Let's start with the fact that the most best school- the one that suits you personally, your physical fitness and seeing yourself in martial arts. You can succeed in any of them if you have the desire - but to master the heights of sumo, an asthenic person, for example, will have to spend more time. In the end, martial arts are the same training, only with striking or throwing techniques.
Different types of martial arts develop different qualities and even muscle groups. Some of them teach you to use the opponent’s energy, others are aimed at practicing powerful punches, others - with legs, and others will build up endurance or develop jumping ability.
In some ways, martial arts are reminiscent of yoga: in them you can find your spiritual path, or you can take only the technique and learn to stand up for yourself. Below is a description of the most popular types martial arts, which will help you decide on the choice of school.
Jujutsu
This martial arts is suitable for those who want to learn self-defense techniques. Jiu-jitsu emphasizes the fighter’s skills on the ability to defend himself, free himself from holds, and use tactics not of attack, but of using the enemy’s strength to his advantage.
Kicks and punches are present, but the technique does not descend into hand-to-hand combat. The main thing here is efficient use energy (your own and someone else’s), which allows you to defeat a larger and strong opponent. Jiu-Jitsu is not an aggressive form, it is martial art improves skill and dexterity.
Taekwondo
This Korean martial art is so popular that in 1988 it was included in the program Olympic Games. Translation of the name into Russian: “the path of the hand and foot,” which clearly hints at the upcoming mastery of the art of striking with all limbs. Taekwondo combines both attack and self-defense techniques; moreover, it is an exercise, an official sport, meditative techniques and an entire Eastern philosophy.
IN current state Taekwondo focuses on defense and control. The emphasis is placed on kicks from a standing position, since legs can reach further and cause more damage than hands. Martial arts techniques include various sweeps, painful holds, open palm strikes and grabs.
Aikido
One of the youngest martial arts in Japan. Just like many martial arts of the Land of the Rising Sun, Aikido includes physical and spiritual practices. It is also effective in developing strength, agility, and the ability to stand up for oneself - regardless of physical characteristics. Aikido is an art of defense for everyone, because there are no restrictions on age or physical development.
Aikido techniques mostly involve using an opponent's attack, controlling his energy, strength and movement, which ends with throws or grabs. The name itself reflects this: “aiki” means “connection with power”, “do” means the path.
Wushu
Very spectacular view full contact sports. This Chinese martial art has a lot of strength, acrobatics, jumping, balancing, beautiful poses and strikes (like in the movies). Another name is kung fu, since the term “wushu” itself refers to all traditional Chinese martial arts.
There are hundreds of subtypes of wushu, in some places there is more acrobatics and “stagecraft”, in others there are more powerful strikes and techniques, sweeps and “twirls”. The main thing you need to know before choosing this martial art is that wushu develops strength well, and the fighting styles taught in Russian kung fu schools are reminiscent of Thai boxing.
Judo
Translated from Japanese - “soft (flexible) path.” Judo is based on throws, painful holds, and choking. Movements should be economical physical strength, there is less waste of energy, but more improvement of the spirit, more self-defense, more sports training. More than 20 million people practice judo all over the world, as it has a good educational character and teaches harmony of soul and body.
Unlike boxing, karate and other striking styles, judo explores technique hand-to-hand combat only for throwing and grabbing. This martial art formed the basis of other modern martial arts: the creators of aikido, sambo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practiced it.
Despite the sports orientation and adherence to the rules of the competition, no one would want to meet a judoka in an extreme situation. These are always prepared people who will repel any villain in a dark alley.
Sambo
Sambo is a system of self-defense without weapons, which was developed in the USSR. The martial arts are based on judo, Armenian koch, Tatar kuresh and many other martial arts.
Practical sambo is based on a complex effective techniques defense and attack, which have already been practiced over centuries of donor martial arts. It is noteworthy that sambo is constantly developing, incorporating new techniques and techniques into its arsenal. The philosophy of martial arts resembles the principles of the GTO: physical development, readiness for self-defense, detaining the enemy, instilling moral fortitude.
Karate
Or karate-do, translated from Japanese as “empty sleeve.” From 2020, martial arts will become Olympic form sport, although initially it was a hand-to-hand style for self-defense.
Nowadays karate is incredibly popular, in part due to spectacular demonstrations. Masters on demonstration performances show the strength and power of practiced blows, breaking thick boards with a palm strike or splitting blocks of ice.
