The BEST Martial Art

I figured after all the recent negativity it might be nice to find out what the very best martial art is.
So here goes...

[@MichaelJenkins910]

There's an old, old joke in the traditional martial arts community: "Which is the best martial art? Well, there's no superior martial art . . . but it's judo."

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Well it's "scientifically" proven now.

[@joebiscuit2243]

They teach people how to hit with the planet

[@mysty0]

I once watched a Judo champion set upon by about 15 or so blokes.. sat on the fence watching the spectacle, when asked why I wasn't intervening I said I was enjoying the show.. I stepped in towards the end as he tired and told everyone fun time was over That said Judo has this polite manner of walking out and taking hold of each others robes, doesnt translate into the real world. Alternatively the bull rush, again effective on the uninitiated.

[@griffin2599]

@@mysty0 Except Judo have techniques that can be adapted and applied. I know because we train how to do it

[@griffin2599]

It depends on what style of Judo you are training if you want advanced Newaza in Judo. Don't forget BJJ came from Judo Newaza. Kosen Judo was before BJJ and although BJJ is more advanced now, the Gracies weren't doing anything new during their hay day that wasn't already being done in Kosen Judo

[@d4n4r3y]

The best martial art is the one you're most interested in and motivates you to keep training.

[@martinzarzarmusic5338]

i did judo all my childhood and never thought it was anything special. But then again… bullies never did well with me. Maybe that explains it 😂. Some key aspects of judo is that it’s taught in a very didactic way without much glamorizing, and the strength and fitness training are absolutely brutal. Obviously mixed martial arts is the way to go these days. I think it’s good to learn the best of each tradition. I really like your channel!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you!

[@rahulmeetei714]

@EnglishMartialArts in terms of effectiveness, i don't agree with you. i don't think judo is effective, i think boxing is much effective in street fight, just one or two punch from a boxer is enought to out down any thugs, even thought a wrestler or grappler has to do some punching before getting hold of the boxer, many mma fighters like dustin porrier, conor mcgregor, kumaru usman they shine because of their boxing knowledge

[@zzajizz]

The best martial art is always MY martial art.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I kinda feel that way too!

[@robcubed9557]

The best martial art is Ameridote. It has all the strengths of various martial arts without any weaknesses. It was founded by Master Ken Po. You can find out more about Ameridote on the channel "Enter the Dojo".

[@wikiwikiwee1]

Best of all, worst of none, oss

[@IR5464...]

Everything else is 🐂💩

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Love Master Ken.

[@assfuckingshit]

Be sure to stomp the groin! 😂

[@Taekwon-Brando]

I actually trained with Matt Paige (master ken) a few times he lives in my city and is a cool guy

[@scholagladiatoria]

Now, in terms of effectiveness 'on the street'. Let's talk about knives, which whether you're in the UK, France or USA are the weapon most likely to kill you. A few of the martial arts at the top of this list are amongst the worst for preparing you for a knife attack. Obviously a knife attack is a very specific scenario, but if we're talking about official statistics, a knife attack is what most martial artists should be training for.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I think there are two responses. Firstly I was clear to state street/ring/cage, for the simple fact that different arts are designed for different purposes. If we're limiting it to the street then a number will score even lower. And also I realise we've done this very point several times over the years, but in my experience the people who say grappling doesn't work tend to be the people who have never grappled.

[@scholagladiatoria]

@@EnglishMartialArts in fact I do believe grappling works in this scenario when applied correctly, but only if grappling has been trained for this scenario. I think the way that most grappling is practiced on the mats would be some of the worst ways to try and use grappling skills where a knife is involved. In the end, it's about practice and exposure, and very few grapplers are training for a knife context. From practicing various scenarios and observation of crime and law enforcement, I think a lot of Olympic fencers are actually better prepared for a knife attack than most grapplers are. But of course opinions are like acorns in autumn 🙂

[@amazed2341]

Best martial art to deal with knife attacks is cross country running

[@scholagladiatoria]

@@amazed2341 unfortunately a high percentage of people stabbed to death were running away (or trying to). While I absolutely agree that avoidance is the best option if possible, the reality is that it is usually not even an option once an attack starts.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Thinking about it while making a cup of tea, krav maga or military combatives really should be on this list. IMHO if we're going to list anything top for 'effectiveness' as a martial (eg. warlike) art, then it has to be something that is tried and tested by military and security professionals.

[@100dfrost]

Sir, I had a friend that had studied Judo when he was young and at impromptu horseplay he was dynamic. Of course I would plan on how I would react to his moves in a real fight, a lot of non boxing would have to be involved, but honestly I have no idea how much of what he knew was actually on display. Suffice it to say I'm glad I never really had to fight him. Good video, thanks.

[@brycedavenport1252]

This comment is 3 days old but the video is only 2

[@rahulmeetei714]

@EnglishMartialArts in terms of effectiveness, i don't agree with you. i don't think judo is effective, i think boxing is much effective in street fight, just one or two punch from a boxer is enought to out down any thugs, even thought a wrestler or grappler has to do some punching before getting hold of the boxer, many mma fighters like dustin porrier, conor mcgregor, kumaru usman they shine because of their boxing knowledge

[@utkarsh2746]

Could we get a video on the history of Combat Sambo? Or going with your current mood, 'Boxers don't know what to do in the clinch'? Like the difference in styles between older Jack Johnson type boxers, Roberto Duran, Mayweather using the clinch as an escape and the modern day boxer not knowing what to do in the clinch at all. Maybe Loma actually using the clinch with his Sambo background.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Interesting video idea, and also interesting title! 😂

[@moonsdonut5188]

There is an in depth video of sambo on the channel named didos he goes in depth on sambo

[@ghengiskhan9308]

Combat smabo history ain't that deep you can make it deep. It was just smabo developed to be practiced like a real fight. There's also Russian ARB which is basically combat ju jutsu and then there's kudo which has a higher enphasis on striking than throwing

[@Michael-yr5oq]

The fact you included consistency makes it in my opinion the best list I've seen on the matter. I agree with judo being the best as you need both theoretical knowledge and practical experience to advance and become a coach. And the standards are very well established and consistent world wide.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you!

[@stephena1196]

Also, probably the best chance of finding a class nearby you can get to.

