It's been 2 years since my last post regarding martial arts. Truth be told in these 2 years I have had the privilege to practice an extremely wide range of martial arts that is aimed at self defence, bringing my different martial art count to 15 in total. Although some of them in my opinion will never work in a hostile atmosphere and will probably get you killed, there are others that I studied that will send the assailants in the opposite direction. I also picked up some practical experience on the way when I was attacked by a guy with a knife. In my article I will highlight the 5 best martial arts for self defence in my opinion. I would also like to state that if self defence is your only aim and you are not looking for a oriental lifestyle as well, I would stay away from traditional martial arts like karate or taekwondo or aikido. These arts take years to master before you can dare to take on muggers on the street and even with years of practice they won't guarantee your safety largely due to outdated training methods that don't prepare you for street fighting. I would like to state that there are exceptions to the norm though, as all things in life but that's an article on its own. I based my choice mostly on the effectiveness of the techniques, speed and simplicity of the arts. These are the most effective self defence arts I have practiced as also the reasons why.

5.Fillipino Martial Arts in the form of Kali and Eskrima

These Martial Arts have originated from a very wide scope of fighting traditions of traders in the Philippines as the locals always kept an open mind to effective ways of fighting. Resulting in an art focused on stick and knife fighting. Although FMA has a tight learning curve especially regarding the sticks, it's definitely one of the most potent arts I have ever practiced. The knife fighting is ever developing since new ways to cut and defend with a knife is constantly incorporated in the syllibus. They even have legal live knife fights to the death in the Philippines.  They follow the principle that the same stick techniques can be applied without the stick since the stick is only an extension of the body. This forms their hand to hand fighting. Although this is not too bad, I have seen better. The main focus is the sticks and knives and since almost everywhere a person can find some form of a stick or carry a knife around, this martial art is suited for self defence on the street.

4.Combat Sambo

This is a Russian martial art based mostly on grappling. Take note though that there are 3 forms of Sambo and although they mostly contain the same moves, the application and purpose of the techniques are completely different. There is sport Sambo aimed at competition fighting, Self Defence Sambo aimed self defence, doing minimum damage to the attacker, and then there is Combat Sambo which basically is the military fighting form created to inflict serious damage. This is the form in my opinion that is the most effective for the street although Self Defence Sambo also carries some weight. Since it is a grappling art you have to temper your reflexes and practice to practice is an absolute necessity before applying the techniques in a life threatning situation. The techniques taught are effective though since the whole art is based on real life situations in the military. But as I said dedicated practice is required. Their gun defences is also very tricky to master and doing it improperly by just a bit will get you killed. It took me 2 months of hard practice before I was able to apply one of the defensive techniques. Their striking is also in my opinion a bit underdeveloped but then again with such effective grappling techniques you will rarely be required to strike an opponent anyway. The biggest challenge for the practioner is mastering the proper reflexes to apply the art.

3.Pencak Silat

Pencak Silat is a term used for a collection of Indonesian martial arts that was developed to combat the Dutch. It has a wide variety of forms and picking the correct one is crucial for effective self defence. The techniques I studied were similar to Muay Thai with the addition of knife and gun techniques. The reason I picked this art as one of my top 5 is because of its marginal simplicity, being a bit easier to master than the grappling forms of self defence. It involves a lot of strikes rather than grabs making it easier to apply-since the area where the technique can be applied is much bigger than in grappling. I found almost all the techniques functional for a street situation with the exception of a few moves that wouldn't be so effective if common external factors such as attacker reactions of resistance kicks in. All in all though this art will teach you how to defend your life if necessary (Knives and guns included).

2.Commando Krav Maga/Combat Survival

This is a grappling martial art developed by Moni Aizik based on Judo. It was specifically created for the purpose of self defence in real life situations of today where guns and knives are usually present. This however is not Krav Maga as created by Imi Lichtenfield and one should not be confused by the 2. I personally think Moni just incorporated the word Krav Maga as a sales gimmick to attract people. None the less it is an effective martial art indeed with all the moves and techniques applicable in real life. I actually found a lot of similarities between CKM and Combat Sambo probably because both the arts have roots in Jiu Jitsu. Since it is a grappling art it also has a bit of a learning curve and practice is required to apply the techniques in a life threatening situation. The striking in CKM has it’s roots from Muay Thai, but not a lot of attention is given to this aspect. Although the techniques are quite simple, fast reflexes are needed to properly execute the moves taught. It's gun and knife defences are effective but I still prefer Krav Maga's approach which will be discussed next. Again none the less there's no reason not to consider this as your primary form of self defence, you will not be disappointed.

