The most popular types of martial arts. The Best Martial Arts Styles for Self Defense

It is still not clear what martial arts best for self defense? Fencing? Well, walking with a blunt sword through the gateways is not the best idea. Some outlandish martial art that the whole world is talking about? Skills street fight also not always enough, because the hooligans who decide to pick your pockets, most likely, own them no worse than you. So it’s very difficult to say right away, probably everyone has their own opinion, and boxing is enough for someone. Therefore, it makes no sense to exalt one martial art over others, instead, we will offer 7 highly effective types of martial arts, ideal for self-defense. Very short review and the right to choose at your own discretion.

Jujutsu

Country of origin: Japan
Also known as: juju
Nickname:"The Art of Softness"
Famous fighters: Ice-T

History of Jiu-Jitsu

Many of the modern and popular styles of martial arts, including judo, aikido, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, have their origins in classic Japanese jiu-jitsu.
By and large, without jiu-jitsu, the fair of modern massacre would not be what we know it in its current form. It may seem to someone that the jiu-jitsu federation paid us extra, but in fact, many martial arts would lose their effectiveness.

So, jiu-jitsu, or as they say in Japan, juju was one of the fundamental methods of samurai combat training. Well, of course, when it comes to Japan, it's somehow about samurai, or technology, or geisha, or really bad porn.

As you know, the equipment of a samurai made him a killing machine, but anything can happen in battle, and in frequent cases, when a warrior was left without a sword, dagger and bow, he had to fight with the last weapon that he had left - with his hands and feet, and more often everything against an armed enemy.
The literal translation of "jujutsu" can be confusing. "The Art of Softness"... are you serious!? Powerful and effective techniques devised to, if not kill, then simply lay down the enemy with bare hands give the least softness.

Why is Jiu-Jitsu one of the best martial arts?

Jiu-jitsu is one of the most effective martial arts in the world because it uses the aggressiveness and momentum of the attacker against him. In fact, this is the art of counterattack, self-defense in its purest form. It made no sense for a chained and tired samurai to rush to the tip of a spear or sword, it was easier for him to kill the enemy with his own energy. In addition, hitting the armor with your hands and feet is not entirely effective, but dodging, intercepting the blow and planting the enemy on his own weapon is quite useful.

The basic principle of jiu-jitsu is “not to go into direct confrontation in order to win”, not to resist, but to yield to the onslaught of the enemy, only directing his actions to the right side until he is trapped, and then turn the strength and actions of the enemy against him.

Jiu-Jitsu fighting techniques are based on the knowledge of human anatomy, physiology and psychophysiology, as well as on filigree technique, brought to automatism and the nuances of the strategy and tactics of the fight. There is no place for all sorts of dance "pas" and techniques in the style of "cinema". There is only one task: to destroy your enemy or enemies as quickly as possible, using any methods that are in your arsenal.

taekwondo

Country of origin: Korea
Also known as: Taekwondo, Taekwon
Nickname:"The Path of the Brush and the Fist"
Famous fighters: Barack Obama, Steven Seagal, Jessica Alba, Willie Nelson

History of taekwondo

Taekwondo is very closely intertwined with the history of Korea itself, which is probably why in recent years it has been developing as successfully as Kim Jong-un's southern neighbor.
Originally there were nine taekwondo kwans (schools) that were recognized by the Government South Korea. Each school had its own unique style of taekwondo. In 1955, the nine kwans were merged into the one commonly studied today. In order to describe the history of this art in more detail, a separate article is needed, it is enough to say that all political events, including the notorious Korean War, strongly affected the appearance of martial arts.

Why is taekwondo one of the best martial arts?

