BEST Martial Arts for Self-Defense - A Black Belt's Thoughts

You've decided to either put your children in martial arts or take some classes yourself for some self-defense skills, although there are so many to choose from, which one do you learn. Well, fear not, martial arts black belt JD Olsen is here to give you a helping hand. He is going to give you some advice on which arts are the best for self-defense training, and which are best for other things.
This video brings up some important points, even though there is some joking around, I do feel the key points that are being made are in fact quite accurate. Watch the video and see if you agree or disagree. A big thank you to Ed Stahl @metrolinamartialarts, Ron Balicki @MARSActionGroup, Shane Fazen @fighttips, Sensei Seth @SenseiSeth, Icy Mike @hard2hurt, Gabriel Varga @GabrielVargaOfficial, Erik Paulson @CSWAssociation, Mike Martelle @MikeMartelle, AJ Weimer, and to everyone as this video wouldn't have been possible without them.
#selfdefense #tips #martialarts
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[@facts-never-lies3160]

I feel judo is super effective on the streets. Judo teaches explosiveness, balance, hip throws, shoulder throws, leg sweeps, sacrifice throws, and ground game. Ground game is not as good as bjj but will work well against an untrained opponent. 1 throw on concrete GAME OVER.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

I agree, Judo is likely one of the best. I'm not sure how I forgot about it

[@Cuffsmaster]

What little I know about Judo from my studies as a youth helped end a fight for me with an over the shoulder throw (I didn't learn the Japanese names for the throws). I wished I'd trained more in Judo but I really didn't have good availability to an instructor in my youth some 65 years ago in rural Tennessee. Now days if I was thrown my someone you'd need to call an ambulance for me.

[@andrewmorgan3949]

What if I don’t let u do u, then what do you have.. pls don’t rely on one thing to answer all problems. In fact if u where to rely on anything you should rely on nothing..

[@Cuffsmaster]

@@andrewmorgan3949 What do you mean by "What if I didn't let U do U"

[@andrewmorgan3949]

@@Cuffsmaster ok I’ll reword it…… what if u can’t do what you think u can do? What if it all breaks down and your left with nothing but animal instincts.

[@ajadfax1798]

How can you miss judo out?

[@metrolinamartialarts]

Mostly agree with the list (especially Kali! Lol) but I'll push back on Muay Thai. Keeping it separate from Kickboxing, Muay Thai has the clinch which is stand up grappling with trips etc. I think it's one of the most useful aspects of the art in terms of self-defense moving to A or S tier in my opinion. At least on par with MMA. Great video Sensei!

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Thank you sir, I can see your point, yeah I realized a lot of them were in the same bucket as I was doing the editing. Maybe an update in a while and I forgot judo entirely

[@metrolinamartialarts]

@@martialartsunlimited01 you also forgot the best Martial Art for self-defense Iaido

[@martialartsunlimited01]

@Metrolina Martial Arts you're right. I guess I'll delete it and res-hoot, re-edit, and re-post.

[@metrolinamartialarts]

@@martialartsunlimited01 🤣🤣🤣

[@Enthymene]

You know, it’s funny, I regarded FMA as being something you do for enrichment over practicality... a year or two ago. Since that time I’ve moved to a new neighborhood, with massively more dog owners and occasional loose dogs. A sizeable number of my neighbors carry a stick, cane, or old golf club while walking their dogs. What’s more, a nearby neighbor of mine who DOESN’T carry a stick was actually attacked WITH a stick by a storeowner who believed he’d let his dog poop outside his store and not picked it up. Put together, these things kinda shifted my appraisal of the likelihood of being in an altercation with someone wielding a stick, and also potentially having one onhand myself.

[@grivoc]

One counterpoint I'd make is "BJJ and Jiu-Jitsu in general" if you train traditional JJ you learn most of the karate strikes, most of the judo throws, and most of the BJJ submissions. We also do randori and avoid the ground if we can in most self defense situations. Not sure if it changes the tier rankings but BJJ and JJ are two different animals

[@mesfinmekonnen26]

my uncle does both Muay Thai for striking and BJJ for grappling I think that's a deadly combo. I'm considering going that path by choosing one for Striking and grappling other than that fantastic video.

[@Mika.Mikich]

00:00 - 02:00 Taekwondo 02:00 - 03:00 Karate 03:00 aikido 04:15 filipno martial arts 05:50 krav maga 06:40 jeekundo 08:10 bjj 09:50 mma 10:50 boxing 11:40 wresteling 12:30 CSW 13:50 kickboxing and thaiboxing 14:40 ninjitsu 16:15 tsc jj

[@BenMaviyiSeverim]

Thanks!

[@andrewmorgan3949]

What am I looking at?

[@Mika.Mikich]

@@andrewmorgan3949 just click om the blue numbers

[@andrewmorgan3949]

None of these are good for self defence so why are you saying otherwise? Maybe kickboxing because when you get hit all u have is some of those skills, but not much.

[@James-ij1wd]

@@andrewmorgan3949 a fukin screwdriver.end of.

[@enochbrown8178]

Outstanding! Thank you, sir!!!

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Thanks

[@warhawksmemories3071]

I always like a good tier list especially for those that have had experience in the arts 💪

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Thanks

[@cesarag0723]

Probably the most balanced approach to an tier list. But agree, it will all come down to the teacher and how well they can design a curriculum to address this question. Or if they just focus on sport or kata or whatever else they work on besides self defense. But having said that, I also think it depends on WHEN you learned an art. Say that because the karate/aikido/kung fu/TKD teachers of the earlier decades were a lot tougher than today. I knew and saw plenty of karate, hapkido, aikido, etc take care of business in a real situation. Likewise I've seen plenty of MMA/Muay Thai/BJJ practitioners get clobbered on the street because they were in situations they don't train for. I think life lesson for me is to never discredit someone until you see them in action, or likewise if someone talks themselves up to be the baddest person on the street usually they will get clobbered. You just never know.... haha.

