There are many martial arts out there, but which ones are the best to learn? We will take a look at what we believe to be the top ten martial arts in the world. These are the best fighting systems to learn for self-defense. Learning any one of these martial arts will greatly increase your chances of being able to defend yourself against an aggressive attacker. Let’s get started with the top ten martial arts.
10. Kung Fu.
Kung Fu, or better known in China as Wushu, are Chinese martial arts that employ mostly striking and kicking. There are hundreds of different styles of Kung Fu. Perhaps the most popular is Shaolin. There is also Tai Chi and Wing Chun. Kung Fu is a fast moving art that relies on speed and excellent technique.
9. Tae Kwon Do
Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art that uses a lot of kicks. The art is based on the principle that the legs are longer and stronger than the hands and that they should be used more in physical combat. The kicks of Tae Kwon Do are some of the most lethal in the world. This art can make a fighter with long limbs a dangerous foe.
8. Judo
Judo is a grappling martial art that was invented in the 19th century. The art uses grappling, joint locks, throws and chokes to finish off opponents. People that get good at Judo learn to use their opponents size and strength against them. The art doesn’t place too much emphasis on striking, this can be a disadvantage when dealing with multiple attackers.
7. Karate
Karate is a form of Japanese martial arts. Karate means “empty hand” and uses strikes as the primary method of attack. There are many different styles of Karate. Each style uses its own principles and unique fighting system. The things different forms of Karate will share are the hard strikes and hard blocks.
6. Western Boxing.
Western Boxing is indeed a martial art. It uses just the hands as weapons, but the hardest punches thrown come from western boxers. The boxer learns to use footwork and learns how to block strikes. There are different styles of boxing and fighters usually pick a style that suits their abilities.
5. Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do is a martial art that was created by the famous Bruce Lee. Jeet Kune Do is a combat philosophy that takes from many other martial arts. These include western boxing, fencing and even karate. Practitioners of Jeet Kune Do are encouraged to add to the art by taking good techniques from other arts.
4. Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that was created by African slaves. The art was hidden in dance and the moves can literally come out of nowhere. These moves include foot sweeps, kicks and head butts. It is hard for a person that never has seen this art practiced to determine when a strike is coming.
3. Brazilian Jui Jitsu
BJJ is an art that was recently made popular by mixed martial arts competition. The art is a Brazilian martial art that concentrates on grappling. The art has elaborate chokes, joint locks and submissions. This is one of the few arts that teaches fighters to fight off their back. A BJJ fighter can be taken down and placed in a position that most other fighters couldn’t fight from and the BJJ fighter could easily win the fight.
2. Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a martial art that was created in Thailand. It uses forceful kicks, elbows, hand strikes and head butts to defeat opponents. It also employs grappling. Muay Thai kicks are feared by martial artists worldwide. The kicks are described as feeling like you were hit with a baseball bat.
1. Krav Maga
Krav Maga is a brutal martial art that was invented in Israel. It uses quick moves to defeat an opponent. The sole purpose of this art is to inflict the most damage to an opponent. Unlike the other arts in this top ten list, there is no competition for Krav Maga. It is strictly for combat and self-defense. Everything in the art is designed for real life application.
These are the top ten martial arts. It should be noted that no matter what art one chooses, it comes down to that person and how hard they train in the fighting system they choose. The complete martial artists usually learns more than one martial art. They might choose a grappling art like BJJ and a striking art like Muay Thai. This gives them more defensive and offensive techniques than learning one art.
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