When in films with high-intensity martial arts for one frame, a fighter kicks quickly and briskly, then most likely he uses taekwondo. Actually, powerful high kicks, and make taekwondo so effective view martial arts.
The main charm of taekwondo is not only that one good hit legs can incapacitate an opponent, but the fact that this martial art is extremely effective against several opponents. Unless, of course, they know taekwondo.
The word "taekwondo" is made up of three words: "tae" - leg, "kwon" - fist (hand), "do" - art, the path of taekwondo, the path to improvement (the path of the arm and leg).
Taekwondo is the only martial art on this list that is olympic view sports. But Olympic restraint and fear of death did not make it less effective.

Krav Maga

Country of origin: Israel
Also known as:"Contact Fight"
Famous fighters: Eyal Yanilov

Story

Krav Maga has long been recognized as one of the best martial arts for self-defense in the world. This type of martial arts owes its birth to the outstanding fighter Imi Lichtenfeld. Initially, he taught his fighting system in Bratislava to help protect the Jewish community from Nazi armed groups. He created a group of trained thugs with characteristic surnames and noses, who did their best to protect the Jewish population from the growing, and at the same time very radical, manifestations of anti-Semitism.

After arriving in Palestine, Lichtenfeld began teaching hand-to-hand combat in the Haganah. After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, he became chief instructor in physical training And hand-to-hand combat at the Israel Defense Forces Combat Training School. Lichtenfeld served in the IDF until 1964, constantly developing and improving his system. After his retirement, Krav Maga was adapted by him to civilian realities. In fact, Krav Maga is his brainchild.

Why is Krav Maga one of the best martial arts?

Krav Maga is designed to quickly neutralize the threat. The tricks are simple and often very dirty. However, the Jews did not have to choose. There is even a saying: "If the reception looks good and beautiful, then this is not Krav Maga."

There are three main principles of Krav Maga:

The most important thing is to neutralize the threat.
- Simultaneous defense and attack. Unlike many styles of martial arts, attacks and defenses in Krav Maga are intertwined during combat.
- All blocks are built on opening the fighter the opportunity for a counterattack.
All Krav Maga attacks target vulnerabilities human body such as eyes, face, throat, neck, groin and fingers. There is no place for ceremonies, philosophy and other nuances inherent in martial arts. This art was created in order to quickly and painfully eliminate an opponent. Therefore, it was adopted by the Israel Defense Forces. There is no need to bow to the military, the military needs to kill, or at least cut down.

This is a deadly fighting style that recognizes no etiquette. It was born on the basis of the fighting techniques of other martial arts, in street fights with Jewish pogromists with exactly one goal - to help the Jews survive. So if you want a simple and effective method to survive in real conditions, and not a beautiful solemn martial arts with your internal culture - then all the attention is on Krav Maga.

Aikido - the martial art of Steven Seagal

Country of origin: Japan
Nickname:"Way of Spiritual Harmony"
Famous fighters: Steven Seagal, Matt Larsen

History of aikido

Aikido is not exclusively a combat system. The founder of aikido, the legendary Morihei Ueshiba, studied several areas of traditional jujutsu, kenjutsu, and the art of calligraphy. On the basis of the acquired knowledge, he formed his own system - Aikido - as opposed to the traditional bu-jutsu (the art of killing). Aikido - budo (the way to stop killing), teaches deadly bu-jutsu techniques, not only with the aim of killing, but with the aim of stopping them, making a person strong, helping others, uniting all people on the basis of love. As they say, kindness must be with fists.
Ueshiba once said, "Controlling aggression without causing harm is the art of peace."
Aikido is also a highly spiritual martial art. The word aikido means "the way of the harmony of the spirit" ("Ai" means harmony, "ki" means spirit or energy, "do" means a way, road or way).

Why is Aikido one of the best martial arts?

As a preface, aikido is one of the most difficult of all Japanese martial arts. If you want to quickly, in a short time, learn self-defense, then aikido is not your assistant here.

