A list of the world’s most popular martial arts

When it comes to martial arts, there’s a lot to choose from. Thankfully as martial artists, we have a lot of options and it’s fair to say that there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re into striking, grappling, or everything in between – you’ll definitely find something for you. Having said this, certain martial arts are way more popular compared to others.

Typically, this is down to finances, marketing, style, and history. With all of these factors aligning together, it usually results in a popular martial art. Below, we have listed the top six most popular martial arts styles on earth. We have also listed the most popular martial art too. To some, this list may seem very obvious, but to others – some of the additions may surprise you. Read on for more information.

Judo

Judo is arguably the most popular grappling martial art in the world. Like many disciplines, Judo started in Japan but then spread to the entire planet. One reason for its growth may be that it is great for self-defense but is also that it has an active sports scene too. Because of this, Judo appeals to two different types of martial artists – those who want to learn to fight, and those who have a competitive nature.

Another plus for Judos popularity is its competition. In terms of stand-up grappling, the only real competition is Sambo and wrestling. Outside of Eastern European countries, Sambo simply isn’t that popular or mainstream which may be due to its young nature. Secondly, wrestling is also very popular but is trained outside of the gi. So, if you want to learn takedowns in the gi then most of the time you’ll have very little choice to train Judo.

It isn’t all sunshine though. Over time, Judo has experienced a lot of limitations put on the sports side of things. Many moves and techniques that used to be the norm have now been banned in the name of safety. This includes grabbing the legs or doing a double lapel grip. Similarly, certain throws are also banned. Arguably, this has allowed Sambo to take a portion of the market share off Judo for itself. At the same time, Judos dominance doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Karate

Although hundreds of years old, it was back in the 80s when Karate boomed in popularity. This was in part due to the likes of the Karate Kid movies, as well as various Kung-Fu movies that showed similar techniques. Before then, most martial arts weren’t in the mainstream. Luckily for Karate, it was given a lot of attention from Hollywood and certain celebrities such as Chuck Norris helped normalize it outside of Japan.

Since then, Karate has maintained its appeal and continues to have a strong following. You could claim that it isn’t as popular as it once was due to the emergence of other martial arts such as Muay Thai and kickboxing. As well, others have claimed that Karate’s effectiveness has been watered down in an exchange for mass appeal. Nonetheless, Karate still proves popular and is commonly found in strip malls around the US, often teaching to large numbers of children too.

In summary, although Karate’s popularity may have long since peaked, it’s still a firm favorite with martial artists. With the likes of Georges St Pierre, Stephen Thompson, and Lyoto Machida showcasing its effectiveness in MMA – it is still proven to work at an elite level of martial arts in the modern era.

MMA

Although MMA has been around since ancient Greece in the form of Pankration, it only started to gain a modern twist in the early 90s. This is when the UFC helped push MMA to a global audience. MMA is still very young by martial arts standards but has grown massively in popularity. The result is that if you wish to train MMA, you’ll be able to find a gym practically anywhere on earth.

Aside from being incredibly exciting and appealing to casual viewers, the beauty of MMA is that it also combines practically every martial artist. So, if you like wrestling or Muay Thai then you can implement these techniques into MMA practice. With this said, there’s literally something for everyone who wants to train MMA which helps explain its appeal.

When you throw in charismatic characters such as Conor McGregor and Anderson Silva, it’s not surprising to see why MMA has grown so rapidly. Coupled with heavy marketing and a real connection with modern viewers, MMA is still growing and looks to become one of the dominant martial arts styles in the upcoming years.

BJJ

In the big scheme of things, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is still a relatively new martial art. This is because it was founded in the 1920s and was inspired by Judo. Unlike Judo, it didn’t just finish the techniques after takedowns. Instead, that’s where the action began. In other words, BJJ is big on ground fighting and is unique in focusing on the guard position.

The guard is when someone uses their legs on the ground to stop the opponent from gaining a dominant pinning position. Due to having a laid-back atmosphere that is less traditional than most, it’s not surprising that BJJ has grown massively. In fact, it is arguably overtaking Judo as the dominant grappling discipline throughout the world. Whilst it still has a lot to go, BJJ is certainly on track to grow even more popular.

Aside from its casual approach, BJJ also has another key weapon in its arsenal. Specifically, we’re talking about celebrities. For some reason, BJJ has amassed a small army of celebrity practitioners, ranging from the likes of Demi Lovato to Tom Hardy. Obviously, this has helped BJJ grow its influence and become a bigger part of mainstream culture. You could argue that BJJ has enjoyed a big growth spurt in recent times, similar to what Karate went through during the 80s.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is most definitely the biggest Korean martial art and its success quickly became global. In short, Taekwondo is similar to Karate but has a bigger emphasis on kicks and flexibility, whereas Karate is more rounded with favoritism of power rather than flexibility. Although they’re quite similar in terms of style, there’s still enough space for both disciplines where martial arts are concerned.

One of the reasons for this is down to Taekwondo’s marketing. Over the years, the TKD has mastered the art of creating mass appeal. Like Karate, it is also massive with kids which often translates to big profits. It may be that Taekwondo looks pretty cool, or the fact it’s less aggressive compared to other more hardcore martial arts. Nonetheless, the outcome is that TKD is practiced around the globe. Obviously, becoming an Olympic sport didn’t harm its exposure to the masses either.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai came from humble roots and is the main martial art practiced in Thailand. Unlike certain other arts, it has stayed true to its roots and is very effective as a result. Arguably, this has possibly held Muay Thai’s growth back due to being too intense for the masses. On the other hand, its gritty, no-nonsense reputation has helped it become internationally recognized.

Like BJJ, Muay Thai’s popularity grew in part due to the success of MMA. Here, its effectiveness was shown to a new audience. Before then, whilst Muay Thai was respected – it just wasn’t that well known. Unlike some disciplines, Muay Thai doesn’t market itself particularly well and isn’t as well organized.

Nonetheless, Muay Thai is still big and is still growing. This is good news for those who want to train, as you can do so in a number of Muay Thai gyms. Muay Thai is quite unique due to the use of knees and elbow strikes from the clinch. This style of fighting wasn’t really seen before Muay Thai helped popularize it.

Why boxing is the most popular martial art

Whilst the aforementioned martial arts are all massively popular, there is still one that stands above all. This martial art is boxing which is incredibly common and popular. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, you will find a boxing gym on every corner.

The reason for this could be that boxing has been around forever and is one of the most natural forms of fighting. For example, even though BJJ is really fun – it’s also quite alien and isn’t particularly easy to learn or follow. This differs from boxing which even untrained viewers can immediately relate to in terms of what is going on.

The finances don’t lie either. Compared to other martial arts such as MMA – boxing still has way more money involved. In fact, it’s the only combat sport going where fighters can easily earn over $10,000,00 in a single fight.

Some have claimed that the popularity of boxing is declining due to MMA’s rise – but this is certainly debatable. Actually, the critique that boxing has become stale has been around for years – yet it continues to reinvent itself with younger generations.

Coupled with an affordable culture, it’s hard to see boxing losing its relevance. Unlike certain martial arts, boxing is cheap to learn and is often viewed as a working-class sport for the poor. With this in mind, it looks that boxing will still have a stranglehold on martial arts for years to come.