Today, there are many martial arts- some aren’t as practical as others. Some are suitable for street fights. Depending on your goal, choosing the right one is crucial to seeing success with martial arts.
If your goal is to know how to fight, most martial arts will do the trick. Various martial arts provide unique value that’ll make you a solid fighter with time and effort. Knowing which ones will do so will assist you in picking the right one to learn.
The following list is the seven best martial arts for street fights by order. (#1 = The best)
- MMA
- Muay-Thai
- Krav Maga
- Kickboxing
- Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
- Jeet Kune Do
- Judo
Overall, these are the most effective fighting styles in street fights. Therefore, learning one of them is wise in learning how to fight. Furthermore, becoming a solid fighter will be more manageable with these martial arts. The techniques you’ll learn and practice in training are fantastic for the purposes we discussed earlier.
Training in martial arts highly benefits the trainee. Because of that, learning one- is highly valuable, especially in today’s constantly changing world. You’ll experience better physical shape, increased confidence, and plenty more.
I wrote an article elaborating on the benefits you’ll experience from training in martial arts. I highly encourage you to read it.
Before jumping in, having high-quality equipment will assist you in progressing faster. When I did my 14 monthly Krav Maga course, I didn’t have any gear to train at home. Thus I was unable to advance outside of training.
I highly encourage you to buy this punching bag by Everlast, paired with these punching gloves. They’re honestly the best available for the price.
7. Judo
Knowing how to throw your opponent cleanly to the ground is underrated, especially in a street fight. Thus if one can manage to do so, he’ll come out on top. Additionally, you won’t learn this skill in most martial arts. As such, when you do train it, your skillset will broaden.
Judo is a modern Japanese martial art that’s also an Olympic sport. The objective is to pin, throw, or master your opponent. As a result, you’ll win the match. Because such a skill will make you win a fight- knowing how to perform it- is highly valuable. Thus it’s effective in such a scenario.
Many Judo fights, especially in the Olympics, end with an unconscious opponent. Picture yourself fighting an attacker. You end up using your Judo training to master him. As a result, he’s incapable of moving an inch. Not only that, but you can also cause severe damage because of your current position.
You can make him sleep. That’s the goal of knowing how to win street fights. It’ll take plenty of punches to the face until he gets to the same state. Yet, you got there by mastering your opponent and ending up in a submission, which means you win.
Once you watch an Olympic Judo fight, you’ll understand its true powerfulness. Knowing such skills in the real world will be much more valuable than comprehending how to punch. As a result, it’s highly effective for many relevant purposes.
Overall, Judo is a deadly martial art. While many people treat it as a sport, it’s more than that. The pure fighting style is incredible and teaches you valuable skills, including self-defense abilities. Mastering your opponent is the goal of every dangerous encounter.
6. Jeet Kune Do
One of the most influential martial artists in the world is Bruce Lee. Not only was he one of the best fighters, but he was also a film star. His impact on bringing martial arts to the world’s attention was incredible. Eventually, the fighting style he constructed made it to this list for a reason.
Jeet Kune Do, or Bruce Lee’s martial art, is a fighting style that focuses on the individual rather than on culture. Unlike many martial arts, it doesn’t have a rigid set of techniques. Instead, what works best for the individual is the focus of training. As a result, it’s highly effective.
Because of its dynamic nature, many people find high success with it. The whole point of Jeet Kune Do is you can use it for everything. Not only will it fit like traditional martial art, but it’s also a suitable fighting style for self-defense. Eventually, you’ll learn everything you need to know to win a fight.
You’ll study the different pressure points in the human body; you can use them to disable an attacker quickly. In addition, you’ll learn how to punch and kick powerfully. Eventually, you’ll own a broad skillset that’ll make you a solid fighter.
The problem of Jeet Kune Do is its advantage. It’s dynamic nature. Because of that, there aren’t many schools that teach it properly. As a result, learning it may be challenging. In addition, if you end up attending Jeet Kune Do classes, ensure the school is valid.
Yet, there isn’t a single part in my body that’ll tell you not to learn Jeet Kune Do. Because of that, if you find a good school you believe in, start training. You’ll learn all about choking, pressure points, punching, kicking, grappling, and other practical skills for street fights.
5. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
One of the most valuable skills you can learn is maneuvering your opponent to create a safe environment in a fight. What do I mean by that? How you can create a space where your opponent is unable to do anything. Therefore, you’ll win without having trouble.
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu or GJJ is a martial art- effective for self-defense and street fights. It teaches a variety of skillsets that are relevant for today’s world. Submissions, grappling, maneuvering your opponent, and striking are some of the skills you’ll master in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu training.
