Which martial art is best for me

This can be seen in:. Frustrated with the rigidity of traditional martial arts, Bruce Lee decided to create his own. Lee stripped away the strict techniques of older arts and opted for taking what worked from a variety of martial arts.

He left anything else behind. Even more importantly, he wanted each individual student to decide for themselves what their martial art will be.

What works for one person may not be appropriate for everyone. It mainly focuses on taking an opponent down and defeating them on the ground.

Check out this video for a discussion about the danger of using grappling in real street self defense situations:. Hopefully, through the quiz and the advice given above, you find a martial art that fits with your training and lifestyle goals! A very amazing article defining 10 different types of martial arts and even exploring each of them in a very detailed manner.

Thanks for sharing such an inspiring article for everyone. This is very informative to have insight to several martial arts. I have a few suggestions that could add to your quiz. Also, karate would be a fine addition to the list of martial arts. I have done this several times and I love every single result of Martial art that comes out. Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Some martial arts focus primarily on "realistic" street self defense, while others are focused on competition, sports, or overall physical fitness. Do you prefer a martial art that's more "traditional" or a more "modern" style?

Do you prefer a style with a focus on empty hands, or one that focuses more on weapons-based fighting? Should the martial art be Low Impact or High Impact? How do you want to feel after a practice session? Check Answers. We've figured out your preferred martial art! Now, time to get training. Find a school near you. This ground-based grappling technique broke off from Judo in the early s. It really started to come to prominence when master Royce Gracie used it to dominate the early UFC tournaments.

The object is to put your opponent in a submission hold that either knocks them out or inflicts so much pain that they have to submit. Think Pilates in attack mode. Also, if you have personal space issues, this is your worst nightmare. Be prepared to wear headgear, though, to avoid cauliflower ear. It was developed by the Israeli Defense Force to be used in real-life combat situations. In addition to punches, kicks and throws, it teaches real-life scenarios like how to disarm an attacker.

Rubber knives and guns will make appearances. What to expect: Most Krav Maga programs thrive on intense workouts with lots of drills. Fighting when your tired is a key skill and most Krav Maga programs are extremely adept at getting you to that point. Kicks to the groin? Eye pokes? Throat rakes? Joint breaks? All part of the game. A big part. If you crave contact, this is for you.

And when you get to the higher levels, the tests get to be fights. Hailing from Korea, Tae Kwon Do is one of the broadest forms of study. Attacks include quick punches, elaborate kicks, and basic throws. Tae Kwon Do is great for kids as well, it allows them to make friends and stay healthy. A normal training day in Tae Kwon Do is much more traditional than the other martial arts on this list. There are many relaxation type techniques in Tae Kwon Do believe it or not.

This is because Tae Kwon Do uses the technique of staying calm while under pressure. Keeping your emotions in check is important for any martial art. It really depends on the type of Tae Kwon Do gym you choose. Some gyms will favor sparring more, while others might not have any type of sparring.

The great part about Tae Kwon Do is that there are many options, there is bound to be at least one gym in your town. Judo is one of the oldest martial arts on this list, hailing from Japan in the s. Judo concentrates on throws and chokes, almost lacking strikes of any kind. He uses many Judo style throws and take downs during his fights to dominate his opponents. Similar to Tae Kwon Do, this is more of a traditional martial art.

The only time strikes are performed are for scenario type training, which involve judo throws as a way to defend against strikes. You will also be accustomed to being throw on the ground, again and again.

A basic Judo session will involve you and a partner practicing Judo throws until you perfect each style and technique. Judo is still popular among competitions and knowing how to throw an opponent into a favorable position is very useful for an MMA practitioner. MMA is the combination of all martial arts we talked about above.

Giving the fighter a wide array of styles and techniques that they can use in a fighting style competition. MMA is very useful for all type of situations, standup fighting, ground-and-pound, grappling, and more. The greatest thing about MMA is watching these fighters transform their original style martial art into their style and technique today. The common MMA class will include every martial art we talked about above excluding Krav Maga for obvious reasons.

MMA will allow you to become a well-rounded fighter. MMA requires a big time and money commitment, you are investing so much of yourself into a sport that is the hardest in the world. You will have to invest money into equipment many different styles of gloves, mouthpiece, headgear, shin guards, etc.

There are many risk factors to MMA including injury, so please take all of this into consideration before choosing MMA as a potential career path. Since MMA at its core incorporates all martial arts, the best thing you can do is develop proficiency in one striking art like boxing or Muay Thai and one grappling art like wrestling or Jiu Jitsu. A high level of overall cardio and fitness will help you get the most out of your MMA training.

Phil Daru is the head strength and conditioning coach for the world famous American Top Team. Learning a martial art is one of the greatest things you can do, at any age.

Understanding the traditional values that these martial arts hold is just as important as learning the technique. With the advancements in martial arts, we now have the capability to learn so many different styles and techniques that have been passed down for centuries. Always respect your instructors who pass down their knowledge onto you. Respect your fellow students as well, who at the end of the day are trying their best to learn the martial arts.

The MMA Guru wishes you luck on your martial arts journey, may it be filled with excellence. Here is the thing, I want to learn a martial art, mostly for self defense, my objective is to beat my opponents if I am challenged. Could you help me choose a martial art that would actually fit me?

Hi Antony, Your article was so useful , I hope see you in the octagon, I from middle East and was looking for how can I learn mma at home and ran into your website Good job boy. I wish you the best on your martial arts journey! Hi Im looking to start learning martial art. I have karate , MMA near by. Which one would you suggest.

Thanks in advance for your help.