The Best Forms of Martial Arts for Women

While it’s probably safer to be a woman today than ever before in the history of humankind,  women today still have a greater possibility of being attacked . Sometimes, there are people present to help, but what if they just choose to ignore everything or what if you’re completely alone? In that case, it’s best to be trained in self defense and have some martial arts skills up your sleeve. All martial arts can help you defend yourself if you train enough, but some forms are simply better companions to women thanks to their effectiveness in combat. So if you’re thinking of taking up martial arts, here are the best forms that you can sign up for as a woman. 

Aikido

This martial art is great for women because it doesn’t require any physical strength to overpower your opponent. Aikido doesn’t use your force on another person—it uses your assailant’s force against them to bring them down. This form of martial arts uses skillful and quick throws and locks to neutralize a threat without having to engage in any fist-fights or lengthy clashes of power. In our training, you’ll learn a lot of locks and throwing techniques that will allow you to prevent conflict and escape tricky situations. 

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

This martial art was popularized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but it can be very useful outside the ring as well. The grappling techniques used in this form can be very beneficial in close combat. Since many assaults on women end up on the ground, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and its ground-fighting techniques can help women defend themselves when pinned underneath the attacker. 

Taekwondo

This martial art (more a sport, actually) was created in Korea and its name translates to “the way of punching and kicking”. Like its name states, Tae Kwon Do focuses on strong and crippling moves that can cause serious damage to the opponent. This martial art is especially great for women since it uses all sorts of strong kicks instead of punches. Because men usually have more strength in their upper body than women, it’s good to have a variety of kicks to even the odds (legs deliver stronger force than arms). You need to have good balance for Tae Kwon Do, but even if you don’t start with enviable balancing skills, quality tabi boots can help. These will help you get the best sense of the ground and allow you to develop good skills before using them in real life. 

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is very useful for women since it uses a wide variety of elbow punches, knee kicks and head-butts, all of which can deal more damage than fists. If you want to inflict a lot of damage to an attacker without causing damage to your untrained body, elbows, knees and head are your best tools and Muay Thai fighters know that very well!

Wing Chun

This technique invented by a woman master, Ng Mui, and used by other women in combat is a clear choice for any female. This close-range fighting system can be very useful on the streets, especially once you conquer all the compound punches and force deflection moves. 

Krav Maga

Krav Maga is not exactly a martial art since it doesn’t contain a spiritual side, but if you’re looking for a set of skills that can help you with self-defense, this Israeli fighting system is a great choice. Your trainer will teach you how to get out of all sorts of dangerous situations and use your body as a weapon against a variety of attacks, even those involving firearms and cold weapons. 

With these martial art skills up your sleeve, you’ll never feel like a defenseless woman anymore. You’ll have all the skills and confidence necessary to protect yourself, your family and your friends!