The transcript below is from the video “10 Martial Arts for Self Defense” by Brutal TV.

Brutal TV:

10 Best Martial Arts for Self Defense

There are several reasons why you may want to learn martial arts. Maybe for self-discipline or to increase confidence. But one of the major reasons why most martial arts are developed is for self-defense. Martial arts teach you how to be aware of your environment and prepare against attacks whether armed or unarmed. It is important to know that not all martial arts are created equally and the effectiveness also depends on your level of mastery and the situation you find yourself in.

So we’ve curated 10 of the best martial arts for self-defense in this video. But before we continue give this video a thumbs up, subscribe and click the Bell icon so that you never miss another video from this channel. With that said. let’s get right into the 10 best martial arts for self-defense.

Brutal TV:

#10. Keysi

Keysi fighting method, KSM, is a relatively young martial art for self-defense that was developed in the 1980s by Justo Diéguez Serrano. While growing up, he always wanted to learn a fighting style that is effective, yet easy to learn and practice. This led him to develop his own fighting style that he roots in Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun, and street fighting, but is not limited by their rules. This was the fighting style used in the 2005 movie Batman Begins. Keysi focuses solely on self-defense and therefore teaches you how to instinctively respond to a threat without thinking twice. Its methods are based on real life experience and during training, you’ll practice punches and kicks and how to escape holds and deal with armed opponents.

Brutal TV:

#9. Combat Sambo

Next we have Sambo, which is a form of Russian martial arts developed in the 1920s by the Soviet Union Military to improve hand-to-hand combat. The creation of this fighting style is often credited to two men working independently to create the most effective techniques of other martial arts. The first man was Viktor Spiridonov, who had an extensive background in Wrestling and Japanese Jujutsu. Most of his techniques are less strength dependent and can be easily executed partly because of an injury that he sustained during World War One. The second man, who made important contributions to the art, was Vasili Oshchepkov. He had spent several years in Japan, where he studied Judo under its founder Kanō Jigorō. It was a cross-pollination between the techniques of these two men that resulted in Sambo, which literally translates to self-defense without weapons. While Sambo is practiced as a sport, Combat Sambo was made for Army Special Forces and it involves the use of kicks, punches, elbows, and knees. Practitioners are also allowed to use headbutts, groin strikes, and soccer kicks in addition to throws, chokes, holds, and locks.

Brutal TV:

#8. Zen Do Kai

Another relatively new but effective fighting style is Zen Do Kai, which was created by Bob Jones in 1970 when he opened his first Martial Arts Club in Melbourne. According to him, Zen Do Kai means the best of everything in progression. And the fighting style evolved from several other principles and techniques of many martial art disciplines. Originally, this fighting style was created for those who work in the security industry but because of its effectiveness, it soon spread to other practitioners who were looking for a good martial art for self-defense. Zen Do Kai combined several martial art disciplines, including Karate, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Brutal TV:

#7. Kung Fu San Soo

Kung Fu San Soo is a Chinese-American martial art created by Jimmy H. Woo and is one of the best martial arts for a real fight scenario. Its origin is based on various Chinese martial arts systems that have been practiced for centuries. Although Kung Fu San Soo does not heavily rely on rules that may not be applicable in real life, once mastered, practitioners can easily use the techniques of this martial art to swiftly disable an attacker. The principle is to remove a threat as quickly as possible. The fighting system contains punches, kicks, throwing, choking, strangling, and quick takedown. It is not designed as a sport with rules. Targets include the eyes, nose, throat, liver, groin, and other vulnerable parts of the body.

Brutal TV:

#6. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most famous martial arts for self-defense for a good reason. It is effective and can be practiced by anyone regardless of size or strength. Unlike many martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu does not rely on striking but on ground-based fighting, which is important if you want to free yourself from an assailant who has gained a dominant position over you. It was created in Brazil in the 1920s by the Gracie Brothers Carlos and Helio. And the techniques have been refined over the years. Since it focuses on ground fighting, the common techniques include grappling and submission holds via joint locks or choke holds.

Brutal TV:

#5. Lethwei

Lethwei or Burmese Boxing is a form of martial art from Myanmar. Even as a sport, Lethwei is very dangerous and practitioners fight with bare knuckles with only tape and gauze. Many of the strikes such as headbutts, elbows, and knees that are considered illegal in most contact Combat Sports, are allowed in Lethwei. And the only way to win a Lethwei match is by knockout. When you find yourself in a fight in real life, there are no rules, so you need an equally brutal martial art to be able to defend yourself.

Brutal TV:

#4. Vacon

Moving on to the next one, we have the Peruvian martial art known as Vacon. This may not be the most popular form of martial arts but it is one of the deadliest. Developed on the streets of Lima for the Peruvian military, this martial art is a fusion of many martial arts styles and street fighting. One of its main principles is to injure an opponent within a short span of time using any means possible, including using extreme punches. Vacon also includes the element of surprise as practitioners can use hidden weapons to defend themselves.

Brutal TV:

#3. Boxing

The sweet science is one of the oldest forms of combat sports as well as one of the most reliable martial arts for self-defense. Boxing teaches you several defensive and attacking maneuvers which you can use to your advantage outside the ring. Boxers have higher chances of delivering a one-punch knockout, which is very useful when you are under attack. You can know the right place to hit and the best way to deliver the shot for maximum impact. Additionally, Boxing helps you develop effective footwork, distance control, speed, and accuracy.

Brutal TV:

#2. Vale Tudo

Vale Tudo is a full contact combat sport also known as No Holds Barred. Vale Tudo also means “anything goes” because it has very few rules and as you can imagine, practitioners are free to use any technique possible to win a fight. Vale Tudo was popularized in Brazil in the 20th century and it became the precursor to MMA. It involved the use of strikes, neck strikes, headbutts, eye gouging, and several other moves that will be considered illegal in today’s contact combat sports. Because of these reasons, we’ve included Vale Tudo in our list of the best martial arts for self-defense.

Brutal TV:

#1. Krav Maga

Krav Maga is perhaps the most complete martial art for self-defense. It was created by Jewish martial artists for the Israeli Defense Force and it includes techniques used in other martial art forms such as Aikido, Judo,

Karate, Boxing, and wrestling. By combining techniques from various martial arts, Krav Maga helps you to face any assailant, whether armed or unarmed, and finish them off as quickly as possible. Practitioners are encouraged to attack as soon as possible and use any object around as Weapons if and when necessary. Another advantage of this martial art is that it teaches you ground fighting and how to fight while standing. This involves the use of strikes, takedowns, and escaping holds and chokes.

Have you used any of these martial arts for self-defense before? We’d like to know how effective they were. So let us know in the comments below. And before you leave, don’t forget to like this video, subscribe and turn on the post notification so that you’ll never miss a future video. Thanks for watching. We’ll see you next time.