[@robertnguyen9493]

I think that the “best” martial art is the one that works best for the individual. Very often the most aesthetic martial art isn’t the most effective i.e. Judo, BJJ and Muay Thai. But are incredibly effective. So one singular art itself isn’t best but a combination of arts is. So it falls on the individual to find the combination of arts that works best for them. Also; FIGHT TEAM!

[@redundantfridge9764]

As a HEMA guy, the second I saw consistency, I knew things were not going to go well. It isn't just the school of thought for German or Italian Longsword, or guys doing more polearms in their criterium, sometimes you get get a school that actually involves a lot of wrestling or grappling. Sometimes you get guys who strictly follow specific treatises and manuscripts from a singular master, such as Fiore Dei Liberi. And then you get that one guy who demonstrates unusual moves or tricks in competition and actually get points successfully.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Yeah, HEMA is a pretty broad church... 😀

[@patrickhunter9525]

And that isn't even getting into the different interpretations for the more ambiguous treatises.

[@gurkfisk89]

An other HEMA guy here, I think that we got sort of a high score overall. I would give us lower marks in both effectiveness and asthetics. I feel cool and awesome when I do HEMA, but I sure ass hell doesn't look cool to an outsider. =)

[@seasickviking]

I would have expected for Bartitsu to be on the list, given that its literally English Martial Arts channel, but that's me. I would also added Sumo, Hapkido and a handful of others to the list, but mostly for personal preference. Personally, I'm glad Krava Maga, Kendo and Kali didn't make the list. Either way, you set a good argument and it was fun listening hearing you out. I ultimately agree on the lack of consistency in terms of TKD, but having trained in multiple arts (TKD, Japanese Jujitsu, Judo, Shotokan and TuiShou), I can say its the same for a LOT of martial arts that have become both sports and daycare centers over the years. Good luck on future videos.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you! I'm not a fan of Bartitsu, and I'd argue what is done currently shares little but the name.

[@The_Prenna]

Check your wardrobe for ninjas before you go to bed.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I always do!

[@seculardojo7738]

I think Judo is underrated. I have seen a few videos recently arguing for Judo over BJJ. Judo is better for self defence, and trying to avoid the ground, as well as putting people on it, even if groundwork is taught to some degree. I can't argue with BJJ being better on the ground than Judo, but it's obviously best to avoid the ground if possible. Interesting way of scoring by the way

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you!

[@vperna6035]

Of course, they are both great for self-defense, but I feel like I could make the same argument for the skill of escaping bad positions for bjj. It's the other side of the coin I think people tend to forget; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is just as much an escape art as a submission art. "It's best to avoid the ground if possible" Thats a variable I'd rather have covered. Also, Wrestling is becoming an essential skill in the BJJ community.

[@seculardojo7738]

They are both good skill sets to learn

[@randybowman]

If somebody is doing grappling for self defense they should spend a lot of time on standing grappling and a lot of time on escaping bottom position and controlling top position as well as probably a little less time on submissions, but should still spend plenty of time of submissions. All of those things can be gotten from judo, bjj, catch, sambo or any other submission grappling style. You'll just have to train with that in mind and during open mat time seek out standing partners if you're in bjj. Or if in judo don't stop at the ippon sometimes or in catch maybe don't stop at the pin sometimes. Bjj has a more open takedown ruleset than judo does with no banned grips and leg grabs being allowed as well as being able to do more standing submissions leading into throws. The average judo person would probably throw the average bjj person though.

[@ghengiskhan9308]

Judo is mega underrated watch kudo, combat ju jutsu and combat sambo imagine if you learnt basic striking and did that to a untrained person on the street. Not to mention judo has a lot of locks from old ju jutsu that are banned in competition but are super effective for self defence.

[@ruiseartalcorn]

Great video! :) I find your method of ranking interesting and fun :) In defense of Wing Chun, I think most of the effectiveness issues are as a result of it being taught by theorists rather than fighters. I have trained in many systems over the last 57 years and have been messing about with Wing Chun for about 40 years. Whilst it doesn't do well in gloved competition, I think, if taught correctly, it is a very good self defense system, especially in close spaces. Have a look at Dominick Izzo's stuff. He teaches it as a no-nonsense, direct way of bashing the crap out of an attacker! Anyway, thanks again for a great video :)

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I'll check him out, thanks!

[@ruiseartalcorn]

@@EnglishMartialArts You're very welcome :) Keep up the good work :)

[@chaxologist2961]

Right, Wing Chun is primarily taught as such rather than a complete system that involves punching, kicking and wrestling that is intended for practical use. Winf Chun is supposed to be a principle based art that emphasizes simultaneous attack and defense in any way, shape and form including kicks, punches and takedowns. Its only unique technique addition is the Chi Sao and the vertical fist punches, nothing else. Essentially, real, functional Wing Chun is a derivative or identical counterpart to the old school, pre-Marques of Queensbury Boxing style that punching, grappling and Chi-Sao techniques.

[@ruiseartalcorn]

@@chaxologist2961 I'm also very interested in European Pugilism and I too see some similarities with Wing Chun. I think Wing Chun is also an excellent bridge between punching and grappling.

[@DougieLink]

I learned Wing Chun in Taiwan in the 1980s and we had stand up all in challenge fights at Shir Da university. I trained with Francis Szeto. He fought bare knuckle into his 50s against all comers of all weight categories. It's very useful , especially with a grappling background. But as you say not just taught as theory or compliant opponents but full contact.

[@paullatter1604]

I totally agree with your assessment. I might be a little bias as a second degree Judo Black Belt. But it is a great sport , tough training and useful in a real fight. If I was designing what I think is the best training for self- defense I would recommend Judo training starting at 11-12, BJJ starting at 16 and then adding May Thai at 16-18. In the US High School Wrestling and Golden Gloves Boxing are two other options. I am 72 (today) and started Judo back in the 1970’s. From the beginning I worked out with Judo National Champions and Olympians. Then in the 1990’s started training with a Japanese Sensei who emphasized ground work. BBJ was just starting to gain attention in the USA. I never got to compete in BBJ but did practice with some students and my Judo worked well, but Judo has changed and no longer puts much emphasis on the ground. Wresting is great for conditioning and developing an aggressive attitude! I have trained a little with a former pro boxer and those guys can take a beating. In college I had a friend from Thailand who had studied May Thai and he was fast! If I could only pick one it would be Judo, because if you look at the advanced katas (Kimi no Kata) you will find strikes and kicks as well as ground work. However it is unlikely to find a Judo Club today that teaches everything you need for self-defense.

