Studying martial arts is all about training your body and mind to work together in sync, and beneficial not just for your fitness but also your overall well-being. While violence should always be avoided, learning how to defend yourself can be an important life skill. Most of us would never want to hurt another person, but there are times when you need to protect yourself or your loved ones from those who mean to do us harm.
When choosing a specific practice to study, I recommend choosing one that’s effective and also fun. Whether for self-defense or fitness, these effective martial art disciplines will get you there:
1. Krav Maga
Literally translated from Hebrew as “battle contact”, Krav Maga was developed for the Israeli Defense Force. The primary focus for any krav maga gym is on dealing with real-life, threatening situations with both conventional and unconventional techniques.
Through Krav Maga, you can learn how to incapacitate and disarm an attacker and get to safety quickly and decisively. Krav Maga is great for beginners and for those looking for a martial arts class that’s focused on defense.
2. Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art. When translated, the word Taekwondo means “the way of the hand and fist” and is one of the more aggressive disciplines. Given its status as an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has a high profile and gyms can be found almost anywhere. Fast high kicks and punches are common in Taekwondo since the core focus of taekwondo is speed and agility.
3. Judo
Originating in Japan in the early 1800s, Judo is a grappling art whose focus is on throwing and choking an opponent. Martial arts such as Jiu-Jitsu and Sambo derive from traditional Judo. When translated, Judo means “the gentle way” as most of its moves are about disabling opponents. Judo’s primary principle is ‘maximum efficiency, minimum effort’ which in a nutshell means to use as little energy as possible for self-defense and redirect the momentum/force of an attacker to himself.
4. Muay Thai
Popularly known as Thai Kickboxing, Muay Thai is an age-old martial art still taught in Thailand’s military forces, and has spread all over the world. It teaches hand-to-hand and close combat skills and is regarded as one of the most powerful martial arts currently practiced.
Learning Muay Thai will provide you with exceptional power and efficiency in fighting. Muay Thai is also popular among women since it exhibits some of the most fluid and graceful fighting moves. Translated, Muay Thai means “Art of Eight Limbs” as it includes strikes that use hands, feet, elbows and knees.
5. Aikido
Founded by Morihei Ueshiba, Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art blended from several fighting practices. Aikido teaches the practitioner to deflect an opponent’s attack while dealing the least damage as possible. Its main principles center on universal peace and reconciliation. For this reason, Aikido is known to be one of the most peaceful martial arts.
6. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ is another self-defense martial art like Judo and Aikido. While Judo and Aikido focus mostly on redirection and throwing, BJJ is more closely related to wrestling. It involves techniques that can assist you to gain an advantage against an opponent of greater strength and size.
The Bottom Line
No matter how old, small, or weak you think you are, there’s a martial art for everyone. We’ve listed some of the best for beginners looking to learn and hone their basic skills, but there are many more disciplines you may enjoy. I hope reading this article has inspired you to take a class today!