[@peterfan8650]

Completely agree with you. The Art it's self is not the problem - it's the training and application. My sensei & his sensei worked as bouncers in the 70's & 80's to pressure test their skills. We don't go to that extent now but knowing that our intsructors understand that the old stuff works is great for our club. If you just say Karate is 50% feet & 50% hands then you did not train in traditional Karate. We say Karate has 9 weapons - feet, knees, elbows, hands and head. We also do a lot throws, sweeps and joint locks. We also study pressure points attacks. True Karate takes a life time to master. Shodan is just the beginning.

[@tracybrown9176]

I liked and agree with your assessment. I also believe that your Shidoshi really can determine the level of your martial art choice. Great video!

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Thanks, and thanks. There were a few styles like judo I missed, maybe a part 2 or updated list in the future.

[@markwarnersprofessionalmar3578]

Thank you for your interpretation and experiences with FMA. I believe to many drills have hurt the art in the sense that you found it. Check out the dog brothers sometime.

[@davidhaas3111]

I train bjj and judo now, but I trained taekwondo for 11 years and I feel like it should be a little higher. The only reason I say this is that taekwondo teaches space management very well. When I wrestled after doing TKD I remember my friends being surprised that I could perfectly predict when my opponent was close enough to shoot double leg even in my first week of wrestling. I always know when I’m within or outside someone’s reach. But yeah, unless you hit that perfect kick right to the jaw, your attacker is gonna take you down before you get your kicking leg back down to the ground.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

I see your point. I think ultimately, it comes back down to the coach. It sounds like you were in a good TKD class/gym. Yet I feel the majority are just pushing kids through with little regard to if they are actually learning something. I thinkni mentioned a student I had years back, he did karate. Yet when he started training with me, he knew a lot of the Jiu-Jitsu submissions, just not by name, as well as several wrist/joint locks from my aikido classes. Again, just not by name. When I asked about it, he said his old sensei did Jiu-Jitsu, aikido, karate, and such. Put it all into the "karate" class, yet they were skills from various arts.

[@joshuaowens3611]

You left out Judo. I feel slighted. 😂😂😂. I think it has evolved enough to be a separate category from jujitsu. Especially since ninjitsu got its own look. I agree with most of the rankings. But Karate gets a bad rap for what it has become. A lot of karate more balanced combative aspects got lost due to the circumstances surrounding Martial arts after WW2 and then competition had a profound impact on training due to safety considerations. I do however agree 100% with the instructors presentation and emphasis makes all the difference

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Alol, I realized that when I was done. My apologies, maybe an addition in the future

[@larrymiller3849]

​@@martialartsunlimited01 Also, Sambo especially military style combat Sambo. I know some of the ankle locks showcased in MMA , come from that art . But there is still much I think , that makes it deserving of mention , as its own category . Nevertheless, I agree with most of your overall rankings . And that also , the instructor's knowledge and well roundedness as a whole , also needs to be taken into account .

[@APD-NYPD]

I have been training for 53 and teaching for 40 years and it has been my experience that it doesn’t matter which art we think is the best ... in a real-life Hand to Hand combat situation the one who wants to survive the most usually comes out on top. Skill plus heart makes a survivor.

[@eclipsewrecker]

Things that seem to be true more often than not: -wrestlers don’t find it necessary to “drag” knees when taking down an standing opponent. It does happen, but it’s not common. -many wrestling shots are just a knee touching the ground then off the ground again. -to be fair to other martial arts, wrestling does develop martial skills in the participants, but their is often a filter element to the sample athletes. Meaning the “tough”/natural stay with it more than not. -concussed individuals will often resort to the thing they’ve performed the most: wrestlers take shots, bjj clinch and to guard, boxers clinch or break away…so some habits might save -training efficiency is very important, and so is step/phase training -what works on a better opponent will most often work on a lesser opponent, but what works on a lesser opponent does not necessarily transfer to better resistance: this is limited to movement/leverages/techniques/grabs/strikes. Tactics are separate. -pain techniques are inconsistent. Physics is consistent. -learning to survive and, at times, overcome the worst (inferior) positions in training is effective in building confidence, calmness, and understanding in many other positions not often trained. Anecdote: I once knew a guy who was never in an advantageous position in training, yet the opposite was true in competition.

[@jesscaldejon8247]

Kali/Escrima/FMA is a Offensive/Defensive Art which also utilizes a combination of empty hands, weapons, speed, and range. The weapons are a Defensive Deterrent to any offensive empty hand attacker. Most if not all FMA people carry a knife (balisong in the PI) and are very proficient with it ( they know where to cut). We use to play a game of Rock Paper Scissors with the young FMA students. Sticks vs Empty Hand, Sticks win; Empty hands vs Knife, Knife wins. Two Sticks, Two knives, or Two Bolos, RUN! Knife Fights are a 50/50 proposition based on a comparable skill level and if you never had knife fight training, you are in trouble. Coming from an empty hands, martial arts background, I realized that all my training was worthless against a knife. From my point of view, I would take FMA overall for all conditions! So I agree with your picks if it is an empty hands assaulter, but one armed with a knife, I would disagree.

[@gw1357]

I think your experience with Krav Maga is pretty common. Krav isn't really a style -- its an attitude, a way of training, etc. But it doesn't really have much in the way of technique or theory. Usually, what you get out of krav is a practical/brutal distillation of whatever the instructor's parent art was -- karate, muay thai, judo, etc.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Good point as I know there are events at like the super show where one can be certified in Krav in a very short time. I think the idea of them using your previous training is a big part of it.

