Excluding MMA, Muay Thai, I would say (but what do I know?) is the ‘best’ Martial art. The one, pretty big downside, is the head-trauma that will inevitably occur.
\nIf you consider that – heading a football causes markers of brain damage, then God only knows what a roundhouse to the head does.
\nStudy on soccer \/ football here –\u00a0http:\/\/www.neurology.org\/content\/51\/3\/791.short<\/p>\n
I would suggest getting genetic testing done at 23 and me. \u00a0If you have the APOE-E4\u00a0polymorphism, then according to Dr Rhonda Patrick, you are more likely to have problems\/issues\/diseases relating to the brain, and should therefore avoid sports with head strikes and impacts.<\/p>\n
Pros<\/strong> Cons<\/strong> Wrestling<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Fantastic controlling opponents, great for self defense – especially one on one confrontations – you can control people, without actually hurting them too. \u00a0Great for functional strength, the ‘base’ of many of the best MMA fighters of all time. Pros<\/strong> Cons<\/strong> <\/p>\n Brazilian Jiu Jitsu<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Originally for self defense, most BJJ classes in the UK cater for sport-jiu-jitsu, which places the emphasis on ground techniques. \u00a0I love BJJ because it’s fun, the risk of injury is limited because you don’t get the big takedowns and throws as in Judo and wrestling. \u00a0It’s also good for functional strength and MMA. \u00a0I don’t feel it’s a great style for self defense as going to ground, especially to your back, voluntarily is mental in a self defense scenario.<\/p>\n Pros<\/strong> Cons<\/strong> <\/p>\n Judo<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Good for self defense and MMA. \u00a0Compliments gi BJJ especially well. \u00a0High risk of injury. For me, judo is the toughest of the martial arts to train, as I’m not used to be launched and thrown with a gi and the impacts when landing. \u00a0Horrible if you’re not used to it.<\/p>\n Pros<\/strong> Cons<\/strong> Pros<\/strong> Cons<\/strong> Pros Cons I’ll add to this list of styles in the near future…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Depends on the coach, what your goals are, and a few other things, but here are some quick thoughts and my personal 2p’s worth… Muay Thai Excluding MMA, Muay Thai, I would say (but what do I know?) is the ‘best’ Martial art. The one, pretty big downside, is the head-trauma that will inevitably occur. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41980142,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12504],"tags":[14040026,36097,34941026,81525,16262],"class_list":["post-4357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mma","tag-best-martial-art","tag-judo","tag-mma-2","tag-muay-thai","tag-wrestling"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nDevastating knees, elbows, punches, clinches that work brilliantly from close-quarters
\nKicks that work great from longer range<\/p>\n
\nHead Trauma.<\/p>\n![\"Thai1\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blackbeltwhitehat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thai1.jpg?resize=653%2C490&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
\nOne main problem for me, is the strain on the neck and the back. \u00a0It’s a style that I like to drill, or spar light with, but a hard session leaves me in a mess for a few days.<\/p>\n
\nFantastic for fitness and functional strength
\nGreat Base for MMA
\nGreat for doormen, policemen for controlling people
\nEffective martial art even with only a few techniques – you can learn effective, ‘high percentage’ techniques within a few lessons<\/p>\n
\nNeck, knee and back injuries
\nSize and athleticism is a big factor<\/p>\n![\"CainGif\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blackbeltwhitehat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/caingif.gif?resize=316%2C220&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
\nLimited risk of injury
\nCan spar 100% without injuring each other
\nGood for functional strength and fitness
\nGreat for MMA
\nArguably the most technical style of martial art there is – you constantly improve, and especially in the gi, technique is far more important than strength, power etc.<\/p>\n
\nWithout takedowns (usually an after-thought in BJJ classes) not great for self defense IMO<\/p>\n![\"KimuraMir\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blackbeltwhitehat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/kimuramir.gif?resize=320%2C180&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
\nGreat takedowns for self defense
\nGreat for gi BJJ<\/p>\n
\nMay not transfer directly to MMA
\nRisk of injury high due to impacts of throws
\nBoxing<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Great style for learning self defence quickly. \u00a0Many MMA fights recently, seem to centre around good boxing and footwork. If you can only train once or twice a week it would take literally years to be considered ‘good’ at BJJ, but boxing is effective as soon as you learn the basics. \u00a0Good style for self defence, punching is often all you need, but not great for ‘controlling’ people – e.g. if you’re a doorman, you should, in theory, look to control people if necessary, not punch them and do damage.<\/p>\n
\nHighly effective for MMA and self defence
\nFew injuries<\/p>\n
\nHead trauma
\nSome bad coaches around that still emphasise heavy sparring and lack of technical drilling<\/p>\n
\nTae Kwon Do
\n<\/span><\/strong>I actually took up TKD for a few months. \u00a0I watched my kickboxing fight back, and saw how stiff and awkward my ‘kicks’ were. I wanted to get more flexible and to be looser around the hips. \u00a0TKD is a great style for this, and there is no big impact, smashing heavy pads like in Thai boxing. \u00a0So, in a way, it’s easier on the joints and can been seen almost as an active recovery session if you train hard on other days with wrestling etc.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Great for flexibility
\nGreat for foot and ankle strength (something lacking in a lot of MMA fighters according to some S & C coaches)
\nRarely any meatheads of idiots doing it
\nNot too strenuous on joints etc.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Some techniques, like some of the blocks, might not suit your style if you cross-train with boxing etc.
\nClasses can be old-school. \u00a0One lesson 8 of us lined up to kick a pad once, then return to the back of the queue again.<\/p>\n