The Best Martial Arts for Women

Let’s face it, women is the weaker of the two sexes. Men can easily overpower women, and this is shown by cases of sexual assault and domestic violence committed against those from the distaff side.

According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), 1 out of every six women in the United States has been a victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. The largest anti-sexual assault organization in the country, RAINN says that there are 17.7 million American women who have been victims of attempted or completed rape. Of course, you may remember the assault cases committed against high profile women like music stars Shakira and Rihanna.

Martial arts can give women the mental and physical skills to protect themselves. There are five martial arts that are ideal for women, such as:

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is one of the most popular martial arts in the world, with more than 70 million people practicing it. Originating from Korea, the term means “a way of kicking and punching.”

Why is taekwondo great for women? Well, one is that it emphasis a lot of kicking. Women can effectively counter an attack of men by kicking, combating the strength of male attackers who have better upper body strength than them.

Another reason why taekwondo is ideal for women is that it can be practiced even by pregnant women. In fact, there’s this British woman named Katie Billingham who was able to achieve a black belt while she was pregnant.

Krav Maga

This Israeli martial art has gained a lot of popularity in the past few years. Originally designed for the Israeli Defense Force, Krav Maga teaches its practitioners how to defend against armed and unarmed attackers.

Krav Maga is suited for women as it can help them stop a rape attempt. It can teach them how to use their various body parts like elbows, knees, and shins as weapons against attackers.

Krav Maga is not about fighting back. It’s more for defending and escaping, and women would be able to learn how to repel an attack, punch or kick the attacker if possible, and run away.

The martial art is also easy to learn, which makes it all the more perfect for women. And women don’t need to be strong to be able to perform the Krav Maga techniques, as they would acquire knowledge how to use their body weight so that their kicks and punches would be able to fend off the attack of a bigger man.

Aikido

Aikido has been around for centuries. It is a Japanese martial art that teaches women how to use throwing and joint locking techniques so they can escape dangerous situations.

Like in the other martial arts apt for women, aikido won’t require women to be strong. The key in aikido is redirecting the force of the attacker and using it against him. So it doesn’t matter how strong a guy is, as a woman would be able to neutralize the attack.

In fact, it is common for aikido classes to have petite women fighting against guys two to three times bigger than them. And these women are able to toss these big guys around with little effort.

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu became popular in the 90s when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was just starting out. The guy responsible for the popularity of BJJ is Royce Gracie, who was less than 200 pounds but was good enough to win three out of the first four UFC championships.

Gracie wasn’t the biggest guy but he was able to dominate the UFC thanks to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The same principle that Gracie used to beat bigger guys can be useful for women who are at a disadvantage against stronger men.

Compared to other martial arts like taekwondo and aikido, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is more ground-based. Most cases of rape end up on the ground, so women would be able to resist an attack if they know the basics of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Women would also know how to defend themselves when they are pinned by male attackers.

Jeet Kune Do

Do you remember Bruce Lee, perhaps the most revered and influential martial artist of all-time? Lee founded Jeet Kune Do, a discipline which combines the most effective techniques from various fighting styles like taekwondo and even boxing. In Jeet Kune Do, students are taught how to hit an attacker using an improvised weapon. Jeet Kune Do practitioners learn how to improve their timing, footwork, speed, power, and coordination.

On the surface, Jeet Kune Do may seem complicated. However, it really is not that hard. For example, striking an attacker in the eyes using the fingers is a basic defensive move in Jeet Kune Do.

As you can see, these martial arts are appropriate for women because these disciplines don’t require their practitioners to be strong, and the techniques are relatively easy to learn.