What martial art to choose for self-defense. The best martial art for street fighting: which type is the most effective and why

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:

Ancient martial arts 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 ki Thai 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 types of martial arts, martial arts and folk types of wrestling: Azerbaijani (gulesh), Uzbek (uzbekcha kurash), Georgian (chidaoba), Kazakh (kazaksha kures), Tatar (tatarcha koresh), 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. An extremely effective fighting style 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. There are no sports competitions in Krav Maga, no amateur sections exist.

Muay Thai

At home, it is called "the art of eight limbs", in the West the name "Thai boxing" is popular. 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, but it gained worldwide popularity relatively recently, after the release of the film "Kickboxer", where the main role was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme.

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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Let's start with the most best school- the one that suits you personally, your physical form and seeing myself in the martial arts. You can succeed in any of them, if you wish - but for mastering the peaks of sumo, asthenics, for example, will have to spend more time. In the end, martial arts are the same training, only with shock or throwing techniques.

Different areas of martial arts develop different qualities and even muscle groups. Some of them teach you how to use the energy of an opponent, others are aimed at practicing powerful punches, others with legs, and others will build 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 only take 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 art is suitable for those who want to learn self-defense techniques. Jiu-jitsu emphasizes the skills of a fighter on the ability to defend himself, to free himself from captures, to use tactics not to attack, but to use the opponent's strength to his advantage.

Kicks and punches are present, but the technique does not roll into hand-to-hand combat. The main thing here is the efficient use of energy (our own and someone else's), which allows you to defeat a larger and strong adversary. Jiu-jitsu does not belong to the aggressive types, this martial art pumps dexterity and dexterity.

taekwondo

This Korean martial art is so popular that in 1988 it was included in the program. Olympic Games. The translation of the name into Russian: “the path of the hand and foot”, which unequivocally hints at the upcoming mastery of the art of strikes with all limbs. Taekwondo combines both attack and self-defense techniques, besides, these are exercises, an official sport, meditative techniques and a whole oriental philosophy.

IN state of the art Taekwondo focuses on defense and control. The emphasis is on standing kicks, as the legs can reach farther and deal more damage than the hands. In the technique of martial arts - various sweeps, painful holds, strikes with an open palm 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 as a development of strength, dexterity, the ability to stand up for oneself - regardless of physical data. Aikido is the art of protection for everyone, because there are no restrictions on age and physical development.

Aikido techniques for the most part consist in using the 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 way.

wushu

Very spectacular view sports with full contact. This Chinese martial art has a lot of strength, acrobatics, jumps, balancing, beautiful poses and strikes (like in a movie). Another name is kung fu, since the term "wushu" itself refers to all traditional Chinese martial arts.

There are hundreds of wushu subspecies, somewhere more than acrobatics and "stage skills", somewhere - powerful blows and tricks, sweeps and "turntables". The main thing you need to know before making a choice in favor of 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) way." Judo is based on throws, painful holds, strangulations. Movement 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, because it has a good educational character and teaches the harmony of soul and body.

Unlike boxing, karate, and other striking styles, judo only explores hand-to-hand combat techniques to perform throws and grapples. This martial art formed the basis of other modern martial arts: the creators of aikido, sambo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu were engaged in it.

Despite the sports orientation and following the rules of the competition, no one would want to meet a judoka in an extreme situation. These are always prepared people who will repulse any villain in a dark alley.

Sambo

Sambo is a system of self-defense without weapons, which was developed in the USSR. Judo, Armenian koch, Tatar kuresh and many other martial arts formed the basis of martial arts.

At the heart of practical sambo is a complex effective techniques defenses and attacks that have already been worked out by centuries of donor martial arts. It is noteworthy that SAMBO is constantly developing, including new techniques and techniques in its arsenal. The philosophy of martial arts resembles the principles of the GTO: physical development, readiness for self-defense, detention of the enemy, education of moral stamina.

