Which Are the Hardest Martial Arts to Learn?
Let’s make one thing clear right from the start. The amount of time that you need to become a black belt or expert in one specific martial art is not the indicator of how hard that martial art is to learn. No, the average time to become good at BJJ or boxing is just one factor among many others like the risk of injuries, how hard it is on your body, quality of coaching staff, etc.
You see, martial arts, like any other sport, is an individual thing. Some people are more talented than others and can learn quicker. Some people are stronger and can stay healthier, while others are prone to injuries. And in the end, some people can spend more time on the mats while others struggle to train once a week.
That being said, it is almost impossible to cover all the factors and say which martial art is the hardest. Here is our list (ranked in no particular order), and be sure to give us yours in the comments below the article.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ)
BJJ is the most complex grappling martial art and becoming good at it is a lifelong journey for most people. It emerged in the 1920s in Brazil when Judoka Matsuo Maeda came from Japan to teach judo. His loyal students Carlos and Helio Gracie would later use Judo as a base on top of which they added advanced ground fighting techniques.
So BJJ consists of various judo techniques, but, the emphasis is on ground fighting. Students learn how to execute various trips, sweeps, and throws to take the fight to the ground. Then, they learn how to secure a dominant position like full or back mount, from which they can execute dozens of different chokes and joint locks. It truly is a chess match between two people because there are so many variables and fighters need to think three steps in advance to win a match.
On average, students need from 7 to 10 years to reach a black belt rank. But the concept of BJJ is built in such a way that learning never stops as there are always new techniques to master. Or in other words, learning only begins when you reach a black belt.
On the other side, BJJ is safer than most other arts. Yes, it is intense and hard on your body, but the risk of injuries is not that high. There is no striking at all, and you would rarely do any explosive and powerful throws and takedowns that might hurt the opponent. The emphasis is on beating the opponent utilizing a high level of technique
On top of that, you must stay consistent and train at least 3 times a week if you want to make any progress and succeed. You can show up once a week, but do not expect to go far. BJJ promotional criteria are strict and you can’t expect to progress through rankings without consistency.
Mixed martial arts (MMA)
MMA is a popular combat sport that emerged in the early 90s. But over time, it has become a combat system on its own that is often seen as the hardest to learn. As its name suggests, MMA is a mix of various grappling and striking techniques put into one style of fighting. In short, each technique that works in real combat is a part of MMA fighting. Over the years, the mix of the following four martial arts emerged as the winning formula:
- Boxing
- Muay Thai
- Wrestling
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ)
MMA training is cardio intense and hard on your body. In a single week, students need to wrestle on the mats, roll on the ground in BJJ classes, and learn how to strike and spar in boxing and Muay Thai. On top of that, they need to work on their strength and fitness and find time to rest. As you would expect, this workload is really hard on your body and it’s really hard to keep up with the classes and stay healthy.
On top of that, the risk of injuries is really high because you are sparring all the time. Whether it is grappling or striking, you would spend most of the time hand to hand fighting with other students. This is the main reason why the injury rate is high in MMA training, and highest when it comes to combat sport competition according to studies.
There are no belt ranks, but on average, students need around 10 years to reach a pro-level. But in reality, learning never stops as MMA is still a new thing that is evolving at a really high rate.
Boxing
Boxing is the most popular form of combat that has been around since ancient times. In the eyes of many people, notably laymen, it looks simple because boxers use “only” their hands to do damage. But at the same time, the simplicity of boxing and the dangers that come with it are the reasons why boxing is so hard to learn.
First of all, boxing techniques are quite simple and the classes are beginner friendly. Most beginners don’t have a hard time picking up the basics like stances, basic combos, blocks, and movements. The progress is really fast as you need to spend around 3 months training before you can start sparring. And you need around 6 months to 1 year before you can start competing as an amateur. Although progress is faster than in most other arts, this doesn’t mean that it is easier at all.
In fact, boxing classes are among the hardest and most dangerous. While MMA includes the highest injury rate, boxing is in the first place when it comes to head injuries and brain traumas. Not a single combat sport or martial art could come even close to the dangers of boxing.
Boxing is a brutal martial art where the emphasis is on aggression, power, and knocking the opponent out. Training is cardio intense, and there is a lot of hard sparring. Most gyms embrace a hard method of training and students tend to go into real wars against each other all the time.
On average, students need around 2 or 3 years to develop solid boxing skills, which is much less than in BJJ where you need around 10 years. But bear in mind that these 3 years in boxing are physically more demanding, and probably more painful.
Muay Thai
Muay Thai has been around since the 19th century, but, it has become popular in the western world in recent years. Also known as Thai boxing, Muay Thai is a brutal striking art that is very dangerous in the first place.
In this day and age, Muay Thai is often seen as a complete striking system that would teach you all about real combat. Training is brutal both when it comes to fitness and when it comes to sparring. The emphasis is on endurance and coaches would push your mind and body over the limits on a daily basis.
For instance, fighters who train in Thai camps tend to run 5 miles just to warm up, and they lose up to 1000 calories per training which is crazy. But on the other side, it shows you why Thai boxers are among the finest athletes.
In classes, the main goal is to learn how to fight using powerful kicks, basic boxing combos, and dirty box inside the clinch using elbows and knees. It also covers some basics of grappling like trips and throws.
Students throw hundreds of kicks per class, and the emphasis is on full contact sparring as the best method you can prepare for real combat. Despite wearing shin pads, gloves, and headgear, you would feel each kick or knee to the stomach, and it would be a very painful experience.
No matter what you do, shin splits, bruises, fractures, and broken noses are guaranteed.