Aikido is a derivative of jujutsu, and similarly focuses on merging with the opponent's attack, redirecting the attacker's energy, and ending with a painful hold or throw. Aikido fighters use the opponent's aggression and momentum to incapacitate him or render his attacks useless.
However, one should not think that since the development of aikido takes a long time, and the style itself promotes peace and tranquility, then there is little sense from it. This is one of the best martial arts suitable for self defense.

Wing Chun is the martial art of Bruce Lee.

Country of origin: China
Also known as: Wing Tsun
Nickname:"Singing Spring"
Famous fighters: Bruce Lee, Robert Downey Jr., Christian Bale

History of Wing Chun

The history of Wing Chun is a mixture of fact and legend. Most boil down to the fact that it was developed in the 17th century, as an offshoot of one of the most difficult styles of martial arts studied by the stern and die-hard Buddhist monks. There is talk of the nun Umei, who created a martial art capable of being effective regardless of size, weight, or gender.

Why is wing chun one of the best martial arts?

As in other wushu techniques, it is based on the “chi-sao” technique - “sticky hands”, thanks to which the fighter learns to constantly be in contact with the enemy with his hands, feel all his movements and prevent him from carrying out his techniques. But Wing Chun fighters are fighting on short distance, where you can reach the enemy with your hand, and even better - with your elbow. In order to break through to a sufficiently close distance, special types of movements are used. Kicks are used in combination with punches. Usually kicks hit the opponent's knees at the same time as an upper level attack with hands.

What wing chun masters are really proud of is their balance between attack and defense, they can attack and defend at the same time. And real masters are famous for their ability to correctly choose a position, so competently that it is literally impossible to take them by surprise.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - the martial art of Chuck Norris

Country of origin: Japan/Brazil
Also known as: Jiu-jitsu, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Nickname:"Human Chess"
Famous fighters: Carlos Gracie, Helio Gracie, BJ Penn, Joe Rogan, Paul Walker, Michael Clarke Duncan

History of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Like aikido, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is an adapted version of jiu-jitsu. Martial arts are very fond of Brazil, and therefore they gladly developed the technique shown by the outstanding jiu-jitsu master Mitsuyo Maeda during his visit to the sunny country.
The founders and creators of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (bjj) are the brothers Carlos and Helio Gracie. Carlos showed the knowledge received from Maeda to his numerous brothers, trying to teach the wisdom of the East to everyone except the frail and too young Helio. The frustrated boy, who already had a complex from the fact that he was much younger and frailer than his brothers, took and developed the basics of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This new style of martial arts allowed him to use leverage and choke instead of brute force to control the fight.
But the real popularizer of martial art was the son of Helio - Royce Gracie. Speaking in the UFC, with the help of BJJ techniques, he easily laid down opponents many times higher and heavier than himself. After the success of Royce, the popularity of BJJ increased significantly.

Why is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu one of the best martial arts?

BJJ is undoubtedly one of the most effective martial arts styles in the world. Almost all MMA and UFC fighters intensively studied BDD. The style teaches fighters how to use leverage and proper weight distribution to defeat stronger opponents.

Leverage is the isolation of an opponent's limb to a specific body position that will force the joint to move in a straight line (rotate on its own axis) outside of its normal range of motion. With increasing pressure on the limb, the enemy, unable to avoid this provision, surrenders. He can verbally surrender or slap the opponent several times (slapping yourself is dangerous because the opponent may not hear). Choking is used to cut off the oxygen supply to the opponent's brain, which can cause them to become unconscious if they don't give up soon enough. It's clear how dangerous, deadly dangerous view sports, therefore, in some countries sections and tournaments in traffic safety are not approved by law.

