I’ve always been a fan of grappling-based martial arts. I’m confident these are more effective than most other fighting styles, such as those that focus more on striking, let it be punching or kicking.
When you think of fighting, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? More people will think of striking than grappling. Likewise, many non-martial arts practitioners believe that punching is much more effective than any type of grappling.
This is inaccurate. What can a boxer do when he’s on his back? A boxer on his back is a white belt in all martial arts. This is a sentence I’ve heard once and has stuck with me throughout my fighting journey.
Learning to grapple was a major checkpoint in my martial arts journey. So I wanted to share some of the best grappling-based martial arts that you want to learn for self-defense.
So without further intro, let’s dive into #7!
#7 – Karate (Okinawan Karate)
| Martial Art | Effectiveness |
|---|---|
| Okinawan Karate | 5 |
Okinawan Karate is perhaps one of the most effective martial arts out there. It teaches you many techniques from different worlds of fighting. Its primary focus is definitely more on grappling than on striking, making it suitable for our list.
I’ve seen Okinawan Karate in action many times in my life, and it has been a pleasure to witness such greatness. Not only does it teach proper grappling skills, but it also teaches values and discipline, which, in my opinion, is more important.
That’s why I’m a big fan of Okinawan Karate. I’m confident that it’ll boost your grappling skills in many realms, including takedowns and submissions.
So if you want to see what Okinawan Karate looks like, you can watch the video below. I’ve stumbled upon it during my research for this article and it has been extremely informative and entertaining. So do give it a watch!
#6 – Wrestling
| Martial Art | Effectiveness |
|---|---|
| Wrestling | 6 |
#6 on our list is wrestling. I’ve decided to list it that far up the list because it lacks one thing that other grappling-based martial arts excel in. That thing is submissions. Wrestling is about taking the opponent down and pinning him.
Don’t get me wrong. Takedowns and pins are excellent for self-defense. However, it doesn’t teach as many submissions. Now that we’re done with its disadvantages, let’s see why it’s one of the best fighting styles you want to learn.
Wrestling is excellent for self-defense because it teaches you to take down the opponent quickly and effectively. These two are fantastic for self-defense. Furthermore, it also prepares you for real life by being a platform that makes you a more aggressive fighter.
Being more aggressive is almost always a positive trait in fighting. If you’re too soft or unwilling to take on the confrontation, you’re less likely to win fights. Wrestling will make you a fierce fighter by being a platform to spar in, which is the best way to train for self-defense.
Here’s a video that showcases highlights of a wrestling tournament. Watch how aggressive the wrestlers are in it.
#5 – Judo
| Martial Art | Effectiveness |
|---|---|
| Judo | 7 |
Next up on our list is Judo. We’ve all heard of Judo at least once in our lives. It has become more prevalent than many martial arts. Therefore, more trainees have joined Judo gyms to start their own fighting journey.
So why is Judo #5 on our list? Because it’s incredibly effective for self-defense. Judo trainees are capable of throwing their opponents quickly and effectively to the ground. They’re also capable of pinning and choking their opponents, making them fierce fighters.
So learning Judo will give you a fantastic platform to hone your fighting skills. It’ll make you a solid fighter for two primary reasons: the first is the endless techniques you’ll learn by attending it, and the second is the mental toughness you’ll develop by doing it often.
Judo includes sparring sessions, which is when you fight against one of your training partners. Sparring is the best way to prepare for real fights and self-defense situations, as you’ll feel exactly how you’ll feel in a real fight.
Your adrenaline with flow quickly and you’ll see how you react to physical encounters. Therefore, Judo will prepare you excellently for self-defense, which is why it’s placed here on our list.
#4 – MMA
| Martial Art | Effectiveness |
|---|---|
| MMA | 8 |
Next up on our list (#4) is MMA. MMA is the most popular martial art in the world. Mixed Martial Arts mixes many fighting styles and combines them into one complete style. That’s the beauty of it.
UFC is the most popular fighting platform in today’s world because it’s interesting to see many martial arts combined into one. So what makes it so effective?
MMA teaches grappling in many forms, including takedowns and submissions. It’s so effective because it takes the best grappling techniques from the best grappling-based martial arts, such as Judo and wrestling, and adopts them.
Then, what you get is an undefeated, practical fighting style. Imagine facing someone who learns the best techniques from Judo, wrestling, and Jiu-Jitsu (which we’ll examine right after this one.) Personally, I would be more careful against such an adaptive and dynamic fighter.
However, because it teaches everything, it’s not as effective in specific types of fighting. For instance, if a UFC fighter were to face a wrestling trainee in a wrestling match, the latter is more likely to win.
And because our discussion here is about grappling, I’ve decided to list it as #4.
#3 – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)
| Martial Art | Effectiveness |
|---|---|
| BJJ | 8 |
We’re starting to get into the best fighting styles that teach grappling. #3 is a very honorable spot to be in, and we should be grateful for the fact that we’re able to learn them and become great fighters. So, without further ado, let’s examine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ.)
