What are the main types of martial arts?
Martial arts fall into six broad families, based on how they fight. Striking arts like karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai and boxing use punches and kicks. Grappling arts like judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling use throws, pins and holds.
Weapon arts like kendo and arnis train with swords and sticks. Hybrid and combat systems such as MMA and Krav Maga mix all of it. Internal arts such as tai chi focus on breath and flow, and sport and fitness styles turn the moves into a workout.
Bruce Lee.
Jackie Chan.
Jet Li.
For most people, that's where martial arts begins and ends — a few iconic names, a handful of movies, maybe a childhood memory of karate class.
But the movies show only a sliver of it. Some styles are Olympic sports, some are military combat systems, and some are centuries-old traditions passed down through a single family line.
This list covers 92 styles, organized by how they actually fight: striking, grappling, weapons, hybrid, internal, and fitness-based.
How to use this list:
Each entry includes its origin, primary focus, and what makes it worth knowing. Jump to a category or scroll the whole thing — no wrong way to do it.
Striking Arts
If martial arts had a "default setting," striking would be it.
Punches, kicks, elbows, knees — stand-up combat is what most people picture when they imagine a fight. But the differences between striking arts are massive. A Muay Thai fighter and a Karate practitioner are solving the same problem with completely different tools.
Here's every major striking art, organized by where it came from.
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East Asia
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Probably the most recognized martial art in the world. Power comes from the hips — not the arms.
- Primary focus: Punches, kicks, knee strikes, elbow strikes
- Best for: Beginners, sport competition, self-defense foundation
- Notable: Dozens of styles exist under the Karate umbrella — from the hard linear power of Shotokan to the softer circular movements of Goju-ryu. Olympic sport since Tokyo 2020.
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Goju-ryu — Okinawa, Japan
A Karate style distinct enough to deserve its own entry.
- Primary focus: Hard striking combined with soft, circular defensive movement
- Best for: Practitioners who want depth beyond sport Karate
- Notable: Emphasis on breathing and fluid transitions sets it apart from more linear Karate styles
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High kicks. Spinning kicks.
Jumping kicks. Korea's most famous export.
- Primary focus: Kicking techniques — fast, high, and visually spectacular
- Best for: Athletes, kids, sport competition
- Notable: Olympic sport since 2000. The emphasis on kicking distinguishes it sharply from every other striking art.
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Tang Soo Do — Korea
Taekwondo's older, quieter sibling — and arguably more well-rounded.
- Primary focus: Punches, kicks, open-hand techniques
- Best for: Traditional martial arts practitioners, self-defense
- Notable: Predates Taekwondo and draws from both Shotokan Karate and traditional Korean fighting systems. Less flashy, more grounded.
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Southeast Asia
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Eight limbs. Fists, elbows, knees, and shins — all weapons, all fair game.
- Primary focus: Stand-up striking using the full body
- Best for: Self-defense, MMA base, fitness
- Notable: Thailand's national sport and one of the most battle-tested striking systems ever developed. If you've watched MMA, you've seen Muay Thai.
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Pradal Serey — Cambodia
Cambodia's answer to Muay Thai — and possibly its ancestor.
- Primary focus: Fists, elbows, knees, shins with distinct circular kicks
- Best for: Striking specialists interested in Southeast Asian traditions
- Notable: Emphasizes head movement and evasion more than Muay Thai. Largely unknown outside the region despite its effectiveness.
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Lethwei — Myanmar
The Art of Nine Limbs. That ninth limb is the head.
- Primary focus: Bare-knuckle striking including headbutts
- Best for: Combat sports enthusiasts, experienced strikers
- Notable: Knockouts are the only way to win. One of the most aggressive striking arts on this list — not a beginner's starting point.
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Yaw-Yan — Philippines
Developed in the 1970s. Sometimes called the "Dance of Death."
- Primary focus: Long-range striking with fluid, rhythmic movement
- Best for: Strikers interested in Filipino martial arts beyond weapons
- Notable: Less weapon-focused than most Filipino systems. Emphasizes evasive footwork alongside striking combinations.
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South Asia
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Kalaripayattu — India
One of the oldest fighting systems in existence. Combat and medicine — developed together.
- Primary focus: Strikes, kicks, acrobatic footwork, weapon training
- Best for: Martial arts historians, athletes interested in ancient systems
- Notable: Combines explosive combat techniques with Ayurvedic healing practices. Originated in Kerala over 3,000 years ago.
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Varma Kalai — Tamil Nadu, India
Hit the right spot and the fight is over before it starts.
- Primary focus: Pressure point strikes targeting nerve clusters and vital points
- Best for: Advanced practitioners, traditional Indian martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: Deeply tied to traditional Indian medicine. One of the most specialized striking systems on this list.
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Middle East & Africa
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Dambe — Nigeria
One wrapped fist. One fight. Explosive and ancient.