Muay Thai

Country of origin: Thailand
Also Known As: Thai boxing
Nickname:"The Art of Eight Limbs"
Famous Fighters: Tony Jaa

History of muay thai

Muay Thai is a Thai style of martial arts with very deep roots. National Thai fighting style, which is not only sports, but also the cultural heritage of the country. The secrets of Muay Thai have been passed down from elder warriors and fathers to children, from generation to generation, and it is perhaps thanks to this traditional struggle that Thailand, surrounded by sworn enemies, has managed to survive through the ages.
A cruel spectacle from which one could emerge either a winner or a loser. They fought not for life, but for death, in the truest sense of the word. It was impossible to give up - shame and contempt for life, so the defeated left the battle either badly beaten or dead.
Over the years, only one thing has changed in Muay Thai - thanks to the introduction of points, it has become unnecessary to die, but the martial art itself has not become softer, fatal outcomes are still not uncommon.

Why is Muay Thai one of the best martial arts?

Muay Thai is not only one of the most effective martial arts in the world, it is also one of the best self defense martial arts. In modern Muay Thai, it is possible to strike with fists, feet, shins, elbows and knees - because of this it is called "fight of eight limbs". In fact, every part of the body becomes a weapon, a deadly weapon. The hands became daggers and sabers; elbows with maces and hammers; knees like axes, and shins and forearms protect the body like armor. There are many devastating lethal strikes that have helped Muay Thai achieve some impressive victories over other martial arts in their time. And until now, this severe martial art causes sacred fear and admiration in everyone.

The list below consists of the top ten martial arts for self defense. If you are interested in choosing 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 tricks martial arts(cuts, 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 Gichin Funakoshi under the influence of Zen Buddhism. In Karate, special emphasis is placed on evasions.


In eighth place in the ranking of the best martial arts for self-defense is Aikido, a Japanese martial art, the peculiarity of which 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 it is considered an applied direction of wushu. It is characterized by effective escapes from the line of attack, complemented by instant, straight-line strikes at very close range. Often the fight ends with knee and elbow strikes. An experienced Wing Chun fighter is capable of inflicting up to eight blows per second on an opponent.


Jiu-Jitsu is the most versatile style on this list. This is a real hybrid, which includes elements of wrestling, hard punches, chokes, 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 in the right direction until he is trapped, and then turn the strength and actions of the enemy against him.


Jeet Kune Do was created by Bruce Lee and in Chinese means "the way 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 kind of martial arts. Here the emphasis is on the speed of impact and combinations.


The fourth place in the list of the best martial arts for self-defense is boxing. I think almost everyone knows that a boxer has the fastest, strongest, most accurate punch of any trained fighter of any other martial art.


Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a martial art that is an international martial art, the basis of which is ground fighting, as well as painful and suffocating techniques. This art is based on the principle that a person of an underdeveloped physique can successfully defend himself and defeat a more powerful opponent using the appropriate technique (painful holds and chokes).


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 the specific situation. The system was created in 1957 by Spaniard Justo Dieguez and 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. In Krav Maga there are no exact rules and there is no difference between workouts for men and women. The system is not considered a sport, it lacks a specific dress code and competition, although some organizations award different levels and emblems as they learn. All techniques focus on maximum real-world performance as well as natural reflexes, simple movements and aggressive defensive techniques. The main principles of Krav Maga are: do not take damage, quickly neutralize the attacker, quickly switch from defensive to offensive technique, use the reflexes of the body, as well as the enemy's vulnerabilities, use any available object.

Almost every country in the world has its own type of martial art - sometimes more than one. People have always learned to defend themselves from an insidious neighbor (those who themselves were not in the shoes of an insidious neighbor who, on the contrary, learned to attack).

Many sports have evolved over the centuries, gradually adjusting to the existing reality. Others - here you can cite a whole galaxy of Japanese BIs as an example - remained unchanged, due to the foresight of the masters who invented them. Today we will tell you about the ten main types of martial arts from around the world - everyone can choose something to their liking.

Boxing, England

Refined manners never prevented a real gentleman from cleaning the face of another real gentleman - after all, how else should a real gentleman solve burning issues? Generally speaking, the origins of boxing can be traced back to Ancient Greece, however, the very first school, with developed fighting rules, was founded in England. The island spread boxing all over the world: now, for example, this bloody sport is considered the national entertainment of the United States.

