which is the best type of martial arts???

Answer 1

Aikido as it is a gentle form of martial arts which can also be deadly & effective.

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Answer 2

Depends on what you want it for.

for true self defense, the best martial art is going to be a weapons style. Anyone who tells you otherwise is the kind of idiot that would bring a whiffle bat to a gun fight.

For unarmed fighting it isn't so much the style as it is the realism of trianing and the teacher.

TKD, Aikido and chinese martial arts all have very bad reputations in this category.

I'm not saying that there isn't a good school for those that trains realistically. Ie: without ATA bogus point sparring rules that amount to martial tag, or ukes that happily throw themselves at the mereest touch or pajama parties of people prancing around doing pre-set forms.

I'm saying a school that trains with full resistance and teaches you to fight in a situation where the guy is going to be hitting you back, and in the face (unlike in typical tkd sparring where the face is a prohibited target) and the goal is not to get the first hit- but the best hit while not getting hit yourself.

Unless you are the incredible hulk and can pretty much take out a building with one punch, point sparring is worthless.

thus finding a school that trains you properly is more important than the art itself.

People lean towards sportative systems today for just that reason because while boxing, grappling or even UFC rules are not going to be 100% equivalent of a real fight, they are as damn close as you will find and are 100x closer than point sparring and compliant partners which rank in realistic training slightly above playing "patty cake" and ballroom dancing.

Answer 3

The best martial art is one that fits your personality, that meets what you want out of martial arts, and makes you builds your charater.

Which martial art style is best for you? if you need help figuring this out, I highly recommend The Complete Idiot's Guid to Martial Arts. Has lots of information and details in a easy to read and easy to understand format.

As for which is the best martial art, long story short, there is no best martial art. They all have their pros and cons. If there was such as thing as a ultimate martial art, all the others would fade away because nobody would want to train in an "inferior" martial art.

There simply is no best martial art. Take the plunge, go to your local library and read about the different styles, go sit in on a couple of lessions in your neighborhood, and if it appeals to you, take the dive.

Answer 4

Its not the art its the martial artist...the greatest martial artists are the ones who take the best aspects from any art, and apply them to there own...but me being a realistic fighter and wanting to defend myself..not be on ufc...think that ju-jitsu isn't that great...think about it, your in the bar, you manage to take the guy down, "ohh look at me i put him in an arm bar" and while your on the ground, his buddy either kicks you in the face, or shoves a beer bottle in your eye...enjoy it lol

Answer 5

MMA has proven which arts work and which ones are for show.

Muay thai, bjj, catch wrestling, wrestling, sambo, and boxing are learned by most of the best fighters. Vale tudo could probably be thrown in there too along with judo.

I have yet to see a ninja in MMA, so I assume arts like ninjitsu were more fairy tale than reality.

Answer 6

There are many great martial styles and many bad ones. Jujitsu for example was the weaponless style of the Samurai, Aikijujitsu was one school of this and Aikido grew out of this.. Judo grew out of Jujitsu as well. All of these styles, originally one style, offer different strengths and weaknesses. Someone trained in any of these styles will win your average street fight, or do well in a self-defense situation.
On Okinawa, Shuri-Te, which later became known as Shotokan, Shorin-ryu and Isshinryu, was a mix between Fuzhou Kung Fu (Monk Fist and White Crane) and Okinawan punching methods (Te) and did most of it's developing on the Okinawan Island, while Naha Te (Which gave birth to Goju-ryu and Uechi ryu as well as To-on) always held a closer connection to it's Chinese Kung Fu counterparts. (White Crane, Whooping Crane and Pangainoon) All of these styles are Karate, and have different strengths.
Kung Fu is primarily seperated by Northern styles (which grew out of the Hunan Shaolin Temple) featuring more flexibility and aerobic type attacks which are quite devistating, and Southern styles (which grew out of the Fuzhou Shaolin Temple) which developed more low to the ground, close-in fighting styles.
Are any of these best? it's quite hard to say. Any lineage, from any of these styles could be corrupt. The Lineage states who interpreted the style down to when you learn it. Any one of those artists could have changed something (something vital even) to make it more popular, or just mis-learned it, and you could get a bad art.
For instance, Bruce Lee's style... There are at least 3 branches (lineages) of Wing Chun I know of in America today. (Wing Chun, Wing Tsun, and Ving Chun) There was only one lineage in Hong Kong when Bruce Learned it, though there were other Wing Chun guys in different cities (hiding) in Southern China. All the lineages use the same three forms, and the dummy practice. But, their teaching of the style varies greatly.

Answer 7

There is no "best", all martial arts have merit, depending on what you are looking for I could make some recommendations.

For standup: muay thai, boxing, kyokushen karate, san shou

For grappling: judo, jiu-jitsu, brazilian jiu-jitsu, sambo, wrestling.

For balance and flexibility: Tai-chi, yoga.

Other martial arts that will give you a good workout, and you learn self-defense: karate, tae-kwon do, kung-fu, kickboxing.

good luck!

Answer 8

Of course this is a matter of opinion, but I am a 2nd degree black belt in Tae-kwon-do. I believe it could very well be the best type of martial arts, since it utilizes both the hands and feet fairly evenly (favors hands over feet a little, which can be useful). It is primarily self-defense based, making it very useful if you get into a bad situation. I take from ATA (American Tae-kwon-do Association) which has branches all around the US, and other countries, making it very accessible. I recommend it! Just type American Tae-kwon-do Association into Google if you want to find out more.

Answer 9

The best is subjective, as you have seen all the other answers. If you want to develop your own way, then I must throw my 2-cents into this:

I am not saying that this is the best, but what I have lived through. I began my studies 33 years ago, and still consider myself, learning. I have lived to tell this tale, after many fights against muggers, assaults, fights in places I would never go back to, and I have to say, that Jeet Kune Do was destined to be in my life.

Today, I teach this, to selected students, in classes of 4 people, max. I have staked my life on the knowledge of this system, and teach those who will do the same.

If you really want to understand JKD...experience it for yourself. JKD practitioners, like kungfu and karate practitioners, spend their whole lives trying to understand and define their arts in a personal way that they can relate to. Through years and years of much personal sacrifice, eventually such dedicated practitioners achieve their personal definition of what their art is through extreme physical and emotional efforts, and unwavering dedication. They EARNED their answers; they didn't get it by typing away on the internet. To DEMAND that these practitioners come up with a fortune-cookie answer to a question as "well, what is the definition of JKD?" is not only cheating yourself of the process of discovering the art for yourself, but outright disrespectful of a whole lifetime of practice and sacrifice that these individuals have put into their disciplines.

I say this, because if your choice is based on a need to survive, you need to choose on you own particular need...careful, as there are many black-belt factories out there, and children day care services disguised as martial arts training halls...

good luck with your search.

Answer 10

There is no best type. There are many good styles. It's the artist, not the art.