[@-whackd]

How does it prepare you for being stabbed

[@BeepBoop2221]

​@@-whackdOK. Think about how thie knife attacks happen.

[@Cavebear23]

great video as usual. I think an interesting video would be - whats the most effective defensive system when the person has a dislocated shoulder, or broken hand and then on the lower level, whats the most effective with a dislocated knee.? could give interesting results on how your list may change. thanks for your work, awesome channel and info.

[@OkurkaBinLadin]

I love, that you made criteria clear from the get go, thus the list will be different for every person. Yeah, we all do forget, that we have bias (including mythology/aesthetics) towards one form or another. I would rate any grappling art far lower for the simple reason, that as of 35 years of age, I am dead afraid of neck cranks, torn ACL, etc. That boat sailed for me.

[@bugs4680]

Really appreciate your opinions and videos judo is great the ground can be unforgiving I learned a few throws as a kid and I can say it has worked for me

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Yes, hit them with the planet.

[@Semiotichazey]

These are decent categories, but it all depends on how you weight them. A lot of people won't care about aesthetics, and some people won't care about effectiveness. Consistency can be important for the community aspect, especially if you're a total newbie breaking into the art. But if you've got a lead on a good instructor, it becomes a lot less important. Also, some people care about the personal development aspect; physical, mental and/or spiritual. That's probably more important that aesthetics no matter who you are, unless you are easily impressed by cool looking stuff.

[@WaybackFencingClub]

The one you can afford to practice under practical pressure the most is probably best. The one you can practice the most is runner up. The one that keeps you fit and healthy is a solid 3rd option.

[@crazygreek6341]

Doens't want to do controversial stuff ... wants to find the best martial art haha nice one

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I never promised to be consistent! 😁

[@crazygreek6341]

@@EnglishMartialArts and to the video I have to agree on a lot of things - loved the TWD bashing - but as a dude that did karate for 12 years and switched to BJJ/MMA/Kick boxing comparing Karate with the 1000 million styles to more stream lined MA is a bit unfair. Well the points still stand if you compare Kyokushin and shotokan with the rest but the points would still be similar but I can still be mad in a post ironic way

[@Odwolf2]

I am a HEMA practitioner, and gotta say, fair's fair lol most I've been exposed to is british military saber and smallsword. That's what I do, that's what I know. However, after some experimentation, with knowing the core principles of those two, I often think about how I'd defend myself with whatever is at hand, and you'd be surprised what might actually be useful. I get the feeling you could get a similar result if one learns boxing and catch together. Both are English martial arts, they even seem like siblings in a sense. And as for the judo assessment, I think judo would benefit if it made its striking techniques more widely known. Not that it would change what it is, but probably break the mould that it's only throwing with some ground fighting. The striking was mostly to break someones posture or put them off balance. But still, I think many people would be shocked, much like I was, that it offers some instruction on striking.

[@bloodhyena]

personally I have studied martial arts since I was 13 ,moved around alot as a kid ,so I never earned rank in many styles but in some ways gave me a great understanding of do what you love ,so the best martial arts is the one you love to do . im 49 and I enjoy many styles ,still studying tkd and going back to aikido ,but trained in thai boxing and jkd ,going to take up bjj but still love boxing ,my father taught me boxing when I was kid . but truth is its all great ,all good for fighting ,older you get the less you get in to fights ,the more you just love to train.

[@PabloGambaccini]

I would stay with the second and third columns, I don't care how it looks but how it works, so great video!

[@JustinColletti]

Interesting approach to ranking. The one thing that’s way off is boxing, which should probably score much higher in effectiveness and aesthetics. Sure, a well trained grappler with no boxing is likely to beat a well trained boxer with no grappling. (Doubly so in a ring with padded floors.) But outside of that match up, boxing is one of the most effective martial arts a person can learn for basic self defense situations where striking is warranted. Also, unlike sport BJJ it is comprehensible to watch even if you don’t do it. I say this as someone who prefers BJJ . I also think you scored Judo slightly too high in effectiveness. I say this as someone who loves Judo. Aikido being that high is an artifact of the unusual ranking system that puts aesthetics on such high footing. I’d also suggest that on aesthetics, karate should rank higher. It might have also been interesting to add a category on how easy it is to become competent in the art. This is worthwhile information and would have also moved aikido down and boxing up, which would have been appropriate I think.

[@kevionrogers2605]

Your list is consistent with how I rank these from experience. For instance Wing Chun was my first martial art, I started in 2nd grade, but it wasn't until competing in AAU & NCBA Boxing along with training Sayoc Kali & Filipino Boxing in college that I actually had parameters & experience to make it work. Aikido I never really had a problem with it because I did Yang Jwing Ming Taijiquan & Judo & GJJ in middle school & high school & I was on the wrestling team doing Greco-Roman Wrestling & submission wrestling on the off season. All of these arts contains all of Aikido syllabus, so when I joined a dedicated Aikido dojo after college it was just going through the motion learning its cadence & rhythm not really adding anything new. If a person has experience doing American or Japanese rules kickboxing then Kung-fu, Karate, Taekwondo or Savate (Boxe Français) are great alternatives if you want to specialize or take less damage in competition. If you want to appreciate & utilize Wing Chun then a thrust focused art such as Tulisan or Sayoc Kali are important. The slash & bash focused arts such as Inosanto Kali or Balintawak don't really translate directly to Wing Chun curriculum.

[@sukotsutoCSSR]

When I was younger, it was definitely aesthetics first before effectiveness. Because I wanted to make flashy stuff effective! Even though deep down in my gut, I know it would be a struggle to make a lot of these flashy moves work. As I become older, I would get excited whenever something flashy worked, but I'm not holding my breath for it anymore - I'd rather drill the grindy, effective techniques and concentrate on defense more. Desire for Self preservation had long overcome my desire to be flashy. In ranking these martial arts, I would certainly put defense as one of the main factors.