- Primary focus: Striking with the dominant "spear" fist wrapped in rope or cloth
- Best for: Combat sports enthusiasts, cultural martial arts study
- Notable: A traditional Hausa martial art still widely practiced across West Africa. Fast, aggressive, and deeply tied to community identity.
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Moraingy — Madagascar
Speed over power. Combinations over single strikes.
- Primary focus: Fast bare-knuckle striking and combination punching
- Best for: Striking enthusiasts, cultural martial arts study
- Notable: Practiced as both a combat sport and a living cultural tradition across Madagascar and parts of East Africa.
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Istunka — Somalia
Combat as celebration. Fighting as tradition.
- Primary focus: Ritualistic team striking bouts
- Best for: Cultural martial arts study
- Notable: Practiced during the Somali New Year. Less about technical refinement, more about tradition and community identity.
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Europe & Americas
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The oldest formalized striking art in the Western world. Deceptively simple. Endlessly deep.
- Primary focus: Punching, footwork, defense
- Best for: Fitness, self-defense, sport competition
- Notable: Rules codified in 19th-century Britain. Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson. The lineage speaks for itself.
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The only Western striking art that developed a serious kicking system alongside punching.
- Primary focus: Precise kicks and punches — shoes worn in competition
- Best for: Strikers looking for a technical, European alternative to Asian kickboxing
- Notable: Savate fighters use their feet like fists — targeting specific points with technical precision. Developed from French street fighting in the 19th century.
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Grappling Arts
Striking arts end fights on the feet.
Grappling arts end them on the ground.
Throws, takedowns, joint locks, chokes, pins — grappling is about controlling another person's body, often without throwing a single punch. It's also where most real fights end up, which is why grappling arts have quietly become some of the most practical martial arts on this list.
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East Asia
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Judo — Japan
Use your opponent's energy against them — then put them on the ground. See how judo works for complete beginners.
- Primary focus: Throws, takedowns, pins, chokes, joint locks
- Best for: Sport competition, practical self-defense foundation
- Notable: Olympic sport since 1964. One of the most widely practiced martial arts in the world.
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Started as a Judo offshoot. Became something else entirely.
- Primary focus: Ground fighting, submissions, chokes, joint locks
- Best for: Self-defense, MMA base, sport competition
- Notable: Technique genuinely beats size here — the ground is the great equalizer. The Gracie family brought it to global prominence through MMA.
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Jujutsu (Japanese Jiu-Jitsu) — Japan
The ancestor of both Judo and BJJ — built for samurai on a battlefield.
- Primary focus: Throws, joint locks, strikes designed for armored opponents
- Best for: Traditional martial arts practitioners, historical study
- Notable: Less sport-focused than its descendants, more historically comprehensive. The foundation most modern grappling arts are built on.
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Sumo — Japan
Two athletes. One ring. First one out loses.
The rules and rituals are in our sumo wrestling guide.
- Primary focus: Pushing, throwing, forcing opponent from the ring
- Best for: Strength athletes, cultural martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: Looks simple. Footwork, timing, and leverage matter as much as size — though size definitely helps.
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Shuai Jiao — China
One of the oldest Chinese martial arts — and it's all about the throw.
- Primary focus: Throwing, no ground work
- Best for: Stand-up grapplers, wrestlers
- Notable: Matches decided by throws alone. Practitioners wear a thick jacket specifically designed for grabbing. Criminally underappreciated outside China.
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Naban — Myanmar
Burma's traditional wrestling — with joint locks most wrestling traditions don't allow.
- Primary focus: Throws, joint locks, leg attacks
- Best for: Grapplers interested in Southeast Asian traditions
- Notable: Allows leg attacks and ground control techniques rarely seen in other Asian wrestling traditions.
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Europe & Central Asia
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Sambo — Russia
Built for the Soviet military. Refined into one of the most complete grappling systems on earth. Read more about sambo as a sport and a combat system.
- Primary focus: Throws, leg locks, ground control (Sport Sambo); adds strikes in Combat Sambo
- Best for: MMA base, grapplers who want leg locks, combat sports
- Notable: Combines Judo with folk wrestling styles from across the former USSR. Fedor Emelianenko is its most famous product.
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Catch Wrestling — England
The original no-holds-barred grappling art. No points for position — just make them quit.
- Primary focus: Submissions, painful joint locks, pins
- Best for: Grapplers, MMA practitioners, wrestling enthusiasts
- Notable: Developed in 19th-century England through carnival circuits. The direct ancestor of professional wrestling and a major influence on modern MMA grappling.
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Glima — Scandinavia
Viking wrestling. Still practiced in Iceland as a living tradition.
- Primary focus: Balance, leverage, quick throws
- Best for: Cultural martial arts enthusiasts, wrestlers
- Notable: Several regional variants exist, all emphasizing technique over brute strength. One of Europe's oldest surviving martial traditions.
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Kurash — Central Asia
Simple rules. Deep technique. First one to touch the ground loses.
- Primary focus: Throws — upright wrestling only
- Best for: Wrestlers, cultural martial arts study
- Notable: Practiced across Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and neighboring countries. One of the most widely practiced folk wrestling traditions in Central Asia.