[@mattmichaels9294]

Nice breakdown - I have tried explaining similar in the past when when asked which martial art is the “best” and I respond with that is the wrong question to ask… after 30 years of MA, my answer is to never stop learning. My personal goal was to learn something new every day, even if I was teaching beginners. Schools & instructors vary widely in practical application and adaptability, to the point where I put little weight on what someone’s “belt” is. Wish you all the best, thanks for your dedication and sharing.

[@sesimie]

I'd love your take on Combat Sambo, Kudo and Defense Labs (Keysi).

[@martialartsunlimited01]

I'll see what I can do. I know Alan Baker pretty well and he's a Keysi instructor.

[@BeepBoop2221]

The less said about defence lab the better.

[@afadingdream9675]

When I was getting back into Karate a few months ago, I tried finding a dojo here and so many places had KARATE signs outside, but then they had nothing to do with karate when you went inside. I ended up reconnecting with a sensei from my childhood and learning Karate virtually. Not ideally, but I'm currently mainly doing it for weight loss, discipline, and flexibility since I can't spar with my current situation, and I'm tremendously overweight.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Doesn't that just drive you crazy. That's not a bad option, just think even 5 years ago, a lot of this wouldn't even be possible. Also, there are a lot of workout training sessions right here on our youtube channel just in case you want a bit more training.

[@afadingdream9675]

@@martialartsunlimited01 Do you have a specific video of yours you'd recommend? I'm a subscriber and watch your videos pretty regularly. Always open to a Martial arts (preferably Karate-ish) workout that I can do at my current fitness level. My cardio is trash, and I'm only just starting to get a little more flexibility back for kicks. I used to not even be able to kick above my knee level, now I can kick up to about my abdomen (which is fine for me for the forseeable future). Love that you always interact with comments, thx in advance.

[@legitprowrestling6653]

Awesome video thank you from 🇬🇧

[@Ytterdahls]

These comparisons are very difficult to get right because of so many factors that are different in every and any situation. Boxing is one of the most normal attacks people meet when it’s a face to face attack from one person. In this case, boxing is great if you don’t slip and fall. With some kicking experience as well, you’re good to go. It’s also a “martial art” that takes much less time to get the basics right than in let’s say kali. I love kali, but imo it’s something that takes much more time to implement into your reflexes, as the curriculum is too big for a crash course in self defense. No one should practice anything as a crash course, though. You need to develop over time, no matter the martial art.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Very true and also much like I mentioned, the instructor brings a lot to the table too. Their experience and ability to share their knowledge and skills as well as if they are trained in multiple arts, competitions, and seminars. All of these are important factors as well in my opinion.

[@paulthomassen5007]

Boxing is great because it teaches you distance. It's a takedown and kick defence in itself. You're also balanced on both feet at all times. It also teaches you not to panic when you get punched in the face. I did both judo and boxing. But in the fights I got into I used the judo. Simply because I know how devastating boxing can be. In judo you can get an opponent controlled to the ground and make him give up without causing the kind of harm that will give you a prison sentence. Also judo techniques are great for handling toddlers that refuse to put on diapers

[@BeepBoop2221]

I've tried silat, JKD/Kali, spent years doing "Defence lab" aka "KFM". I found now that combining the things im learning in Muay Thai / BJJ / Catch is the best fit for me. Also to be incredibly wary about aby system describing itself as "street based" self defence.

[@chileno189]

I did Defence Lab for a couple years, why did you stop?

[@BeepBoop2221]

@chileno189 I did it for five years and was a junior instructor. 1. Its not very good l, they don't pressure test properly and the curriculum is a mess. 2. It's a cult centered around Andy

[@BeepBoop2221]

I can elaborate past that if you want. But eventually learning hyper niche techniques you'd never be able to use in a fight, bad business practices, and some of the attitudes and behaviour of instructors and senior management made me leave. It for example is not acceptable for Andy to be showing techniques where you are effectively murdering someone while simultaneously having a marketing strategy aimed at kids self defence. The glorification of knives,specifically straight razors was not acceptable given the majority of our customers were UK based.

[@Maodifi]

Some fair points about FMA. I definitely don't think weapon duels are going to happen for most people. However, the experience, training methods and emphasis of FMA vary to a remarkable degree based upon style/school. I think that should be one of the primary reasons it's not highly ranked. With that being said, keep in mind that your analysis of FMA won't hold up across many groups/styles of FMA. Also, if you're going to rank Aikido highly using the arguments you did, then the empty hand concepts of FMA should put it higher on the tier list.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

I understand your point, the question for me is how much empty hands training does most FMA schools do. In my experience it is only like 10 - 20% of the program, so I based my position on that theory. As I said the instructor will be the case maker or breaker, and if there is an FMA instructor that focuses of the empty hands side then that particular style would be a higher tier.

[@Maodifi]

@@martialartsunlimited01 That makes sense! I sometimes forget that my experience isn't the same as everyone's in FMA. You have my respect!

[@MrAndreyAintPlayin]

I could give some insight that contradicts some of your points, but there are a few things I really have a bit of a beef with: 1. Referring to MMA as a martial art. It's called Mixed Martial Arts for a reason. It's like saying the best production car is the one with the Lambo engine, Porsche transmission, Ferrari suspension, Lotus Esprit Chassis, etc. 2. No 2 Krav Maga instructors will teach Krav Maga the same, unless one was taught by the other. Krav Maga has core principles, but barely any distinctive techniques of its own. I've heard too many complaints from people saying their instructors are like, "As a Krav Maga instructor with a background in (Enter random martial art), this is what I would do in this situation... But if you can think of something that works better for you, that's cool too." 3. Aikido is one of the least effective martial arts for self defense. Sure, it looks great when used in choreographed sequences in old Steven Seagal movies, but it's not practical for street defense at all. 4. Please acknowledge the great differences between Japanese and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The traditional form is much more balanced and capable of being used to defend against multiple attackers. BJJ may be slightly more effective in a one on one engagement, which makes it better for regulated competitions, but the streets don't offer signed guarantees that you'll never face multiple adversaries.