[@bobbysmitty1628]

Cool video as usual !! A big variable in any of these lists is the practitioner. Mentality and training methods are vastly important. All in all, these systems are comprised of biomechanics. For the realistic ones, the effectiveness lies in the way the biomechanics are applied. Boxing in the hands of a middle-aged parent training to lose weight is not going to be the same boxing as a conditioned athlete trying to win a national title. Same with TKD, those flashy moves may not be effective as trained in your average class setting. However, the mechanics of a spinning wheel (heel) kick, lead to one of the most devastating strikes you'll ever see in competitive MMA.

[@-whackd]

And none of these things matter when three meth heads with knives attack you

[@bobbysmitty1628]

@@-whackd I don't hang around meth heads. Are you talking from personal experience? If so, keep better company 😂 Or carry a pistol. That can help too.

[@RoboticSafey]

I chuckled at the hema scoring. Your spot-on for consistency for it. I think you should perhaps weight the categories. Is effectiveness really the same importance as aesthetics? Is consistency good if you are consistenly bad?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Good questions.

[@josephkeeter9648]

I took taekwondo classes for about 4 months. The instructor was great and super motivated to help you improve. I just didn't seem to improve beyond a certain point, probably because I started in my 40s. As for effectiveness, it seems like it would work best on people who didn't know it lol.

[@paulrobson3672]

I think the problem with trying to rank martial arts like this, is conflation of their aspects into a single overall score. You do break it up into different categories but by combining street, ring and matt together you make it hard to score. Personally i would probably approach it by creating 3 lists. A list for the martial art as an art form, (which to be fair is basically you aesthetic score), A list for it as a combat system/self defense system what Matts comments about knifes would probably come into play more. and a 3rd list ranking the as sports where things like popularity/viewing numbers, inclusion in global sporting events like the olypmics etc would probably come into it. But great work as always, really enjoy your videos and the work you do.

[@alanbone5512]

The thing is. Its fascinating concept. what ever the style or form enjoy learn the basics, they may save your life that's the important thing, i know it saved mine many times, i am grateful to my instructors, my sensei all of them.

[@capicornboss]

I like your list and the thought process behind it! Oss🤙🏿

[@scholagladiatoria]

So, here's the problem rating HEMA for effectiveness, and you stated it near the beginning. What HEMA is being rated? If it's HEMA wrestling then... well that's basically Catch wrestling, which you gave a higher score. Or boxing. Or savate, or.... you get my point. If it's longsword, then longsworders are regularly wiping the floor with people doing comparative arts like kendo or kenjutsu, and ninjitsu doesn't even get a look in. Lots of HEMA fighters easily hold their own against stick fighting styles, FMA and dog brothers stuff - in fact loads of them cross train that. If it's sabre or smallsword, then those fencers are holding their own against Olympic fencers, cross training and in some cases are doing both things at the same time. So, which bit of HEMA is the 4/10 and which bit of HEMA underperforms against which other arts? IMHO, if you want to learn swords or other large weapons, or indeed perhaps even knife, then HEMA is right up at the top of all martial arts right now, alongside FMA. It should also be pointed out, that in 2022, there are now more people training and competing in HEMA sword styles than there are in things like kenjutsu, and probably more than FMA in a lot of countries.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Well I think there are plenty of HEMA groups that don't compete at all. There are a number of well known instructors who never even spar publicly. And add to that the fact that there is little agreement in what competitive HEMA should even look like or how we define a win I think it's a fair score. I don't think I can reasonably score it more than boxing... I admit it's a very subjective score though.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Let me try a different tack. If you were chatting to someone online for the first time, and they said they did HEMA, would your assumption be that they were able to fight? I don't think mine would.

[@scholagladiatoria]

@@EnglishMartialArts fight with a sword or other large weapon, yes. Fight unarmed, no absolutely not 🙂But if we were talking about weapons, then I can't think of any martial art except for various FMA that I would put on the same level as HEMA. Most kenjutsu and kendoka practitioners get creamed IMHO.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

@@scholagladiatoria I'd still argue that you're talking about a subset of HEMA, and not a universal condition. But taking that as read yes, I agree that the people in HEMA who fight regularly would dominate other sword/poleaem systems.

[@PunchCatcher]

I think this was a good take on the standard argument over "my style is better than yours". I think the idea of including the aesthetic component was a good choice and really one of the things that made this a different version of the standard trope. I do wonder if you should have included MMA as a style, but it, like HEMA, is so varied as to make it difficult to classify as a unified whole.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you!

[@WhatIfBrigade]

I think Judo is really consistent and high quality because it is 1.) A well rounded effective style with as you pointed out, good resistance training and instruction, and 2.) because it is something you can do in the US, France, Japan and go to the Olympics in. So you get a lot of high level competitors. That you can go to a local tournament and compete against high level competition is really important.

[@ianscott3265]

I feel the fact that you've included aesthetics as a factor in the first place is the reason your results maybe go against popular opinion. That said, I've been following Owen Livesey on both youtube and insta the past few months. My man-crush aside, the success he's had in BJJ, catch-wrestling and MMA competition using a judo-base does indicate that it's a highly effective art whenever grappling is an option. Having been winded to the point of incapacitation in muay thai sparring by hard sweeps and dumps, I can only imagine how devastating a judo throw on a hard surface could be.

[@griffin2599]

Exactly my friend! I've watched a Judoka blackbelt end a fight in under 60 seconds by dumping a so-called boxer/wrestler in a parking lot. Pavement is unforgiving when being thrown into it in a split second by a skilled Judoka.

[@tn9974]

@@griffin2599 i think our body hits at around 60km/h when the judo guys throw us on ground.

[@Unobjectabdul]

Hi man I love your videos. Keep up the good work. What do you think about capoeira?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I think it's fascinating enough that I'd love to learn more. Have you seen my video on Bill Richmond?