Unlike many Japanese martial arts, karatekas do not use holds, painful or choking techniques. But they know how to hit an opponent in the vital area with precise and powerful blows. important points bodies. Crushing and biting urakens, spectacular and swift ura-mawashi-geri... Perhaps you cannot find a more Japanese style.
Boxing
Boxing is a classic that there is no point in talking about in detail. It is only worth mentioning that this sport produces fighters who REALLY know how to work with their hands, and it is difficult to compete with them in a street fight. By the way, everyone remembers the star’s fight UFC Conor McGregor with professional boxer Mayweather? Same thing.
If you want to enroll in a boxing section, you should know about some nuances. Firstly, it is difficult for a boxer to cope with an armed opponent, and secondly, with kicks. The third point is that in an extreme situation you will not have gloves, a referee, ropes or a girl with a sign. On the other hand, dodging punches and knocking out is in the blood of boxers, so attack and defense are balanced here.
Thai boxing
Muay Thai is a martial art in Thailand; it is very popular all over the world and competes with karate, judo and sambo. Perhaps this is the art of combat that is closest to a real fight. The rules are tough here, but the blows are the same. Here there is full contact, striking techniques with hands and feet, and the targets are the most vulnerabilities on the body.
Grappling and throwing are also important, especially chokes. If you master this martial arts, you will be able to confidently walk through the most dangerous areas of the city (but it’s better not to anyway), because the training will be harsh. The Thais train real fighters without rules who can withstand any opponent.
You may find it difficult to balance training and public speaking at work, as you will sometimes have bruises on your face and grab marks on your neck.
Kickboxing
Another type of martial arts that prepares you for real fights. Kickboxing was formed by karate masters who did not want to obey sports rules martial arts The new style incorporated kicking techniques from several eastern directions and fist boxing techniques.
Kickboxing is popular in culture because it is spectacular, dynamic and somewhat “bloody” - full contact leaves cuts and bruises, so athletes usually use a mouthguard, a helmet (to protect the head from kicks) and a groin (for girls - a cuirass).
Kickboxers are similar to CrossFitters in that they build strength, endurance, coordination, speed and flexibility.
Professional boxers, Muay Thai, judokas, sambo wrestlers are always dangerous opponents. Choose the martial arts you like, but don’t forget: best fight- the one that did not take place. In this sense, running can also be called a martial arts for real pacifists.
Well? Which of these directions did you like? Maybe it's time to go for a trial training session? Book a lesson with our free mobile application Sport Priority is near your home or work in your city, plan your training schedule and learn useful facts and stories from the world of sports in your free time.
If you don’t feel too confident when seeing a girl off in the evenings, and the last fight ended for you already in the eighth second, it’s time to change something in this life.
For example, stop downloading gym useless in close combat calf muscles, and do something more serious.
In just 6-18 months, anyone can learn to fight well. Here are the top five efficient systems self-defense:
No. 5: Kyokushinkai Karate
This most spectacular form of karate was invented 60 years ago by the legendary Masutatsu Oyama. They say he's just tired of looking like an antique martial art degenerated and became less and less contactable. As a result, already in the 1960s, Oyama’s brainchild was called nothing more than “karate for millions.”
If you choose kyokushinkai, then within a year and a half You will be able to pass the exam for the 6th kyu - a student “grade” with a yellow belt. This means that you can deal with one or two smokers in the gateway without a lighter.
#4: Kickboxing
Legend has it that the term “kickboxing” was coined in the early 1970s by Chuck Norris. Whether this is true or not, this fusion of boxing and oriental martial arts has become very popular all over the world. No dans, kyu or other tameshiwari. Instead, the battle familiar to the Slavic soul, where blows are delivered in full force- legs and arms. In a word, everything you need to stand up for yourself if something happens.
Of course, it is much easier to advance in kickboxing if you have completed a technical educational program in boxing or taekwondo. But after a year and a half classes “from scratch” you will feel that you are worth something in this world.
#3: Jiu-Jitsu
This martial arts veteran is over 400 years old. But if earlier this samurai training complex taught how to not only break an enemy, but also quickly send him to the next world, today it is simply self-defense for everyone.
Unlike karate, in jiu-jitsu the emphasis is not on strikes and blocks, but on bending, choking, painful holds and throws. It was not for nothing that even the policemen of Tsarist Russia studied the techniques of this system at the beginning of the 20th century. To master jiu-jitsu at a level sufficient for self-defense, you will need 8-10 months.