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Lutte Traditionnelle (Senegalese Wrestling) — Senegal
The most popular sport in Senegal — and it's as much ceremony as combat.
- Primary focus: Throws, takedowns, with strikes allowed
- Best for: Cultural martial arts enthusiasts, combat sports fans
- Notable: Pre-match rituals, music, and ceremony make bouts a full cultural event. Strikes technically allowed, distinguishing it from pure wrestling traditions.
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Americas
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10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu — United States
No gi. No traditional grips. Eddie Bravo's controversial reinvention of BJJ.
- Primary focus: No-gi ground fighting, alternative control positions, submissions
- Best for: No-gi competitors, MMA practitioners
- Notable: Removes the gi entirely — forcing development of alternative control positions. Controversial in traditional BJJ circles. Highly influential in modern no-gi competition.
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Vale Tudo — Brazil
Anything goes. Literally.
- Primary focus: Unrestricted full-contact fighting — no rules, no weight classes
- Best for: Combat sports historians, MMA enthusiasts
- Notable: The direct precursor to the UFC and modern MMA. Less a martial art than a combat format — but it shaped Brazilian fighting culture permanently.
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Huka-Huka — Amazon Basin
Traditional Amazonian tribal wrestling as ritual and combat.
- Primary focus: Trips, throws, body control
- Best for: Cultural martial arts study
- Notable: Bouts are embedded in ceremony and community identity. One of the least-documented but most culturally significant wrestling traditions in the Americas.
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Africa & Oceania
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Nuba Fighting — Sudan
Wrestling as community. Bouts tied to harvests, ceremonies, coming-of-age.
- Primary focus: Throws, upper-body control
- Best for: Cultural martial arts study
- Notable: Practiced by the Nuba people of Sudan. Deeply embedded in community life and seasonal celebrations.
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Engolo — Angola
The ancestor of Capoeira. You can see the DNA in every movement.
- Primary focus: Leg sweeps, acrobatic evasion, low kicks
- Best for: Capoeira practitioners, cultural martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: Widely considered one of the arts that directly influenced Capoeira's distinctive movement patterns and footwork.
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Coreeda — Australia
One of the oldest living martial traditions in the world. Almost entirely undocumented.
- Primary focus: Throws, takedowns from indigenous Australian tradition
- Best for: Cultural martial arts study
- Notable: Rooted in Aboriginal Australian tradition. Among the least-documented martial arts on this list — and potentially among the oldest.
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Weapon-Based Arts
Most martial arts treat weapons as an afterthought.
These ones built the whole system around them.
Swords, sticks, staffs, knives, bows — weapon-based arts require a different kind of precision. One mistake isn't a lost point.
Historically, it was a lost life. That context shapes everything about how these arts are practiced and taught.
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East Asia
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Kendo — Japan
The Way of the Sword. Bamboo replaces steel — the philosophy stays the same.
- Primary focus: Japanese fencing using bamboo swords (shinai) and full armor
- Best for: Practitioners seeking discipline, tradition, and competitive sport
- Notable: Deeply rooted in samurai tradition. Kendo emphasizes respect, etiquette, and mental clarity as much as technique.
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Iaido — Japan
Drawing the sword is the art. Everything else follows. Find out what iaido training looks like.
- Primary focus: The precise sequence of drawing, cutting, and sheathing the sword
- Best for: Practitioners seeking meditative, form-based practice
- Notable: Iaido is practiced almost entirely through solo forms — no sparring. Precision, timing, and mental presence are everything.
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Kyudo — Japan
Japanese archery as spiritual practice. The arrow is almost secondary. Our kyudo guide is the place to start.
- Primary focus: Japanese archery with deep emphasis on form and meditation
- Best for: Practitioners seeking a meditative, disciplined practice
- Notable: Connected to samurai tradition and Zen Buddhism. The process of drawing and releasing matters more than whether the arrow hits the target.
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Gungdo — Korea
Korea's traditional archery tradition — older than most people realize.
- Primary focus: Traditional Korean archery
- Best for: Archery enthusiasts, cultural martial arts practitioners
- Notable: Practiced for centuries by Korean warriors. Distinct from Japanese Kyudo in technique and cultural context despite surface similarities.
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Krabi-Krabong — Thailand
Thailand's armed combat system — the parent art of Muay Thai.
- Primary focus: Swords, staffs, and paired weapons
- Best for: Practitioners interested in Southeast Asian weapon traditions
- Notable: Thailand's traditional weapon-based martial art. Closely related to Muay Thai — many movements and principles carry across both systems.
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Southeast Asia
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Arnis / Eskrima / Kali — Philippines
Sticks first. Empty hands second. The Filipino approach is the opposite of most arts.
Get started with arnis, kali and eskrima.
- Primary focus: Stick and knife fighting, with empty-hand techniques derived from weapon movements
- Best for: Self-defense, weapons practitioners, MMA base
- Notable: The Philippines' national martial art and sport. What makes it unusual: practitioners learn with weapons first, then translate those principles to empty-hand combat.
