Learning a martial art is one of the wisest choices you can make as an individual in today’s world. First, you’ll learn to use your body to cause massive damage to your opponent – and secondly – you’ll gain both physical and mental benefits, which I’ll review in this article.
Whether you’re familiar with different fighting styles, you’re probably familiar with the Japanese martial arts I’ll cover in this article. Like it or not, these are highly effective and practical fighting styles you can learn to kickstart your fighting journey.
For the rest of this article, I might use various terms that you might not understand. So for the sake of clarity (not only for this article), here is a list of terms you want to know before you read this article. They’ll help you better understand the entire world of Japanese martial arts.
- Ryuu = school or style of fighting
- koryuu = old school
- jutsu = art (martial art)
- Bujutsu = the art of warfare
- kenjutsu = art of the sword
- iaijutsu = art of awareness
- Gendai budou = modern martial arts
For now, we can dive into the wonderful world of Japanese martial arts. If you’re unfamiliar with either one, I’m jealous of you since you’ll get exposed to an entirely new world of fighting techniques and values you would otherwise have never known.
So let’s dive in!
#7 – Shotokan
| Martial Art | What It Teaches |
|---|---|
| Shotokan | Striking Grappling Linear Techniques Long-Range Attacks Speed |
The first Japanese fighting style we’ll review—is Shotokan. Now you might have heard of it before, which is more than likely. Now, there’s something to address here. While it’s a style of Karate, I’ll also dedicate an entire section to Karate. So you might ask how can that be.
Well, Karate is a set of many fighting styles that were developed in the Japanese region. Therefore, I’ve decided to include both a style and the entire group—to make sure I dedicate enough space to the exceptionally practical and effective martial art that is Karate.
Shotokan is all about long-range attacks, which is quite different than the standard of all the other Karate styles. Furthermore, it’s about speed and developing an anaerobic shape, unlike other fighting styles like Boxing and Kickboxing. That means that you’ll work on your power as well!
Overall, it’s one of the most effective Japanese fighting styles because you’ll develop plenty of power, speed, and explosiveness. So the next time you’ll face an opponent, you’ll find it easy to start by attacking with the end goal of knocking him out.
So what will you learn in Shotokan? Punching and kicking primarily. However, you’ll also learn sweeps, takedowns, and various other grappling moves, such as submissions and joint locks. So it’s more than effective!
#6 – Kenpo
| Martial Art | What It Teaches |
|---|---|
| Kenpo | Striking Grappling Takedowns Submissions |
The second Japanese martial art I’ll review is Kenpo. You might have heard of this one already, as many American styles have risen in popularity in the last few years. So American Kenpo is also a style that you might be familiar with. All in all, it’s a fairly popular fighting style.
In Kenpo, you’ll learn to punch, kick, grapple, takedown, submit, strike, and use your body beautifully and harmonically to cause a lot of damage to your opponent. The combination of all fighting techniques makes solid fighters—capable of disabling their opponents with ease.
Before we move on, definitely give the following video a watch!
Kenpo is also a distinct style of Karate. Although alike, it includes many different fighting techniques and stances, which are quite different from that of Karate.
So if you’re looking for a Japanese martial art to learn, this can be one you’ll want to familiarize yourself with. Also, if you’re interested in learning self-defense, it’ll be worth it to check out American Kenpo.
#5 – Aikido
| Martial Art | What It Teaches |
|---|---|
| Aikido | Striking Grappling Most grappling Using the opponent’s momentum |
Aikido in Japanese is the way of harmony. Therefore, you can understand what it’ll look like. For the most part, it’s, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful martial arts you can learn. If you do decide to start your Aikido journey, you’ll find yourself changing for the better. Or at least, this is what many trainees report feeling.
Aikido is a Japanese martial art that teaches both striking and grappling. However, it’s mostly a grappling-based martial art. It utilizes the opponent’s movement and aggression and counters his momentum against him. That way, you’ll be able to defend yourself while remaining on the offense.
Many argue that Aikido is ineffective. To that, I can only say that those who have never tried REAL Aikido—will say that since the Internet is filled with bad demonstrations and examples of this wonderful fighting style.
When you watch a REAL Aikido master, you’ll understand just why it’s a leading Japanese martial art that will teach you to fight properly. And eventually, it’s all that you need to begin seeing results in your fighting journey.
So buckle up to watch a real master performing and demonstrating the art of Aikido.
#4 – Karate
| Martial Art | What It Teaches |
|---|---|
| Karate | Striking Grappling Takedowns Throws Submissions |
Thus far, we’ve covered two Karate styles, Shotokan and Kenpo. Now, it’s time we review the entire group of these martial arts so you can deepen your understanding of this matter.
