Martial arts offer plenty of benefits for every fighting level. The various disciplines improve physical health, mental fortitude, and give people an extra boost of confidence to carry into everyday life. 

But with so many disciplines to choose from, the question is: what martial art should I learn? Some want to learn martial arts for fitness reasons, while others want to continuously advance their defensive fighting style. 

Fortunately, there’s no limit to what you explore. Start with the combat sport that draws your interest most as you develop fundamental skills.

Then, you can carry this knowledge and training as you expand your techniques and movements. Below we’ll explore the most popular martial arts, their various benefits, and the fighting gear that will help you perform your best. 

Boxing

When deciding to learn martial arts, boxing is likely the first combat sport that comes to mind. Its popularity has held steady throughout the years and gives fighters room to grow. 

This form of self-defense involves learning principles regarding body positioning, as well as effectively throwing and receiving punches. 

Due to its versatile application, it’s useful for all ages and types of boxers. Whether you want an intense cardio workout or are training for competition, a boxing regimen can help you reach your goals.

Benefits of Boxing

For starters, boxing training is a fun, intense cardio workout. It is one of the best martial arts for anyone to learn, even for those beginning at a young age. 

By learning a series of punches and learning how to control and position your body properly, it is deemed one of the most effective martial arts. Therefore, regardless of whether you’re wanting to burn calories, extra energy, or want to eventually enter the world of professional boxing, this is a good place to start.

Best Gear for Boxing

Jump start your martial arts journey with our world-renowned T3 Boxing Gloves. The unmatched wrist support and knuckle protection are recognized by fighters all over the world as part of the best boxing gear. You’ll instantly feel more confident once you slip them on. 

Choose from a variety of colors or one of our exclusive superhero designs to motivate you even further. Not sure what else you need? The boxing equipment bundles have all the essentials  conveniently packaged together in one place. 

Then, as you advance your training and continue on the road to competition, the Hayabusa Boxing Collection includes headgear, boxing shoes, and mouth guards to secure your protection and keep you fighting hard.

Kickboxing

Kickboxing encompasses all the techniques and benefits as boxing but with the active involvement of the lower body. As with punches, there are a series of kicks fighters can learn, including front kick, back kick, roundhouse, and sidekick. 

Learning how to kick with force and precision is part of what sets kickboxing training apart from other combat sports. It’s a full body workout that helps with self-defense while also focusing on improving endurance, balance, and strategy.

Benefits of Kickboxing

If you’ve mastered the moves of boxing and want to add more to the mix, kickboxing lessons are the obvious next step. They add another set of tools to use in your fighting arsenal.

Learning how to strategically punch and kick with power, while also preventing injury, takes practice. It requires balancing impact with maintaining body control. 

Also, both types of fighting require consistent conditioning, in addition to practicing with a bag or sparring. Conditioning builds endurance and can be achieved through running, jumping rope, and various other cardio drills. 

Best Gear for Kickboxing

While boxing gloves and hand wraps are an essential when learning kickboxing techniques, so are shin guards to protect against an opponent’s kicks. Don’t leave your legs unprotected when engaging in this type of fighting sport. 

From headgear and hand wraps to heavy bags and fighting shorts, the Hayabusa Kickboxing Collection has you covered with all the protective gear and training equipment you need.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a combat sport primarily incorporating hand strikes and kicks. Precision is key with the different movements, and balance and flexibility also come into play. 

It focuses heavily on elevating agility and responsiveness rather than relying on impact alone. Comprehensive muay thai training also involves plenty of cardio activities like running and jumping rope.

Benefits of Muay Thai

Muay Thai is another way to stay in shape and create lean muscle through high-intensity workouts. Plus, it requires discipline to learn the various Muay Thai fighting movements, as well as learning to anticipate the opponent’s next move.

Best Gear for Muay Thai

Precise, powerful strikes and repetitive kick combinations require equipment that can hold up during the toughest battles. The Hayabusa Muay Thai Collection has everything necessary to keep you going for the long term.

Stay protected and powerful with a full lineup of Muay Thai gear that’ll support you in your training. With Thai pads and focus mitts specially designed with crack-resistant shells and multiple layers of foam, you can feel confident giving your all every time you step onto the mat.

Jiu-Jitsu

Unlike the other types of martial arts, jiu-jitsu is a combat sport that involves grappling on the mat. Rather than punches and kicks, it’s the best fighting style for learning hold maneuvers and escapes. 

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a body-to-body type of combat compared to boxing or Muay Thai where the goal is to keep the opponent at arm’s length away. It requires full body control and flexibility, as well as developing a strong upper body and core strength.

Though it’s becoming popular competition-wise, it’s not commonly the first chosen self-defense martial art. Since most street fights involve throwing punches, learning techniques grappling on the ground isn’t as useful in these situations.

Benefits of Jiu-Jitsu

Regardless of how often it’s used for self-defense, there are highly technical aspects of jiu-jitsu that require careful execution of different movements in order to be effective. Those who are ready to take their fighting style to the ground should give jiu-jitsu a try. 

Best Gear for Jiu-Jitsu

Practicing and competing in jiu-jitsu can be done with or without a gi. A gi is the standard uniform required to compete. Experience the lightweight quality and durability of IBJJF-compliant gis with plenty of designs to choose from as part of the Hayabusa Jiu-Jitsu Collection. 

Alternatively, fighters practicing no gi jiu jitsu can simply wear rash guards instead when training. The Hayabusa No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Collection has a range of compression wear and rash guards that are comfortably form-fitting with four-way stretch that easily shifts and prevents mat burn as you move around. 

Mixed Martial Arts

Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Jiu-Jitsu are only a few of the martial arts you can learn. If you’re not sure where to begin, try each to see which one you’re interested in developing the most.

Benefits of Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed martial arts (MMA) gives you a chance to learn the methods and strategies of each of these types of combat sports. Then, you can use them in combination as it applies to your training and competitive goals.

Since there are such close similarities among all martial arts, it allows you to work on form and technique that will help you in other areas. Plus, it gives you the agility to be responsive to different types of opponents. 

Best Gear for Mixed Martial Arts

Hayabusa makes it simple to get started with Training Kits ready to go any level of fighter, across various martial art disciplines. Get everything in one curated package and be ready to train today.

Start Your Fighting Journey on the Right Foot with Hayabusa

When choosing the best type of martial arts to learn, keep in mind each has its own benefits and value. Every discipline learned can then be applied to complement another. Preparedness and practice is key.

Therefore, look no further than Hayabusa for premium boxing clothes and advanced equipment and training gear to set yourself up for success. With new collections and products continuously being introduced, you can elevate your experience and overall performance knowing you're well-protected for your next fight.