Top 10 Most Deadly Martial Arts of the World

With Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights and demonstrations slowly becoming a worldwide phenomenon, many have traveled the world to seek out the best martial arts and master the techniques. Military and police forces all around the world combine martial arts techniques from different fields to be used during hand-to-hand combat and as part of arrest and self-defense methods. Martial arts vary in scope and variety; some prioritize striking movements, grappling maneuvers, with weapons or a combination of all three. While they vary from one another, they all share the same similarity; when used correctly and with force, martial arts are deadly. To pick a list of deadliest or strongest martial arts is a subjective matter; debates have arisen from the topic, many vouching for one martial arts technique over another and vice versa. We explore some of the more dangerous forms of martial arts practiced by its practitioners:

One of the oldest forms of martial arts in existence, Kalarippayattu originated from Kerala, in South India. Practitioners seek to instill a high level of intellect and spirituality by utilizing mantra shastra and tantra shastra. A skilled Kalarippayattu practitioner who has achieved that high level of spirituality is not only well-versed in striking, grappling and different weaponry skills but has the ability to sense movements from the opponent and defend before even being attacked. By developing psychic-like senses and agile movements, Kalarippayattu is quickly making a comeback in the modern era after being portrayed in a positive light in famous movies.

Originated in Korea and the national sport of South Korea, Taekwondo loosely means “the way of the foot and the fist”. With over 70 million practitioners and over 4 million black belt holders worldwide, taekwondo was included in the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000. Taekwondo is famous for its high impact kicks, with rationale being kicks having a much longer reach than punching and if executed swiftly, is considered the strongest weapon for a martial artist.

Literally meaning hand, karate is a full contact martial art originating from Okinawa in Japan that incorporates striking, grappling and locks to takedown an opponent. Practitioners of karate are called karatekas and they number as much as 23 million worldwide. Made famous by the film The Karate Kid starring Pat Morita as a karate master, karate is highly deadly martial art technique with current MMA world champions practicing karate as their main striking ability.

Originated in the Russian Federation in 1938, Sambo is a grappling martial art with origins in Judo and other Eastern European wrestling techniques. Sambo differs from other martial arts with its different ranking system. Instead of colored belts, Sambo practitioners are awarded ratings such as Master of Sports and International of Sports. A special technique of Sambo called Combat Sambo is extensively used by military and Special Forces worldwide to neutralize enemies in a close combat situation. With its strong grappling techniques, Sambo practitioners can takedown opponents and maim a part of their body with a lock in a matter of mere seconds.

Thailand’s national sport is taking the martial arts world by storm. Called the “Art of Eight Limbs”, an accomplished Muay Thai practitioner has the prowess and ability to strike using their shins, elbows, hands and knees instead of four contact points in fists and feet. Mainly a form of kickboxing, Muay Thai practitioners usually get opponents into a clinch, a hold an opponent has difficulty to get out of, and kneeing them directly at the heart, downing an opponent quickly and effectively.

Literally meaning “hand to hand combat” and developed as a form of street fighting in Israel, Krav Maga has become one of the fastest growing martial arts around the globe currently. Krav Maga focuses more on threat defense instead of offensive attacks, making it ultimately practical and useful in the current global context. Different variations of Krav Maga are used in military forces around the world and in Special Forces like Israel’s Mossad, FBI and the British SAS.

Specializing in close combat, Wing Chun practitioners are taught to be efficient, practical and quick on their feet. Believing the use of the least amount of force is the best way in battle, Wing Chun practitioners seek out the quickest way to take down an opponent through unique striking abilities, aiming blows at the throat, shin and sweeping opponents off the ground quickly with kicks. Wing Chun practitioners also have the ability to chain attacks, making their attacks deadly if not blocked and stopped prematurely.

Originated in Brazil, Capoeira is unique in the sense that it incorporates music and dance to the martial art. Used by slaves in the 1800s, it was disguised as a form of dance moves to trick slave owners into thinking the practitioners were merely dancing when they were really mastering techniques and sharpening their Capoeira moves. Capoeira is a form of martial art that is considered one of the hardest to counter since its moves are unorthodox yet very lethal. By implementing quick kicks and flowing punches, Capoeira is definitely one of the more unique martial arts globally.

The way of the ninja. Practiced by shinobis in ancient Japan, Ninjitsu is considered one of the most unconventional martial arts techniques around the world today. Ninjitsu practitioners in ancient Japan were assassins and spies; hence their methods were based on stealth and taking out an opponent when he does not see it coming. Ninjitsu practitioners are taught various skills and weaponry and are considered guerilla masters of the samurai sword.

While the origin of Silat is relatively unknown, and the popularity of the martial art is still considered low, what is known is Silat was created by the Malay people in Southeast Asia. Used mainly as a war dance and a form of self defense, Silat practitioners are skilled strikers trained to maintain a strong stance while applying slow and subtle movements with unique dance-like qualities to trick opponents into believing Silat practitioners were ill-trained and hence, making mistakes that Silat practitioners can take advantage of.

With historical references since the period of ancient Greeks, boxing has been refined and retooled numerous times in the modern context. Boxing in the modern world now mainly follows the Marquees of Queensberry rules with rounds and a three-round knockout system. Boxing is strictly striking using gloved fists, with different stances and different methods of strikes involved. A strong knockout boxer, like world famous Muhammad Ali, famous for the catchphrase “Float like a butterfly, Sting like a bee” could knock down an opponent and knock their lights out unconscious with a single punch.

With plenty of martial arts techniques around the globe, a martial artist is definitely spoiled for choice. While there will most definitely be debates with regards to the most deadly martial arts technique known to man, a man who can incorporate several of the above martial arts styles and make it his own would indeed be one of the most dangerous man alive