6) MUAY-THAI

Muay-Thai is an older martial art that originated in Thailand many centuries ago. Muay-thai is a striking-based martial art that emphasizes punching, kicking, knee, and elbow strikes. Similar to boxing, muay-thai teaches practitioners how to deliver speedy and powerful attacks while simultaneously defending from their opponent’s strikes.

Due to the powerful nature of muay-thai training, practitioners will gain a strong base of conditioning and endurance, which can help practitioners withstand physical stress in a fight. Since muay-thai is designed as more of a sport, some of the learned techniques may not be practical in street fighting due to their flashy nature.

7) KRAV MAGA

Krav Maga was created for the Israeli military as a practical and effective martial art focusing on real-life situations. The easy-to-learn techniques and emphasis on practicality make it the most ideal martial art for self-defense.

Practitioners learn to be constantly aware of their surroundings and use everyday objects as weapons to escape their attackers. Even something as simple as a dollar bill can be used as a weapon and possibly be life-saving.

A downside of Krav Maga for self-defense and street fighting is that there typically isn’t any sparring. Sparring is pertinent to self-defense training and street fights because it is the closest thing to a ‘live’ situation and the only way to truly prepare for a real-life situation. Krav Maga is also known to create false confidence, which could result in serious injury.

Practitioners will learn hand-to-weapon techniques like disarming a gun or knife, which may not be the best response in every self-defense or street fight scenario. 

8) KARATE

Karate is one of the oldest and most well-known martial arts in history.

With origins in Japan, deriving from ancient Chinese fighting styles, Karate heavily emphasizes striking techniques, including punches, kicks, and knee strikes, as well as defensive techniques like blocks and evasions.

It is effective in close-quarter combat situations and can be used to block and escape from your attacker quickly. Despite its popularity, there are some major downfalls to Karate in a self-defense situation.

The biggest downfall is that Karate is heavily technique-based and, unlike some of the aforementioned martial arts, is conducted in a choreographic style. Practitioners learn ‘katas,’ or a sequence of Karate moves in a pre-arranged fight scenario. It could take over ten years to learn basic techniques used in Karate and apply them in real-life scenarios.

In this case, if you happened to be in a situation where you needed to defend yourself unless your attacker follows the coordinated movement pattern, you likely won’t be able to protect yourself. Additionally, karate practitioners may be less prepared to deal with multiple attackers or attackers armed with weapons. Despite these potential drawbacks, Karate remains a popular martial art for self-defense and is widely practiced worldwide.

9) TAEKWONDO

Taekwondo is an ancient Korean martial art mainly known for its high, fast, and powerful kicks. Taekwondo loosely translates to “foot, fist, discipline.” It emphasizes using only the best techniques and the entire body in striking, focusing on generating power through the hips and core while prioritizing strengthening your mind.

Like any striking-based martial art, learning taekwondo can help you in any self-defense or street fight setting because you will learn how to deliver powerful strikes to your offender and avoid any in return. However, taekwondo is another choreograph-like fighting style, so applying the techniques actual fighting outside the forms or “poomsae” takes much knowledge and skill.

In taekwondo is also no ground training or weapons defense training. Though it lacks practicality in a street setting, it is among the most popular martial arts in the western world and serves as an excellent foundation for learning how to fight.

10) WING CHUN

Wing Chun is a traditional Chinese martial art created by Yim Wing Chun, who is said to have been inspired by the movements of animals like the snake and crane. Wing Chun is a close-quarters combat style emphasizing rapid, direct strikes to vulnerable targets on the opponent’s body and trapping and grappling techniques.

Its practitioners train to use their entire body as a weapon, focusing on the economy of motion and using the opponent’s energy against them. Wing Chun has gained popularity because it is considered a more practical fighting method than traditional martial arts.

Practitioners also learn to defend and attack their opponent simultaneously instead of doing one then the other. It is also noted that anyone of any shape and size can successfully use Wing Chun because it teaches how to use the entire body’s structure to create power in a small space, making it effective on opponents much larger.

However, Wing Chun’s lack of emphasis on kicks and longer-range techniques may be a disadvantage in some street fight settings where the attacker is at a distance. Additionally, Wing Chun is a form-based technique that, as discussed, is limited in a freestyle setting. 

11) KUNG-FU

Kung Fu is a centuries-old, traditional Chinese martial art that originated in the Shaolin Temple by monks. The monks created Kung Fu as a means of physical conditioning and self-defense. Kung fu encompasses various styles with unique techniques, forms, and philosophies of striking, grappling, joint-locking techniques, kicks, and acrobatic maneuvers.

There are hundreds of different styles of Kung Fu, some of the most notable being Shaolin, Tai Chi, and Wushu. No matter the style, Kung Fu emphasizes practical and effective techniques to adapt to any situation.

The only downside is that, once again, it is a (strict) form-based martial art that can take years to master enough to apply in a real-life fight or self-defense situation. The techniques are a good base foundation for practical martial arts and a great way to learn discipline and peacefulness within the mind.