Top 10 Deadliest Martial Arts Disciplines
August 3, 2022
The go-to resource for planning unforgettable travel experiences. Find all you need to know about the top destinations and enrich your life through travel.
Discover Holidays now
Since the history of evolution, human beings have been developing sets of survival skills and tools to defend themselves. These skills and tools range from sticks and stones first created by Neanderthals to today’s powerful & deadly martial arts disciplines.
It may even surprise you that there are some martial arts that are actually specifically designed to break bones instead of boards.
As you probably have gathered, we’re sort of obsessed with martial arts and here, we’d like to share our picks of the top 10 most lethal martial arts disciplines that have ever been created. This list consists of a mixture of popular modern martial arts as well as long-established martial arts styles that you may never have heard of before.
They are geared to not only be deadly but also to unlock true human potential. Curious to find out as to which ones made the list? Read on!
10. Kung Fu
Shaolin Monks practicing Kung Fu
Often referred to as the Grandfather of hand-to-hand fighting, Kung Fu has been practiced for centuries in its land of origin, China. Used by Chinese warriors as a form of attack as well as self-defense.
Kung Fu is the general term used for Chinese martial arts. Although there are a variety of styles of Kung Fu training, they all share the same root: to strike your enemy with lightning speed and preventable power.
Monks are renowned practitioners of Kung Fu, shaping their bodies and minds into lethal tools of war – with or without weapons.
Have you been dreaming of training in Kung Fu with the Shaolin monks of China? Did you know that don’t have to travel all the way to China to do so, you don’t even have to even step out of your home!
9. Muay Thai (Thai Boxing)
Thailand’s celebrated “Art of Eight Limbs’ is renowned for its substantial use of elbow and knee strikes. It is no surprise that such a ferocious form of self-defense would emerge from a country that has faced much violence and conquest tracing back the history to Siamese Revolution in 1932.
8. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, also known as BJJ, has gained its current popularity and fame through the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) first, second, and fourth winner, the legendary Royce Gracie.
He is renowned for his victories in defeating much larger opponents who had previously trained in a variety of other styles. In BJJ, however, it is more advantageous for smaller practitioners to employ their bodies’ leverage, since the sport emphasizes ground fighting.
7. Eskrima
Image credit: Itimes
Eskrima (Arnis or Kali) is the national sport of the Philippines which emphasizes on hand to hand combat as well as weapon-based fighting which employs the use of sticks, knives, bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons.
What you may not know about this particular martial arts style is that it was prohibited during the Spanish invasion, and yet still exists to this day because the locals were able to disguise the powerful fighting style as a dance.
6. Bacom
Image Credit: Livingtravel
Though it is not as renowned as many of its martial arts counterparts, Bacorn (or Vacorn) is just as effective and deadly. This martial arts style native to Peru was born on the streets of Lima. It is a fusion of numerous martial arts moves where fights often result in death due to its emphasized use of hidden weapons and deceptions.
5. Vale Tudo
Image Credit: Ensomartialarts
Considered less popular than other Brazilian martial arts styles such as Capoeira and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, this full-contact combat sport is as lethal seeing that its name literally means “anything goes”.
It consists of a very limited number of rules and combines techniques from numerous martial arts. Fights are mostly held underground because it is quite brutal and dangerous and it often creates a stir in the media.
4. Ninjutsu
Image credit: Pinterest
Ninjutsu is one of the most renowned martial arts in popular culture as just about anyone is familiar with the term ‘Ninja’. Back in feudal Japan, this martial art style focused on unconventional warfare, espionage, and assassination. Ninjas, those who practice Ninjutsu, were even often referred to as hinin (non-humans).
3. Rough and Tumble
Image credit: WETA
This form of brutal martial arts gained its fame during the American Revolution in the 17th Century. It is said to be one of the few fighting styles native to the United States.
This colonial bloodbath emphasizes maximum disfigurement with the involvement of eye-gauging to tongue-biting. Nowadays, the term “Rough and Tumble” is more associated as a term for rough disorderly unrestrained fighting, or struggling.
2. Line
Image credit: Flickr
Line is the abbreviated name of “Linear Infighting Neural Override Engagement”, this lethal warfare technique accommodating the combination of various martial arts techniques including Judo’s classical “hip-throws” was used by the US Marine Corps throughout the 1990s and is still employed by numerous special forces.
Succeeded by Marine Corps Martial Arts Program in recent years, it was relatively inflexible especially for non-emergent situations such as peacekeeping operations, because its main objective is to end the life of your opponent.
1. Krav Maga
Image credit: Ultra Krav Maga
It probably comes as no surprise that the world’s most effective and dangerous form of combat from one of the most conflicted regions of the world. Krav Maga is a non-sport form of martial arts, meaning it doesn’t concern itself with the opponents' well-being.
This popular martial arts style was first developed for the Israeli Defense Force and was created with the sole intention of inflicting as much pain as quickly and efficiently as possible which often includes deliberately ending the life of your opponent. According to the New York Times, Krav Maga’s unofficial slogan is “Hurt them real bad and then get away”.
Other Martial Arts to Consider
Aikido
Image credit: Aikido Auckland Seishinkan
Though this martial arts discipline is arguably less popular than many others on this list, Aikido is considered one of the most effective martial arts to use when one is looking to learn self-defense and survival moves.
A modern Japanese martial arts style created by Morihei Ueshiba, it does not focus on punching or kicking the adversary. Instead, it focuses on techniques that enable you to use your opponent’s energy and aggressiveness to gain control of them or ‘throw’ them away from you.