Karate

Or karate-do, translated from Japanese - "empty sleeve". From 2020, martial arts will become olympic view sport, although it was originally a hand-to-hand style for self-defense.

Now karate is incredibly popular, in part, thanks to spectacular demonstrations. Masters on demonstration performances show the strength and power of practiced blows, breaking thick boards with a blow of the palm or splitting blocks of ice.

Unlike many Japanese martial arts, karateka does not use grips, painful and suffocating techniques. But they know how to hit an opponent in a vital way with accurate and powerful blows. important points body. Crushing and biting urakens, spectacular and swift ura-mawashi-geri... Perhaps, you won't find a more Japanese style.

Boxing

Boxing is a classic that it makes no sense to talk about in detail. It's worth mentioning that this sport produces fighters who REALLY know how to use their hands, and in a street fight they are difficult to compete with. By the way, everyone remembers the duel of the star UFC Conor McGregor with professional boxer Mayweather? That's the same.

If you want to enroll in the boxing section, you should be aware of some of the nuances. Firstly, it is difficult for a boxer to cope with an armed opponent, and secondly, with kicks. The third point - in an extreme situation, you will not have gloves, a referee, ropes and a girl with a sign. On the other hand, dodge punches and knock out boxers in the blood, so attack and defense are balanced here.

Thai boxing

Muay Thai is the martial art of 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 duel. There are strict rules here, but the blows are the same. Here - full contact, striking technique with hands and feet, and the goals are the most vulnerabilities on the body.

Grabs and throws are also important, especially chokes. If you master this martial art, you will be able to confidently walk through the most dangerous areas of the city (but it’s better not to do it anyway), because the training will be harsh. Thais are preparing real fighters without rules who can resist any opponent.

It may be difficult for you to combine training and public speaking at work, as sometimes you will have bruises on your face and marks from grips on your neck.

Kickboxing

Another type of martial arts that prepares 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 oriental styles and boxing fist techniques.

Kickboxing is popular in culture, because it is spectacular, dynamic and somewhat “bloody” - full contact leaves cuts and hematomas, so athletes usually use a cap, a helmet (to protect their heads from kicks) and also an inguinal shell (for girls - a cuirass).

Kickboxers are similar to CrossFitters in that they build strength, endurance, coordination, speed, and flexibility.

Professional boxers, Muay Thai, judoists, sambists are always dangerous opponents. Choose martial arts to your liking, but do not forget: best fight- the one that didn't work. In this sense, running can also be called martial arts for real pacifists.

Well? Which of these areas did you like? Maybe it's time to go for a trial workout? Book a lesson with our free mobile application Sport Priority near your home or work in your city, plan your training schedule and get useful facts and stories from the world of sports in your spare time.

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 counterattack with a standard boxing combination you will 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 masters. mixed martial arts! In my deepest conviction, this is the closest to the real, applied hand-to-hand combat technical arsenal, and this is how the application of the elements of wrestling in practice should look like, in real life. Amplitude throws and stalls, popular in wrestling circles, in my opinion, are for street fight are not suitable.

Despite the significant role of the stall in mixed martial arts competitions, it is highly undesirable to transfer the fight 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 you may not be able to get out of an extreme situation alive and healthy, since the rules governing your safe stay on earth are sports competitions, do not work 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 issues of an applied nature (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!

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 thought of fighting like Jackie Chan, breaking boards with your 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 just 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 turns into an interesting martial art. Russia is just such a country. After the revolution, all the numerous experience of wrestling with bare hands was combined into "Self-defense without weapons" or sambo. Both government agents and ordinary soldiers were trained in this type of struggle.

And here is Sambo in action.