There are many videos where you’ll see someone using Jiu-Jitsu to master his opponent. One I recently watched is a police officer that was about to arrest a hostile. When the officer pulled out his cuffs, the attacker started to run. Now, what would most people do? Pull out their lethal weapon. In this case, a pistol.
I’ll include the video so you can understand what I mean. I highly encourage you to watch the video until the end because the value provided there is enormous. Thus you’ll seize to a much better degree what GJJ is.
Now, what the hostile didn’t know was the officer trained in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Once he caught up to him, he pinned the attacker to the floor. We can see a variety of skills the officer has been able to pull off to master his opponent. For instance, pinning, striking, and overall dominating the opponent.
Eventually, the officer took control of the entire situation. If it were any other law enforcement personnel, it would’ve ended with shots fired. Yet, the officer knew how to handle such cases because he trained in martial arts. That’s a single example from many scenarios which ended like that because someone knew how to fight.
4. Kickboxing
Today, modern martial arts have gotten more popular. People have begun understanding what you need to learn to fight. As a result, some martial arts have minimized the amount of material they’re teaching.
Kickboxing is a modern martial art that utilizes striking and kicking to knock an enemy out quickly. Additionally, it makes solid fighters because you’ll get hit dozens of times. Then in a street fight, you won’t be scared of getting hit, which is crucial for self-defense.
Yet, there’s no grappling, submission, or any other technique that’s helpful in street fights. How come is Kickboxing ranked so high? By doing such a martial art, you’ll become a solid fighter. You’ll know how to get hit and how to throw a powerful punch. As a result, there’s no situation where Kickboxing isn’t helpful.
Additionally, many Kickboxing schools include sparring. Essentially, that’s what prepares you for a street fight. If you practice on a punching bag every day, you won’t react appropriately in combat. Yet, if you spar every week, you’ll develop muscle memory.
You’ll also be stressed trained plenty of times. Essentially, you’ll work in high anxiety situations plenty of times. Thus responding to concerns that involve stress becomes effortless. Because of that, Kickboxing training reduces stress in dangerous situations, such as street fights.
The following video is a prime example of Kickboxing. You’ll notice the various skills the best fighters use- to knock out their opponents quickly. These are all solid fighters that can take a hit. They’ve been punched dozens of times in training. Thus they’re not afraid to get hit or kicked, which assists them in sending powerful hits without being scared.
3. Krav Maga
My favorite self-defense system and the most popular martial in the world is Krav Maga. If you’re unfamiliar with it, you may have been living under a rock for the past decade.
Krav Maga is a martial art that started in the Israeli military and became an online sensation because of its practicality. The IDF (Israeli defense forces) wanted to train its operators to know basic close-quarters combat. Such a martial art will teach you self-defense rather quickly.
In Krav Maga training, one will learn basic punching and kicking capabilities, grappling, submissions, and dealing with firearms. It’s highly dynamic, thus practical for today’s changing world. Yet, many people don’t believe in it as much as I do. For that reason, I wrote a valuable article on whether learning Krav Maga is worth it.
The main advantage of Krav Maga is- the period it takes for you to know to use it in real life. I’ve recently conducted a survey- where I asked my colleagues how much time has passed until they felt comfortable using Krav Maga. On average, it takes five sessions to learn Krav Maga to a decent level. (Source)
I’m biased towards Krav Maga. I’ve gone through 14 months of training, and I feel that I’ve learned the crucial aspects. Consequently, I’m writing this section with complete confidence.
Yet, it’s not ranked #1 for a reason. If one wants to master it, it won’t take as much as other martial arts. Understand that while Krav Maga is a practical self-defense system, it’s not more than that. For people who want to learn self-defense, it’s perfect.
Police officers with a Krav Maga background performed better in high/low-stress environments, such as self-defense situations. (Source)
On the other hand, you’ll get more value over time than Krav Maga. For instance, in MMA, there are more advanced techniques you can learn. As a result, you may get to a higher level after a prolonged period of consistent training.
Still, there isn’t a single part of my body that’ll tell you not to learn Krav Maga. It’s a suitable martial art for most purposes. Additionally, it doesn’t take as much time as other fighting styles to learn. As a result, it’s highly effective and practical.
2. Muay-Thai
Learning to overcome street fights situations requires various skills. Throwing a powerful punch, for instance, is one of the most important ones. It’s not that simple tho. Other skills hold similar value, such as grappling, choking, and kicking.
Muay-Thai or Thai boxing is a martial art that involves kicking, punching, and grappling techniques to knock your opponent quickly. Because this combination of skillsets is valuable to self-defense and street fights, Muay-Thai is highly effective in counter said situations.
Still, I ranked Muay-Thai higher than martial arts that incorporate more techniques. Why is that? Essentially, there are other aspects to fighting that Muay-Thai provides. The use of grappling with powerful striking is prominent in it. As a result, you’ll be capable of using such a move to disable an attacker quickly.
