Best Martial Arts for Learning Self Defense

An unfortunate fact of today’s society is that you could potentially be attacked at any time. Whether it be a mugging gone wrong or first-degree assault, you should be prepared to diffuse a dangerous situation, which sometimes involves handling and disarming an attacker. Learning a martial art is also a great way to hone confidence and self-discipline. All martial arts contain elements of self-defense, but some are better than others when it comes to defending yourself in a real life attack.

Krav Maga
Krav Maga is a relatively new form of martial arts which emerged in the late 1930’s. It was developed for the Israel Defense Force and Mossad. Combining techniques from wrestling, boxing, and a number of eastern martial arts , Krav Maga focuses on quick self-defense in real world scenarios. Like many martial arts, Krav Maga teaches that combat should always be avoided if possible and the techniques should only be used in self-defense.

Krav Maga focuses on defending against a variety of assaults and countering in the most efficient and damaging way possible. Fast and simple strikes are used to attack an assailant’s most vulnerable areas, including the eyes, groin, and throat.

Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu mixes grappling and ground fighting to form a martial art that is used for both self-defense and sport. Created specifically to give a smaller or weaker opponent an advantage over a larger and stronger opponent, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu makes for a perfect martial art to learn for general self-defense.

The techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focus on taking an opponent to the ground and then using chokeholds and joint locks to quickly put them out of commission. Because it focuses more on grappling rather than striking, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu allows students to practice at full speed, allowing them to easily transfer it to real-life scenarios.

JudoWhile Judo is most prominently a competition based martial art (it is an official Olympic sport), its throwing and takedown techniques make it a great martial art for self-defense. Judo teaches students to balance softness with hardness, and how to use the weight and momentum of their opponent against them.

Judo technique encourages waiting for an attacker to strike and to then manipulate the opponent’s balance to force them to the ground. Once on the ground, a Judo practitioner will immobilize their opponent with a pin or hold. Judo also teaches students how to fall and absorb strikes without taking serious damage, making it another great martial art to use in a real world scenario.