BJJ is, in many peoples’ opinion, the best martial art out there. However, I believe that’s only partially true. First, let’s review some of the techniques you’ll learn in it.
You start by learning to utilize dominant positions, such as Closed Guard and Full Mount, and continue by learning to submit the opponent. BJJ really has infinite knowledge, so mastering it will take more than a lifetime.
It’ll teach you to submit everyone quickly, which is precious for self-defense. Imagine being able to finish a real fight by not throwing a single strike and knocking the opponent unconscious. That would truly be awesome.
Well, that’s possible with BJJ. You’ll learn to manipulate the opponent’s upper and lower body to force him to tap out. By the way, there are no tap-outs in real life, so you can break the opponent’s arm, shoulder, and even leg—if you perform the submissions accordingly.
Here’s what it looks like.
#2 – Sambo
| Martial Art | Effectiveness |
|---|---|
| Sambo | 8 |
#2 is Sambo. You might have heard of this practical and effective martial art. But it’s not as popular as BJJ and MMA, so I’ll assume you don’t know it. What it is—is basically a more detailed wrestling. it teaches more techniques from different worlds.
Some regard Sambo as the most powerful and deadly martial art in the entire world. Sambo has two versions: combat and sport. While combat Sambo is very like MMA, where most techniques are legal, sport Sambo is more grappling-orientated.
So if your goal is to learn a grappling-based version, sport Sambo is what you should choose. On the other hand, if your goal is to become the best self-defense fighter, capable of adapting to different fighting situations, consider combat Sambo.
It’s a deadly fighting style because it teaches everything. It’ll make you a fierce and aggressive fighter who can cause a lot of damage quickly. After all, taking your opponent down, pinning him to the ground, and submitting him—is what you want to learn. And Sambo teaches that.
There’s a big focus on leg locks in both combat and sport Sambo, which are extremely effective for self-defense. How would you react if someone you fought were to catch your leg and over-extend your knee? I bet you would be lost for words from the enormous amounts of physical pain.
#1 – Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (GJJ)
| Martial Art | Effectiveness |
|---|---|
| GJJ | 8 |
The #1 grappling martial art is non-other than Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (or GJJ in short.) I was surprised to see that it’s much less popular than most of the fighting styles on this list. However, it can be more effective than what most people think.
In fact, I believe it’s the best grappling martial art in the entire world. The primary reason for that is the dynamic nature it presents together with its primary focus being grappling. It basically teaches everything that BJJ teaches, which is submissions, some takedowns, and ground grappling.
However, it also is about self-defense and how to use it properly. If you desire to become a fierce grappler, capable of finishing fights quickly and effectively, GJJ is the most suitable choice.
The Gracie family has constructed GJJ. And as you might know, Royce Gracie, who was a vital character in the progression of this martial art, competed in the UFC with it. Royce was able to win most of his fights using GJJ, which made it that much more popular.
Today, many people train under the Gracie family. I would argue that at least a million trainees learned from them, an astounding feat, indeed.
So if you want to fight fiercely and aggressively by learning just a single martial art, GJJ is your best bet.
Watch how Royce Gracie can beat his opponents easily using ground grappling. By the way, GJJ also includes strikes, which play a vital role in self-defense.
Tips for Beginner Grapplers
Improving your grappling skills will take time, as it’s hard to learn, even more than striking. That’s because you’ll be learning unintuitive techniques. It’s much more intuitive to punch than to hyperextend his arm with an Armbar.
Here are some tips for beginner grapplers:
- Learn many attacks
- Get comfortable with the dominant positions
- Participate in competitions
- Practice defense as much as offense
- Stay consistent and dedicated
- Learn to maneuver your opponent
These tips will help you progress faster in all the martial arts on this list. Focusing on learning many attacks, defensive moves, and maneuvering your opponent—will be critical for your long-term progression as a grappler.
So don’t hesitate to start your grappling journey right now.
Which Grappling Martial Art Should I Learn?
If you’re interested in ground grappling, learn BJJ. Furthermore, if you’d like to learn striking and grappling techniques, MMA is your best bet. If you desire to become a solid fighter, capable of adapting in self-defense situations, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is most suitable.
Is Grappling Better Than Striking?
Grappling is better than striking for fighting and self-defense because not many people know how to defend against a solid grappler. On the other, evading a punch or kick—is much easier, which is why grappling is more effective.
Final Words
That’s it for this article. It has been a pleasure to research and write about these seven exceptionally effective martial arts. Learning to grapple will make you a solid fighter. In fact, I would argue that grappling is more effective and applicable to real life than striking, which is punching and kicking.
As a result, to become a solid self-defense fighter, it’ll be worth it to look into grappling. So if learning to fight is one of your goals, consider learning one of these martial arts. By the way, my favorites are definitely GJJ and BJJ.
If you want to learn about the best martial arts for MMA, follow this link to read another article of mine listing the best ones!
Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
5 Best Martial Arts You Should Learn at Home | Full Guide
5 Best Martial Arts for Fitness | Burn more calories
3 Best Martial Arts Combinations for MMA | Breakdown