[@RandAlthor939]

I absolutely agree with your assessment. I practiced tomiki aikido since I was 10 a very brutal version. Leaned very heavily into its judo roots then as a teenager I practiced a style of jujitsu that called itself free style jujitsu. Basically jujitsu/ judo with boxing . The coach was a qualified boxing coach and amateur champion, 5th Dan jujitsu, 4th Dan judo , and an intstructor in wing chun. What made him really stand out was his 15 yrs as a head doorman. Without a doubt his stuff worked . But not so much his students ? Then I discovered what he had and they didn’t a huge dose of reality ! I started working as a prison officer restraints , fights , disarms every month if not every week . I discovered nearly everything was bollocks . But what saved my life on numerous occasions. The randori ( judo like practice ) in tomiki aikido. As I said ours was always different leg sweeps , elbows , knees using the head to break balance stay connected and apply pressure. My point is what worked for real was that which had been pressure tested . The prison was a refiners fire my aikido looks more like judo , my jujitsu looks more like judo , my boxing is set up for wrestling like I don’t know judo . I have a 3rd Dan aikido and absolutely love it as a system . But only when it’s been unlocked it’s like a secret level in a game . How do you unlock it ? Learn how to fight . Simple good and dare I say it effective aikido looks like good effective jujitsu which looks like good effective striking . If it works they will all be doing it . I have used kotei gaeshi on man armed with a knife I was grappling with . It worked why ? Because I had already elbowed him in the face and head butted him. This was not a restraint! But it worked a dream he actually flipped through the air . But to finish it and take control I ground work not found in aikido but found in judo / jujitsu. I now tell anyone that will listen when they ask about martial arts for there kids . Judo and boxing or judo and mauy Thai . Grappling and striking two of the 3 ways of fighting . Start them in judo and then get them into boxing . And that’s from a 3rd Dan aikido, 2nd Dan jujitsu.. Anyway long st

[@sharp_medicine9858]

I'm a medium and I've just been speaking with the spirit of Walter Armstrong and he says he understands you not including Cumberland and Westmorland (or the supermarket own brand version Scottish Backhold) in this video. He says there would be no suspense if the winner was obvious from the start.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I love you.

[@gorobard1]

I would say that in the context of a street fight either judo or BJJ would be the best because tackling down an opponent on cement or even on a staircase would end any fight. In the context of fighing in a specialized arena, I would probably give it to muay thai because I feel like they have the most intense training and conditioning sessions.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Yes, it's no surprise they're all high up in the results.

[@ulrichenry4881]

I love this stuff. I currently study Muay Thai boxing and BJJ. I think I would love to add catch wrestling and Judo as well and wing Chun as well

[@-whackd]

How would you rate Arnis or any other stick fighting disciplines?

[@toddellner5283]

Without watching the video I can tell you every martial artist's answer: "The one I do."

[@socon39]

As someone who does BJJ (and Muay Thai as well) I do agree with its effectiveness being slightly behind Catch and Judo. You have gyms where the standup aspect of BJJ is completely ignored, or they favour pulling guard from standing. You’ve got gyms (like mine) who teach wrestling and stress it’s absolute importance in regards to competition. Heck, one of my instructors got beaten by a wrestler once, which should tell you something. Some of the people at my gym have even delved into Judo throws, which also work wonders. After all, if you want to ‘ground fight’, you have to take your opponent down to the ground FIRST! Dropping to your back and inviting them down to join you isn’t gonna work, even if you have tea and biscuits.

[@cubgrumpz]

Great watch and great way to classify the systems. But there will be a question in relation to your personal aptitude to digest the varied arts you have experienced over your period of training martial arts ( suspect you have invested much time and money into your journey.) But considering 🤔 a standard approach of having a controlled approach we would not look at the exception and are looking at it from a general outlook. Would you do a video at some point looking at the most elite of the arts performance as a gauge. Measuring from the strongest links achievements?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Yes, it's a great idea for a video.

[@ludditezed3635]

Another great video! My two cents: BJJ is less consistent than you rated it, but that’s a huge strength of the art. The Danaher Death Squad changed the No Gi game with their leg locks. 10th Planet introduced an entirely new guard system. And there are several different rule sets for competition. All of this adds up to BJJ being a continually evolving martial art. To me, this is one of its biggest strengths.

[@cybermidas3973]

Would have liked to see Sambo, ARB and Systema there, but I understand that, for the sake of brevity, the video went to the point and did well :) Now, something I'd really like to see is this subject being adressed: when were elbow strikes banned in pugilism/western boxing? i know you made a video about something related, but it had more to do with wether those were taught in English boxing manuals as a reply to Shane Fazen. I remember once reading about a pugilist who fought in the bareknuckle era, who fought exclusively with open palms a la early savateur and was so deadly he became the reason for their ban. Now, my memory might be tricking me, so I'd like somebody more versed than me to educate us on this. Now, for elbow strikes, that's a different animal I haven't been able to find much about. Good job mate. Hope your channel keeps growing. Clickbaity titles are nothing if the content is good.

[@stevevoyles3816]

It really depends on why you study a martial art. I do not practice anymore because of my age. But i recommend filipino dirty boxing over regular boxing because it teaches you to enter and take someone down. To me entering is the most vital aspect in combat, because entering properly keeps you safe. Aikido has some good moves for entering if they are understood. Learn some ground techniques and silat techniques to round things out. Any military moves also. I just took what i wanted from many systems and blend them. Good luck with whatever you do and stay alert and safe...

[@martindavies7476]

Interesting video, but how about including Sanda (Sanshou) - which has both striking and grappling?

[@MK-ev6ov]

Liked and subbed! Thanks for listening to feedback! As a boxer I am appalled that it scored lower than aikido! Muay Thai and boxing could have gotten higher effectiveness scores as they’ve become staples of modern MMA training. Had a chat with my jiu jitsu professor last night about catch wrestling and your content. I would be interested to see a video on the concepts of catch wrestling… as in what are they trying to get to in particular scenarios? In jiu jitsu it’s a fairly organized flow, they look to take down, pass, mount, and submit. Caveats like leg attacks not withstanding…

[@EnglishMartialArts]

That's an interesting video idea! And I'm genuinely thrilled if I've sparked a little interest.

[@King_Of_Games]

Honestly, some of them they scored like three in effectiveness. I was surprised because I thought that was too high. Lol But I’m glad somebody’s giving them credit

[@izzygarcialionibabaloipici6293]

I believe a good criteria to add in the future would be availability to one's said area

[@davevandevenne8891]

Including aesthetics really changes the outcome. If it was my list I would include the degree to which the art emphasizes physical conditioning. Boxing and Muay Thai really shine there.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Yes, agreed!

