[EXPLAINED] 5 Best Martial Arts for Bullying

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Bullying can be a persistent problem for many vulnerable people around the world.

We’ve made huge strides as a community to discourage bullying.

But, unfortunately, bullying will always be a problem.

Ignoring this issue often makes it worse, so victims of bullying should consider learning a martial art to defend themselves.

In this post, we’ll be looking at the five best martial arts for bullying.

Let’s get into it.

5 Best Martial Arts for Bullying

There are plenty of great martial arts that focus on protecting the practitioner.

Below I’ve listed the martial arts I recommend learning to combat bullying.

1. MMA
2. Krav Maga
3. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
4. Muay Thai
5. Wrestling

Let’s look at how and why martial arts are good for bullying, and then we’ll look at these arts in more detail.

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How Martial Arts Help Against Bullying

Many people learn martial arts to protect themselves from bullying.

These individuals often choose combat sports with a heavy focus on defense to keep themselves safe in situations where they encounter bullies.

Combat sports are great for understanding and dealing with confrontation, but many people don’t get the opportunity to experience this.

This is why many people turn to martial arts, specifically to get used to the idea of confrontation and then how to deal with it when it does happen.

Martial arts are particularly good for bullying because:

1. You become part of a wider community of martial artists who share the same self-defence goals.
2. They provide exposure to confrontational or hostile situations in a controlled environment. Simulating and rehearsing for real-world scenarios.
3. They teach you to remain calm in difficult situations like bullying, so you can think and make rational decisions.
4. They teach you offensive and defensive skills for situations where bullying becomes physical.
5. They give you confidence to approach life more assertively, which usually helps to scare off bullies.

Remember, bullies typically target the most vulnerable people around them because it helps them feel powerful.

If you simply increase your confidence in the way you approach intimidating situations, it’s usually enough to disarm a bully (who’s usually more bark than bite).

Let’s look at each of these anti-bullying martial arts in more detail, and why they’re good for self-defense in dangerous situations.

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MMA

Mixed Martial Arts or MMA is a popular sport that combines different elements and techniques from other martial arts.

This includes Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, and more.

MMA combines only the best and most effective aspects of these martial arts to produce lethal fighters that can protect themselves in any fighting situation.

This includes fights inside and outside the ring, especially for bullying

Why MMA Is Effective Against Bullying

MMA fighters train hard to excel in different fighting styles.

They’re well-rounded fighters who learn of any potential weaknesses they might have and protect themselves accordingly.

For example, MMA fighters can switch between stand-up boxing techniques and grappling on the ground in an instant.

They can adjust to their opponent’s fighting style and counter them at different ranges.

This makes MMA not only good for self-defense but also for offense.

Trained fighters can easily block or avoid attacks from their opponents and grapple them into submission.

A particularly humiliating defeat from an MMA fighter is enough to discourage any bully from bothering anyone ever again.

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Krav Maga

Krav Maga is a relatively new martial art that was developed by the military in Israel.

It’s a physical training and self-defense-focused martial art and has been taught to many security forces around the world.

Like MMA, Krav Maga can be considered a fusion martial art.

It contains techniques from Judo, Boxing, Wrestling, Karate, and Aikido.

Some of these techniques and their associated martial art include:

1. Strikes – Derived from boxing and karate
2. Ground work – Derived from wrestling and judo
3. Throws and take-downs – Derived from wrestling and aikido
4. Holds and submissions – Derived from judo and aikido

Krav Maga is also one of the few martial arts that teach realistic weapon defense.

Why Krav Maga Is Effective Against Bullying

Krav Maga places a heavy emphasis on self-defense.

In fact, it encourages practitioners to avoid fighting entirely.

In situations where you’re forced to face a bully, Krav Maga equips you with the skills to adapt to your situation and end the fight as quickly as possible.

This martial art’s offensive techniques target your opponent’s most vulnerable areas and teach you to go all-out.

Fighters learn to attack and defend simultaneously.

They’re also taught to develop physical aggression, which can discourage bullies from starting fights with them.

ALSO READ: [EXPLAINED] Krav Maga Vs BJJ | Which Is Better?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a popular martial art that originated in Brazil.

It was developed using techniques from the Japanese martial art of Judo, which was originally trained by the Japanese Samurai.

BJJ focuses almost exclusively on grappling and ground fighting.

Trained BJJ fighters are taught to get control of their opponents once they’re in range, and to disable them by bringing them to the ground using takedowns and submission attacks.

Jiu-Jitsu is practiced by all MMA fighters, as it’s proven to be the most effective fighting style.

Why Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Is Effective Against Bullying

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters use leverage, pressure, and angles to target their opponents and disarm them through submission holds.

Like armbars, wrist locks, chokeholds, strangles, and more.

Their techniques are especially useful for fighters with smaller frames facing large opponents.

BJJ teaches you to use your opponent’s size against them and gain the upper hand.

If you’re being bullied by someone larger than you, learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can be a great strategy.

This martial art was designed to be teachable, so just about anyone can pick up on the fundamentals of BJJ and be effective in self-defense in a relatively short amount of time.

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Muay Thai

Muay Thai is also known as Thai Boxing.

However, this martial art features an expanded move set that makes use of elbows, shins, and knees in addition to fists and feet.

This has earned it the nickname the “Art of Eight Limbs”.

Trained Muay Thai fighters are intimidating opponents who know how to execute devastating moves.

Like unpredictable spinning back elbows and flying knees.

Why Muay Thai Is Effective Against Bullying

Muay Thai fighters can string together a complex set of strikes to beat back their opponents.

This makes them hard to predict in street fight settings.

Muay Thai strikes are also designed to knockout or incapacitate opponents instantly.

They can end a fight in just a few seconds by delivering the right series of strikes.

Any bully who is naive enough to take on a trained Muay Fighter is in for a rude awakening.

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Wrestling

Wrestling is one of the oldest martial arts on the planet.

This sport doesn’t involve punches or kicks.

Instead, wrestlers grapple with their opponents and use a variety of takedowns and control techniques.

For example, the double leg takedown involves grabbing your opponent above the knees and throwing them backward.

This essentially disables an opponent and prevents them from throwing kicks or punches from a stable position.

Why Wrestling Is Effective Against Bullying

Wrestling can help you disable your bully in an instant.

As previously mentioned, your bully won’t be able to punch or kick you after they are on the ground.

In these situations, you now have the upper hand and can determine what happens next. 

Wrestling takedowns are especially useful against larger opponents, as you can use their size against them.

So consider learning wrestling if your bully is taller than you because ground fighting a larger opponent is far easier than trying to outstrike them.

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Final Thoughts

The martial arts discussed above should help even the playing field against most bullies.

My recommendation would be to learn BJJ, it’s proven to be the most effective at protecting people against violent attacks.

Especially against bullies with bad intentions.

However, you should remember that it is best to avoid fighting whenever possible.

Once you have disabled or defeated your bully, it’s best to step away without encouraging any further violence.

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