The Martial Arts Decision Tree: Which Discipline Should You Start With?

Congrats on your decision to give martial arts a try. Prepare to be in the best shape of your life, physically and mentally. The hardest thing you have to do now is figure out which martial art is best suited for you.

While many martial arts share similarities, such as the emphasis on discipline, respect, and persistence, training in different styles can be vastly different experiences. For example, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focuses mainly on ground fighting techniques, while boxing revolves around using only your fists.

This article will help guide you toward the right martial art for you based on your fitness goals, personality, and preferred training style. We recommend visiting Evolve MMA for complimentary Muay Thai, BJJ, MMA, Wrestling, and Boxing classes to experience firsthand what training in these styles is like. You’ll know exactly which style to sign up for by the time you’ve spent a couple of hours training.

Why Finding The Right Martial Art Matters

The wrong martial art can leave you feeling frustrated, undertrained, or unfulfilled. Each discipline brings its own mindset, culture, and skill set. Pick what aligns with your fitness goals and natural interests. You’ll stick with it longer, progress faster, and have more fun.

Some of the main factors to consider when selecting a martial art include:

1) Start With Your Fitness Goals

Let’s take a look at some popular fitness goals and discuss which martial arts help you reach them:

Burn Calories And Lose Weight

Muay Thai, BJJ, and wrestling burn up to 1,000 calories an hour, and they’re so fun, you won’t even notice; slower arts like Tai Chi are great for mindfulness, but less effective for fat loss.

Muay Thai, BJJ, and wrestling lead the pack in terms of calories burned, with an hour of training burning anywhere between 600 and 1,000 calories, depending on the intensity. All three also happen to be fun to train, so you don’t even realize how hard you’re working.

Martial arts like Tai Chi have excellent meditative benefits, but they may not provide enough calorie burn to make them your primary form of exercise if you’re main goal is to burn fat.

Build Full-Body Strength

Grappling arts like BJJ and wrestling burn up to 1,000 calories per hour while building full-body strength, thanks to intense, strike-free sparring that lets students train at near-full intensity.

Grappling-based martial arts, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and wrestling, require you to lift, pull, and push against opponents, burning up to 1,000 calories per hour spent on the mat. These combat styles engage muscles all over your body, building considerable functional strength gains. Grapplers are generally regarded as the strongest martial artists, primarily due to the considerable time they spend picking up and controlling their opponents.

The fact that these martial arts don’t allow strikes leads to strong sparring cultures. The last 30 to 60 minutes of a typical BJJ or Wrestling class is dedicated to sparring, which leads to more strength gains and calorie burn. Students can spar at nearly full intensity since strikes aren’t involved, allowing them to push themselves harder during each training session.

Improve Agility And Explosiveness

Wrestling drills build explosive power and fast footwork, while Muay Thai and Boxing sharpen agility, coordination, and balance.

Wrestling drills, like level changes, sprawl–burpees, and chain takedown drills, help build quick feet and explosive power in your hips. The footwork patterns of styles like Muay Thai and Boxing improve your agility and balance.

Learn Practical Self-Defense

There’s no single best martial art for self-defense. BJJ, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and Boxing all offer strengths, but MMA blends them for the most complete real-world readiness.

BJJ is widely considered the most effective martial art for one-on-one self-defense situations, as it teaches everything you need to know to dominate fights on the ground. Martial arts like Muay Thai, Wrestling, and Boxing are also effective for self-defense.

The truth is that there is no single best martial art for self-defense, as each has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, BJJ doesn’t teach any strikes, which leaves students unprepared for prolonged striking battles.

Mixed martial arts is the closest thing to being the perfect martial art for self-defense, as it incorporates techniques from various martial arts, preparing you for ground fighting, striking battles, and clinch exchanges.

2) Match Your Personality To Class Culture

Let’s explore how your personality makes you more suited for some martial arts over others:

You Love Puzzles And Problem-Solving

BJJ is like full-body chess, perfect for thinkers who love problem-solving, which is why even tech minds like Mark Zuckerberg are hooked.

BJJ training is like playing chess with your entire body. You’re constantly anticipating what opponents will do next as you try to set up traps for them while avoiding their traps. This makes BJJ a fun martial art for cerebral personalities who enjoy problem-solving. It’s no surprise tech gurus like Mark Zuckerberg fall in love with BJJ once they step on the mat.

You Crave Routine And Repetition

Boxing focuses on mastering a small set of core techniques through repetition, making it ideal for those who prefer depth over variety.

Boxing training involves drilling fundamental punches, defensive movements, and footwork patterns until they feel like second nature. Boxing might be perfect for you if you’d rather master a finite set of techniques, as boxing only has six main types of punches, rather than learning countless techniques and only mastering a few.

Martial arts like BJJ, Muay Thai, and Wrestling also provide a lot of structure and repetition, but with significantly more techniques to learn.

You Need Variety To Stay Engaged

MMA keeps you sharp by mixing striking, wrestling, and grappling in every session—no two rounds ever feel the same.

MMA blends striking, wrestling, and grappling during each training session. You might start on the pads, switch to takedown defense, then end rolling on the mats.  The constant rotation between the different aspects of fighting will keep you on your toes and engaged.

You Crave Controlled Chaos

Muay Thai’s clinches, strikes, and pad work deliver a fast-paced, sweat-dripping workout perfect for those who thrive on high energy.

The clinch battles, strikes, and bag/pad drills involved in Muay Thai training deliver an unpredictable, high-energy workout perfect for those who enjoy breaking a sweat and moving at a fast pace.

3) Consider The Contact Level

If close contact isn’t your thing, stick to striking arts like Muay Thai or Boxing. Grappling styles like BJJ and Wrestling involve more body-to-body contact and mat time.

Grappling-based martial arts, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Judo, and Wrestling, involve a lot of close contact with training partners and occasional mat burns. Take a complimentary class to ensure you’re comfortable with that level of contact.

Styles like Muay Thai, Boxing, and Kickboxing don’t have as much contact, with most engagements taking place at striking range. MMA training offers a well-rounded approach, as half of your training is focused on grappling techniques.

Stick to martial arts that focus more on striking techniques if the idea of being close contact with strangers makes you uncomfortable.

4) Experiment Before Committing

Take trial classes in each style to see how coaches teach, how classes flow, and how welcoming the community feels.

Most gyms offer trial classes, so attend beginner classes for each style you’re interested in. Notice how coaches explain techniques, how classes are structured, and how the community welcomes newcomers.

Quick-Start Decision Tree

• Start with striking-based martial arts, such as Muay Thai, Boxing, and kickboxing, if cardiovascular exercise and fat burning are your primary fitness goals.
• Learn MMA, Muay Thai, or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) if you want to enhance your ability to defend yourself.
• Choose BJJ or wrestling to build functional strength.
• Pick MMA if you’re equally interested in learning striking and grappling techniques.

Claim Your Free Trial And Get Started

Evolve MMA offers beginner BJJ, Muay Thai, boxing, and MMA classes. Try a free trial, meet our coaches, and discover the discipline that aligns with your goals and personality. Your martial-arts journey starts when you step onto the mat for the first time!

Book your complimentary trial class with our World Champions below!

If you have any other questions regarding Evolve MMA and the programs we offer, you can get in touch with our membership executives at the following locations:

Evolve MMA (Orchard Central)
181 Orchard Road
#06-01 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Phone: Evolve MMA (KINEX)
11 Tanjong Katong Road
#02-52 KINEX
Singapore 437157
Phone: Evolve MMA (Star Vista)
1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-26A The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Phone: (65) 6539 9590