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Silambam — Tamil Nadu, India
Staff fighting as an ancient Dravidian tradition.
- Primary focus: Long staff combat emphasizing speed and agility
- Best for: Weapon practitioners, South Asian martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: One of the oldest weapon-based arts in India. Agility and reflexes matter more than strength — the staff rewards technical precision.
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Banshay — Myanmar
Burma's traditional armed combat system — swords and staffs combined.
- Primary focus: Sword techniques, staff combat, armed and unarmed integration
- Best for: Weapon practitioners, Southeast Asian martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: Traditional Burmese martial art with both armed and unarmed components. Less globally known than neighboring traditions but historically significant.
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South Asia
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Gatka — Punjab, India
The martial art of the Sikh warriors. Sword and shield — with rhythm.
- Primary focus: Sword and shield combat, with stick training as foundation
- Best for: Cultural martial arts enthusiasts, weapon practitioners
- Notable: Associated with the Sikh warrior tradition. Gatka performances combine combat demonstration with music and movement — making it as culturally expressive as it is martially significant.
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Thang-ta — Manipur, India
Sword and spear. One of India's most visually striking weapon traditions.
- Primary focus: Sword techniques, spear combat, armed and unarmed integration
- Best for: Weapon practitioners, Indian martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: Traditional martial art of Manipur in northeastern India. Combines armed and unarmed combat into a single integrated system.
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Mardani Khel — Maharashtra, India
Developed in the Maratha Empire. Built for actual warfare.
- Primary focus: Weapon-based combat with various traditional weapons
- Best for: Weapon practitioners, Indian martial arts historians
- Notable: Originated in the Maratha Empire of western India. One of the more combat-practical weapon traditions on this list — developed during a period of active military conflict.
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Europe
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Fencing — Europe
The Western sword tradition, refined into one of the oldest Olympic sports.
- Primary focus: Sword combat using foil, épée, or sabre
- Best for: Sport competitors, practitioners interested in European weapon traditions
- Notable: Modern sport fencing is a direct descendant of Renaissance European swordsmanship. Three distinct weapons, three distinct rule sets, three distinct sports under one name.
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Canne de Combat — France
French stick fighting. Dynamic, athletic, and largely unknown outside Europe.
- Primary focus: Stick combat using a cane-length weapon
- Best for: Weapon practitioners, European martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: Developed in 19th-century France for self-defense. Fast and athletic — closer to fencing in movement than to Asian staff traditions.
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Bataireacht — Ireland
Irish stick fighting. The weapon of choice: a shillelagh.
- Primary focus: Combat using a traditional Irish wooden stick
- Best for: Cultural martial arts enthusiasts, weapon practitioners
- Notable: A traditional Irish martial art with roots in rural fighting culture. The shillelagh — a thick wooden club or walking stick — is both weapon and cultural symbol.
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Jogo do Pau — Portugal
Long staff combat with a distinctly Portuguese identity.
- Primary focus: Long staff striking and defense
- Best for: Weapon practitioners, European martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: Traditional Portuguese martial art. Uses longer staves than most European stick-fighting traditions, requiring different footwork and distance management.
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Middle East & Africa
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Tahtib — Egypt
Ancient Egyptian stick fighting — ceremony and combat in equal measure.
- Primary focus: Stick combat with rhythmic, ceremonial elements
- Best for: Cultural martial arts enthusiasts, weapon practitioners
- Notable: One of the oldest documented martial arts in human history, depicted in ancient Egyptian carvings. Combines combat technique with music and ceremonial movement.
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Muyib (Bedouin Stick Fighting) — Middle East
Desert warfare distilled into a stick-fighting tradition.
- Primary focus: Stick striking and defense
- Best for: Cultural martial arts study
- Notable: Traditional Bedouin martial art. Reflects the practical combat needs of desert communities — simple, direct, and effective.
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Nguni Stick-Fighting — South Africa
A Zulu rite of passage. Skill, agility, and strategy over raw power.
- Primary focus: Stick combat using a long fighting stick and a hide shield
- Best for: Cultural martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: Practiced as a traditional Zulu rite of passage. Emphasizes agility and technical skill — not just strength.
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Tire Machèt — Haiti
Machete fencing as Haitian cultural tradition.
- Primary focus: Machete combat
- Best for: Cultural martial arts study, weapon enthusiasts
- Notable: Traditional Haitian martial art rooted in the country's history of resistance and independence. One of the most culturally significant weapon traditions in the Caribbean.
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Americas & Pacific
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Mau Rākau — New Zealand
Traditional Māori weapons practice — deeply embedded in cultural identity.
- Primary focus: Traditional Māori weapons including taiaha (staff), mere (club), and others
- Best for: Cultural martial arts enthusiasts, Māori culture study
- Notable: Not just a fighting system — Mau Rākau is a living expression of Māori identity and tradition. Skill with traditional weapons remains a mark of cultural pride.