Krav Maga, Israel

This hand-to-hand combat system was developed in Israel - not from a good life. Krav Maga focuses on maximum efficiency, it is not about any sport. The fighter focuses on the defeat of vital parts of the body. Finger pokes in the eyes, punches in the groin - a real street fight, only every movement is meaningful here.

Muay Thai, Thailand

The progenitor of this brutal martial art is the Muay Boran style, which, in turn, came to the country from India. Muay Thai was developed as an exclusively military discipline - hence the effective strikes designed to destroy the enemy, which not everyone is able to carry.

Wushu, China

In fact, wushu is a term that applies to almost all martial arts in China. It can be translated as "the art of war." There are a great many subspecies of wushu, divided by regions, schools, and even individual masters. Sport is characterized by plastic, clear movements, fast movements and big amount kicks.

Capoeira, Brazil

An amazing way of fighting was developed by African slaves transported to Brazilian plantations. To the uninitiated, capoeira looks like a dance - in demonstrations, the fighters do not even come into contact with the opponent. This feature is due to the fact that the slaves were forbidden to train any kind of martial art and they disguised their teachings as funny dances.

Karate, Japan

The way of the "empty hand" is strikingly different from other national martial arts of the Land of the Rising Sun. This is because the system was brought from China, where the fighters were looking for the most effective and fast way neutralize the enemy, not defend against him. Today, karate is one of the most widespread BIs in the world - not least thanks to demonstration performances masters demonstrating their skills against ice blocks, concrete blocks and planks.

Kalari Payattu, India

The Indians claim that this art was developed by Vishnu himself. Kalari Payat is considered the oldest BI in the whole world - it is from the tradition of the "fight of the god" that almost all modern fighting styles have grown. Real masters of Kalari Payat know how to stop the enemy with one blow - and in order not to be tormented by conscience for an innocently killed soul, these guys also study the medical system - Siddhi.

Sambo, Russia

The development of a self-defense system (sambo is just an acronym) began when the young Soviet state felt the need for trained fighters. Sambo is designed to educate not only the body, but also the spirit of the adept; classical masters place a significant emphasis on patriotism. The Sambo philosophy is constant self-development, wrestling changes, taking the most effective methods used in other martial arts.

Savate, France

Literally, "savate" is translated from French as "old shoe". Sailors came up with an unusual style, forced to fight with their feet on the deck of the ship, since the hands played the role of balance. Savers wear shoes with thick soles and prominent welts. In modern savate, punches exist, but play a secondary role.

Dambe, West Africa

Damba can hardly be called a sports discipline. This is a real art, designed to completely crush the enemy. Its creators, the Khusa people, sent their fighters to neighboring villages to show courage and valor. The master of the dam wraps one hand with several layers of dense fabric, secured with a thick cord - imagine how strong the blows of this mace are! The leading leg of the fighter is wrapped in a chain.

Many people wonder what martial art is better to do in order to feel confident in a conflict situation on the street. It was this question that prompted me to write this short article to help beginner martial artists.

In this article, I will not say anything about street hand-to-hand combat or about applied martial arts in general. It will focus exclusively on those martial arts that I consider the most effective for a street fight today and which I am a fan of.

I would like to make a small reservation right away: martial arts that have applied value are inevitably associated with hardships and hardships. training process. When you come to class, you will definitely get hit on the head, you will most likely be hurt and hard, but the knowledge and experience that you will gain will be one hundred percent real. Starting to engage in one of the martial arts listed in this article, you are guaranteed at least something, but you will learn, it remains only to choose the optimal direction for you.

To begin with, I will announce the truth that absolutely all people who are fond of martial arts know: if you have never done anything before and start from scratch, then BOXING is ideal for street self-defense. The thing is that boxing is a super-universal sport. Having received good base in boxing, further growth in the world of martial arts will not present any problems for you.

