Jiu-Jitsu Archives - Page 2 of 2

You are looking to take martial arts and want to know where to start. You have seen movies with people doing incredible martial art moves to stop an attacker or fight off bad guys. What is the best martial art for beginners? This depends on why you want to take martial arts. If you are taking for self-defense we recommend Jiu-Jitsu. Yet if you want to learn katas or maybe awesome flying kicks then taking a TaeKwonDo may be more your style. We will need to look at what is your objective for taking martial arts to see which one fits you as a beginner. Self-defense martial arts Martial arts that teach moves that will work in a fight to protect you include Jiu-Jitsu, Krav Maga, JeetKuneDo, MMA, Muay Thai, boxing and Judo. Let’s discuss each one and what they teach you that you can use in self-defense or in a fight to protect yourself. Jiu-Jitsu This was our number one pick because it is a very effective martial art for self-defense. What do you learn in Jiu-Jitsu? Ground fighting techniquesHow to take any size opponent to the groundPosition yourself to gain control of the attacker Techniques to choke in a fight include:Rear naked chokeCross collar chokeTriangle chokeBow and arrow chokeGuillotineSide choke Techniques to lock joints such as:WristlockAnkle lockArmlockArmbarReverse armbar Takedowns to get the opponent to the ground Punch defense Mount positions Most people usually do not know how to fight. When you train in Jiu-Jitsu you will quickly learn some of the techniques above. These techniques do not take a really long time to learn. They do take time to master but to use these techniques on an attacker you do not need to have them mastered. Why is Jiu-Jitsu the best martial art for beginners? You can quickly learn techniques that can be used in a real fightEveryone can train online or train in a local gymAnyone no matter size can train and use these techniquesTrained in Jiu-Jitsu you can beat bigger and stronger opponentsMany fights go to the ground so knowing ground fighting helps tremendously Downside to Jiu-Jitsu The training mostly focuses on ground fighting so fighting multiple attackers you need stand up training Krav Maga This martial art was created for the Israeli army close quarter combat fighting. What do you learn in Krav Maga? You learn the jab punchRear-cross punchHook punchUppercutLearn how to stand and move in a fightElbow strikesKnee strikesDefense against chokes, grabs, headlocks, and punches at youDifferent street fighting kicksDefense against weapons like a gun or knifeGround fighting techniques (same things as what Jiu-Jitsu teaches) Krav maga is training that works on you taking out your opponent quickly then getting away by running. This martial art really revolves around learning to defend yourself. Why is Krav Maga one of the best martial arts for beginners? Learn multiple techniques from different martial arts that are effective in a street fightTeach techniques that you can quickly pick up and start usingTeach specific ways to get out of someone grabbing you from behind or putting you in a headlockYou will learn stand up and ground fighting techniquesTested on the battlefield because the Israeli army and many others use this training to teach soldiers how to protect themselves The downside to Krav Maga The focus is on self-defense and stand up so not as much training on ground fighting but they do have it JeetKuneDo This is another great martial art for self-defense and was created by the late Bruce Lee. I did train in this martial art for several years and loved the training. What do you learn in JeetKuneDo? Boxing (all the punches from a jab to uppercut)Elbow and knee strikesTrapping hands which comes from Wing Chun Kung FuSimultaneous blocking and punching which is the essence of JKDWeapons such as knife and stick fighting from Kali Martial ArtsGround fighting techniquesHow to move when fightingKicks effective in street fighting or for self-defenseTakedowns and throws Why is JeetKuneDo one if the best martial arts for beginners? When you learn JeetKuneDo they start with the basics for beginners. The first thing to learn is how to punch correctly. They will teach you basic boxing punches. Next, you learn how to stand and move when you fight which is the key to attacking an opponent or defending against an attacker. You can progress in learning self-defense pretty quickly in this martial art. Can learn to fight quicklyLearn multiple techniques that are known to work in a fightLearn to do stand up fighting and ground fightingYou train in a martial art Bruce Lee created how cool Downside to JeetKuneDo I loved the trapping hands and learning to simultaneously block and hit someone. The tough part is you have to train a very long time for those techniques to work in a street fight. MMA This martial art was created back in the days when UFC was started. May not be the best one for beginners because it is really for training to fight in a cage. Yet, many gyms do offer MMA that students do not have to enter the ring they can just train. What do you learn in MMA? You learn the jab punchRear-cross punchHook punchUppercutLearn how to stand and move in a fight/footworkBobbing and weavingElbow strikesKnee strikesGround fighting techniques (same things as what Jiu-Jitsu teaches)The transition between kicking, punching and ground fighting MMA is not really for self-defense but the training is so well rounded you become a deadly weapon. The training you get in MMA will make you more than ready to defend yourself. Why is MMA one if the best martial arts for beginners? Learn multiple techniques from different martial arts that are effective in a fightLearn techniques that you can quickly pick up and start usingYou learn to do stand up and ground fighting techniquesTested in the UFC ring if you want to know if it works Downside to MMA Not focused on training for self-defenseNo weapons training Muay Thai Muay Thai is from Thailand and if you have never seen a Muay Thai fight then you are missing out. Check out the video below on Muay Thai fights. What do you learn in Muay Thai? You learn the jab punchRear-cross punchHook punchUppercutLearn how to stand and move in a fight/footworkElbow strikesKnee strikes Muay Thai is devastating to an attacker. They use knees and elbows with vicious kicks to knock out an attacker. This martial art is more directed towards ring fights in Thailand but will work in a street fight. Why is Muay Thai one if the best martial arts for beginners? Learn multiple fighting techniques Teach basic fighting techniques that you can quickly pick up and start usingYou will learn devastating knees, kicks and elbow strikesTested in the UFC ring if you want to know if it works because everyone learns