What's The Best Martial Art? My Personal Tier List Ranking!

Summary

In this video, the speaker shares their subjective opinions on various martial arts, rating them on aesthetics, fitness, and effectiveness for real-world self-defense. Martial arts discussed include Aikido, Wing Chun, Karate, Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Kickboxing, and Shaolin Kung Fu. Each is scored out of 10 in each category, with an average score determining its place on the tier list. The speaker emphasizes that personal enjoyment should not be swayed by rankings.

Takeaways

• 🥋 The speaker ranks martial arts based on three categories: aesthetics, fitness, and effectiveness, with a focus on real-world self-defense.
• 💡 Aikido is rated low in aesthetics (4/10), fitness (2/10), and effectiveness (4/10), resulting in an average of 3.3.
• 🎥 Wing Chun is rated aesthetically pleasing (7/10), but low in fitness (3/10) and effectiveness (3/10), averaging 4.3.
• 🥋 Karate is praised for its aesthetics (8/10) and fitness (7/10) but is rated average in effectiveness (3/10), with a total score of 6.7.
• 🦶 Taekwondo is appreciated for its aesthetics (7/10) and fitness (8/10), but its effectiveness is limited in real-world scenarios (5/10), also scoring 6.7 overall.
• 🤼 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu scores low on aesthetics (2/10), but excels in fitness (9/10) and effectiveness (10/10), giving it a 7/10 overall.
• ⚔️ Judo ranks slightly better than Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in aesthetics (6/10) and has good scores for fitness (6/10) and effectiveness (10/10), resulting in a 7.3 average.
• 🥊 Kickboxing is rated low for aesthetics (3/10), but it's excellent for fitness (10/10) and effectiveness (10/10), averaging 7.
• 🦸 Shaolin Kung Fu is considered the most beautiful martial art (10/10), highly demanding for fitness (10/10), but only scores 3/10 for effectiveness in real-world scenarios, totaling 7.7.
• 📊 The final tier list ranks Wing Chun low, while Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Shaolin Kung Fu rank highly for their combination of attributes.

Q & A

What three categories does the speaker use to evaluate martial arts?

The speaker evaluates martial arts based on Aesthetics, Fitness, and Effectiveness. Aesthetics refers to how visually pleasing the martial art is, Fitness covers how physically exhausting the training sessions are, and Effectiveness looks at how useful the martial art is for real-world self-defense.

How does the speaker rate Aikido in terms of effectiveness for self-defense?

The speaker gives Aikido a 4 out of 10 for effectiveness. While Aikido can help in preemptive self-defense situations, it is less effective in real-world fights because of its focus on techniques that are not always practical in high-stress situations.

Why does the speaker rate Wing Chun lower in effectiveness compared to Aikido?

The speaker believes Wing Chun is less effective because it doesn't teach proper defense techniques like guarding and blocking, and it lacks sparring practice. These elements make it less practical in real-world fights.

What martial art does the speaker consider to be the most beautiful aesthetically?

The speaker considers Shaolin Kung Fu to be the most beautiful martial art aesthetically, rating it a perfect 10 out of 10. The speaker praises the animal forms, acrobatics, and overall grace of Shaolin Kung Fu.

How does the speaker view the fitness level of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)?

The speaker rates Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) as excellent for fitness, giving it a 9 out of 10. Wrestling with an opponent on the ground is described as one of the most physically exhausting activities.

Why does the speaker rate Judo as effective for self-defense?

The speaker gives Judo a 10 out of 10 for self-defense effectiveness because Judo involves throwing techniques, and a proper throw can end a fight quickly. Since most fights start standing up, Judo's skills are highly applicable.

What are the speaker's thoughts on the aesthetics of kickboxing?

The speaker rates kickboxing as fairly low in terms of aesthetics, giving it a 3 out of 10. While kickboxing can be exciting, the speaker feels it lacks the visual beauty compared to other martial arts like Shaolin Kung Fu.

How does the speaker compare fitness levels between Taekwondo and Karate?

The speaker rates Taekwondo slightly higher than Karate for fitness, giving Taekwondo an 8 out of 10 and Karate a 7 out of 10. Both martial arts involve exhausting leg-focused training, but Taekwondo's dynamic kicks and jumps seem more intense to the speaker.

What is the speaker’s main criticism of Shaolin Kung Fu’s effectiveness?

The speaker’s main criticism of Shaolin Kung Fu is that it typically lacks sparring and practical self-defense training. Forms, acrobatics, and breaking objects may look impressive but are not as effective in real-world fighting scenarios, leading to a 3 out of 10 rating in effectiveness.

How does the speaker summarize the overall rankings of martial arts on their tier list?

The speaker's final tier list ranks Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) in the top tier (S-rank) for their effectiveness in real-world self-defense, with Shaolin Kung Fu also rated highly for aesthetics and fitness. Wing Chun and Aikido rank lower due to their lack of sparring and real-world applicability.