Which Is the Easiest Martial Art to Learn?

boxer in the ring

There are hundreds of different martial arts out there. The problem however lies in knowing which one is less difficult and easier to learn. So, which is the easiest martial art to learn?

Boxing is the easiest martial art to learn as you can easily use your hands to punch and your feet for footwork and pacing. However, it can be very difficult to master this art.

Basic boxing is indeed one of the beginner-friendly martial arts out there.

It is an art that can be practiced alone even without a partner.

In addition to being easy to learn, it also does not require much financial commitment to begin. No fancy gears, you probably only need a glove to start.

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Which Is the Easiest Martial Art to Learn?

Boxing is undoubtedly the easiest martial art to learn as you can easily use your hands to punch and your feet for pacing and footwork. It can however be very difficult to perfect this art.

Since the beginning of time, humans have punched each other in the head and body, and it doesn’t look like this will change any time soon.

Anyone can wind up and throw a punch incorrectly.

Anybody can luckily KO their opponent with a wild swing that despite bad technique and all, still finds its mark.

Unlike Karate, kickboxing, MMA, Muay Thai, etc, in boxing, you only use your hands to punch and your feet to just move around and not strike.

Boxing has an upright stance, with knees slightly bent which is super easy, unlike for example the super exhaustive crouching wrestling stance.

Boxing can be practiced by everybody. You’re just fine as long as you can make a fist.

Basic boxing doesn’t require much strength, power, flexibility, or athleticism.

This is probably why it takes an average of 6 months to learn the fundamentals of Boxing.

It could take between 1-2 years for those who are not naturally inclined.

There is however no doubting the fact that boxing can sometimes be tough, brutal, and difficult to master especially in competitive boxing.

As a beginner in boxing, you will learn real toughness, resilience, and mental fortitude as well as a variety of physical skills.

You will lose a lot of fat and become fitter when you learn boxing.

You also learn skills such as balance, speed, and agility, which you otherwise would have not learned doing a less physical martial art.

However, when compared with other forms of martial arts like Kung Fu, Karate, or Mixed Martial Arts, it remains the easiest to learn.

Boxing is one of the most useful martial arts for self-defense and street fighting.

Even if you aren’t the best athlete, you can still effectively defend yourself using basic boxing skills.

Generally, if you’re going to be attacked in the street – it’s not going to be by an Olympic wrestler. The person will most likely want some kind of boxing match.

So if you can out-box them, this would be 100% ideal for survival.

Easiest Martial Art to Get Black Belt

The easiest martial art to get a black belt is taekwondo because it usually takes between 3 to 5 years to attain a first-level black belt. This timeframe is relatively low when compared to other arts like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which typically takes between 8 to 12 years.

Sometimes, it’s not necessarily a question of which martial art is easier to learn, as every art comes with a level of difficulty. It is sometimes a question of which martial arts is quicker to get a black belt in.

Compared to other forms of martial arts, taekwondo students can earn a black belt faster.

Although taekwondo belts are awarded in degrees, a taekwondo student can get his first-degree black belt within 3-5 years.

Some schools stipulate a minimum of 4-5 years of training before qualifying for a black belt.

Black belts are not guaranteed to students since they must usually pass a test to prove they have reached the black belt level.

There are several reasons why students may take longer to earn the black belt:

  • They are anxious during testing, not necessarily because they lack the skills.
  • There is a high emphasis on spinning kicks and high kicks. Becoming proficient in these kicks usually take longer.
  • Black belters in Taekwondo need to be balanced, flexible and timed. It may take longer for students who aren’t naturally gifted with these traits.
  • For self-defense and testing purposes, students might have trouble applying all the skills they learned.

If students fail, a good traditional Taekwondo teacher should help them learn that failure is not a problem as long as they learn from it. 

Which Martial Art Is the Hardest to Learn?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the hardest martial art to learn because it contains many techniques and combinations that demand a huge amount of time and effort to master.

This discipline is difficult to master, and according to statistics, nearly 75 percent of new practitioners abandon training after just a few months.

To progress through the ranks, students have to be passionate about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and have a good work ethic.

Students may not readily understand the concepts involved in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at first, but their deeper understanding heavily impacts their practical application.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu takes several years to master regardless of how talented a student is. There is no shortcut to mastery.

To win at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you must maintain consistent training. So, a dedicated practitioner must commit to the mats.

And since it takes time to perfect each technique in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a martial arts practitioner must spend substantial time perfecting each technique.

BJJ training has varying levels of intensity and resistance.

There are tournaments and self-defense simulations, and students compete against each other at all levels, including white belts and black belts.

The goal of the simulations is to bring precision to the practitioner’s movements. So, when students don’t practice, it is evident.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is also a very physical sport. Training involves intense resistance, including pushing and pulling from moving opponents.

However, despite this obvious difficulty in learning Jiu Jitsu, many students find it attractive and addictive. Practicing the sport is enjoyable.

Through continuous training, Students can overcome the initial discomfort.

There is no doubt that learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is worth the early discomfort.

Hardest Martial Art to Get Black Belt

The hardest martial art to get a black belt in is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because it usually takes between 8 to 12 years to attain a black belt. This timeframe is high when compared to other arts like Taekwondo which typically takes between 3 to 5 years.

BJJ is not the easiest belt to achieve because in BJJ the black belt is considered to be the point of mastery of the art.

This is unlike other martial arts which consider an early black belt to be more of a high-intermediate level of mastery.

Aside from the 10 years timeframe, you cannot even receive a black belt in BJJ until you are 19 years old with at least 4 years of practicing experience.

Students who are extremely athletically gifted or very cerebral about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu learning and training are more likely to rise in rank faster to become black belters.

In BJJ, hobbyists and serious athletes often train together which makes the art unique.

Most BJJ schools often allow students to train somewhat casually, and they award black belts differently according to their category.

This means that a 40-year-old family-oriented hobbyist can earn a black belt with different skill acquisition and athletic performance expectations than a 20-year-old college athlete.

While a black belt may take years to achieve, a hobbyist can expect to train at a moderately difficult school.

As mentioned earlier, due to BJJ’s complexity as a martial art, it can take students 10 years or more to earn a black belt.

Note however that getting a black belt can take a longer time as a student’s progress may likely plateau at some levels.

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