I selected 10 systems that I’ve practiced and found to be self-defense worthy. It’s hard to say just one art does it all. The best advice is to try them all and get in combat shape. Ultimately, it’s not the art that’s important; it’s the individual. It’s not the technique that makes the difference; it’s the delivery. A smooth stone that hits its mark is going to be more effective than a .44 Magnum bullet that misses. Train with purpose; the more you sweat in the gym, the less you bleed on the street.

Arnis

This Philippine art contains the most street-lethal knife skills available.

Kyokushin Karate

If you complete the 100 fights required for a black belt in kyokushin karate, you possess the attributes required for self-defense.

Kobudo

A street-savvy warrior will take a weapon over his empty hands every time. When you become an expert with traditional weapons, you have an advantage in real combat.

Krav Maga

The gun and knife defenses taught in krav maga are perhaps the best in the field.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai’s a realistic combat art with an emphasis on training and conditioning.

Kano Jiu-Jitsu

The forerunner of judo, this early 20^th-century art developed by Jigoro Kano was more streetwise than ringwise.

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu

It’s been proved effective in street combat in the toughest cities in the world.

Extreme Self-Protection

It was designed by Mark Hatmaker to cover all ranges of combat.

Dirty Boxing

While many fights end on the ground, almost all fights start standing up. Dirty boxing, aka clinch boxing” or “trap boxing,” prepares you for strikes that work in stand-up grappling and moves that are illegal in the boxing ring.

Jeet Kune Do Unlimited

Created by Burt Richardson, it’s perhaps the most combat-efficient interpretation of Bruce Lee’s method of scientific street fighting.”

(Dr. Jerry Beasley was Black Belt’s 2000 Instructor of the Year. A professor at Radford University in Radford, Virginia, he is the author of Dojo Dynamics.)