Best Martial Arts for Street Fighting: The Street Fight Art
When confronted with an unpredictable situation in a street fight, how can you ensure that you are using the most effective self-defense technique?
While all martial arts offer unique benefits such as discipline, fitness, and mental clarity, not all are designed for real-world street confrontations. So, which styles should you consider for practical and effective street defense? Choose boxing for best self-defense while focusing on Karate for strong counterattacks.
Martial Arts for Street Fighting at a Glance!
| Martial Art | Signature Technique(s) | Best Suited For |
| Shaolin Kungfu | Quick body movements, powerful strikes | Agility, fast reflexes, philosophical aspects |
| Karate | One-strike, one-kill (Ikken Hissatsu) | Strong hand techniques, direct counterattacks |
| Taekwondo | High and low kicks, spinning kicks | Powerful leg use, flexible, and agile fighters |
| Boxing | Jabs, hooks, footwork | Hand speed, power punching, defensive movement |
| Muay Thai | Elbow strikes, knee strikes, clinch | Close combat, conditioning, all-around striking |
| Jujutsu | Joint locks, grappling | Escaping holds, close contact self-defense |
| Tai Chi | Soft redirections, minimal force | Calm mindset, using opponent’s energy |
| Predatory Kung Fu | Mimicking animal movements | Versatility, imitating aggressive animal tactics |
| Qigong | Breathing exercises, inner strength | Recovery, staying calm in stressful situations |
9 Most Effective Martial Arts for Street Fighting
“Fight smart, not just hard.” This simple idea is at the heart of using martial arts for street fighting. It’s not just about being strong; it’s about being smart and quick. Let’s look at 9 martial arts that teach exactly that.
1. Shaolin Kungfu
Origin: China
Focus: Agility, quick movements
Shaolin Kungfu is one of the best self-defense martial arts for street fights, emphasizing agility and quick body movements. Originating from the Shaolin Temple and incorporating Buddhist philosophies from India, it aims to harness energy release in the last inch of a strike, potentially delivering a powerful blow. The key to Shaolin Kung Fu is to maintain a high head position for fast movement and to stay just an inch away to evade the opponent’s strikes effectively. Yielding just one inch can prevent serious harm in a fight.
| Research Says- Shaolin Kung Fu has a significant global following, with approximately 100 million practitioners worldwide. Its popularity as a martial art reflects its cultural significance. This diverse community includes practitioners who engage in it for its philosophical and spiritual aspects, as well as those who focus on physical and self-defense techniques. |
2. Karate
Origin: Japan
Focus: Hand techniques, curved movements
Karate is known for its straightforwardness and lack of complex philosophies. It focuses on quick hand techniques and uses curved, arcing movements to defend and attack. This style is fast to learn and emphasizes maximizing distance for speed. It is also known as one of the best self-defense for street fights. When defending against a direct attack, the strategy is to use curved movements to deflect blows, making it difficult for the opponent to land a solid hit.
| Tip: Karate training emphasizes the “one-strike, one-kill” philosophy (Ikken Hissatsu), teaching practitioners to focus on delivering the most effective and decisive blows during an encounter. |
3. Taekwondo
Origin: Korea
Focus: Leg techniques, kicks
Taekwondo specializes in strong leg techniques and kicks. With roots in Korea, it uses powerful leg movements and stresses the importance of balance and breath control. A key principle is to use any available object like a bag or belt to disturb the attacker’s view. However, Taekwondo techniques can be limiting as the direction of a kick is hard to change once committed, requiring precision and awareness in its application.
| Fact: Despite its reputation for high kicks, Taekwondo also teaches low kicks aimed at the legs and knees, which are more practical for self-defense situations. |
4. Boxing
Origin: Global
Focus: Hand techniques, power, speed
Boxing relies solely on hand techniques, focusing on power and speed. A boxer reads an opponent’s upper body movement, particularly their shoulders, to predict attacks. For street fighting, a good strategy against a boxer is to use leg movements without giving away upper body movement, catching them off guard. Keeping your chin low and blocking punches is essential for effective self-defense.
| Tip: Boxers practice slipping punches daily, which is a critical skill for evading attacks quickly and effectively in street fights. |
5. Muay Thai
Origin: Thailand
Focus: Elbows, knees, clinching
Muay Thai is known for its use of strong elbows and knees, which are faster and stronger than fists and feet. If one lacks a strong body, it is advised to maintain a safe distance of about 10 inches from the opponent to reduce the risk of injury. The focus is on quick, sharp movements to deliver powerful strikes and evade harm effectively.
| Fact: Muay Thai includes training with the “Thai pad,” a heavy pad worn by trainers to absorb the impact of the fighter’s strikes, helping to simulate real-life hits in terms of power and precision. |
6. Jujutsu
Origin: Japan
Focus: Joint locks, flexibility
Jujutsu focuses on joint flexibility and escaping holds or locks. It is not about strength but about using one’s flexibility and reflexes to sense and escape from joint locks. The general rule is to spin in the direction where there is no pain, allowing one to break free from the opponent’s grip swiftly- ultimately the best self-defence
| Tip: Jujutsu’s technique focuses on manipulating the opponent’s force against them rather than direct confrontation, which can be important in a street fight where the attacker may be bigger or stronger. |
7. Tai Chi
Origin: China
Focus: Reflexes, minimal force
Tai Chi is often seen as a softer martial art, relying on sensitive reflexes and using the opponent’s force against them. It requires continuous movement and an alert mindset. The principle is to use minimal force and find advantageous positions, such as staying slightly elevated or on the side, blinding the attacker to potential counters.
| Fact: Often perceived as a gentle form of exercise, Tai Chi is based on the martial concept of softness overcoming hardness, teaching practitioners to deflect incoming attacks rather than meet them with force. |
8. Predatory Styles in Kung Fu
Origin: China
Focus: Imitation of animal behaviors
Several styles in Kung Fu are inspired by the natural world, each mimicking animals like the tiger, snake, monkey, and eagle. These styles were developed to imitate animal fighting techniques and can be versatile in combat. Each animal style comes with its unique approach, whether it’s the agility of a monkey or the precision of a snake. This martial art is also considered to be the best for street fighting due to its diversity.
| Fact: Animal styles, like the Tiger style, teach methods of attack based on the movements and attributes of the animals they’re named after, such as explosive power and aggression for the Tiger style. |
9. Self-Recovery Techniques – Qigong
Origin: China
Focus: Inner energy, recovery
In a street fight, the ability to recover quickly is critical. Qigong, a meditative and physical practice, focuses on inner energy to enhance both mental and physical strength. The practice of “Empty Swallow” is designed to wake up internal organs and provide an energy boost, useful for recovery and maintaining calm during an altercation.
| Tip: Qigong practices often include breathing techniques that can help control adrenaline and maintain calm in high-stress situations like street fights. |
Conclusion
Ultimately, each martial art is the best for street fighting, offering unique benefits that could be advantageous in different situations, depending on the individual’s physical strengths, reflexes, and flexibility. Shaolin Kungfu is excellent for quick evasion, Karate offers straightforward techniques, and Taekwondo provides powerful kicks. Boxing focuses on powerful punches, while Muay Thai uses knees and elbows effectively. Jujutsu is great for flexibility and escaping holds, and Tai Chi emphasizes using the opponent’s force against them. The natural animal-inspired styles provide versatile techniques. So, master street-fighting skills with martial arts. Start your training today!Whatever combat sports you choose for self-defense or attack, focus on practicing using durable gear. Infinitude Fight takes the edge of being the leading wholesale manufacturer of combat sports gear, providing the opportunity to even design your own equipment.