[@Cavouku]

With perhaps some exceptions in the range of one-to-two points, I largely agree with your rankings in each category. But for my part, I would have to put different weight to each category: E.g., a 7 in "Effectiveness" beats a 7 in "Consistency" beats a 7 in "Aesthetics". But, from the perspective of someone who's interested in combat sports as a spectator, that won't necessarily hold the same, so I understand not putting this kind of weight for each category. I'm also somewhat of the opinion that "Athleticism" deserves its own category for ranking: how fit might you typically get when training for this style? And of course, it would be great to add some more esoteric styles like capoeira, dambe boxing, and one or two more types of kung fu. If you ever do this again, I'd be curious to see you compare fairly-similar styles. Especially when it comes to jacket-wrestling, you have Judo of course, its derivatives of BJJ and Sambo. The different jacketed systems throughout the UK like Cornish, Irish, Scottish Backhold, Cumberland, etc. Also Ringen, sometimes done in HEMA, Shuai Jiao from China, Bökh from Mongolia. My girlfriend is from Kazan, and her grandfather enjoys Turkic Kurash wrestling (though the Turkic wrestling might moreso be "belt-wrestling" than "jacket-wrestling", similar to Sumo I suppose). It's a big sea for comparisons and contrasts.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Now that got me thinking about a few video ideas... Thank you!

[@WinnipegKnightlyArts]

Keep on it brother, climb that algorithm.

[@danhonaker1435]

The sword arts you covered were very traditional and u think you made some good points but I would be interested to see your take on cossack and polish saber fighting and there are several Chinese sword arts that are fairly aggressive. One good example is a 2 handed straight sword made famous In an older move called yellow river fighter. I realize it's a movie but the technique was amazing.

[@wayoflifetaichi3864]

Wonderful video, definitely understand what you are saying and here is my two cents. The best martial art is any martial art it all boils down to whatever martial art the individual is interested in and what they want from it.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Well yes, but that makes for a very short video! 😁

[@wayoflifetaichi3864]

@@EnglishMartialArts True 😊

[@michaelclark978]

After getting my brown belt in taekwondo at age 14 then having a friend who studied bjj. He wanted to spar or what he called “roll”, after about 2 min I found myself being choked with my own brown belt. I was quickly converted after that moment lol

[@andrewalexander1086]

Best martial art is the one that works for you personally

[@corrugatedcavalier5266]

I don't think it's possible to answer this question, but I think you did about a good a job as any. It depends on what you're looking for from an art, because that will "weight" the categories differently. As mostly a HEMA person currently, I'm not offended at all and your assessment is spot on, I'd say, and perhaps generous especially on "Effectiveness." Fight Team!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you!

[@flamezombie1]

I think one of the biggest issues with HEMA on the effectiveness front is that, like you mentioned, HEMA is many arts - wrestling included - and very few schools do the wrestling! Even if the HEMA group isn't competition focused (mine isn't, I work with my hands for a living and tournaments are always hours and hours away), I'd say if they do wrestling that bumps them up quite a bit above groups that don't and ARE competition focused. Edit: On Wing Chun, you should check out Qi La La - he's an MMA fighter that's trying to incorporate what works in actual fighting. FightCommentaryBreakdowns has some videos on him!

[@flamezombie1]

And yeah, wholly agree on karate. I didn't realize how much bullshido was out there calling itself karate until I grew up and had the hindsight to realize damn, I had a pretty decent sensei huh haha.

[@jonathangidlof7412]

Tack!

[@jochentram9301]

I still maintain that the best martial art is the one you practice religiously, even if it is not, at core, all that effective. The cold truth is, most people have zero training, and even shotokan kumite, which is merely touch fighting, does teach balance, footwork and range game. I do think that arts where you actually must take a hit every now and then are better. As Mike TYson observed, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. If nothing else, full-contact arts teach you how to handle getting punched, dealing with the pain, and the fact that your plan just fell apart. (this is the one flaw from that fight scene early in the Robert Downey jr. Sherlock Holmes movie; the plan works to perfection, and that very rarely happens, IME)

[@mikek8857]

judo does have strikes although not trained in many modern gyms, traditional judo had something called atemi waza which are essentially basic kicks, punches, strikes, and blocks, also there is a whole style of judo which is ground based called Kosesn judo

[@samwiederspan8823]

I practice Wing Chun (I’ve used it on the street, it’s good boxing and good for blocking) and train in BJJ/some Japanese jujitsu mixed in. I always ask my instructor to include practicable application. I’ve also recently watched some old black and white Judo videos the art used to include - punches, grappling and throwing as part of a single curriculum so, I think in reality that would be the ultimate martial art.

[@simonmorris4226]

Same with Aikido! Earlier styles emphasised the use of atemi or striking as an integral part of technique.

[@whooligan7159]

I love HEMA. I can't say it's practical, but so much fun to do.

[@whim6287]

I agree with most of your scores and criticism. I will say that competitions did more harm to Karate than Tae Kwan Do, but that is with my small sample. Then again, I went in on a focus towards learning how to fight, not go to nationals in a satin gi and glow in the dark weapons. Edit: FIGHT TEAM!

[@simoneriksson8329]

This was a fun format for a video like this and gave some interesting results. If someone really wants to find out what martial art is "best" though I think they really have to ask the question "best for what?". If you love the way aikido looks and want to learn how to move like that aikido is the best. If you are a historybuff who wants to play with swords (like me) HEMA is probably a very good choice. If you want to learn how to fight unarmed either in selfdefence or in competition then boxing might be great but if you are very concerned about brain damage it might be really bad etc... Anyway it was a fun video! #fightteam

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you! FIGHT TEAM!

[@PhilosoFox]

Martin posting a click bait video - and I can't not comment despite being late to the party! Here we go: Your arguments seem sound to me, while your way to sum up things into a final score doesn't. Not nitpicking, I would alternatively recommend to give us a more user based algorithm to find a person specific ideal. Like: 1st: What options do you have in the area you're living? And what quality is the gym appearing to be? (like Boxing, Judo, Karate, FMA, Capoeira, KungFu variants, KickBoxing, MMA... - top grade, amateurs, pop up McDojo) 2nd: What do you want to get out of it? (succeeding in MMA tournaments, fighting in contests, ruling the street, protecting others and self, getting athletic, staying healthy, feeling manly, meeting a partner, learning an exotic language, going abroad, a hobby for now or the rest of your life, having fun...) 3rd: What are you willing to invest for now and what is your time horizon? 4th: What's your age, body type, health and prior knowledge right now? I would love to fill out a web form and get a pseudo-personalised answer by a Martin bot! Gogogo! ☺

[@EnglishMartialArts]

See, now I'm trying to figure out if it's actually possible...

