Of course, I happen to believe karate is one of the best, partly because it involves both kicking and punching with emphasis on good stances and power. That is the style I teach at my school, Samurai Karate Studio.
The truth is, virtually every martial art has something positive to offer the beginner student. What's probably the most important is the connection the student has with the instructor and the philosophy of the school. You train many years to achieve your black belt, so it is necessary that you feel comfortable with the school and the type of program they teach.
Here are a few styles to consider:
1. Karate -- Karate loosely translated means "empty hand". It was developed in Okinawa in the early 1920's and 1930's. Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate, is generally credited with having introduced and popularized karate on the main islands of Japan. After World War II, many service men stationed in Okinawa were able to train in the system. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands.
2. Aikido -- Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba with the goal of defending yourself without hurting your attacker seriously. The idea behind Aikido is to redirect the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on. In other words, you use the attackers energy to defend yourself, including various joint locks and throws. While a very harsh system initially, as Morihei aged, he saw the value in developing a "peaceful" system that could prevent someone from being assaulted, yet wasn't punishing on the attacker.
3. Tae Kwon Do -- TKD is loosely translated as "the way of the hand and foot". Kicking and board breaking are a substantial element of this art. The style was developed in Korea, where today, it is a national sport. In the United States, it is one of the most popular styles, which is largely due to the TKD association which has done a very good job promoting the style.
4. Kung Fu -- Kung Fu is one of THE oldest martial arts, originating in China hundreds of years ago. It was an art developed for hand to hand combat. What makes the style unique, is the art mimics animals, popularized by the movie Kung Fu Panda. This is a very beautiful style using by power and grace in it's movements.
5. Krav Maga -- Krav Maga is the official self defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces, and has been taught to hundreds of law enforcement agencies and thousands of civilians in the United States. Krav Maga is a simple, effective self defense system that emphasizes instinctive movements, practical techniques, and realistic training scenarios.
6. Jiu-Jitsu -- There are really many forms of Jiu-Jitsu, but certainly the most popular style is based on the Gracie family. This is a legendary family from Brazil, that created a system of fighting primarily from the ground. This is a wrestling kind of style that uses locks, bars and chokes to disable an attacker. This style is very popular today with The UFC and the military offering this style of training in the Army.
Of course, there are many more styles of martial art's than the ones listed above, these are just a few of the more popular styles today.
All styles offer something of value when it comes to learning self defense. The important thing is to find a style that suits your tastes and needs.
Once you achieve the rank in one of the styles, many students will train in other styles just to compliment their self defense skills.
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