Within the realm of martial arts, I’m asked all the time which art is the best to train. In return, I ask a series of questions and my response depends on those answers. I’ve trained many martial arts – some extensively and some briefly – Boxing, BJJ, Judo, Nin-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon do, etc. As in most things, the answer is not which is best but which is best for what situation and purpose. As we’ll discuss, best is a relative term dictated by multiple factors including speed of use, effectiveness over time, ability to functionally train, well roundedness, expected situations, and enjoyment.

            I first ask how quickly someone needs to effectively use what they learn. There are some martial arts you can learn a few moves and quickly use them to great effect. There are others that take years to effectively use. For example, you learn and train a jab and cross in boxing or a good double leg in wrestling until you become proficient and you can quickly use those in a fight very effectively. Something like Nin-Jitsu which requires precise manipulation of joints and targeting of pressure points using precise movements will take years to effectively use.

            The next question is how effective someone wants to be at the end of their journey with a particular martial art. Of course, the longer you train any martial art the more effective you’ll become. This is especially true in an environment and with coaches where you are learning new things and getting the repetitions to make them muscle memory. However, even in a stagnant environment where you are just drilling a set of knowledge you’ve already learned, the more you do it; the better you’ll get. That said, different martial arts have a cap on how effective they can be in a violent situation. For example, while Boxing and Wrestling can be used quickly, the number of weapons (hands and takedowns) and their severity are very limited. Due to this, their effectiveness over time is limited as well. Nin Jitsu, on the other hand, takes years to be effective but the number of weapons (hand and foot strikes, pressure points, joint manipulation, etc.) and their severity are extreme. Therefore, the effectiveness over time is extremely high.

            Next in importance is the ability to functionally train an art. This was recognized numerous times by different founders of martial arts. Jigoro Kano recognized that Jiu Jitsu’s greatest enemy was the number of students who were seriously injured training. He saw the need to make changes which allowed students to train with a lower chance of injury and Judo was born. I currently have a black belt in Judo and purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) but during my journey I’ve torn an ACL, a meniscus, and my bicipital tendon out of the bicipital groove. With the number of injuries I’ve had and I’ve seen others go through, I can only imagine how many injuries there were when Jiu Jitsu was practiced at full speed. When every strike and move is meant to kill or maim, it makes training that art, fully and effectively, very difficult. Some common arts you can train fully and effectively are BJJ, Judo, boxing, Tae Kwon Do, Sambo, and Muay Thai. These arts allow you to spar and compete at full speed. They can be devastating but don’t intentionally target the body in a way that will cause serious injury before the opponent has a chance to submit. Some arts you cannot train fully and effectively are Jiu Jitsu, Nin Jitsu, Silat, Eskrima, and Krav Maga. Don’t get me wrong, you can train them but much more control is required because the potential for death or serious injury is much higher. You can’t spar your hardest with these arts and therefore it’s difficult to truly test how effective you are at them unless you end up in a real situation to use them. You can’t eye gouge, groin kick, or break the bones of your training partners and expect to still have people to train with.

Part of this is also tied to how your opponent will react. If you’ve ever trained an art you can go full speed with then you know that people react all kinds of ways but the way you’d expect them too. Additionally, performing a technique with a fully resistant opponent versus an opponent giving you nominal resistance is completely different. With arts you can’t practice full speed, these elements are very difficult to replicate. Generally, training is done with a prescribed series of movements from both the person doing the move and the person the move is done to. There are new innovations (when talking about the thousands of years of martial arts) like electric knives and certain protective gear, such as Kudo helmets, which allow more full speed training with less risk of injury but these also create new problems. The main issue is this type of equipment takes away some of the healthy fear of being stabbed or hit creating an unrealistic environment. If you regularly train this way, when you are in a real situation, you are more likely to still fight the way you trained and that would be extremely dangerous for you.

On the other side of things, practitioners of martial arts which can’t be trained fully would argue other arts are just watered down. From their point of view, this is true. However, if the changes to an art allow it to be trained at full speed and therefore to a higher skill level then it’s a worthwhile trade off and the increased level of effective training takes the place of any dangerous techniques which were removed.

Of course, a relevant factor for this question is how well rounded a martial art is. Most martial arts are severely lacking when it comes to being well rounded. I’d probably get some disagreement because most martial arts include a technique or two in any position but in practice even these arts have a focus that is almost exclusively trained with the areas outside this focus treated as mere footnotes. For example, Judo includes strikes but I’ve never seen them trained in any school I’ve attended. Arts like boxing, Muay Thai, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Krav Maga will be mostly focused on strikes. Judo and Wrestling are focused on take downs. BJJ, Jiu Jitsu, and Nin Jitsu will primarily be focused on joint manipulation. Silat, Eskrima, and Kendo are focused on weapons. In my opinion, the most complete single arts are Jiu Jitsu and Nin Jitsu as they include techniques for hand and foot strikes, pressure points, weapon work, and joint manipulation both standing and on the ground. Some people would argue Mixed Martial Arts is now the most complete. My issue with this argument is Mixed Martial Arts isn’t really a single art. It is a varied mixture of numerous martial arts depending on where you train and who your coach or trainers are.  As such, it’s not really it’s own art.