knees and elbows in Muay Thai The downside to Muay Thai Not focused on training for self-defenseThere is no weapons trainingNo ground fighting training Boxing Boxing is not a martial art. The training in boxing is incredible for footwork and punching. Your skills can increase dramatically with this training. What do you learn in boxing? You learn the jab punchRear-cross punchHook punchUppercutLearn how to stand and move in a fight/footworkBobbing and weavingHead movement Boxing is a great base to learn before you go into one of the other martial arts we have listed above. This will teach you exactly how to punch correctly. Many people do not punch properly. Boxing training will get you on the right track. Why is boxing really good for beginners? Learn the proper way to punch so you do not break your handYou can pick up boxing pretty easily if you can at least punch straightFootwork drills and movement training is incredibleBoxing has worked to fight off attackers for centuries Downside to boxing Not focused on training for self-defenseThere is no weapons trainingNo ground fighting trainingKicking techniques are not taughtElbows and knee strikes not taught Judo Judo is good to use for self-defense. It is also a sport in the Olympics. What do you learn in Judo? ThrowsSweepsFalling techniquesHow to take any size opponent to the groundPosition yourself to gain control of the attacker Techniques to choke people out such as:Rear naked chokeCross collar chokeTriangle chokeGuillotineSide chokePlus many more you can learn Techniques to lock joints:ArmbarsAnd more Mount positionsMuch more Judo is an Olympic sport so if you really like the sport and do well you can train for the Olympics. Why is Judo a good martial art for beginners? You can quickly learn techniques that can be used in a real fightAnyone no matter size can train and use these techniquesTrained in Judo you can beat bigger and stronger opponentsMany fights go to the ground so knowing ground fighting helps tremendously Downside to Judo This has the same issue as Jiu-Jitsu the training mostly focuses on taking an opponent to the ground so fighting multiple attackers you need stand up trainingYou do not really learn any strikes, elbows, knees or kicks Traditional martial arts Traditional martial arts teach you sparring techniques and kata forms. Kata’s a system of pre-set forms that you do for training. Check out the video below on what a kata looks like. The traditional martial arts train in sparring, katas, punching, kicking, and weapons. Many traditional martial arts have tournaments to showcase katas, weapons, and sparring. Traditional martial arts do have very specific rules for sparring. Here are the traditional martial arts we will review TaeKwonDo, Karate, Kung Fu, and Aikido. These are the four we will discuss because these are the most popular in the United States. TaeKwonDo This is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. Like Judo this is an Olympic sport. What do you learn in Taekwondo? KickingFront kickSidekickSpinning back kickBack kickAx kickFlying kicksMany more PunchingYou learn the jab punchRear-cross punchHook punchUppercut KatasPoint-based sparringBreaking boards Taekwondo is an Olympic sport so if you really like the sport and do well you can train to try and make the Olympics. Why is Taekwondo a good martial art for beginners? Really good for kids because teaches discipline and respectAnyone no matter size can train and use these techniquesSparring in Taekwondo is fun and really safeWill help with self-confidenceCan help in a self-defense situation Downside to Taekwondo You are mainly taught kicking which would be hard to defeat a boxer or ground fighter if you ever get into a fightYou learn some strikes but it is not the focus so you punching skills will be less then Krav Maga or MMA fighter Karate This is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. There are so many different types of Karate we cannot cover all the styles so we will just generalize for you. What do you learn in Karate? KickingFront kickSidekickSpinning back kickBack kickAx kickMany more PunchingYou learn the jab punchRear-cross punchHook punchUppercut Blocking punches and kicks using arms and legsKatasPoint-based sparringBreaking boards Weapons trainingBo / staffNunchucksSaiMany others Why Karate a good martial art for beginners? Really good for kids because teaches discipline and respectAnyone no matter size can train and use these techniquesSparring in karate tournaments is fun and really safeWill help with self-confidenceCan help in self-defense situations Downside to Karate You do not get trained in ground fighting Kung Fu Kung Fu has been around for a very long time. There are so many different types of Kung Fu we cannot cover all the styles so we will just generalize for you. What do you learn in Kung Fu? KickingPunchingBlocking punches and kicks using arms and legsKung Fu formsWooden dummy training Weapons trainingBo / staffNunchucksSwordMany othersLearn animal forms some Kung Fu schools teach this Video below shows Kung Fu wooden dummy training in IP Man movie. Why Kung Fu is a good martial art for beginners? Really good for kids because teaches discipline and respectAnyone no matter size can train and use these techniquesKung Fu has been around a long time so great martial art for beginnersWill help with self-confidenceCan help in self-defense situationsLearn weapons The downside to Kung Fu Depends on what you take but some styles focus more on hand to hand fighting while others do more kicking Aikido Aikido was developed for a way to defend yourself while at the same time not injuring your attacker. What do you learn in Aikido? ThrowsJoint LocksKi – is physical and mental trainingKataKnifehand strikesPunchingGrabs Why Aikido is a good martial art for beginners? You can learn this martial art and if you get attacked you can hopefully not hurt your attackerAnyone no matter size can train and use these techniquesAikido focuses on mind and body growthWill help with self-confidenceCan help in self-defense situations Downside to Aikido Kicking not really a focusGrappling not taughtPunching is limited Conclusion There are several martial arts to choose from when wanting to learn how to defend yourself, stay in shape or learn something new. If you are a beginner figure out what you want to do or which style fits what you are looking for in a martial art. They are all different in many ways so maybe try some local classes or look at videos of each online. I went to several schools before realizing what I wanted to do and train in. I have actually trained in several different types of martial arts. You can do the same to find which one fits your needs. You can also check out our free training.