2. Muay Thai. Country of Origin: Thailand

The borders of Thailand were also often violated, so there is nothing surprising in the fact that they had their own martial art, no. Another name for Muay Thai is eight limb fighting, or Thai boxing. What are the extra limbs? Elbows and knees, of course! Wrestlers use them like clubs, masterfully beating their opponents with them. The force of impact in this kind of martial arts is simply amazing. A 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 originates in 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 rejoicing, put up a great master of the Burmese martial art, called lethwei. They say that dude held out against Tom for 10 seconds and was brutally killed. But the judge decided that Tom was cheating, distracting his opponent. Being a true gentleman, the Muay Thai master agreed to nine(!) fights that were won with amazing ease and cruelty. The King of Burma was amazed at Tom's skill and offered him, along with the freedom to choose, two awards: two very beautiful girls and a bag of money. Tom refused money (happiness is not in them), but he took women. And he went with them into the sunset 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 peculiarity was the ability to use a pistol, a bayonet-knife, a rifle with a bayonet as an improvised weapon for close combat. Most often, the program is used to neutralize the 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 has also suffered a lot in its time. Pirates, the Portuguese, the British, and even the Japanese - all these dudes tried to bend the Malays. But they did not whine and invented silat.

Many martial arts were invented to improve the body and spirit, find yourself and complete your spiritual quest. So, silat does not apply to them. The first masters of this martial art used it to beat the enemy to a state of instability with lightning attacks in 10 seconds, and then finish off the half-dead with something heavy. Various sneaky blows and tricks are encouraged by silat masters.

The most brutal and vile methods of fighting are still being taught in the jungles of Malaysia. Rumor has it that such masters at the age of 7-10 years once beat an adult to a pulp. The dudes who were taught silat spent years in dark caves where they couldn't see beyond their noses. While Shaolin monks learn restraint, silat lunatics learn from a young age to tear flesh like beasts.

By the way, masters of silat actively use kris - a wavy dagger that tears out pieces of meat from 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. Exkrima. Country of Origin: Philippines

Exkrima is an ancient Filipino art of beating opponents with wooden sticks at staggering speed. Until 1521, the Filipinos practiced exkrima on each other, but then Magellan arrived, and foreigners tried on their own skin what the Filipino martial art means.

Exkrima 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, exkrima was banned and survived only because it was disguised as a dance.

The problem of choosing any type of martial arts for study is very relevant. It's sad to see people spend 20 years in martial arts only to be beaten up by someone who hasn't spent a single day in the training room. Unfortunately, this happens often. However, there are many types of martial arts, doing which, you can get the necessary adequate skills.

The question of which martial art is the most effective and best suited for self-defense has been discussed for many years. It is this aspect that is most important when choosing one or another type. Unfortunately, not all martial arts are sufficiently functional and effective in terms of self-defense. In addition, it must be borne in mind that the needs of all people are different, so what works for one will not bring any benefit to another. However, of all the existing ones, one can single out the most effective types martial arts. Choosing any of them will be useful for improving self-defense skills.

Aikido

This type of martial art is considered by many to have one of the worst reputations in terms of self-defense. This point of view has its reasons. On the one hand, aikido is almost useless against anyone with decent martial arts skills. However, it can be very effective for people who must constantly monitor aggressive and unskilled people in terms of combat training.

Police officers, security personnel are the people most likely to benefit from aikido as it focuses on controlling the enemy and redirecting the energy of the attack. There are many arts that will teach you how to knock out an opponent, but not every situation can be done.

Aikido was created by Morihei Ueshiba, who combined his experience in several martial arts to create a self-defense system that is largely spiritual. Most of the techniques are based on the art of swordsmanship. On the one hand, this system has good tricks captures and throws, allowing you to resist a not too prepared opponent without causing him much harm, but it will be impossible to resist an experienced fighter with such a technique.

Silat

It is a martial art that has influenced many systems of martial arts or self-defense. He is one of the most effective styles martial arts. This fighting style is very quick strikes, balance manipulation and hard submission techniques.

Silat is a Southeast Asian martial art practiced in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. There are many origin stories around it.

