Martial arts are a great way to get a full-body workout, improve your self-defense skills, and have fun. There are many different styles of martial arts out there, each with its own unique benefits. In this article, we’ll look at some of the most popular types of martial arts so you can decide which one is best for you!
Muay Thai (Thai Boxing)
Muay Thai (Thai Boxing)Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand and one of the most popular martial arts in the world. It’s known for its standup striking techniques, including elbows and knees as well as punches and kicks. This style is a great way to get exercise; you’re constantly moving around when training in Muay Thai, which means you burn more calories than other types of exercise like jogging or yoga. You can also learn some self-defense techniques if you take classes at a martial arts school that teaches Muay Thai—and these are especially useful if you live in an area where crime rates tend to be high (like New York City).
If all this sounds good so far but your main goal isn’t improving your fitness level or learning self-defense, then Muay Thai might not be right for you. However, it’s still worth giving it a try!
There’s always something new happening at the fights, whether it’s a knockout punch or kick to the head. Plus you’re getting in shape and learning how to defend yourself at the same time. It’s not always easy, but if you keep up your training regularly then I promise that being able to fight will become second nature.
Wing Chun Kung Fu
Wing Chun is a Chinese martial art that is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. Wing Chun is a close-range style, meaning it focuses on efficient use of force at short distances. It differs from other styles in its practicality, as it’s easy to learn and retain. If you want to learn Wing Chun Kung Fu for your own self-defense training, there are many schools and classes available for both adults and children across North America.
You may be wondering how Wing Chun compares with other martial arts styles. The answer is that the two are very similar, but not exactly the same. For example, both karate and Aikido use circular movements to evade an attacker’s blows, but in Wing Chun these motions are linear rather than circular.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and combat sport that teaches the principles of leverage, timing and technique over brute strength. Instead of directly striking an opponent, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu emphasizes the use of leverage to control an opponent and execute a submission.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu began as an offshoot of Judo after Mitsuyo Maeda was injured while fighting against a wrestler during his travels in Europe. In order to avoid direct confrontation, he developed a grappling style that focused on throwing opponents to the ground with minimum effort and then submitting them through joint locks or chokeholds before they could recover from being thrown down.
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a martial art and Olympic sport that originated in Korea. It is named after the city of Taekwondo (also spelled Tae Kwon Do), where it was created by General Choi Hong Hi in 1944. It has been described as a “form of self-defense,” but it’s more accurate to say that taekwondo is a form of combat sport—it focuses on kicking and punching, rather than other elements like grappling or submissions. In fact, most practitioners don’t take classes in actual fighting technique; they’re more likely to be training for competition rather than self-defense.
Taekwondo uses lots of jumping and spinning kicks, which are easy to learn but difficult to master—that’s why it can take years before someone gets good enough at it to participate competitively at tournaments (which are called tae kwon do tournaments).
The rules vary depending on where you go: some competitions allow full contact while others require protective equipment like headgear or chest protectors; some focus entirely on kids under 18 years old while others let adults compete with each other too!
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
Mixed martial arts is a full-contact combat sport that allows competitors to use both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, from a variety of other combat sports and martial arts. The first documented use of the term mixed martial arts was in a review of UFC 1 by television critic Howard Rosenberg in 1993. The concept of mixing techniques from various disciplines has been around for centuries. Examples include boxing’s cross guard, Western fencing’s bind, Judo’s sankaku-waza (triangle technique) or Odo jime (choke from behind), Jujutsu’s kata guruma (swinging throw), Judo’s te guruma (pulling sweep), Tae Kwon Do’s chagi makgi (knife hand block). Mixed Martial Arts’ origins have been attributed to various sources including Vale Tudo events held in Brazil, Japanese shoot wrestling matches held since the 1920s, and Shooto tournaments hosted by Satoru Sayama.
Judo
When you think of martial arts, you may think of kung fu, tae kwon do or jujitsu. But did you know that Judo is a Japanese martial art that uses throwing and grappling techniques?
Judo was created by Jigoro Kano in 1882 as a sport for physical education and the development of a morally sound society. It has since evolved into an international combat sport governed by the International Judo Federation (IJF). The rules are similar to those of wrestling but there is no striking allowed except for some light slap-boxing with open hands to emphasize certain points during training sessions. It’s also considered an Olympic sport—and one that’s been around for over 130 years!
It depends on what you want to get out of martial arts.
It depends on what you want to get out of martial arts.Choosing between different types of martial arts is not an easy task. Muay Thai is the most popular martial art in the world and Wing Chun Kung Fu is a martial art that focuses on close range combat, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that focuses on grappling (or ground fighting), Krav Maga is a self-defense style of fighting developed by the Israeli Defense Forces, and so on.
There are so many different types of martial arts out there that it’s hard to choose just one! However, you should consider what your goals are before diving into any one type of martial arts school or class.
Do you want to become an Olympic level athlete? Do you want to learn how to defend yourself against bullies or attackers? Or do you simply want something fun and exciting to do with your friends?
Conclusion
There are so many different types of martial arts out there. It can get overwhelming trying to decide which one is right for you. A good place to start is by asking yourself what your goals are in taking up martial arts and finding a school that fits those needs. If you want to learn self-defense skills or become more confident, consider Muay Thai/Kickboxing or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
If you have kids who want to get involved with sports but don’t know what their niche could be yet then Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu would be perfect! Whatever type of martial art sounds interesting, just make sure it’s something that will keep you engaged for years because once you begin training regularly it will become an integral part of your life!
Dmitry Bilchenko
I'm a martial artist and fitness enthusiast.
I love learning about the latest fitness trends, nutrition, and training methods. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge with others who are just starting out on their fitness journeys.