Karate, or when translated to English, Empty Hand, is a Japanese martial art that teaches grappling and striking. It doesn’t necessarily focus on one or the other, as both are exceptionally practical choices for fighting.
Karate, unlike Aikido, utilizes pressure testing many times. Therefore, some will argue that if you learn Shotokan, you’ll become a better fighter than if you learn Aikido. Frankly, I agree with this statement.
However, we must appreciate all martial arts, as each went through a journey until it got to where it is now. It’s more effective than ever before; it’s better, faster, and stronger. Therefore, we must appreciate every ounce of knowledge we can learn and practice.
So if you haven’t started your Karate journey yet, consider starting since it’s one of the leading in popularity and effective martial arts in the entire world!
#3 – Judo
| Martial Art | What It Teaches |
|---|---|
| Judo | Takedowns Chokes Submissions Grappling |
The next martial art we’ll review is dear to my heart. I’ve been able to witness many of its trainees benefiting from learning it, so I’m fully confident in its ability to return dividends if you truly decide to dedicate yourself to it.
This martial art is Judo. In Japanese, it’s pronounced Juudou, which is the art of throws and takedowns. I’ve already covered many of the takedowns that Judo teaches on my website, here are a few examples that I encourage you to view:
In Judo, the end outcome you desire to achieve is pinning your opponent against the ground when he’s on his back. And eventually, if you think about it, it’s such a massive advantage in a real fight. In a self-defense scenario, you’ll be able to do whatever you want with your opponent if you have him pinned against the ground.
You’ll be able to attain a more dominant position, like Full Mount, Back Mount, and even Side Control while going for a submission to finish the fight.
Judo allows you endless options; it’s also one of the most popular martial arts in today’s world. There’s no losing in learning it!
#2 – Ninjutsu
| Martial Art | What It Teaches |
|---|---|
| Ninjutsu | Striking Grappling Rural Combat Weapons |
#2 will be Ninjutsu. You might be familiar with it, as it’s one of the most effective fighting styles in the world. This is, too, a Japanese martial art. So, if you’re interested in learning a Japanese martial art or are just interested in this realm, you want to familiarize yourself with this one.
Ninjutsu is the way of the ninja. Samurais (bushi in Japanese) have learned this martial art throughout history to serve many purposes, such as using weapons and even assassinations. Samurais are also called Gentlemen of War, which is, I believe, the most suitable term for this type of job.
Overall, if you want to learn the way of the Samurais, this is the fighting style for you. I know it might sound weird, but it’ll give you many tools that’ll help you in both your personal life and your fighting career. Consequently, if you desire to learn a traditional martial art that serves many purposes, consider this one.
Here’s a video that demonstrates some of what the Way of the Ninja is about.
#1 – Jiu-Jitsu (Jujutsu)
| Martial Art | What It Teaches |
|---|---|
| Jiu-Jitsu | Ground Grappling Submissions Dominant positions Maneuvering your opponent Chokes Takedowns Throws |
The last fighting style we’ll review is Jiu-Jitsu. In Japanese, it’s called Jujutsu, which can be translated into both unarmed fighting and the art of flexibility. What it teaches is grappling, which is meant to be used in case of an unarmed fight. You probably know that Samurais have used weapons to ensure they have the upper hand in the fight itself.
However, if they were to end up unarmed, they needed to have something to rely upon. And ground grappling is the most suitable fighting style for that purpose.
So what will you learn?
- Dominant positions
- Submissions
- Chokes
- Joint locks
- Takedowns
- Throws
- General ground grappling
As you can see, it’s a highly versatile and effective fighting style. You’ll be able to maneuver yourself and your opponent so they are forced to submit. When your opponent taps out in training, you stop all pressure. But when you’re in a real fight and your opponent taps, you don’t stop and force him to quit the fight.
When he does, you can stop applying pressure.
Overall, Jiu-Jitsu teaches everything related to ground grappling. Anything you can imagine will be included in there, so it’s one of the most effective martial arts you can learn.
Final Words
These were the 7 most effective Japanese martial arts. I hope you found this article interesting since I’ve put a lot of effort into it!
The entire point of Blinklift is to make you take action. Nothing exceeds real experience, and real action, which is irreplaceable! So if there’s one thing I want you to take from this article, I hope it’s either starting to train or staying more consistent with your training.
These are the two most important things in martial arts!
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Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
Is Aikido a Grappling or Striking-Based Martial Art?
7 Tips to Perfect Your Takedowns (For BJJ & Judo)
The 9 Most Effective Takedowns & Throws in BJJ
11 Tips to Win More BJJ Competitions
7 Most Powerful Grappling Martial Arts (For Self-Defense)
5 Best Fighting Styles for MMA – Full Guide