What are its advantages? Silat is a self-defense system that covers a wide range of combat aspects. The weapons, punching and grappling techniques all make him incredibly dangerous. Anyone who attacks a silat expert will eventually be defeated. For those who are trying to figure out which martial art is the most effective on the street, silat is one of the most suitable options.

Muay Thai

Known in the same way as Muay Thai, it deserves a place on any list of martial arts that are suitable for self-defense. This is a combat system, in the arsenal of which powerful blows legs, fists, elbows and knees.

It was he who became the source of training for MMA fighters, although Muay Thai is equally excellent for street self-defense.

Muay Thai is a difficult martial art, but it uses all the skills needed on the street. This is what makes it one of the most effective martial arts for self defense.

This type of fighting appeared several hundred years ago, and many believe that it arose as a result of the migration of tribes from China. In the difficult conditions of almost constant wars throughout the history of Thailand and neighboring states, this art was used during battles. Needless to say, Muay Thai has proven itself both on the battlefield and in sports arena.

Karate

Karate is considered by many experts to be one of the most effective martial arts. The reason for this is the nature of the system. Kicks, punches, blocks are all part of the karate training program.

This style has fairly low requirements for beginners. Students work on perfecting strong punches and kicks. This style of martial arts commands respect, however, compared to other martial arts, it lacks defensive techniques.

The exact origins of karate are unknown, however it is generally believed to have originated on the island of Okinawa, and due to various weapon bans in the history of the islands, it was originally a style that used the "empty hand" technique, although some have subsequently been made. improvements.

Why is karate good for self defense? One of the clear advantages of this style is strong blows. Some of the disadvantages include the excessive use of rigid blocks. However, the rigidity of karate is not always a bad thing. Suffice it to recall some MMA fighters, such as Lota Machida, who does a very good job using karate as a base.

In general, excellent physical fitness, powerful punches and kicks make karate one of the most effective martial arts suitable for self-defense. However, it should be borne in mind that there are different styles of it, which are to varying degrees suitable for self-defense purposes.

wing chun

This is a Chinese style of martial arts that has gained immense popularity in recent years, thanks in large part to the success of the Ip Man films. leading role. Many people, answering the question of which type of martial arts is the most effective, call it exactly.

The actual origin of Wing Chun remains a controversial issue, but there is one most popular theory of its origin. This is the story of a Buddhist nun, Ng Mui. It is said that she was one of the five elders of the Shaolin Temple who managed to escape before its destruction. Thanks to high level Shaolin martial arts, she created a form of self-defense that would allow her to withstand an opponent who was superior in size and weight, which was especially true for a fragile woman. She drew inspiration for Wing Chun from the movements of animals, most notably the crane. Applied to the human form, these delicate yet natural movements required little force, but allowed effective blocking and striking.

Ng Mui's first student in an as yet unnamed form was a beautiful young girl named Im Wing Chun, whom the head of the local gang tried to force into marriage. Having mastered the art, she was still able to protect herself and stop the onslaught of the bandit. It was in honor of her, as the first student of Nun Ng Mui, that the the new kind martial art. With zero sports skills, wing chun is able to provide the necessary self-defense skills. Yes, as in any art, there are good and bad instructors, but this is a very reliable and practical system of self-defense for close combat.

The strength of Wing Chun lies in its direct approach. In this martial art, the practitioner becomes very strong and delivers very targeted whipping blows. Thus, it is indeed one of the most effective martial arts that was created specifically for self-defense.

brazilian jiu-jitsu

This art is quite effective as a self-defense system. However, he does have weaknesses when it comes to defense against weapons and group attacks. Judo is the basis for Jiu-Jitsu. Accordingly, most of the attention is paid to the fighting technique, painful and suffocating techniques and, to a lesser extent, to blows. This style has been used by many MMA fighters.

Nowadays, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become more of a sport than a self-defense system. However, there are enough techniques that can be used effectively for self-defense.

MMA

The sport has already become a global phenomenon. His arsenal is made up of knockout punches, chokes, grabs. The disadvantage of MMA in terms of self-defense is the need for serious physical training.