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Parra Kanda — Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's traditional sword-fighting system.
- Primary focus: Sword combat techniques
- Best for: Weapon practitioners, South Asian martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: Traditional Sri Lankan martial art. Less globally documented than neighboring Indian traditions but historically significant in the region.
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Hybrid & Mixed Arts
Some martial arts refuse to be categorized.
They borrow from striking. They borrow from grappling.
Some fold in weapons. Some were deliberately engineered to cover every gap a single-discipline fighter would have.
Hybrid arts are often the most practically effective systems on this list — because real fights don't respect category lines.
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East Asia
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MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) — Modern / Global
The art of no single art. Every technique is on the table.
- Primary focus: Striking, grappling, takedowns, ground combat — combined
- Best for: Serious combat sports competitors, comprehensive self-defense
- Notable: MMA isn't a single martial art — it's a competition format that forced fighters to become complete. The UFC made it global. Every major combat sports tradition now feeds into it.
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Jeet Kune Do — United States (Bruce Lee)
Bruce Lee's answer to the question every martial artist eventually asks: what actually works? Read more in what jeet kune do is.
- Primary focus: Efficiency, directness, and adaptability — no fixed style
- Best for: Experienced martial artists looking to develop a personal system
- Notable: Lee's philosophy — "using no way as way" — was ahead of its time. JKD is less a fixed system than a framework for continuous personal development.
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Ninjutsu — Japan
Stealth, deception, and survival. The martial art of the ninja. Ninjutsu for beginners has the details.
- Primary focus: Espionage, guerrilla warfare, assassination techniques, unarmed combat
- Best for: Practitioners interested in historical Japanese warrior traditions
- Notable: The actual historical practice of ninjutsu is murky and contested. Modern schools vary wildly in authenticity and approach.
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Bujinkan — Japan
Nine traditional samurai and ninja schools combined into one system.
- Primary focus: Natural movement, flexibility, weapons, unarmed combat
- Best for: Traditional Japanese martial arts practitioners
- Notable: Combines nine distinct historical schools under one organization. Emphasizes adaptability and natural movement over rigid technique.
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Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu — Japan
The direct ancestor of Aikido — and significantly more combat-oriented.
- Primary focus: Joint locks, throws, strikes
- Best for: Traditional Japanese martial arts practitioners, Aikido students seeking deeper roots
- Notable: Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba trained extensively in Daito-ryu before developing his own system. The family resemblance is obvious — the combat application is more direct.
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Bujutsu — Japan
The umbrella term for traditional samurai martial arts — weapons and unarmed, together.
- Primary focus: Multiple weapons (sword, spear, bow) combined with unarmed techniques
- Best for: Practitioners interested in comprehensive samurai tradition
- Notable: Not a single art — a category of Japanese warrior skills. Mastery meant competence across multiple weapons, not specialization in one.
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Southeast Asia
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Silat / Pencak Silat — Indonesia / Malaysia / Philippines
Southeast Asia's most widespread martial tradition. Fluid, deceptive, and deeply cultural. Learn more about pencak silat.
- Primary focus: Strikes, joint manipulation, throws, weapon use
- Best for: Practitioners interested in Southeast Asian traditions, cultural martial arts
- Notable: Practiced across Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines with significant regional variation. Performances blend combat with artistic and cultural expression.
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Bokator — Cambodia
One of the oldest fighting systems in Cambodia. Animal movements, blue scarf ranking.
- Primary focus: Animal-inspired strikes, joint locks, ground fighting
- Best for: Martial arts historians, practitioners interested in ancient Khmer traditions
- Notable: Uses a colored krama scarf system for ranking. Nearly disappeared during the Khmer Rouge period — its revival is as much cultural preservation as martial arts practice.
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Vovinam — Vietnam
Vietnam's comprehensive national martial art — striking, grappling, and weapons together.
- Primary focus: Striking, grappling, weaponry
- Best for: Practitioners seeking a complete Vietnamese martial arts system
- Notable: Founded in the 20th century with the goal of creating a distinctly Vietnamese martial art. Combines influences from Chinese and French systems with indigenous Vietnamese fighting traditions.
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Europe & Americas
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Kajukenbo — Hawaii
Karate, Judo, Kenpo, and Boxing — blended in post-war Hawaii.
- Primary focus: Striking, grappling, self-defense — all combined
- Best for: Self-defense practitioners, martial arts history enthusiasts
- Notable: Developed in the multicultural environment of 1940s Hawaii specifically for street self-defense. One of the first deliberately hybrid martial arts systems in the modern era.
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Bartitsu — England
The gentleman's martial art. Boxing, jiu-jitsu, cane fighting — and a top hat, presumably.
- Primary focus: Boxing, jiu-jitsu, French kickboxing, cane fighting — combined
- Best for: Martial arts historians, practitioners interested in Victorian-era combat
- Notable: Developed in Edwardian England. Famous for being the martial art of Sherlock Holmes. Largely forgotten for decades before a modern revival.