The situation you expect to use your trained art in is also very important. In most countries, you have the reasonable expectation of most violent conflict situations being without weapons. If you’re in the Philippines, you can expect a high chance violent conflict will include blades. Then, of course, there are different laws between different countries surrounding weapons and their use in conflict. Depending on which country you’re in, different weapons are illegal in different countries or carry varying levels of legal consequence if used. Making sure your chosen art addresses the most likely type of conflict you’ll encounter while avoiding any unnecessary legal consequences if you have to use it is key. This question also relates to positions which may occur within a fight. Except for a very unusual circumstance, all fights will start on the feet. You better know what you’re doing on your feet, whether it is striking or effectively closing distance. Also, most fights will at some point end up on the ground. You’d better know at least enough on the ground to avoid being controlled and to be able to get back to your feet. Last but not least, if someone with a weapon and someone without a weapon who are equally skilled fight; the fighter with the weapon will always win. As such, you better have some knowledge of armed combat.

Last, but certainly just as important as the above, is how much you enjoy the art you’re training. If you don’t enjoy it, then at some point you are going to give up on the art before you achieve effective mastery. This doesn’t mean you don’t like it because you’re getting beat up, or you’re sore, or any reason along those lines. That will happen with almost any art at the beginning. I mean you don’t find interest in it or it doesn’t align with your physical abilities or talents. Most people are physically inclined toward striking or grappling, to using their hands or their feet, to control or speed. I’d encourage people who find an art interesting but it doesn’t align with their physical abilities to train the art. I’d encourage people who like an art because it aligns with their physical abilities to train the art. If they find it interesting because they find the art interesting and it aligns with their physical abilities even better. However, if they don’t like the art for either of those reasons, I’d encourage them to find something else. The longer you train an art, the more effective you will be at it. Longevity is key. This also coincides with health concerns. I know someone who has scoliosis and a back fused with metal bars. It hurts them to grapple on the ground or be thrown for obvious reasons. However, I’m teaching them to box. There are extreme cases where someone has no physical ability to defend themselves but most people can and should find an art they enjoy and train it until they are efficient and then to retain efficiency.

If I were to give my recommendations for what would best answer all the questions above for the widest range of people I would recommend this course of action. I’d first recommend someone learn to box with a focus on footwork and effectively throwing the jab, cross, hook, and uppercut with proper technique. In addition during this time, I’d have the individual rub their shins with a wooden rod to begin to deaden the nerves. After about a year of that, I’d add in training to defend any wrestling style take down and low kicks. Once another year had gone by (two years total) the individual would effectively be able to strike with their hands, defend against leg kicks, and defend the take down to stay on their feet. Within two years this would enable them to defend themselves and those they love from most individuals in the world who would seek to harm them.

 I would then send this person to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo concurrently. Judo would allow them to decide where the fight will be and give an additional weapon to instantly end the fight. Some may argue for wrestling instead of judo due to it’s equal application no matter what clothing someone is wearing and it’s success in MMA competition. However, it’s success in MMA competition is largely due to the rules against strikes to the spine, neck, and back of the head. Your primary wrestling take downs leave these areas vulnerable. Additionally, most wrestling take downs involve your knee striking or sliding across the ground. This is fine on a mat but on the street it’s going to tear your knees up. Judo is limited depending on what clothing someone is wearing but, with a few modifications, it can still be used in every situation and you’re now seeing that increasingly even in MMA competitions. These arts should be trained for at least four years, twice a week to achieve an acceptable level of proficiency.

Upon completing those four years, I’d recommend training a weapons art. Most likely, I’d recommend Eskrima with a focus on stick fighting. Sticks, batons, pipes, etc are legal most places, can be found in most environments, and can be explained away as something other than a weapon in many cases. They can also be used against most weapons. I would focus on this art for several years.

I would then go back to become fully proficient at Judo and BJJ. Some may argue for Sambo instead and that’s fine as it’s a close approximation although it doesn’t seem to emphasize control as much and focuses on leg locks versus a well-rounded submission repertoire. Once proficient at Judo and BJJ, I’d advise someone to keep broadening their skills with other arts. Maybe dig back into striking and weapon work for more proficiency. I’d highly recommend Muay Thai mainly to learn to use the elbows and knees effectively. I may receive disagreement that I’m not specifically recommending learning how to kick. While kicks can be very powerful weapons, they also come with the potential for extremely high cost where toes, ankles, knees, and shins are all susceptible to catastrophic, fight ending injury every time a kick is thrown. If you snap your shin in half when someone else blocks with their shin, you are done. I’ve seen it happen several times and those fighters never come back the same. If you even break a toe, you become largely immobile. To me, the reward is just not worth the risk. As long as you can defend kicks successfully, that’s what really matters. Last but not least, it goes without saying that training to maintain what you’ve learned in previous arts is paramount as you progress through this training timeline. I also did not specifically mention training marksmanship with rifle or pistol. If you are in a country where firearms are legal, I would recommend buying one of each and hiring a good instructor to teach you to effectively shoot. Within a weekend you can train to effectively hit a target center mass within 50 yards, which is more than enough for most engagements. If you don’t live in a country where firearms are legal, you should vote people into your government who will change the laws. No criminal, regardless of country, has issues getting weapons. Laws only work on law abiding citizens.

To sum up, based on the factors above there will be a different answer for everyone. There are dozens of different martial arts. Only you can research and define all the variables that impact what is the best art or arts for you to train for your specific situation. The insights above will give you a place to start but you are ultimately responsible for making the right choice for you. Whatever you choose, stick it out until you are fully proficient or proficient enough to effectively use it in a real world scenario before you move onto another art to fill a hole in your self defense plan. Self defense is a life long journey. Don’t let a lack of attention to this area cut your life short.

– The Old Man