Taekwondo
Image credit: Survivallife.com
Recognized as an official Olympic sport since 2000, Taekwondo is a Korean martial arts discipline that combined many different martial arts styles which existed in Korea as well as some martial arts practices from neighboring countries. Some examples include but are not limited to T’ang-su, Tae Kwon, Judo, Karate, and Kung Fu.
Taekwondo is currently one of the world’s most practiced martial arts with over 25 million practitioners spread across 140 countries. Despite its popularity, due to its ‘flashy’ showmanship, Taekwondo is often criticized as less than practical when it comes to self-defense.
That said, many of its practitioners would quickly refute this criticism. One reason is that more so than many other martial arts, it emphasizes kicking – more specifically high kicking. This move can be useful in a physical fight. If the practitioner can train their legs to be stronger and as fast as their arms, the kick can enable them to neutralize the opponent quickly and effectively end the attack.
Sumo
To this day, this type of fighting has remained popular in Japan and is considered by many locals their national sport. Even if today Sumo is practiced only as a sporting competition, for centuries it also held religious value. Sumo games were organized on important occasions such as harvest festivals, and they were sanctioned by the presence of the emperor and a Shinto priest.
Western Boxing
Although those who are not too familiar with boxing would argue that boxing is not a martial arts discipline, its practitioners would beg to differ. There is much more to boxing than punching each other’s faces until someone decides to give up.
In Boxing, you’ll learn to deliver a variety of punches from different ranges with precision as well as how to effectively block or evade an attack. Unlike many other combat disciplines, it also emphasizes body conditioning through sparring, preparing the body for combat.
Additionally, Boxing training helps to sharpen awareness. This enables boxers to be able to react quickly, make fast decisions, and choose the right moves to execute during a fight. These are definitely skills that not only come in handy in the ring but also in the streets.
Karate
Developed in the Ryukyu Islands (now known as Okinawa), Karate was brought to mainland Japan in the 20th century. After World War II, Okinawa became one of the most important US military bases and became popular among American soldiers. This martial arts discipline has since been widely practiced around the globe.
Recently, it was also announced to be included in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics summer games.
Translated as ‘empty hand’ in English, Karate is a predominantly striking art that makes use of punching, kicking, knee & elbow strikes as well as open-hand techniques such as palm-heel strikes and spear hands. It emphasizes using the practitioner’s hands and legs as the main forms of defense, making it one of the most effective to use for self-defense.
Kenjutsu (Japanese martial art that uses a sword)
Imnage source: IaidoMadridTaiitsukan.
This type of martial art was developed for situations where trainees would face an armed opponent, so they needed to rely on more than their own bodies in order to fight. Hence, the martial art with a sword was developed, initially with the purpose of killing opponents most effectively during the war. When Japan entered a long period of peace, Kenjutsu began to be perfected as an art in itself, for self-development and prestige.
Kendo
Kendo is another martial art with a sword, which also evolved from the more traditional Kenjutsu. If the traditional sword fighting style was designed mainly for use during the war, the modern version (Kendo) focuses more on the development of superior skill, balance, grace, movement complexity, and so on. Today, all Kendo training and practice is overseen by the All Japan Kendo Federation, but there are also international events and competitions taking place.
Keysi Fighting Method
The ‘youngest’ of all martial arts disciplines on this list, the Keysi Fighting Method (KFM) was created by Justo Dieguez and Andy Norman. If you are impressed with Batman’s fighting style in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Night trilogies, you have these two fighters to thank.
Basing the techniques on moves used in Dieguez’s personal street brawl experiences back in Spain, it focuses on moves that can effectively fend off multiple attackers. In an interview with BodyBuilding.com, Justo explained “KFM is a pure blood-born street fighting method that was conceived on the street and born in the fight.”
Similar to Muay Thai, it emphasizes using the body as a weapon. With the understanding that many street attacks occur in close quarters, what makes this style unique is that it consists of no kicks. Rather, it is designed to attack with sharp elbow strikes, head butts, and hammer fists which often can be more lethal than kicks or punches in real-life situations.
Kyūdō
Image from the Second Kyudo World Congress in Paris (2014).
Evolved from traditional warfare fighting styles (especially Yabusame, or Japanese archery), as a martial art that specializes in using the bow. It incorporates also concepts and principles from Japan’s major religious influences and philosophy. Some schools teach this art as a sport (and there are also local competitions organized for it), while others teach it mostly as a very contemplative spiritual practice.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
A full-contact combat sport, Mixed Martial Arts allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques.
A common misconception regarding MMA is that everything is allowed, probably stemming from the early days of MMA, as well as the other more unregulated sports in the world of martial arts. Fast forward to today, it has become a very regulated and controlled combat sport.
Judo
Founded by Jigoro Kano in Japan, Judo is known for its prominent feature of throws and takedowns. It emphasizes throwing or taking down the opponent to the ground.
A part of the Olympic games since 1964, during a competition, a Judoka’s (a Judo practitioner) main objective is to immobilize or subdue the adversary with a pin, joint lock, or choke.
Thanks to its effective grappling techniques, it is also widely used among MMA fighters. Though it has some limitations when it comes to striking techniques, its focus on tug-of-war type drills with partners has proven to aid its practitioners to succeed in real-life altercations.
Looking to start your very own martial arts journey from the comfort of your home? Why not sign up for online martial arts training?