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Capoeira — Brazil
Part martial art. Part dance. Part music. All Brazilian.
See how to start capoeira.
- Primary focus: Acrobatic and dance-like movements combined with kicks, sweeps, and spins
- Best for: Athletes, dancers, cultural martial arts enthusiasts
- Notable: Developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil — the dance elements were deliberately used to disguise the combat training from slaveholders. Its roots in resistance and survival are inseparable from its practice.
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Shootfighting — United States / Japan
The bridge between catch wrestling and modern MMA.
- Primary focus: Hybrid striking and grappling
- Best for: MMA practitioners, combat sports historians
- Notable: Developed in the late 20th century as a competition format combining elements of catch wrestling with striking. A direct precursor to the modern MMA format.
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Combat Hopak — Ukraine
The Cossack fighting tradition — agility, acrobatics, and Slavic warrior culture.
- Primary focus: Striking, kicking, acrobatic movement based on Cossack tradition
- Best for: Cultural martial arts enthusiasts, Eastern European tradition practitioners
- Notable: Based on traditional Cossack fighting and dance. Combat Hopak is as much a cultural revival as a martial arts system — preserving Ukrainian warrior heritage through physical practice.
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Military & Combat Systems
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Krav Maga — Israel
No rules. No ceremony. Just stop the threat.
- Primary focus: Practical self-defense against armed and unarmed attackers in real-world situations
- Best for: Self-defense, law enforcement, military personnel
- Notable: Developed for the Israeli Defense Forces. Krav Maga teaches you to end confrontations as quickly as possible — no tournament rules, no philosophy, just effectiveness.
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Sambo (Combat) — Russia
Sport Sambo with strikes added. One of the most complete combat systems on this list.
- Primary focus: Throws, leg locks, ground control, striking
- Best for: MMA practitioners, military and law enforcement
- Notable: The combat variant of Sambo adds punches and kicks to an already comprehensive grappling base. Used by Russian military and special forces.
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Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) — United States
Built for Marines. Designed to work in full combat gear, under fire, at zero notice. There's a full MCMAP explainer too.
- Primary focus: Hand-to-hand and close-quarters combat for military scenarios
- Best for: Military personnel, serious self-defense practitioners
- Notable: A blend of various martial arts techniques specifically adapted for battlefield conditions. Includes a character and values component alongside physical training.
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LINE Combat System — United States
Linear Infighting Neural Override Engagement. Built for the US Marine Corps.
- Primary focus: Military hand-to-hand combat using instinctual, gross-motor movements
- Best for: Military personnel, combat systems researchers
- Notable: Designed to function under extreme stress when fine motor skills break down. Later replaced by MCMAP but influential in military combat systems development.
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Combatives — United States
The US Army's official hand-to-hand combat system.
- Primary focus: Military hand-to-hand combat, ground fighting, weapons retention
- Best for: Military personnel, law enforcement
- Notable: Heavily influenced by BJJ — the Army recognized ground fighting as a critical gap and built accordingly. Practical and scenario-based throughout.
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SPEAR System — Canada
Your body already knows how to react to an attack. SPEAR builds on that.
- Primary focus: Personal defense based on natural human startle and flinch responses
- Best for: Law enforcement, military, self-defense practitioners
- Notable: Developed by Tony Blauer. Works with instinctual human reactions rather than trying to override them with trained responses — making it faster to learn and more reliable under stress.
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Special Combat Aggressive Reactionary System (SCARS) — United States
Developed for US Navy SEALs. Built for situations where losing isn't an option.
- Primary focus: Hand-to-hand combat for high-intensity, life-threatening situations
- Best for: Military personnel, advanced self-defense practitioners
- Notable: Designed around the principle that the nervous system, not technique, controls a fighter under extreme stress. Highly specialized and rarely taught outside military contexts.
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World War II Combatives — United States / United Kingdom
What they taught soldiers when there was no time to teach them anything complex.
- Primary focus: Simple, effective hand-to-hand combat techniques for battlefield use
- Best for: Martial arts historians, self-defense practitioners
- Notable: Developed by William Fairbairn and Eric Sykes for Allied forces. Stripped combat down to the techniques most likely to work when someone is terrified and exhausted. Still influential in modern military and law enforcement training.
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Internal & Meditative Arts
Not every martial art is trying to knock someone out.
Internal arts prioritize energy, breath, flow, and mental cultivation over raw physical power. Some have significant combat applications.
Others have evolved almost entirely into health and meditation practices. All of them reward patience in ways that striking and grappling arts don't.
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Chinese Internal Arts
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Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan) — China
One of the most widely practiced martial arts in the world. Most practitioners never use it to fight. Start with what tai chi is.
- Primary focus: Slow, flowing movements for health, meditation, and — at advanced levels — self-defense
- Best for: Health and wellness, older practitioners, stress reduction, meditation
- Notable: Originally a combat system built on redirecting force and yielding to pressure. Today practiced primarily as moving meditation and health exercise. Both uses are legitimate.