[@cahallo5964]

You sir are on a very chaotic mood lately huh

[@EnglishMartialArts]

😁

[@timadams3979]

Having sparred boxers, they're great--footwork and movement make them hard to deal with. Wrestlers/grapplers -- well, I've done both and I loved that it wasn't widely known back in the time, it gave us a great advantage that's been lost now that every other idiot does "mma". The awareness of grappling makes it less effective than it used to be. Most arts that are "useless" are ineffective because of how Americans train, not the art itself. Example for argument: in the PRC, mainly traditional/modern wushu folks may do weapons, taiji or some other art, but they also do Sanda style full-contact sparring, at least in the limited, daily gym moderate sparring practice with fellow students--most of these folks can throw hands well enough, unlike the soft-only stylists who rely on "ki powers" or other nonsense.

[@King_Of_Games]

😂😂😂 catch wrestling with a four on consistency is hilarious cause I thought that was a little high and I come from a wrestling background I love wrestling it’s my favorite grappling form. It literally beats everybody I face that is pure BJJ. But it’s so true that it varies. When I go against other wrestlers, I’m always surprised at little things they don’t know, but I feel like are fundamental to wrestling. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels 12:04

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Good to have you on the fight team!

[@vihakurjategija]

The best martial art is sucker punching and having 5 homies around.

[@Charismaniac]

What about Sambo? I like this channel btw, very informative.

[@Cars_of_yesteryear]

Judo has an entire curriculum based around newaza or ground fighting, its what BJJ grew from. If anything BJJ suffers from a lack of Judo but Judo most certainly does not lack ground fighting. Cheers for the vids definitely subscribing!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Welcome to the fight team!

[@adamclark1972uk]

All the groundwork is there in judo, it's just that these days the contest rules prioritise the standing game because of the Olympics and the need to make it telegenic.

[@johnluongo4230]

They are all good if you work hard and learn, but if you don’t have heart nothing will help you.

[@tylwyth]

Great work, and I think there's a lot of truth here. Do you want to actually do something martial? Great, top 3 is for you. Don't want to fight, but want an overall enjoyable, consistent experience? Aikido is actually a pretty solid answer. Want to roll the dice on quality, be exhausted, and feel out of sorts in a fight? The bottom is probably what you want to try (though I would have guessed the presence of actual contact in TKD would have pushed it up a -little- further). I imagine, had you covered it, Krav Maga would be fighting (see what I did there) for one of those bottom ranks for the same reasons.

[@titomlm]

Not too shabby, Sir. Here are my 2 cents as follows: The Martial Arts are a fairly modern endeavor to say the least; it is the widespread education of both lethal and non lethal means to deal with an agressor in multiple situations and scenarios. Before mass communication and the cultural sharing of knowledge for the sake of common understanding of the "known world", most of this type of information was HEAVILY regulated and in most cases forbidden to numerous communities for a myriad of rationale. The age of a single warrior able to take on an entire army based on a "superior fighting skill" was made obsolete with the numerous advancement in military technology, notably the machine gun to name a few. At the end of the day, the many schools of thought eventually converge on the same goal, put the opponent down with maximum effect using minimum effort in case their friends show up. The fighter's life was never glamorous, despite the various legends and songs to celebrate the tales of valor and victory. The story ends the same, live to see another day, by any means necessary. My sincerest and deepest regards to all that take on such a tragic trial of tribulation and know that I will be alongside you in the breach of combat, or on the other side, defending those I love. Stay frosty & keep training. See you on the mat! ;0)

[@pootytang2872]

I heard that MT had a ton of influence from English boxing , do you know anthing about this?

[@dsouthers2]

I think "learning curve" would have been another good criteria. While most arts are going have a great deal of depth and be hard to master, you can definitely pick up some more quickly than others. Boxing for instance, within a few weeks you've probably learned a few combinations and can hit the bags and be far more competent than when you started (not saying you'd be competent, just more than you were). Where as any grappling art you're going to get your ass kicked for at least six months before you gain any real competency.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I like that idea, I shall file it away for future use.

[@blueduffj]

I think boxing should score slightly higher in terms of consistency as certainly in the UK and I assume generally around the world all coaching is conducted through national associations such as the ABA and so is relatively standardised and the vast majority if not all pro fighters will have come through the amateur association. There are few boxing clubs that will not develop footwork as a solid initial base before progressing. Differences are very much tweaks relative to the strengths of a particular boxer. Other than that your list and scoring is quite accurate. As somebody once said in most striking arts you get hit with a fist, foot, elbow, knee or head...etc... but when a judo guy throws you he hits you with the planet!

[@thejanitorssweeps5883]

I would agree about judo the only problem is as a judoka for many decades now, it's a little too rough for those advancing in age, I teach still sometimes but for my own training I do karate still good exercise but l just can't take the falls the way I use to.

[@redflynn5168]

I find it funny that Aikido appears to be the best martial art in everything other than actual fighting 😆

[@tn9974]

Great video, binge watching your channel. any Idea on how good KRAV MAGA is? it's basically self defence by anything means necessary, goal is to SURVIVE. Like the training they give to Commandos etc. I think it would top list of "best art for self defence", but i have NEVER EVER seen it in any list, would love to listen from you on this or if it's a rabbit hole, then kindly make a video. thanks.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I was chatting about that very thing at training this evening. I suspect another videonis on its way.