No. 2: Kadochnikov system
The “youngest” self-defense system was born in the restless head of the head of the laboratory of the Krasnodar Military School, Alexei Kadochnikov, in 1983. Despite the fact that it is taught in special forces, it is accessible to everyone - from a teenager to a housewife.
The only negative: to find out how “it” works, you don’t need to have so much good shot from both hands, how much to know physics, psychology and anatomy. Kadochnikov himself did not show the techniques, but explained the physical laws or principles underlying them. Therefore, if you manage to find a science-savvy instructor, within 7-8 months training, you will tear black belts like napkins.
#1: Krav Magá
Unique school contact combat which is “professed” in the Israeli army, police and special forces. Has nothing to do with competitions, sparring, medals or any philosophy. And therefore it is considered the most effective and useful in real life martial art.
Krav Maga was developed in the 1930s by Imi Lichtenfeld, who in this way decided to teach skinny Slovak Jews to fight off attacks from muscular stormtroopers.
In this Israeli “struggle” everything is logical and thought out. The emphasis is on countering an armed attack. And even to the smallest detail, defense with improvised means (from a pencil to a diplomat) and a group fight are worked out.
The main thing in Krav Maga is to understand the reflexes of both your own and your opponent. If you are mobilized, you can actually complete the course and become invincible in just 6 months.
The idea that with the help of a secret and deadly martial art you can kill a person with your bare hands or, has always warmed the hearts of nerds around the world. And, of course, the idea of fighting like Jackie Chan, breaking boards with his bare hands. The debate about how realistic or unrealistic it is to kill everyone with your bare hands runs like a red thread through all holivars in many forums. We are writing this only to tell you something interesting.
1. Sambo. Country of origin: Russia
An interesting observation: the more often a country has to defend itself and attack various neighbors, the more often it all results in an interesting martial art. Russia is just such a country. After the revolution, all the numerous experiences of fighting with bare hands were combined into “Self-defense without weapons” or sambo. Both government agents and ordinary soldiers were trained in this type of fighting.
And here is sambo in action.
2. Muay Thai. Country of origin: Thailand
Thailand's borders were also often violated, so it is not surprising that they developed their own martial art. Another name for Muay Thai is eight-limb fighting, or Thai boxing. What are these extra limbs? Elbows and knees, of course! Wrestlers use them like clubs, expertly beating their opponents with them. The power of the blow in this type of martial arts is simply amazing. One smart person once said that Muay Thai is “Kill the bull with one blow.” And he was damn right.
As is always the case with good things, there are many legends associated with Muay Thai. the most famous and partially true one dates back to 1774, when the Kingdom of Burma captured Thailand, which was then Siam. Against the great Muay Thai master Nai Khanom Tom, who was captured, the king of Burma, for the sake of general jubilation, put up a great master of the Burmese martial art, called lethwei. They say that dude lasted 10 seconds against Tom and was brutally killed. But the judge decided that Tom was cheating by distracting his opponent. Being a true gentleman, the Muay Thai master agreed to nine(!) battles that he won with amazing ease and cruelty. The King of Burma was amazed by Tom's skill and offered him, along with the freedom to choose, two rewards: two very beautiful girls and a bag of money. Tom refused the money (happiness is not in it), but he took the women. And he rode off into the sunset with them on a horse.
3. MCMAP - Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. Country of Origin: USA
The martial art for the US Marine Corps was invented in the eighties. Its special feature was the ability to use a pistol, a bayonet-knife, or a rifle with a bayonet as an improvised weapon for close combat. Most often, the program is used to neutralize an enemy by breaking a couple of bones, immobilize him with hellish pain, but you can also kill him with it.
4. Silat. Country of Origin: Malaysia
Malaysia also suffered a lot at one time. Pirates, Portuguese, British, and even the Japanese - all these dudes tried to screw over the Malays. But they didn’t whine and invented silat.
Many martial arts were invented to improve the body and spirit, to find oneself and to complete one's spiritual quest. So, silat does not apply to them. The first masters of this martial art used it to beat an opponent to the point of inability to stand with lightning-fast attacks in 10 seconds, and then finish off the half-dead man with something heavy. Silat masters encourage various sneaky attacks and tricks.
