A Southern Chinese martial art that rose to popularity as it was the original martial art that Bruce Lee first studied.
While there are low kicks in Wing Chun most attacks consist of rapid punches which are thrown while moving forward into the opponent. The focus is on controlling the opponents’’ centre line by redirecting their strikes and maintaining a powerful structure while fighting.
While there is an element of weapons training (staff and butterfly swords) there is minimal ground fighting and grappling.

Where have you seen it:  On the big screen in the Ip Man moves series starring Donnie Yen.

What to expect:  Wing Chun’s foundation principle is to control the centre line. The basic stance, which is different to many other martial arts, requires you to stand facing forward with knees bent and feet point slightly outward and can leave you quite sore in the beginning. Punches are performed in rapid succession while moving forward into your opponent. Kicks are often thrown below waist height.  There are 6 Wing Chun forms that help teach you body positioning, balance and hand/eye coordination.

Is it for you?  It is a close-combat system with punching and trapping preferred over long range kicks. Initially the blocks can be particularly hard on the forearms for the first few months but it’s a great martial art to improve your reflexes, balance and coordination.

Developed in Japan in the late 1800s, Judo concentrates on throws, chokes or submissions and has developed to become a modern combat Olympic sport. Its techniques focus on using leverage and momentum to minimise the need to strength and power.
While strikes are a part of Judo they are only thrown during kata or pre-arranged forms and are not allowed in competition or free practice.
While considered a sport there are many elements that you can apply in a self defence scenario but it limited in regards to weapons training.

Where have you seen it:  Judo has been an Olympic sport since the Tokyo games in 1964.

What to expect: You can expect to get thrown a lot so learning how to fall correctly is essential in the beginning.  While there is no striking there is plenty of contact. Expect to get a full body workout. Finger injuries are common due to the large amount of griping and throwing.  Class environment is more traditional then say BJJ having to bow and line up according to rank much like in karate or aikido. Classes are commonly divided into three parts: warm-up, drilling and free sparring (randori). Warm-ups often consist of stretching and basic movements that you often use in class including lots of break falls. The drilling component involves practicing particular techniques shown by the instructor. Techniques include throws, locks, chokes and escapes. The final part is randori where you get the opportunity to try and submit a resistive opponent by using the techniques you have learnt.

Is it for you?  Judo is a great blend of a traditional martial art mixed with a modern sportive element. If you like the idea of training in an art which focuses on throwing with some ground work thrown in for good measure then judo is perfect for you. You will get a great workout with plenty of impact and there is even the chance to compete at the Olympic Games.

As the name implies mixed martial arts is not a single martial art but a kind of fighting style popularised by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is a mixture of stand-up striking and grappling. Muay Thai and boxing are common for striking and wrestling and Brazilian jiu jitsu are common for the grappling aspect.
Training is quite intense which will help you develop excellent cardiovascular fitness and sparring often involves some level of contact.
As a sport based martial art focused on competitive fighting and as such it’s self defence applications are somewhat limited to single opponents with no focus on weapon usage or defence.

Where have you seen it:  Thanks to the popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) MMA has become one of the fastest growing sports in the world with the likes of Connor McGregor and Georges St- Pierre becoming house hold names.  The movie Warrior starring Tom Hardy is a recent big screen example.

What to expect: A high intensity workout since you will have to cover a lot of material. Most programs will consist of several elements – Boxing and Muay Thai for striking, wrestling for grappling and BJJ for submissions. Training will combine drilling combinations on pads, along with partner work and sparring. Contact will be very common and you can expect to leave sore and exhausted.

Is it for you?  Because there is so much to learn in each of the major disciplines involved in MMA it requires a much bigger time commitment than other martial arts. It is great if you are interested in competition and as its popularity increases it’s becoming easier to find good schools in your local area. If you don’t like the idea of contact when training then this is defiantly not the art for you.

Was developed by the Israeli Defence Force to be used in real-life combat situations. Its focus was to take techniques from a number of other styles and make them teachable to military solders. The main objective is to overwhelm the attacker with force while targeting vulnerable areas of the body.
There is no sportive element as most of the techniques employed are banned from combat sports but training includes sparring and scenario drills as well as dealing with attacks using various weapons.

Where have you seen it:  Elements of Krav Maga are seen in movies such as Collateral with Tom Cruise or Skyfall with Daniel Craig.

What to expect: Krav Maga is known for its high intensity workouts. Classes begin with a warm up to prepare the body for the upcoming training. This is then followed by lots of drilling where you will be taught how to strike, kick and escape from various holds. Techniques such as groin strikes and eye pokes are all part of the game unlike many sports based martial arts. Expect lots of impact and you will be expected to purchase protective gear such as groin guard, mouth guard and headgear for sparring.

Is it for you?  If you are looking for a high intensity workout and learn how to kick ass at the same time then Krav Maga is a great art to consider. Due to the intensity of training you will get a little battered and bruised with the odd injury here and there. The focus on training will be on self defence don’t expect to find any Krav Maga competitions to participate in.

A Korean martial art which is part of the Olympic games and has more participants than any other art. Its main focus is on stand up fighting with a heavy emphasis placed on kicking techniques.
Training is made up of drilling and sparring which help build up your cardiovascular fitness and flexibility.
Due to the popularity of the sporting element training is often focused on competition rather than street self defence. There is also an absence of grappling or wrestling techniques.

Where have you seen it:  First introduced into the Olympics at the 1988 Seoul games.

What to expect:  You can expect a lot of stretching, kicking drills and sparring in a Taekwondo class. You may be even shown how to break a board or two. Taekwondo places a lot of emphasis on kicking and cardiovascular fitness to expect your legs to be sore and tried in the beginning.

Is it for you?  Taekwondo is the most practiced martial art in the world so finding a good school in your area shouldn’t be too hard. If you want an art with plenty of competition and a heavy focus on kicking then this is the style for you.

A Japanese martial art created by Morihei Ueshiba and represents a culmination of his studies of various styles of Jujitsu, sword and spear arts. The name is often translated to the way of harmony
Aikido uses twisting and throwing techniques to turn an attacker’s strength and momentum against them. Performed well it requires very little physical energy.
There are no competitive tournaments in Aikido and its practitioners tend to place a greater focus on spirituality/philosophy rather than self defence.

Where have you seen it:  All of Steven Seagal’s movies.

What to expect:  As a traditional Japanese martial art, as a show of respect, you will be expected to bow upon entering and leaving the dojo and training area along with your training partner during class. A typical class will begin with a warm up designed not only to prepare the body for the upcoming training but to gain an understanding of correct body structure, alignment and weight distribution.  As aikido involves a number of throws it is imperative at you first learn to fall correctly. Atemi or strikes, are often used to unbalance your opponent to enable you to enter and either throw, hold or pin the attacker. Weapons training consists of the bokken (wooden sword), jo (staff) and tanto (wooden knife).  Students also learn to deal with attacks from a traditional Japanese kneeling position.

Is it for you?  If you like the idea of learning a tradition martial art which teaches how to throw and pin along with traditional Japanese weapons than aikido is a good fit for you. If you have any knee issues then you may have some difficulty in performing the shikko or Japanese knee walking. Due to its popularity it shouldn’t be too hard to find a good dojo near you.