[@CrimsonPhantoms]

My guy you got Aikido and Krav over wrestling, karate (has kyokushin) and boxing? Put any pure aikido or krav guy against a legit wrestler or legit boxer and they’re getting demolished.

[@GreatGama777]

Striking over grappling, I only have to do one thing as a striker and that's connect to punch to your chin, as a grappler. Not only am I tied up with one person but I have to do six to seven things to finish it, get grips, take down, get position, lock up a submission, perform the submission and so on. You just don't have tons of time in the street

[@treebrother]

I've never learned any pro training but at 53 and watching fighting throughout my life it's become obvious when it comes to hand to hand combat you are either striking, defending, wrestling/grappling. So if one was to ideally start young gettling wrestling and Boxing training you'll at least have a great solid foundation and then if you want to expand both of those myself I would next choose BJJ and Muay Thai.

[@dr.davidmiller6682]

I'd make a distinction between BJJ and "Traditional Jiu Jitsu Ryu's which are more "stand up" arts which include, strikes, locks, throws and disarming techniques. As a category they were the "unarmed" Samurai arts when one lost or broke or didn't have access to your edged weapon. This addresses many self defense scenarios. My favorite martial art for potential street situations is Shorinji Kempo since it combines "Gojo and Juho" or hard and soft techniques with practical forms of hand striking and conservative kicking for effect and with body and leverage control techniques. I wish I had spent more time in thaat art and less in Judo, now that I'm older and much less able and inclined to the stresses Judo places on the body! That said great foot sweeps and chokes can come in handy.

[@N17C1]

It's interesting that you've ranked Aikido and Krav Maga together. Many people forget that the founder of Aikido was a Jujitsu proponent who then went to war where he became very proficient at bayonet fighting and fighting armed people. It was confused, massed combat that was genuinely deadly. Krav Maga is an attempt to come up with a battlefield combat approach for the modern battlefield which seems to have some parallels in intent.

[@toddcagle4245]

How do I send you a message with questions? I also live in South Carolina and I am looking for self defense classes

[@KatoCoyoteCombatWorkshop]

I tried kali in my area. It's a particularly "tactical" or "street" take on kali. The instructors encouraged me to carry weapons that were illegal in my state like padlocks on the end of cords and concealed short swords. One of the first things I was taught was a wristlock escape for when someone grabs my knife hand with two hands. My thought was "so this is for attacking an unarmed opponent with a knife?" As time went on I never felt like I was learning good guy stuff, I was learning the dark arts, stuff that would get me sent to prison. The classes were also disproportionately more expensive than the Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai throughout my city, they also didn't like me using any equipment that didn't have their brand on it. That being said I developed a lot of awareness and reactivity around defending against knife strikes. Still I don't think it was worth the time and money. I'll be returning to Jiu-Jitsu.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Yeah, that sounds pretty shady. I'm not sure what you stumbled upon. Can you send me the school name privately. I want to check them out. My apologies for your experience, as I'm sure you know not all martial arts/martial artists are the same or have the same intentions.

[@wizeyy]

Kali/FMA actually has a pretty extensive empty hand series including grappling (dumog), ground fighting (buno), and the Filipino boxing (panantukan) and Yaw Yan (kickboxing). It's worth it to check it out, I've been training a LOT of dumog and buno lately.

[@MBmysterio]

How would you rank Judo and Sambo?

[@DreamlessKnight84]

Overall I'm good with the ranking but I do think for self-defense purposes you missed addressing three important points. 1. Most "street" fights aren't one -on-one. Breaking away and separating from the fight is a priority when being attack by a drunk and his buddies. Combat training is very good at addressing room sitiuations and exit plans as well. 2. Several of the considerations seemed to be based on defending against an attacker of similar build. Every self-defense I've dealt with has usually been with a larger person attacking a smaller person. Skill and training still trumps "seeing red" but kickboxing a 6'2" 250lb guy at 5'9" and 180lbs isn't easy. 3. Building off the previous comment, as a father to a daughter this is the most important consideration. The threat of being raped by a stranger, friend, or other is very real. That often occurs from a larger person holding down a smaller person. That's why I preach that BJJ should be taught to every girl. Obviously it's not a universal answer for self-defense, and MMA and CSW addresses it as well, but many people dont want to throw punches or get hit in training (I think it's important to train striking, but horse to water and such). I would say BJJ (not the competition variety) is one of the more important martial arts to learn from a female self-defense perspective.

[@waynnosthestrange6054]

I trained in Ninjutsu/Taijutsu for around 3 years in early 2000, the club went under the "bujinkan" name. We were always taught if what was shown is not working don't stop, keep moving striking etc and find a solution because everyone is different and what is shown might not always work so adopt. By brown belt I remember my sensai's saying do your own thing, find what works for you. I always thought by brown belt you're like a chef making new meals and experimenting. I also learnt to shoulder roll and break fall properly.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Nice observation. Are you still training?

[@nacktheslayer9882]

My old dojang had karate on the sign lol. The current one says Korean Karate on our brochures and stuff.which is technically correct as we're transitioning into hybrid tang-soo-do/modern taekwondo style.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

In the middle of switching is fine, but many people just use the words karate as it is like a blanket term for martial arts. Then you walk up to the door and it is something else. In my searches there is one called American Karate Studio and yet they teach TKD.