One of the main advantages of boxing, compared to other types of martial arts, is the relative simplicity and incredible effectiveness of the practiced technical arsenal. That is why, if you do not have much time and you are faced with the task of learning to fight as quickly as possible, boxing, due to its hyper-specialization, provides the best ratio of the time spent and the knowledge and technical skills gained during this time. Among other things, the method of training boxers in our country has been worked out quite well, so when you come to almost any gym, you will receive high-quality training services.

However, this direction also has disadvantages, which are the reverse side and a continuation of its advantages: due to a rather narrow technical arsenal, the boxer remains vulnerable to a huge range of techniques used in hand-to-hand combat, such as throws, kicks, elbows, knees, wrestling technique, melee technique, etc…. However, this is not a reason to worry: in my experience, about eighty percent of the techniques used in street fights are hands on medium distance. It's rare that the average fight's arsenal exceeds a few crooked punches and a couple of simple kicks. By learning to defend against basic kicks and counter with a standard boxing combination, you'll be safe for the rest of your life.

In order to confidently master the technique of boxing, you only need to spend about 3 years studying it, after which you will not have problems in communicating with people with a low level of culture.

Second in order, but not least, in my personal ranking of the most effective martial arts for street fighting is Thai boxing, or as it is also called, Muay Thai. The advantages of this martial art are that the technical arsenal used is as close as possible to that in a street fight. Blows are delivered with all parts of the body (except for the head), work is carried out both at medium and long distances, and in the clinch.

Thai clinch is a strong thing. It is a set of simple twists, cuts and throws, which, in an organic combination with the Muay Thai striking technique, become an incredibly effective weapon and a way to create a lot of problems even for experienced mixed martial artists! In my deepest conviction, this is the closest technical arsenal to real, applied hand-to-hand combat, and this is how the use of elements of combat in practice should look like, in real life. Amplitude throws and stalls, popular in wrestling circles, in my opinion, are not suitable for street fighting.

Despite the significant role of the parterre in competitions in mixed martial arts, it is highly undesirable to transfer the battle to the ground in a street fight. And if you still ended up on the ground, which is quite likely, your main task is to get back on your feet as quickly as possible. Do not try to mess with anyone, otherwise get out of extreme situation you may not be alive and well, since the rules governing your safe stay on the ground at sports competitions do not apply on the street.

However, in order to sufficiently master the technical arsenal of Muay Thai, you need to spend significantly more time than if you were to take up English boxing. The combination of striking technique of arms and legs requires greater coordination and motor talent, which is why the required frequency of visits sports hall to obtain reliable self-defense skills will be higher than that of boxing.

For those who do not want to bother and spend a lot of time on martial arts, this option is not ideal. However, if you feel enthusiastic about martial arts and have enough time to regularly attend training, then Thai boxing is your choice.

And, finally, if you want to take martial arts seriously and get the maximum practical value from training, then I would strongly recommend that you go to combat sambo. Combat Sambo is the most complex combat system I know of. It absorbed all the best and proved to be extremely effective not only within our country, but also in the international arena. This is an open, flexible hand-to-hand combat system that is constantly evolving and improving, cultivating all possible martial arts techniques and holding competitions according to the most free rules.

The technical arsenal of Sambo is inexhaustible. To master it fully is impossible. It includes both wrestling techniques and striking techniques of arms and legs, painful and suffocating techniques, a special section for special services, a section for working with weapons, all-out combat techniques, detention, escort, etc. .... In general, to briefly summarize all of the above, sambo is an encyclopedia of the best knowledge available to a person in the field of sports and applied martial arts today. If you decide to take up combat sambo, then be patient, because this peak will simply not submit to you.

Practicing SAMBO, you will receive not highly specialized skills, as you would receive in boxing, but a fairly wide range of knowledge that you can apply in a wide range of situations.

