Martial Arts Styles for Self Defense

To learn self defense through a martial arts style, you don’t have to look very far. While there are many martial arts styles that are specific for sport fighting, such as Tai Kwondo; there are also several martial arts styles that you can engage in to gain immense fighting skills that will keep you safe as you go through your life.

Krav Maga is a style of martial arts that is becoming more mainstream in terms of self defense. Of the martial arts styles out there today, this is one that is highly effective at fighting off an attacker; but also teaches you how to become aware of your surroundings in order to keep yourself from becoming a target in the first place. Krav Maga is an Israeli self-defense system that was developed in the 20th century. It came about due to a need to address specific needs of the Israeli defense agencies; but it was adapted for civilians to use for self defense. At the time, the people of that country needed to be able to defend themselves against a variety of scenarios such as sudden attacks. They also needed to defend against attackers with weapons such as knives and guns. Today, Krav Maga continues to be refined based on real-world experiences, and it is taught in studios all over the world.

Jiu Jitsu, literally translated, means “way of yielding” or “the art of softness”. This fighting form is one of the most effective of all martial arts styles, as it is a collective form of many Japanese martial arts. Many of the techniques of Jiu Jitsu include grappling much like Western wrestling; although there are also strikes involved. The idea behind Jiu Jitsu is to use your opponent’s energy against them. Through holds, you can wear your opponent down to a point where you can turn the tables and then get away. The question with Jiu Jitsu for self defense is how quickly you can learn the techniques and holds. When learning from a good school, students can actually use takedowns effectively after just a few classes; which means that this martial arts style is one that you can learn for self defense purposes.

The goal of self defense is to give you ways to protect yourself in any given situation. When it comes to martial arts styles for self defense, the overall consensus seems to show that martial arts styles that have evolved for combat fighting techniques are the best suited to actual reality based self defense. When the moves include large muscle groups and movements that are easily remembered; you’ve got a way to defend yourself in a stressful situation. When violence strikes, adrenaline starts pumping. For this reason, you want training that simulates those same conditions. Training in martial arts styles that are geared for sports just doesn’t put you in the right mindset. By learning the right style and the right movements, you are better prepared.