Here are a few popular martial arts of today’s world. Although this doesn’t include all of the martial arts, these are the 3 most practiced.   Kung-Fu is extremely popular for people looking for a more classical version of martial arts due to its large traditional basis.  The second two, Muay Thai and BJJ, are generally practiced by people who enjoy MMA competitions.

First up is Kung-Fu.  Kung-Fu got its beginnings in China, where it was developed for the monks.   Even though nowadays anyone in the world is able to partake in it, it used to be off limits to most people.  In fact, historically speaking, just a little while ago it was reserved only for the monks. Kung-Fu relies on a lot of kicks and punches.   It occasionally contains a few joint locks and throws, however these are usually insufficient.   A softer style, it isn’t like Judo or karate.   Many concepts and body mechanics are used in Kung-Fu, while karate is typically a hard, force against force style.   Soft against hard is more of what Kung-Fu is about.  Because of this many people think that Kung-Fu cannot provide any good self defense techniques but Kung-Fu actually has some powerful techniques if used properly.

Next we have Muay Thai, a very popular art thanks to MMA.  Like the name suggests, Muay Thai originated in Thailand. It can be seen all over Thailand in many kick-boxing competitions. At a very young age, Thai boys are taken from their homes and families and taught to fight for money in the ring.   The fight will usually go on until either someone gets knocked out or quits.  Knees, elbows, and round-house kicks are the primary focus of Muay Thai.  Thanks to the devastating knees and elbows of Muay Thai, this style is a great source of self defense techniques.  In Thailand the competition is very brutal, however in the U.S. many gyms use protective padding so you can practice Muay Thai safely.

Lastly is BJJ, also known as Brazilian Jujitsu.BJJ is an excellent style that provides many devastating self defense techniques. Brazilian Jujitsu is one of the more popular martial arts, thanks again to the UFC.   Not many people knew about it when it first came out.   However, it was here to stay when the Gracie brothers brought it to the UFC.   Despite the blood thirsty nature of these early fights, Royce Gracie was able to defeat nearly everyone he fought.   This kind of caught the rest of the world’s interest in Brazilian Jujitsu.   Nowadays, BJJ is used by the majority of those in MMA.   A great style for grapplers, it’s actually not used as often as before.  BJJ’s focused mainly on the grappling aspect, so there’s going to be a lot of chokes and arm bars, knee locks, submissions.   Very few strikes and punches exist, and the ones that do are very simple.  The main aim of BJJ is to get your opponent to the ground and then submit them via one of the joint locks or chokes.

Now you’ve seen a little about some of the more widely know martial arts.  However, there are many more popular martial arts out there.   This was just a quick look at a few of the most common martial arts.   I hope this was able to give you a clue as to what style you may want to learn.   If you want to learn more about a martial art, take a look at dojos in your area to see which one is your closest fit.  And don’t be scared to “shop around.” Try out a few schools and see which one is the best fit before you sign up.  Most good schools will let you try a few classes for free before you commit.