However, if we are talking about a self-defense option and you are interested in solving applied tasks on the street, winning fights, then the combat sambo arsenal will be redundant and not optimal for you, since it contains many techniques specialized for the conditions of a competitive duel that are not desirable for use in real fight. What you can painlessly perform on the carpet, in good light, having previously warmed up and stretched out, is guaranteed to give you a lot of trouble when trying to implement the same thing on the street, where the surface is most often heterogeneous and hard, there is not much space for performing the technique. , the enemy may not be alone or armed, and temperature drops and “cold” muscles are guaranteed to lead you to injury when you try to show a “beautiful” technique. Well, this is not the fault of Sambo as a system: the point is, as I have already said, that the selection of the most effective and efficient technical actions in any combat sport is based on the conditions and rules of the duel. With the same success, a sambo fighter will experience difficulties entering the cage at mixed martial arts competitions, where there is no wrestling jacket familiar to him, which makes it difficult to perform many tricks. But it is worth making a reservation: eighty percent of the technical arsenal practiced in combat sambo suitable for universal use in any outdoor situation.

In addition, if you do not have sufficient time resources for deep immersion in this martial art and its thorough development, it is better to look at one of the options listed above.

Therefore, in summary, it is necessary to outline the main features of the above styles of hand-to-hand combat: go in for boxing if you are running out of time, but you want to learn how to fight ... if you have more time (about 3 free evenings a week), choose Muay Thai, but if you are a fan martial arts and are going to get carried away with it seriously and for a long time, then combat sambo is your choice!

The truth, in my opinion, always lies somewhere in the middle. Speaking about solving applied issues (winning on the street), I personally would lean towards training in Thai boxing (Muay Thai). In my opinion, hand-to-hand combat training is a rather time-consuming and difficult task that requires regularity and constancy. By practicing Muay Thai a little more often, you will gain incomparably more experience and master a much more diverse technical arsenal than in English boxing, and at the same time not excessive, as in combat sambo. That is why in my personal ranking of the most effective martial arts for street fighting, Thai boxing takes first place!

From the very beginning of their history, people have tried to come up with the most sophisticated techniques for inflicting pain and injuring the enemy. It all started with claws and teeth, then there was an era of sticks and stones, and gradually all this resulted in systems of a wide variety of martial arts.

Some types of martial arts are really more like an art, for example, a dance, while others have left nothing from the battle except extreme efficiency and lethality. We will consider the latter:

An ancient martial art from Cambodia, another name is "Labokka-tao". Translated from the ancient language, it translates as "beating a lion." Bokator originated on the battlefield, during the clash of ancient armies, and not in daily small skirmishes, so it is not surprising that this system takes into account the application various kinds weapons - sticks, spears, etc.

This is a Canadian invention. Today it is no longer practiced, but during the Second World War, Kombato proved to be extremely deadly look martial arts that Canadian soldiers used against opponents (the Canadians fought mainly in Italy and Northern Europe, approx. site).

Jeet Kune Do

In Chinese it sounds like Tsequandao“, in translation means “The Way of the Leading Fist”. This style developed by Bruce Lee contained all the most effective techniques all the martial arts that the "Little Dragon" owned. For his style, Bruce chose only those elements that were truly useful in combat, focusing not on spectacle, but on effectiveness.

There is a unique, only video that has come down to us -.

Sib pal ki

This martial art has been in service with the Korean armies for hundreds of years. It is built on three main elements - lunge, strike, cut. What distinguishes Sib Pal Ki from other Korean martial arts is its greater emphasis on efficiency and less on philosophy.

Although today Capoeira is more of a dance than a fighting style, at the very beginning this martial art was quite intimidating. It appeared several hundred years ago in Brazil, in the settlements of slaves. Capoeira was created so that a runaway slave could protect himself if caught, which quickly fell under the ban.