There are many techniques for Muay-Thai that are highly valuable, especially for street fights. Consequently, people who master such a fighting style are solid fighters.
Next, I’ll include a video that shows the true colors of high-level Muay-Thai. Not only does it make you know how to get hit appropriately, but it also trains you to throw a punch capable of knocking out an enemy. I recommend watching the video as it’s a fantastic example of this martial art.
The fighter you just watched is Rodtang. If you’re unfamiliar with him, he’s known for his Thai boxing style. He’s able to incorporate suitable techniques for his opponent. As a result, he dominated his opponents effortlessly.
Overall, this martial art is fantastic for street fights as it’s practical and involves appropriate moves. These techniques will make you a solid fighter.
1. MMA
Choosing a dynamic martial art is much better. You’ll be able to adapt to the situation you’ll face, thus increasing your chances of winning. For instance, you’ll react differently to a knife attack rather than multiple attackers scenario. For that reason, adapting is crucial in self-defense.
MMA is the most dynamic martial art one can learn; because there isn’t a set of techniques every practitioner learns. As a result, one can adapt to the goals rather than learn the same moves as everyone else. Because of that, MMA is highly effective in all scenarios.
You’re most likely familiar with the sport. Most people view it to see people get knocked down. Yet, watching the martial arts variations is more interesting for people who know a thing or two about fighting. For instance, elite fighters use Kickboxing techniques combined with Jiu-Jitsu.
Because of that, they’re able to learn the fundamentals of boxing, thus punching powerfully. Additionally, they mastered the basic moves of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. As a result, not only are they capable of throwing a solid punch, but they know how to maneuver to force the opponent to submit.
Overall, to make a martial art the most practical, you must combine different techniques. Following the previous example, you may learn Jiu-Jitsu while combining Judo training. As a result, you’ll become a solid fighter.
Because of that, I ranked MMA as the best martial art for street fights. In such situations, one must know to adapt to his opponent. If you can knock out your opponent with a punch, go for it. Yet, if you can cleanly throw the opponent to the ground, do it. Whatever works.
What makes a martial art good for street fights?
All martial arts have their pros and cons. As a result, understand that some may not be suitable for your goals. As such, knowing the different fighting styles and their characteristics is crucial.
A martial art that’s dynamic- and involves training under stress is good for street fights. In Krav Maga, for instance, you’ll constantly spar and practice drills that resemble dangerous self-defense situations, such as countering knife attacks. As a result, Krav Maga is suitable for street fights.
Many other martial arts, such as MMA, Jeet Kune Do, and Muay-Thai, are dynamic. As a result, people who have done them for a consistent amount of time will be capable of using the skills they learned for street fights.
Overall, all martial arts will be suitable for street fights. To a certain degree, if you do Karate for a long enough time, you’ll know how to defend yourself properly. Yet, other martial arts, such as MMA, will be more effective.
Why did I choose the martial arts I listed as the best?
I’ve put plenty of effort and time into thinking and doing more research on which ones are the most suitable for street fights. I came with this list by following the previous section. The more dynamic a fighting style is, the more likely its trainees will know to adapt in street fights and self-defense situations.
I inspected the relevancy of the skills every martial art brings to the table. If one had grappling and the other didn’t, I would consider the first one superior, unless other factors made the other one better.
Kickboxing, for instance, incorporates kicking and punching. As a result, Judo may be better because it has submissions. Yet, Kickboxing makes solid fighters by constantly testing them. Consequently, I ranked it higher than Judo and Jeet Kune Do.
What martial art is most effective in a street fight
Being sound in street fights requires plenty of training. In addition, training in proper martial art won’t hurt. Because of that, knowing which one is the best; is vital for maximizing progression.
MMA is most effective in street fights because it’s incredibly dynamic and incorporates many techniques from various martial arts. That ensures the trainee can adapt to every situation you’ll give him. Because of that, adaptive martial arts do better in scenarios like street fights.
I prefer MMA for the best martial art for street fights solely because of the number of techniques you can learn. Every school teaches a different way of fighting, and that’s the beauty. Finding two MMA fighters with the same skillsets and training will be challenging.
Conclusion
Eventually, if you know the best martial arts for street fights, you’ll know which ones you should learn. Consequently, you’ll progress towards your goal faster and with better efficiency.
If you’re interested in learning more about the deadliest martial arts in the world, I wrote an article just on that. I highly encourage you to check it out, as it has additional insights that may assist you in starting your journey.
Martial arts have changed my life. I assure you, if you choose the suitable one for you, you’ll see similar success. I’m more confident, with better mental health, and have experienced more benefits than I can list in a single article.
Follow the link to read more about the various benefits you may experience from martial arts.