[@nacktheslayer9882]

@@martialartsunlimited01 I mean karate is a much more marketable word, and the average person and even parents who sit and watch the class will still refer to it as karate. It was always kinda annoying.

[@Cuffsmaster]

Not many people in this world will spend the amount of time you did in learning - training - studying many martial art forms. Many just want something simple to give them a high probability of not getting badly hurt in a fight and or protecting their family. For some time for training will be a problem. For others it will be money. And even others it will be health issues. They want as much as possible for the least money and time. You don't get the best with that attitude but you can defend yourself well in most cases but for sure not all cases. But who can win all fights. For the person just not interested in living the Martial arts lifestyle but only seeking self defense I'd suggest the following. You need some simple form of grappling/wrestling - some simple throws/judo and takedowns - some ground punching and stand up fighting/kickboxing or boxing. For the type person that I speak of I'd think KM would be ok.. But you better spends some time leaning more grappling as well as taking a punch. I'd think something like a Gracie combatives course would be a huge add-on for KM. . You will not win against an MMA fighter but then you'd probably lose anyway if you are not in the gym a lot. Better just run if possible. I don't think for self defense you need to focus on one system unless that system is highly diverse in fighting techniques. No matter what style you learn you have to fight a guy and deal with his style of fighting. You may or may not be the one choosing the style used. A tough street fighter could be hard on any of us. Trust me I know about being attacked by multi attackers which not anything but will power helps. Some of the systems you discussed I know nothing about so I have no way of judging them. But you seem like an honest guy and I'd accept your opinion.

[@HariOmRadhaKrishna]

My vote would be for Eskrima-Kali-Arnis at the top.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Why do you say that?

[@HariOmRadhaKrishna]

@@martialartsunlimited01 Thank you for asking. I've been doing martial arts since 1987. I trained in T. K. D., Aikido, Bujinkan Ninjutsu, Tai Chi, & Classical Yoga. I hold rank in an E-K-A (FMA) /Karate hybrid system. Ironically, the way I teach E-K-A is not self-defense oriented. I focus on the art & fitness aspects. I don't teach kids, & don't have any tournament fighters. Most of my students are doctors or personal trainers. However, my teachers definitely kept the focus on self defense. One was SWAT team & one was US Marine. Their life experiences made them great instructors, with integrity about "what works in a real fight". May I ask how long you trained with GM Dan or master Balicki? In my opinion Eskrima training & Aikido are uniquely similar because they both are a long road to functionality. I'd put E-K-A, & Aikido above MMA or Krav Maga, as long as we're allowing 5-10 years of training in the art for full effectiveness. The first few years are all coordination, distancing & timing drills. + learning specific techniques, stances, terminology, ect. Later in the training, some styles focus on freestyle interpretation of the drills, which has a high amount of self defense value. *With the exception of long range sword techniques (largo mano) most E-K-A single stick & double stick drills are meant to be instantly adaptable into empty hand techniques. I carry a cane, so I do have a stick with me at all times, but most people don't so it's proper to practice Eskrima with a stick to learn efficient body mechanics & positioning, then without a stick, for the self-defense applications.

[@wizardseye]

I've worked in law enforcement and tactical security. I haven't been in many physical altercations, but enough. I've studied shorei-ryu karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay thai, Russian Systema, Krav Maga, and Hapkido. I've also dabbled with about half a dozen other martial arts. In real world conditions, the only things I've used are elements from wrestling, hapkido, and judo. I've never punched, kicked, choked, or submitted anyone. Not that there would never be an occasion to do so, I just haven't. I've never used any of the kickboxing or jiu-jitsu I've learned. Generalized control, taking a person to the ground, and pain compliance is all I've ever used. I also have a huge pet peeve when a school says Karate and it's really Tae Kwon Do or whatever. Karate has become the "kleenex" of the martial arts world. My mom lived in Tokyo for a couple of years and speaks Japanese fluently. So all growing up I've been somewhat partial to Japanese arts.

[@CuteFunnyAnimalsTV-yk7hb]

Okay. What would you recommend to start with 30 years of age? in terms of selfdefence? wrestling? hapkido? judo?

[@wizardseye]

@CuteFunnyAnimalsTV-yk7hb straight self defense, wrestling. Which unfortunately isn't a common option for people outside of high school. Second to that, I recommend judo or hapkido. Bonus if you can find a combat hapkido school that also teaches throws and ground work.

[@CuteFunnyAnimalsTV-yk7hb]

@@wizardseye thank you! Hapkido looks the most interesting to me.

[@davidcook2513]

Regarding Tae Kwan Do- everyone who ranks it low in these types of rankings always ONLY talks about head kicks. TKD kickers head kick because they can, and are very good at it. But to be fair, that's not the only kicking level they train at. TKD folks spend many hours of class time kicking from waist to chest level, far more than they do head level, and a person who can kick you to the head can even more easily kick you to the abdomen or lower. TKD is not perfect, and Olympic style sparring is a farce, but a good fundamental TKD practitioner with even rudimentary boxing skills can hold their own.

[@GutsToCuts]

Mixed Martial Arts is not a martial art within itself. It’s a mix of them, so it’s not really a fair usage in this tier list. Best single combo for self defense imho is Muay Thai + BJJ. And if you want to add a 3rd, wrestling.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

I see where you are coming from, but as a possible customer, many gyms offer a mma class. Which for a new person it would be a style. As for your ideal blend, I'd say I would agree.

[@crocreations6693]

Finally a comment i agree with. ✊🏼

[@DJ-st4rs]

You have not done Taekwondo if you have not trained in ITF - ITF Taekwondo is used in their military - how is that for self defense? Would they allow their soldiers to go onto the battlefield with something that does not work

[@michowdy6707]

How can Aikido be the same tier as Krav Maga??? Also, where would you put Kyokushin, Choy Lee Fut and Wing Chun?