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Ba Gua Zhang — China
Circular movement as a combat philosophy. Never stop moving.
- Primary focus: Internal energy, circular movement, evasion, joint locks
- Best for: Advanced practitioners, those interested in Chinese internal arts
- Notable: One of the three main internal Chinese martial arts alongside Tai Chi and Xing Yi. Practitioners train by walking in circles — constantly — before applying techniques.
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Xing Yi Quan — China
Where Tai Chi yields and Ba Gua circles, Xing Yi explodes forward.
- Primary focus: Linear movement, internal energy, explosive power generation
- Best for: Practitioners interested in Chinese internal arts with direct combat application
- Notable: The most combat-direct of the three main internal Chinese arts. Five element fists and twelve animal forms form the core curriculum.
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Wing Chun — China
Close range. Fast hands. Economy of motion above everything.
Our wing chun guide goes deeper.
- Primary focus: Close-range striking, quick punches, low kicks, trapping
- Best for: Self-defense, practitioners who prefer technical efficiency over athleticism
- Notable: Popularized globally by Bruce Lee and Ip Man. Designed for practical self-defense — the system rewards sensitivity and timing over strength and size.
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Zui Quan (Drunken Fist) — China
It looks like someone had too much to drink. That's entirely the point.
- Primary focus: Fluid, unpredictable movements that mimic a drunk person
- Best for: Advanced practitioners, those interested in unusual Chinese martial arts
- Notable: Combines acrobatics with combat techniques. The unpredictable movement makes it genuinely difficult to read and defend against — which is why it exists.
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Northern Praying Mantis — China
Watch a praying mantis hunt. Then imagine that, but for fighting.
- Primary focus: Fast, precise hand movements, trapping, joint manipulation
- Best for: Practitioners interested in Chinese animal-style martial arts
- Notable: Developed after observing the hunting behavior of the praying mantis insect. Emphasizes rapid hand trapping and manipulation of the opponent's limbs.
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Southern Praying Mantis — China
Same insect. Completely different system.
- Primary focus: Close-range combat, short fast strikes, internal power
- Best for: Practitioners interested in Chinese martial arts, close-range combat specialists
- Notable: Despite sharing a name with Northern Praying Mantis, Southern Praying Mantis developed independently in the Hakka community and has significant stylistic differences.
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Fujian White Crane — China
Movements inspired by the crane. Power generated from the spine.
- Primary focus: Striking techniques inspired by crane movements, internal power development
- Best for: Practitioners interested in southern Chinese martial arts
- Notable: Developed in Fujian province. Widely considered an ancestor of Okinawan Karate — the historical connection between Fujian and Okinawa is well-documented.
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Choy Li Fut — China
Northern reach. Southern power. One system.
- Primary focus: Long-range striking, circular techniques, weapons
- Best for: Practitioners interested in comprehensive Chinese martial arts
- Notable: Developed in 19th-century Guangdong by combining Northern and Southern Chinese martial arts traditions. One of the more comprehensive systems in the Chinese martial arts canon.
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Other Internal Traditions
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Aikido — Japan
The goal isn't to beat your opponent. It's to neutralize them without either of you getting hurt. More in our aikido guide.
- Primary focus: Redirecting attacks, joint locks, throws using the opponent's momentum
- Best for: Practitioners seeking philosophy-driven practice, conflict resolution focus
- Notable: Developed by Morihei Ueshiba from Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu. Aikido's emphasis on harmony and non-resistance makes it philosophically distinct from nearly every other martial art on this list.
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Boabom — Tibet
Ancient Tibetan practice. Relaxation as the foundation of everything.
- Primary focus: Meditation, fluid movement, self-defense through relaxation
- Best for: Practitioners seeking meditative, low-impact practice
- Notable: Ancient Tibetan martial art emphasizing mental stillness and fluid movement. One of the least-known traditions on this list outside specialist circles.
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Systema — Russia
No fixed techniques. No kata. Just principles.
Take a beginner's look at systema.
- Primary focus: Natural movement, breathing techniques, relaxation under pressure
- Best for: Advanced practitioners, those interested in unconventional approaches
- Notable: Used by Russian special forces. Systema teaches principles rather than techniques — breathing, relaxation, and natural movement are the foundation. Controversial in some martial arts circles regarding its combat effectiveness claims.
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Sport & Fitness Martial Arts
Not every martial art is trying to prepare you for a street fight.
Some are optimized for competition. Some are built around fitness first, fighting second — or not at all. These arts deserve a place on this list because millions of people practice them, and dismissing them as "not real martial arts" misses the point entirely.
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Tae Bo — United States
Billy Blanks took Taekwondo and Boxing and turned them into the 1990s' most famous workout. See Tae Bo for beginners.
- Primary focus: Cardio fitness using martial arts-inspired movements — kicks, punches, combinations
- Best for: Fitness enthusiasts, people who want a high-energy workout with martial arts flavor
- Notable: Not a combat system. Tae Bo is fitness with attitude — and it introduced millions of people to martial arts movement patterns who might never have walked into a dojo.