A big plus with these workouts is fast growth skills in all areas. Thus, over time, one can become a very skilled opponent for any attacker. The downside of this is that the practitioner is more focused on the sport, with all its limitations, rather than self-defense. For example, there is no knife protection at all. But despite this, its parts are included in the list of the most effective martial arts.

Krav Maga

This is perhaps one of the most famous and effective self-defense systems in the world. The word Krav Maga in Hebrew means " contact fights”, and this is the official system of the Israel Defense Forces.

The origin of Krav Maga can be traced back to Czechoslovakia (modern-day Slovakia) even before the outbreak of World War II. Its founder was a young Jewish athlete named Imi Lichtenfeld. Imi was famous nationally and international level boxer, wrestler and gymnast. Beginning in the mid-1930s, fascist and anti-Semitic groups came to power in Czechoslovakia, which led to oppression and violence against Jewish communities. Lichtenfeld organized a group of young men to patrol and defend against potential attackers. However, he quickly realized that his training in combat sports do not go to any comparison with bandit methods. Fighting for points in a match and fighting for your life in a street fight require a different mindset and different techniques. Imi began to synthesize his knowledge of martial arts and began to focus on attacks that quickly disabled and neutralized the threat.

Thus, this type of martial arts was originally created as the most effective martial art.

When Lichtenfeld moved to Palestine in 1942, he joined the Haganah, a pre-Israeli Jewish paramilitary organization on a mission to protect Jewish settlers from locals who did not welcome new arrivals. Israeli military leaders quickly noticed Imi's fighting skills and his ability to teach them to others.

After Israel gained statehood in 1948, Lichtenfeld was appointed Chief Instructor in physical training at the IDF Combat Training School. It was in this role that he developed what is known today as Krav Maga.

This type of martial art, the most effective, according to many experts, is a tactical system of mixed martial arts and self-defense, which combines boxing, judo, jujitsu and aikido. In recent years, elements of other martial arts such as Muay Thai and Wing Chun have been incorporated into Krav Maga.

Principles of Krav Maga

In fact, they form the basis of this martial art.

  1. Neutralize the threat. The main goal in Krav Maga is to neutralize the enemy as quickly as possible. It governs all other principles of Krav Maga. It consists in dominating and incapacitating the attacker as quickly as possible.
  2. Be more simple. Krav Maga has simple punches, holds and blocks. This system has been designed in such a way that it can be used as quickly as possible.
  3. Simultaneous defense and attack. Many martial arts treat defensive and offensive movements as separate and discrete actions, such as first blocking (defensive mode), then hitting (attacking action). The downside to this approach is that it is reactive and ends up being sucked into a loop of endless defensive moves. Krav Maga combines offensive and defensive movement: the fighter simultaneously seeks to thwart the attack and counterattack. It should be noted that Wing Chun has a similar principle of simultaneous defense and attack.
  4. Continuous movement. Related to the principles of simultaneous defense and attack is "retz", the Hebrew word for "continuous movement". Its purpose is to neutralize the attacker by continuous consecutive aggressive defense and offensive movements. Retzev requires the fighter to work instinctively rather than relying on a pre-established routine technique.
  5. Using the capabilities of weapons. Can be used in Krav Maga firearms and knives. Apart from these traditional weapons, Krav Maga also teaches practitioners to improvise and use any object at their disposal as a weapon. Keys, handles, straps and chairs can be incorporated into the Krav Maga technique to neutralize the opponent as quickly as possible.
  6. Weapon protection. In addition to teaching weapon skills, Krav Maga also shows you how to defend yourself against armed attack.
  7. Focusing on vulnerable soft tissues and pressure points. A well-known tenet of Krav Maga is its emphasis on attacking vulnerable soft tissues and points. Many counterattacks involve impacts on the eyes, groin, and throat.

Thus, Krav Maga is tough, but at the same time the most effective martial art in the world.