[@elwinransom5694]

I don't think there's a one size fits all. So much is about body type. If you're a relatively big and athletic person, the best style is combining boxing with wrestling(freestyle or catch). The wrestleboxer has been shown to be the most dominant style in both mixed martial arts and streetfights at 190lbs and up. An athletic guy with good hands and takedowns will negate almost all attacks from kicks and subs most of the time. Boxing has also proven to be the best style when taking on multiple opponents (kicks make you vulnerable). If you are a normal/smaller person with decent flexibility, Muay Thai/KB and Judo are your best bet. If you are very small or physically not very strong, BJJ is where you want to focus. Regardless of your style, you always want to learn the basics of the big 4, Boxing/wrestling/MT/BJJ. But where you should put your main focus is dependent on your body type.

[@mikordonez8923]

Great video and insights on self defense in everyday situations. I immediately liked and subscribed a few minutes into watching. But I almost unsubscribed when I noticed Judo wasn't on the list in the end, especially since I saw it on the thumbnail if I'm not mistaken. It seems to be pretty effective in street situations against untrained bigger guys who are bullies. Drop them on concrete with a Judo throw and often it's game over and you can walk away to safety. Looking forward to watching other videos from your channel. Thank you!

[@rjabbate1]

People LOVE to talk about what a bad idea it is to fight from your back, when it comes to BJJ. Though what people fail to consider is that the BJJ fighter is going to be significantly stronger than most arts at controlling where the fight is. Any other martial art, if you end up on your back against your will, you are done.

[@mutant0177]

So, while everyone is doing this tier lists your is pretty good. The thing you said about krav is right. First of all it is exactly what you said and whar the did on purpose: Using known techniques from martail arts and blend it into a style which is easy and fast to learn and useable under high stress. That means it has no own style of movement and is on gross motor. Because of that it does not look kool, flashy or smooth... but the application is self defence... and that often looks ugly ;-) Putting kickboxing nad muay thai into the same box is not possible in my opinion because of the sweeps, knees and elbows. This is very useful in a self defence situation.

[@dade4537]

If you're about to die i highly doubt you'll be complaining about a grappling technique that lasts under 5 seconds on hot cement.

[@timsteele6825]

With all due respect as someone who trains in multiple arts (including sharing one of your instructors) and has a black belt in an art that you did not cover (Hawaiian Kenpo - a mixed martial art), I agree with a lot of your logic. However, here are some things to consider. This video just like some others I’ve seen that try to rank self-defense arts are severely neglecting weapons training and the ability to fight in multiple ranges. MMA as its trained for sport is not A level. They don’t train weapons at all and the rule set prohibits so many techniques. Sure you’ll be well rounded (or at least you’ll think you are) and you can fight in multiple ranges, but you might not have a very deep base or repertoire of movement and technique as most MMA gyms don’t teach a huge repertoire of technique. You’ll also get killed and your game will fall apart when a knife gets pulled. In that sense, I have no idea why you rated kali, especially Inosanto blend, or JKD so low. You have striking and empty hands in both JKD and Kali and both are superior to aikido IMO, and don’t get me wrong, I like and appreciate aikido. In any case, the Dog Brothers has explored and pressure tested more than any other group in the U.S. what works and what doesn’t especially in terms of improvised weapons at all ranges of fighting. To that extent, DBMA would certainly be an example of A or even S tier kali. I get it, Karate is for sure a mixed bag. Not all styles and dojos are the same. There are many McDojos out there. But let’s just talk about someone with a strong karate base, someone who has been around the block so to speak and done hard training. All the pure karateka have really good takedowns and everyone one of them knows how to pull guard or sprawl is need be. Karate at a high level automatically trumps boxing because it fights in 3 ranges. Go see Karate Combat for example. Plenty of karateka have excelled in sport MMA as well. The bottom line is that the more ranges you can fight in, the better off you’ll be. Western Boxing has essentially 1 range. Karate at a solid level is better than boxing and definitely on par with BJJ which doesn’t have any weapons or striking emphasis (at least karate teaches bo staff which would translate to many improvised weapons). Without listing everything you included, here would be my changes: S tier: DBMI (hard core, full contact, pressure tested FMA - deals with all ranges of fighting and weapons defense) A tier: JKD (essentially street style MMA, with less ground emphasis, but includes weapons) B tier: FMA in general, Karate, MMA, BJJ, KBX (all are strong in some aspect or another, but they don't address all ranges or necessarily address weapons) C tier: AKD, Boxing (limited range, lack of weapons…other than jo, tanto, sword in aikido) In the end, many other factors matter. Someone like you who has cross-trained in numerous styles and has had a lot of mat time during your martial arts journey has an advantage. Age matters, size can matter, speed matters. Raw talent can matter too. Just some thoughts. Thanks for the video. Oss!

[@JadeaRS4]

What degree of black belt are you? Need have those!

[@sportmuaythaiv1045]

IMHO kick boxing is quite different to muaythai, similar to differences between kick boxing and international boxing. To get quite good at self defense, you should look for martial sport that has professional level competition. The art will be evolving perpetually, making it efficient. Training should be at camp that is convenient for you. You'll get to see how professional fighters train and prepare for the fight. Don't succumb to on line research. Go and visit camps that interest you. Visit several so you can have good comparison. Train in one art until you are reasonably proficient, and start a second art to compliment your base art. Boxing would be a good choice, especially if later combined with wrestling. BTW I believe that best if you can train muaythai as core or fundamental. Training three sessions a week, you'll be quite efficient in four months, Then start training BJJ together with muaythai. Within a year, you should walk tall. For muaythai, after two months ask your instructor for a round of sparring. you'll learn more quickly. Then after three months ask you trainer to teach you clinching, alternating session with sparring.

