Over history, humans have created hundreds of martial arts out of which many are effective as well as ineffective ones. Unfortunately, there are plenty of fighting styles that teach bad techniques that won’t help you much in a real fight or any scenario in which you have to defend yourself. In fact, some well-known fighting styles you think are effective, actually won’t teach you how to fight.

BJJ open mats allow practitioners to roll with one another, allowing them to learn from experience. Open mats play an important role in applying what you have learned to a real fight. They are usually one hour long, broken into several five-minute rounds, and any belt is welcome to participate.

The list we have put together below consists of only the best martial arts specific to women. I have done deep research to find only the best martial arts that give you the best chance in self-defense situations. The list we compiled includes arts that focus on leverage and techniques, which means that you don’t have to be strong or physically big to master them as a woman.

The Gracie Diet involves mixing foods from six categories in a way that reduces fermentation and maintains a balanced pH. Pork is prohibited, alcohol and tobacco are discouraged and meals are consumed 4.5 hours apart for digestion. Benefits include better short and long-term health and weight loss.

The crucial difference between Judo and Sambo is that Judo was designed to be practiced for self-defense, mental and physical benefits, and as a sport for everyone. Conversely, Sambo was designed exclusively for the Russian military to prepare for brutal hand-to-hand combat situations.

Boxing has more PPV purchases than MMA and was rated more popular in America by the Washington Post. However, Google Trends suggest that MMA is more popular on a worldwide scale, with many fans in Europe, South America and the Middle East. MMA also has more fans on Facebook, YouTube and Reddit.