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Sport Karate — Global
Competition-focused Karate optimized for points, speed, and athleticism.
- Primary focus: Point-based sparring, kata competition, athletic performance
- Best for: Athletes, competitors, kids developing discipline and coordination
- Notable: Distinct from traditional Karate in its tournament focus. Olympic Karate falls under this category. Critics argue it sacrifices practical application for spectacle — proponents argue the athletic demands are legitimate in their own right.
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Kickboxing (Sport) — Global
Boxing's footwork and hands. Muay Thai's kicks. Tournament rules.
Read kickboxing for beginners.
- Primary focus: Punching and kicking in a sport competition format
- Best for: Fitness, sport competition, striking base for MMA
- Notable: Several distinct rulesets exist — K-1, American kickboxing, Dutch-style — each with different rules about which techniques score. More sport-focused than Muay Thai, less clinch and elbow work.
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Wen-Do — Canada
Self-defense built specifically for women. Empowerment as the primary goal.
- Primary focus: Women's self-defense techniques adapted for realistic scenarios
- Best for: Women seeking practical self-defense skills
- Notable: Developed in Canada with a focus on techniques accessible to women of all sizes and fitness levels. Empowerment and confidence are as central to the curriculum as physical technique.
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Model Mugging — United States
Self-defense training through full-intensity scenario simulation.
- Primary focus: Realistic self-defense using role-played assault scenarios with padded attackers
- Best for: Self-defense practitioners, trauma survivors, anyone wanting realistic training
- Notable: Uses fully padded "muggers" so students can practice full-force responses to realistic attack scenarios. One of the most psychologically intensive training formats on this list.
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How to Choose a Martial Art
Ninety-two styles is a lot of options.
The honest answer: the best martial art is the one you'll actually keep doing. But a few questions cut through the noise fast.
What's your goal?
- Fight sport competition → Boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ, Judo, Kickboxing
- Real-world self-defense → Krav Maga, BJJ, Muay Thai, SPEAR System
- Fitness → Tae Bo, Kickboxing, Capoeira, Muay Thai
- Tradition and culture → Karate, Judo, Kendo, Tai Chi, Capoeira
- Mental and spiritual development → Tai Chi, Aikido, Kyudo, Iaido
What's your body type and preference?
- Prefer stand-up combat → Muay Thai, Boxing, Karate, Taekwondo
- Prefer ground fighting → BJJ, Judo, Sambo, Catch Wrestling
- Prefer weapons → Kendo, Iaido, Arnis/Eskrima, Gatka
- Prefer low-impact → Tai Chi, Aikido, Kyudo
One practical rule: Visit a school before you commit to a style. The instructor and training culture matter more than the name on the door.
Four more styles have their own beginner guides: hapkido, Korea's art of joint locks and throws; kenpo, a fast striking system; Shaolin kung fu, the temple tradition behind many Chinese styles; and pankration, the ancient Greek mix of boxing and wrestling.
Not sure martial arts are for you? Browse the sports hobbies category or our list of hobbies for beginners for other ways to get moving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What martial art is best for beginners with no prior experience?
Karate, Taekwondo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are excellent starting points for beginners due to their structured progression systems and focus on fundamentals. Karate offers clear belt ranking, Taekwondo emphasizes striking and flexibility, while BJJ provides a grappling foundation without requiring extreme athleticism. Your choice depends on whether you prefer striking, kicking, or ground-based techniques.
How long does it take to reach a black belt in martial arts?
In karate, about four to six years of steady training is typical. Brazilian jiu-jitsu takes much longer, and most people need around a decade. Your school, your style and how often you train change the timeline a lot.
What's the difference between martial arts styles like Karate, Kung Fu, and Taekwondo?
Karate focuses on powerful strikes and kicks with a disciplined philosophy, Kung Fu emphasizes flowing movements and internal energy (chi), and Taekwondo specializes in high, dynamic kicks and Olympic-style competition. Each style has different origins—Karate from Okinawa, Kung Fu from China, and Taekwondo from Korea—resulting in distinct techniques and training philosophies.
How much does martial arts training typically cost?
Most US schools charge about $45–$150 a month, and some adult programs run up to about $200. A basic uniform costs roughly $17–$50, and belt tests are often $20–$40 each. Private lessons usually cost about $70–$90 a session.
Can martial arts help with self-defense, or is it mainly for fitness?
Martial arts are highly effective for self-defense when trained seriously with realistic scenarios, though the primary benefit depends on the style and instructor focus. Styles like Karate, Taekwondo, and Muay Thai teach striking for real-world situations, while Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu excels at close-range defense. Most traditional schools emphasize discipline and fitness alongside practical self-defense skills.
What physical and mental benefits can I expect from martial arts?
Expect better cardio fitness, strength, flexibility and coordination, plus more confidence and focus. Slower, breath-led styles like tai chi also work as a way to unwind.