[@tn9974]

@@EnglishMartialArts so i was researching as well, and I would like to put 2 videos which would help in your research i hope. Hard2Hurt video with Ryan Hoover (a krav maga expert) : kzbin.info/www/bejne/ronJimpqaNyjsJo Martial Arts Journey's video on krav maga : kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4asp2uPatR6bLc I would like to CLARIFY that when I say Krav Maga, I men the "commando training", the training which is given to SEAL, SAS or any other Special forces around the world. What I know is that Krav maga has 3 levels, Military, Police, Civlian. So after watching those videos and interviews, I think the "Practicality" of the training got diluted at civlian training. Just like Karate was actually a self defence, but now it's reduced to stupid olympic rules. Hope you got what I wanted to say, because I believe that no matter how GOOD you are any martial art, you can't stand against a trained Special forces guy. So i would like my this view challenged.(if possible) Again, thanks for responding and good luck for the video. Love your channel❤

[@deadlined1833]

I think the two that would be most effective together would have to be BJJ and Muay Thai. M T incorporates all of the striking and has enough standing grappling to take someone down. BJJ has plenty of ways to break or control someone. I hear catch wrestling is good too but I don’t know enough about it.

[@Daniel_Cooley]

Dang, I wish you would of had Sambo on the list. I'm interested in what you think about it. I have no Sambo background at all. I started training mma and Muay Thai in high school for about 2 years then I stopped training for a few years and I've been doing BJJ on and off for 7 years but very consistently for the last 3. All that being said I think Sambo is the best single martial art. Combat sambo has strikes, huge throws, and submissions.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I love Sambo, but am definitely too broken to do it properly!

[@adamclark1972uk]

Sambo is based on judo.

[@quietsp339]

It’s a great video, I favor boxers. In a street fight against 2 people. You want to stick and move, not get cornered and get out of there. If you think one guy is going to wait for you to put his friend in a rear naked choke hold you are on hard substances.

[@tweeshrew]

When people see TKD they see WTF style but try the old ITF style and youll see a difference

[@mranimesamurai1]

Yeah the really high ranking of judo surprised me. Not saying it can't be quite effective, but the lack of transition to mma plus the factor of people generally aren't wearing heavy thick gi tops to grab onto, are things that immediately come to mind. It would be good if judo offered like no-gi training as it would seem various techniques would need to be adjusted if this was the case. If this was the case, it's closest equivilant would prob be something like greco-roman or wrestling. Honestly I feel a good judoka would struggle against a good wrestler and have seen videos on these match ups (also considering that judo doesn't train in leg takedowns and their defenses). So it's a tricky one. Also when rating the BEST martial art - I think a lot of people would generally interpret this as the art's effectiveness and its ability to defend yourself in a real encounter. These other ratings would seem to be better off separated, as the combined score doesn't really offer any extra benefit IMO.

[@louislikestokick]

Great video sir, Judo is a worthy 1st place!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Isn't it just!

[@michaelpierson1090]

I really enjoyed your video especially your brake down of effectiveness and agreed with most of it. I disagree with your rating of boxing, in twenty years in working in prison the most dominant and effective fighting system and effective against multiple attackers is boxing. I have never trained in boxing and I rather wrestle, but boxing is very effective. On what I've seen? Thanks for your time in this video

[@Stephen_Curtin]

interesting approach with the scoring system. If nothing else it's thought provoking.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

That's good enough for me!

[@denismorgan9742]

Lethwei, I have done jui jitsui's, judo, akiado, kempo,muay Thai boxing, the two main ones I have not done are Lethwei and Muay Boran and a couple I would like to have a go at though I'm too old now are Combat Hopak and Sayokan. There's a Sheik hand to hand combat that is very good that we used a lot with jui jitsui.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Lethwei was definitely on the list to be included, but I had to leave some out...

[@denismorgan9742]

There are many little known obscure martial arts around the globe and some made especially for films ie Star wars that have what seems to have a frame work of a martial art, many western boxer's borrowed from Sugar Ray Robinson this includes Mohammed Ali, sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson.

[@davidemelia6296]

There isn't one. But just saying that would be an incredibly boring video, and I'm glad to see your channel kicking goals lately. You deserve it!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you!

[@richardhenry1969]

I'm for small circle jujitsu and Filipino martial arts. Of course small circle jujitsu has FMA in its teaching and boxing. It's the most complete self-defense martial art I've ever taken.

[@mysty0]

The problem I found with FMA's is practitioners spend endless times looping in blocks and completely missing golden opportunities for offense .. much like wing chun practitioners .. dont get me wrong I adore FMA's, but the way you train is how you fight

[@richardhenry1969]

@@mysty0 depends on who you trained with. The guy’s I was running with besides drills we also sparred a lot with sticks without with knives. Unless you train for weapons most don’t know what to do when something happens. But more importantly how to shut someone down before they get a chance to draw. I take both PTK and modern arnis. My first classes were FCS with tuhon Ray Dionaldo

[@mysty0]

@@richardhenry1969 I did some sessions with Anthony Kleeman in my teens.. he trained a lot of Security in the town I grew up and alot of them were complete tossers on roids completely enchanted with themselves.. I had fights with 3 of them and found myself blocking everything while sufficiently putting jabs and crosses straight down the pipe between defensive moves.. I was not real impressed with the overly flowiness of it. Thats not to critique all of FMA because Ive actually heard Masters talking about this being a problem and addressing it and have seen some very direct practitioners who quite frankly look very intimidating .. I do want to spend some time with a good practitioner one day

[@brdr6012]

Kyokushin Karate guy here. I believe boxing is the best martial art - IF we're talking self defense. 99.999% of street fights are centered around fists. Does a boxer run into serious trouble when someone throws a leg in just the right way? Sure. Will a boxer be in trouble when an assailant tries a takedown? Absolutely. But of all the videos of street fights I've watched, fists are the #1 deciding factor, and the guy who knows how to punch without getting punched wins almost always. In mma/k-1 it's a different story, but that story is different from the learned experience of most people. Now I'm not advocating everyone goes and trains boxing (I like getting my legs kicked too much), but I'll call it like I see it every day of the week. Boxing is king in the streets.

[@charliemcbroom2674]

Great video Oz! 😊 I agree on all but I would have given boxing an higher aesthetic value (but I am a fan). Though there are levels lol

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thanks buddy!

[@erikthewizard7752]

As a wing chun practitioner I have to strongly disagree on consistency. Wing chun lineages are often vastly different in application and effectiveness. I am somewhat lucky to have a tutor who was previously a brawler who can thoroughly explain these differences to me and show how to apply techniques against resistance, but even after 5 years I will have trouble reciting any of it beyond acquired muscle memory.