judo require a lot of practice and technique to be executed properly. But a seasoned judoka (judo practitioner) will have excellent balance, hand coordination, a good sense of distance, and be able to perform lethal throws.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing encompasses many martial arts, and it is more of a sport than a martial arts style.
However, for the sake of this article, let’s call it a martial art. And it is a martial art taught in many MMA schools. In kickboxing, you learn to fight with 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 both.
However, because a kickboxer spends their time learning kicking, they do not develop leg agility like in karate or taekwondo, nor do they develop upper body mobility and arm agility like boxers.
In a street fight, I would rather know kickboxing than just boxing. Kickboxing is a huge advantage in a street fight because it gives you skills that most people don’t have.
Getting into a fight with a boxer is pretty rare. It’s even rarer to meet someone who knows kickboxing. Kickboxing also allows you to stay out of reach, but still be able to throw punches.
Muay Thai
Muay Thai, the “Art of the Eight Limbs,” has been making a resurgence of late.
This martial art teaches the effective use of punches with the hands, feet, elbows and knees – thus consisting of 8 limbs. Regardless of what you think of the style, there is no doubt that it is one of the most accomplished striking arts. An experienced muay thai fighter knows how easy it is to hit an opponent with any of the “eight limbs.”
Jiu-jitsu
Muay Thai, the “Art of the Eight Limbs,” has been experiencing a recent resurgence.
If a judo fighter is dangerous, a jiu-jitsu fighter, is deadly. Although the art of jiu-jitsu does not focus on the so-called fighting aspect, it is a very dangerous art when a precise blow, or a series of them, can inflict considerable damage on an opponent.
Practitioners of jiu-jitsu are very good at retaining control on the spot and finishing their opponents with special techniques. Someone who has trained in jiu-jitsu for at least a year can be confident that they will not lose a street fight to someone who is not skilled in the martial arts. Nevertheless, there is a caveat: practitioners of jiu-jitsu are notorious for being incapable of effective self-defense.
This is all due to the large number of pseudo-instructors and ineffective schools where the art is not delivered in a proper form and too little time is given to real fights.
So if you are going to learn jiu-jitsu, make sure you choose the right school so you won’t be disappointed later.