[@benkeating3053]

The likelihood of getting attacked by an assailant is actually pretty low. The likelihood of being assaulted by a freshly waxed floor, icy walkway, slick driveway, or similar surface is near absolute during your lifetime. Being involved in a slip and fall accident is not a matter of if but rather a matter of when. If you stop and think about it... By this metric, cheerleading might be better at keeping you safe in your daily operations than a martial art that doesn't teach you how to fall.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

I teach all my classes how to fall, even like Kickboxing, there is falling just in case. But I think you are most correct, the likelihood of falling vs getting into a fight is probably like 100 - 1 if not even more

[@user-jv6mo1bo1r]

push hands is sword clinch. old smallsword fencing have jointlock simslike chinese matialarts. wingchun, Aikido, and Kali have a high proportion of swordsmanship. Bare-handed martial arts can't overcome the weight difference.It's of no use but to bully someone smaller than himself.

[@Ryccio91]

Everybody in those self defense tier lists always forget ITF Taekwondo. I feel like it's more rounded than WT taekwondo cause in the sparring you also use punches. Of course kicks are more predominant and there are no grappling or throws, but i think the ITF TKD could be put in C tier.

[@johnnytekstar]

My A list: *Muay Thai*Kyokushin Karate*Traditional Japanese JuJitsu***

[@Joe_biden113]

I’ve been trying to find martial art for attack not self defense for so long, and it is annoying all I find is self defense martial art video.

[@rondalson5485]

I feel that you did not give JKD it's proper praise. If you are talking traditional or original JKD then your assessment is more valid but joke concepts or modern JKD envelopes many different facets of pretty well all the arts you have listed and integrates them plus it takes it a step further and shows you tactics that are specifically geared for the streets. I will say though, 8 do agree with your point of it depends on the instructors, very much so!!!

[@josephsteephen1182]

Can you do a vedio about Kalaripayattu from Kerala South India

[@FolkeBernadotte2]

Oh it does bug me big time when I see an add for Karate only to find out it’s Teakwood😤😤😤

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Thank you, me too

[@dade4537]

Studying Okinawan jujitsu would be in your Z class you didn't know existed.

[@mackansmorgon7677]

no offense but I hate it when people only rank one kind of teakwon-do. There are two different varieties and they are WT and ITF. Everyone I see who ranks TKD only ranks WT!

[@ritchiebuenaflor3620]

krav maga came from Kali, Israelis studied Arnis (Kali) when they already learned the arts they stablished the art on their land and called it krav maga.

[@algierssolja]

TKD is Karate by another name. Forms are the same stances are the same. They are twin cousins. Iy doesn't bug me. I tried going to a Shotokan class and the first Katas chon ji. Beem there done that with better kicks.

[@Abcljsj]

Ju jitsu and bjj is definitely not the same. Ju jutsu is not fighting on the ground, you don’t want to go on the ground in that art.

[@wwj14]

what is so hard about CROSS TRAINING...grappling AND striking..... what is so hard with the "AND"....??

[@champlookid1804]

Boxing belongs in A TIER

[@Mike_LaFontaine75]

And judo?

[@geo1134]

Any time someone is loosing a stand up fight they take it to the ground inevitably. Wrestlers will always prevail in a 1 on 1 street fght. 100%

[@dominickgabriel5533]

Tracma is one of the best martial arts for me originated from Phillippines used by it master to beat legendary bruce lee

[@evankolpack]

You said Karate was B tier, but it ended up in C on the graphic.....with wrestling and boxing? Man, I'm no expert, but can't say I agree with you on much of this.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

There's nothing wrong with that, as I mentioned at the end, more than a style, I feel it would be the instructors take on the style more that anything.

[@saintoflastresorts2272]

Parkour deserves a mention can hit what you cant catch

[@aa-pz6qn]

Filipino martial arts is a hand to hand combat too , not just with weapons. Same technique is applied.

[@richstar8905]

Karate wrestling boxing muay thai and judo is a nice combo

[@AlaskaHaikuWarrior]

You've never done bare knuckled full contact karate like kyokushin or kudo have you? Not all karate are equal.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

True, I said as much. Yet the karate I was referring to and showed is what most people think of

[@AlaskaHaikuWarrior]

Its true that many generic karate schools over the years have become very non combative and turned into sporterized tag match molded to be little more than after-school children's program. Main stream organizations like shotokan and goju ryu seem to have taken that path because it was simply more profitable for their pockets. Its a sad age for traditional martial arts.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

@@AlaskaHaikuWarrior I agree wholeheartedly. Although I think that is the case with a lot of styles, Judo, tkd, karate, etc

[@Supermomo2007]

Kudo is is mma style, not karate.

[@genin8562]

So sad to see ninjutsu ranked so low, I had a very good experience in that and probably I had the best self defence basics untill now. But we used to spar and pressure testing. Seen aikido ranked highter is kinda disappointing... I think I never seen or trained with an aikidoka who knew how to fight even a little bit. Mma is great, it just lack on weapons knowledge and "steet tips". Karate I think it really depends on the style and school. I personally would rank it way lower than ninjutsu and mma. Right now I started bjj but I still don't have an opinion about it yet beside that I like it and I can the the instructor can fight.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Quite true, mainly depends on what the school and instructors focus on. I'm sad that you haven't seen a good aikidoka. My own Ninjitsu training was fun when I did it, but in hindsight, it was really bad. There is no logical reason for many of the techniques we trained.

