Mixed martial arts are one of the most popular types of martial arts, mainly because they are high energy, interesting to practice and one of the best fighting sports for losing weight. Mixed martial arts are also currently popularised by television with UFC and MMA fights.

People who want to learn mixed martial arts should choose a discipline that appeals to them and is available in their area.  It’s also possible to sign up for martial arts classes online, or find schools or trainers in your area via online websites and directories.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the newer styles of Mixed Martial arts, but came into prominence after practitioner Royce Grace won the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) multiple times.  Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is mostly a grappling sport relying on ground fighting and leverage skills to allow a smaller opponent to fend off and defeat a larger opponent. Because of this, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is often considered one of the best martial arts for self-defence.

Wrestling

Daniel Bryan

Wrestling is not often thought of as an MMA, but it qualifies as one. The sport of wrestling including Catch wrestling and Amateur wrestling both involve high intensity training, strength building and speed. Fighting styles include ground grappling, grappling, strength and submission holds.

Judo

Popularised by media, Judo is a predecessor of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and combines grapples, throws, strikes and holds to take down, immobilise or subdue an opponent. Originally developed as a modern ‘gentle’ martial art, Judo uses a variety of techniques including hands and feet. It is widely popular and usually easy to find a school.

Karate

Chomo Hanashiro

Possibly one of the most famous of the mixed martial arts, Karate is practiced by MMA greats. It is usually considered to be one of the core foundations of Kickboxing, notably featuring striking techniques using the hands and the feet. There are also multiple branches and variations of Karate, most of which use the same stance and the same basic movements.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a style of kickboxing that relies on striking from eight points of the human body. Muay Thai involves using the hands, feet, elbows and knees to attack an opponent and is similar to Pradal Therey or Tomoi Kickboxing. Practitioners learn to balance the body and strike from any part of the body. Muay Thai is one of the most practiced MMA arts.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo originates from Korea and is one of the most popular and well known martial arts. For MMA, it often requires some cross training with kickboxing in order to allow the practitioner to keep up with other MMA fighters, but is an excellent choice for learning kicking, sparring, and distance fighting.

Mixed martial arts cover numerous ranges of martial arts but many of them are quite similar. This list covers the basic, most popular MMA styles and the ones most commonly seen in schools. People who want to train in a specific MMA should look for a school that specialises in that discipline. However, many MMA schools cover a wide range of UFC style fighting arts including Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and more.

There are many reasons to start training for martial arts including self-defence, self-discipline, weight loss, toning, competition, or even as a hobby. If you want to start training for any mixed martial art sport, you should consider talking to one or more trainers about what you’re looking for and why. They should be able to help you with choosing a discipline that suits your needs.

Many martial arts require long term dedication. Usually you won’t see results or learn ‘cool’ techniques right away. Martial arts take patience, training and perseverance so you should be ready to commit before you try signing up.

Related Posts:

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Karate: A Look into its Origin!

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Top 5 Martial Arts To Learn For Self Defense

Learn more about mixed martial arts, find classes, or read about your favorite MMA discipline at tapout101.com.

If you are looking for Mixed Martials Arts equipment, gear and apparel, then visit Knucklesdown.net, a comparison shopping site for MMA Training Gear and Equipment.