The most brutal and vile methods of fighting are still taught in the jungles of Malaysia. They say that such masters, aged 7-10 years, once beat an adult to a pulp. Dudes who were taught silat spent years in dark caves in which they could not see anything beyond their noses. If the Shaolin monks learn restraint, the madmen of Silat learn from a young age to tear flesh like animals.
By the way, silat masters actively use a kris - a wavy dagger that rips pieces of meat out of the victim. Often a deadly poison is literally melted into the kris, which is very easy to kill a person - just a scratch is enough.
5. Excrima. Country of Origin: Philippines
Excrima is ancient art Philippines, which involves beating opponents with wooden sticks at stunning speed. Until 1521, Filipinos practiced excrement on each other, but then Magellan arrived, and foreigners experienced the hard way of what Filipino martial art means.
Excrima became the main protection of the peasants who grew rice. The most famous victim of this art was Ferdinand Magellan, who was beaten to death with sticks. For 450 years, excrima was banned and survived only because it was disguised as a dance.
The list below consists of the ten best martial arts for self-defense. If you are interested in choosing a martial arts for the most effective defense, then you should definitely read this rating to the end.
Kickboxing is a combat sport that originated in the United States in the 1960s. Based on punches and kicks along with techniques martial arts(sweeps, throws, etc.). It has quite a few branches, the most famous of which is Muay Thai - roughly translated as “the art of eight limbs.”
Karate is a Japanese martial art that uses precisely aimed weapons to crush an opponent. powerful blows hands and feet, applied to vital points of the body. This sport was invented in 1929 by Funakoshi Gichin, influenced by the ideas of Zen Buddhism. In Karate, special emphasis is placed on dodging.
In eighth place in the ranking of the best martial arts for self-defense is Aikido, a Japanese martial art whose peculiarity is the use of throws and grabs. It was founded by Morihei Ueshiba between the 30s and 60s of the 20th century. Aikido focuses on using the opponent's strength against himself. It is considered one of the most difficult Japanese martial arts to master.
Wing Chun is a Chinese martial art that uses a variety of fighting techniques. It is for this reason that Wushu is considered an applied direction. Characterized by effective departures from the line of attack, complemented by instant, straightforward strikes at a very close range. Often the fight ends with knees and elbows. An experienced fighter who masters the Wing Chun style is capable of inflicting up to eight blows per second on the enemy.
Jiu-Jitsu is the most versatile style on this list. This is a real hybrid, including elements of wrestling, hard strikes, choking techniques, locks, etc. Jiu-jitsu is one of the oldest types Japanese wrestling. Main principle jiu-jitsu - not to go into direct confrontation, but to yield to the onslaught of the opponent, directing his actions towards the right side until he is trapped, and then turns the enemy's power and actions against him.
Jeet Kune Do was created Bruce Lee and translated from Chinese means “the path of the leading fist.” Today, this style of martial arts is considered one of the most popular in the world. It is taught in many countries. However, Bruce Lee himself did not call Jeet Kune Do a “style”, but preferred to call it a “method”. According to his philosophy, the Jeet Kune Do method can be used in any form of martial arts. Here the emphasis is on punch speed and combinations.
Boxing ranks fourth on the list of the best martial arts for self-defense. I think almost everyone knows that a boxer has the fastest, most powerful and most accurate punch of any trained fighter in any other martial art.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an international martial art. combat sports, the basis of which is wrestling on the ground, as well as painful and suffocating techniques. This art is based on the principle that a person with an underdeveloped physique can successfully defend himself and defeat a more powerful opponent using the appropriate technique (painful holds and choking).
Keysi Fighting Method (KFM) is a self-defense system based on the development of natural human instincts and a number of techniques taken from the arsenal of boxing and street fight. KFM is based on a small arsenal of techniques adapted to a specific situation. The system was created in 1957 by the Spaniard Justo Dieguez and the Englishman Andy Norman, both of whom are Jeet Kune Do instructors.
The best martial art for self-defense is Krav Maga, an Israeli martial art developed by Imi Lichtenfeld for self-defense purposes. There are no exact rules in Krav Maga and there is no difference between training for men and women. The system is not considered a sport, it does not have a special uniform and competitions, although some organizations, as training progresses, award various levels and emblems. All techniques focus on maximum effectiveness in real conditions, as well as natural reflexes, simple movements and aggressive defensive techniques. The main principles of Krav Maga are: do not receive damage, quickly neutralize the attacker, quickly move from defensive to offensive techniques, use the body's reflexes, as well as the enemy's weak points, use any available object.