[@genin8562]

I saw some terrible videos around about ninjutsu, so I understand why so many people have a bad opinion about it (even the soke as been protagonist of many embarrassing moments). I think that if properly trained it can be very good. The only thing I didn't like in my dojo was the defence against the sword with empy hands (rolling away from a sword or try to close the distance can just delay your death of a few seconds at best), but for the rest it was pretty good and even the sensei told us to do not take it seriously. When I started mma later, the instructor even praised my grappling skills when I submitted another student, bigger and stronger than me. But aikido... Damn, i never ever found a decent aikido martialist. The two who came in our ninjutsu dojo were used systematically to clean the tatami as a rags during our sparring (we all came with another martial arts background, so we started sparring pretty early). And when I went to try aikido in a dojo, it was clear that nobody there was able to fight even a little bit, sensei included. I liked the relaxed atmosphere thought and the art itself (some joint locks are pretty much the same as ninjutsu, but the execution is not as "practical"). I think something may work if you already know another, more practical, grappling art (ex. Judo or ju jitsu). Of course this is based on my own, humble, experience.

[@BioStock08]

BJJ is no good because it's not good to be on the ground? I didn't know you got to choose where you fight! I choose not to fight standing either. Now I don't need to learn fighting at all.

[@minimeminime8254]

I do practice it. It is the 2nd most popular martial art in Korea.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

I have only had a few hapkido lessons, yet the similarities to aikido are vast. So a Combative or aggressive aikido I think would be a good art as well.

[@brianrahuba6919]

Dutch Boxing Rules !!! For street fighting .

[@matkasim]

Judo and boxing : best kept secret . Ask any bouncer

[@lolanashbringer]

Whew Boxing, Wrestling, and BJJ so low? Yeah not a list i am going to take seriously though fun to listen too.

[@minimeminime8254]

How about HAPKIDO?

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Well I would put hapkido at the same as aikido and Judo. B tier for sure.

[@fardhidahmed6003]

14:40 and what about sanda and lethwei

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Thanks for the comment, I plan on doing another to cover the less popular arts. Hapkido, Sanda, I was asked about various forms of Kung fu and Tai chi as well.

[@alexazuaje4780]

I highly disagree with you i would put karate and boxing in b they are the best for self defense in streets when trained properly

[@TheHomieJosh]

I was told Capoeira was the best as long as you can fight to a dance dance revolution sound track..

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Alol, you know I hadn't thought of that. Yeah that would be SS tier for sure

[@LORDVADER357]

Aikido. And Spetsnaz Fight System aka systema.

[@AlanAndalon]

Muay Thai & American kickboxing are very different.

[@benjaminfcarrero8515]

You forget about Ameridote

[@kevincain2697]

What about hapkido and wen chug , Kung Fu

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Yeah, I would likely need to do another on those arts. Hapkido is a pretty solid system, at least from those I have trained with. In terms of wing chun I would say yes the jkd kind of fills that style, and for Kung fu, with over 4k versions that would need to be it's own video.

[@Liam1991]

Richard Dimitri and Urban Combatives would be good on this list

[@martialartsunlimited01]

I would need to do some research first, yet I think this falls under what the instructor brings to the table over a style. Urban Combatives is his program correct?

[@BeepBoop2221]

By urban combative do you mean Lee Morrison ?

[@sixtiezlove346]

Hey! Guys, there's one glaring self defense martial art that you all have neglected to even mention, much less talk about & analyze. And that's American Combato....created from World War 2, and is comparable to Krav Maga.

[@emmetttaylor1739]

Akd is an art I could not make work. I can do karate judo but not Akd. I am in Chicago and yes I have been attacked boxing karate and judo worked for me but not Akd. At my old dojo you could do all arts they tough so I did them all.Only Akd I make could make work in a fight.

[@vlad_IT_87]

No judo?

[@martialartsunlimited01]

Sorry, it was an oversight.

[@Jen8973]

Taekwondo is a sport and definitely not a self defense art.Akido is only useful if the person is charging at you. Kenpo, boxing, MAA are goos style's

[@BMO_Creative]

I think Sumo is A tier! Push them down real hard and leave! LOL

[@martialartsunlimited01]

I got to meet Akebono back when I was in Japan.

[@BMO_Creative]

@@martialartsunlimited01 Seriously, if you shove someone down real hard on concrete, the fight's over... lol

[@anonym451]

​@@BMO_Creativei think a real sumo can fuck up 99% of people easily

[@BMO_Creative]

Oh yeah bro!

[@MelloCello7]

Cmon man, you only took into account WTF tkd (or what ever its called now days) the competitive version from which you derived your 30% 70% assumption, and not the proper martial application. The whole reason to train head kicks is, if you are affective in kicking the head with complex kicks, you can with ease and power, kick the body and legs. you also didnt mention the advantage tkd footwork smh,, well lets see where this goes

[@florantegarcia3821]

Kali Filipino martial arts .deadliest techniques pangamut punch ,elbow ,knee and kick and dumog filipino wrestling resembling into grappling....

[@timlukaszewski827]

ok i need a s that was the question when i think self defense i think girl not getting raped so i have to score akido a bit higher as you told a stoy of a girl in a club getting grabed and taking a man down you didnt discuse wing chinwitch is ip man the wood dummy where bruce lee was trained in first and then we have kung fu i mean who doesnt want to be like a sowlin

[@snakeeyes6737]

Funny people why they always miss interpretation of kali as a low tier. 😂.

[@James-ij1wd]

Judo+muaythai and def kali.i honestly feel like i just watched a advertisement.

[@martialartsunlimited01]

A blend is, of course, the best option. Judo is a great art and I would say b or a tier, that with MT fornthe striking and some kali for blade defense and yeah I'd think you are ready for almost anything. Some jiu-jitsu or grappling art just to make sure you are good if it goes to the ground.