Kajukenbo (kajukenbo)

This American-Hawaiian hybrid appeared relatively recently, around the time of World War II. The name is not accidental: "ka" - karate, "ju" - judo, "ken" - kempo, or Chinese boxing. The history of the emergence of this martial art is interesting - it was invented by the Hawaiians for self-defense both from street gangs and from drunken American sailors.

The word familiar to the Russian ear means "self-defense without weapons" and is a deadly combination of shock and wrestling techniques. This martial art was developed by order of the Red Army in the 20s of the last century. Sambo includes the most effective techniques and tactics of various kinds combat sports, martial arts and folk types of wrestling: Azerbaijani (gulesh), Uzbek (Ҟzbekcha kurash), Georgian (chidaoba), Kazakh (kazaksha kures), Tatar (tatarcha korәsh), Buryat wrestling; Finnish-French, free-American, English wrestling of the Lancashire and Cumberland styles, Swiss, Japanese judo and sumo and other martial arts.

Balintawak Eskrima

Also known as Balintavak Arnis or simply Balintavak. This martial art comes from the Philippines. The technique is so effective and sophisticated that the Spanish colonialists banned the Filipinos from practicing Baliwantak after several massive riots. The heyday of the style came in the 50s of the XX century.

Although the English word "spear" in translation means "spear", the name of this type of combat has nothing to do with melee weapons. The English abbreviation SPEAR (Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelerated Response, approx. site) means "spontaneous defense with an accelerated counterattack." The style is almost entirely built on the use of natural human reflexes and is in service with many police services in the world.

GRU special forces combat system

As the name implies, it is used in Russian military intelligence. Extremely effective style battle, where the enemy is disabled as quickly and reliably as possible. Experts say that there is only one analogue in the world that is comparable in effectiveness and lightning speed - Krav Maga, used by Israeli special forces.

Krav Maga

Actually, the Israeli twin of the previous type of battle. Fast and reliable is the main message. None sports competitions Krav Maga is not held, there are no amateur sections.

Muay Thai

At home, it is called "the art of eight limbs", in the West the name " Thai boxing". Due to the active use of the elbows, knees, feet and shins, even sports fights often lead to serious injuries. Muay Thai is very ancient art fight, however, it gained worldwide popularity relatively recently, after the release of the film "Kickboxer", where leading role performed by Jean-Claude VanDamme.

Vale Tudo

Widely known under the names "Fight without rules", "Fight mixed style or Mixfight. In Portuguese, "vale tudo" means "everything is good" or "everything that works." This martial art of Brazilian origin came to Russia not so long ago - the first MMA championship took place in 1995, where the Russian fighter Mikhail Ilyukhin, having reached the final, lost first place to the Brazilian champion named Ricardo Morais. Currently the most famous Russian athlete of this style - Fedor Emelianenko.

This world famous martial art is based on merging with the opponent's attack and redirecting the attacker's energy. Simply put, the strength of the enemy is used against him. Leaving the distance to bring the opponent off balance is a common thing. This art is so traumatic that there are no competitions in traditional styles of aikido. In addition, the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, rejected the very possibility of any rivalry: “In Aikido there are no and cannot be competitions and competitions.”

Originally from medieval Japan, translated means "the art of being invisible." Ninjutsu is an invention of the Japanese spy clans, or "ninja", there is no concept of "rule" itself. Anything is used as a weapon, any means are suitable to achieve the goal. The training of the ninja began from infancy, literally from the very cradle, which was rocked so that, hitting the wall, it helped the baby learn to group upon impact. Ninja mastered swimming before walking, they could walk along a dangling rope like a wide bridge, and legends still circulate about the ability to “merge” with the environment for camouflage. Usually, the collision of an ordinary ninja with an ordinary samurai did not bode well for the latter, because the samurai, with his laws of honor, was initially vulnerable. Because of the extreme unscrupulousness of the ninja performers, they were also called "genin", or "inhuman".

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