1.Krav Maga

The first time I heard about Krav Maga I was skeptical partly due to the fact that I thought it was a marketing machine, an expensive art that couldn't teach me anything I didn't know. It was however on the list of self defence arts so I decided to have a look. Krav Maga is mostly an striking Israeli martial art created by Imi Lichtenfield for the IDF and originally had its roots in boxing, karate and wrestling. Today however the art has been modified to include Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as also various other arts. To put it simple it's militarized MMA. In all my life I have never seen such an simplistic yet effective form of fighting. It is so simplistic I almost felt insulted while learning it. As I am a MMA fighter I knew 80% of the techniques already and mastering the gun and knife defences was a breeze. It is also these techniques that truly impressed me. The gun defence is so effective that proper application will always leave you with the gun in 1 second. There is nothing the attacker can do once the technique is initiated except running as fast as he can in the opposite direction. The knife defence is basically Muay Thai blocks with extremely basic jiu jitsu to disarm the knife, also incredibly effective. It also incorporates ground fighting which is actually just the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu syllabus. Krav Maga can thus actually not be seen as 1 art, but a combination of the most effective techniques for any given situation from any art, thus militarized MMA. Since it is so basic it also makes it possible to learn Krav Maga through a book or dvd series. I did the basic course then bought the book and dvd's to master the rest. So even if you are a master in various martial arts, take the time to learn Krav Maga, it's truly a noteworthy addition. To beginners if you are looking for self defence I would recommend this as my number 1 self defence art. There's a few other reasons I also like Krav Maga so much. The whole Krav Maga system is based around natural reactions of the body in certain situations and the techniques are then developed around this concept. Thus you could almost say Krav Maga will be the natural reaction of the body. This is important for 1 reason, once you are in a life threatening situation, adrenalin starts pumping into your system and your brain loses its finer motor functions. Meaning if you are not extremely well trained in an art, you won't be able to apply techniques that require steps (Which might play a role in the other self defence arts). Since Krav Maga is based around natural reactions, even a person not so well trained in martial arts will be able to execute its techniques under stress with relative ease. Krav Maga classes have a tendency to be extremely expensive where I live though and classes advance at a very slow pace so if this might also be your problem, get the book and dvd's and start practicing. If you are already a MMA or traditional MA practioner where sparring is involved, in my opinion don't even bother with classes, the book and especially the dvd series will be sufficient. That is just my opinion though.

When I was attacked by a knife mugger 2 months ago I was actually curious how my body would react and with what art I studied it would defend. It was indeed Krav Maga, but most probably because it was the most natural reaction. All of the above self defence arts is effective though and with proper dedicated training, each one of these arts will make you a serious force to be reckoned with on the street or anywhere. If you truly have the time/years and really want to learn a traditional art such as karate, do it since most karate forms will have sparring, which in turn will sharpen your reflexes. I cannot emphasize REFLEXES enough, because in the end that is THE FACTOR that will determine how good your self defence will be. Having the knowledge of all these arts will help nothing if you do not have the reflexes to apply it. So actually studying any art that develops reflexes will be a step in the right direction. One should also take note that the reflexes required for a striking art is substantially less than that of a grappling art since the application of a grappling art requires more accuracy. If you do however decide on a traditional martial art, take my advice and do a Krav Maga course in between. The knowledge you will gain will always be with you and available even if the art you study fail. The choice is yours.

Since the world is a big place I probably missed a whole bunch of other martial arts aimed at self defence or at least can be used for self defence. This article is also based on my personal opinion so it’s not written in stone. So once again speak your mind. My martial art list is as follows : Aikido, Jiu Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, CKM, Combat Sambo, FMA, Pencak Silat, Taekwondo, Karate, Ninjitsu, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Pancration, Systema and Krav Maga.