We have discussed the best martial arts for self defense, the best martial arts for kids and best martial arts for women in our previous entries. In this article, we will discuss the best martial arts to learn.

What is the The Best Martial Arts to Learn?

Best Martial Arts To Learn

When this subject is brought up in casual conversation between people who are unfamiliar with martial arts, and have gained most of their information from TV shows and movies, heated arguments ensue. Some would say that Krava Maga is clearly better than any other style, others might prefer Kickboxing or Muay Thai, and some might bring up Jujutsu. In short, different people have different preferences. However, if you ask a professional, they will tell you there is no such thing as the best martial arts to learn.

Yes, you read that correctly. There simply is no such thing as a martial art style that’s better than others. However, there might be one that’s best for you. You have to consider a few things before you determine the best martial arts to learn for you.

How to choose the best martial arts to learn for you?

Shape

Your shape, form, and conditioning are extremely important in choosing the right style. Do you frequent the gym? Do you play a sport regularly? What kind of daily physical activity are you involved in? What is your BMI? Would you consider yourself as overweight, underweight, or in shape? You have to answer all these questions just to gain self awareness about where you stand when it comes to fitness.

If you are in reasonable shape, you might easily take up MMA. If you are not in shape, you might want to start with Judo or Tai Chi. If you are not in shape but still want to learn high impact styles that require vigorous training, it might be a good idea to join a gym and get in shape first.

Height

If you are short, go for Judo as you will be quicker to get to your opponent’s center of gravity and will be able to utilize the throws effectively. If you are tall and have long limbs, go for Kick Boxing or Muay Thai. Aikido and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is ideal for people that are of average height.

However, this is just a guideline. No matter what your height is, you can learn any style if you are dedicated and committed.

Reason for Taking up Martial Arts

If you are reading this article you probably Googled “best martial arts to learn” or something similar. It means you are at a beginner level and are doing your online research to select the best style. At this stage you should ask yourself why you wish to take up martial arts in the first place.

Most people wish to take up martial arts for one of the three reasons:

  1. They wish to learn self defense.
  2. They think it’s a fun activity and wish to take it up as a sport.
  3. They wish to get in better shape and believe this is the way to do it.

All three are valid reasons, and the best martial arts to learn for you can be determined by one of these reasons. If you find yourself in a lot of fights, and wish to learn how to defend yourself, you should go for high impact striking styles such as Kick Boxing, Western Boxing, or Krav Maga.

If you are into martial arts as a sport, you can go for hybrid styles used in MMA. Some athletes like to specialize in one style while others like to take elements from different styles. In this age of hybridization, the sky is the limit.

If you wish to take up martial arts because you wish to get in shape, make sure you choose a school near your place and start with low impact (soft) styles. Move up from there and do not limit yourself to a single style.

Best Martial Arts To LearnIf for any reason you can’t attend to martial arts school you can always practice some types of martial arts at home, here is a great book on amazon: Solo Training: The Martial Artist’s Guide to Training Alone. Just remember that always better to find a coach, it will be easier and faster to learn martial arts with specialist.

This sums up our discussion on the best martial arts to learn for now. Let us know about your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.