Although initially started as a form of self-defense, martial arts are treated as a popular sport nowadays. There are various types of martial arts originating from various regions.
Though every form of martial art can be learned no matter what your height is, some are more suited to people with a short stature than others.
Boxing, Judo, Thai boxing, or Muay Thai are some of the best suited martial arts for short men. Recently mixed martial art (MMA) has also gained popularity and is also considered a great style of fighting for short statured people.
In the rest of this article, I am going to talk about the 5 best martial arts for short guys, their pros and cons, why they are good and much more.
I recommend reading this article entirely till the end so that you can make an informed decision when choosing a fighting style to learn.
5 Best Martial Arts for Short Guys
There are so many different types of fighting styles that it’s quite easy to find the perfect one for oneself through some basic research. Here, I’ll be discussing 5 that are well known to be best for short guys.
1-Muay Thai
Thai boxing or more popularly known as Muay Thai is one of the most popular and widely known martial arts in the world.
It is precise and deadly, comprising fast blows and strikes.
Muay Thai primarily focuses on the use of the elbow and knee combined with swift strikes to the torso.
Its unique style makes it very suitable for people with short stature.
Why is muay Thai called the art of eight limbs?
Muay Thai is also known as ‘the art of eight limbs’ or ‘the science of eight limbs.
It is named so because it uses eight points of the body to strike. These eight points are fists, elbows, knees, and feet.
Note that Headbutting is extremely efficient and it used to be a part of Muay Thai. But that is not the case anymore.
The efficiency of the kick on muay Thai for short guys
Leg kicks, like Round Kicks are one of the key components of Muay Thai, and also one of the most powerful kick in Muay Thai.
Low leg kicks, teep kicks are great for pushing away your opponents, no matter what your height is. Guys with long legs tend to kick the opponent’s head or torso.
That can be countered easily by using hands.
But kicks to the lower legs are hard to counter. So are the teep kicks. Thus, making it effective for short people.
Elbow and the use on short guys
Muay Thai emphasizes elbow strikes rather than fist punches.
Elbow strikes are fast and brutal. Plus, they are close-ranged attacks so it is easy for guys with short limbs. In Muay Thai, the entire body weight is utilized rather than muscle strength.
So, even if you are short, you won’t have to worry if you have body mass.
Clinch on Muay Thai
The major component of Muay Thai is called clinch. Clinching is grabbing your opponent and hitting. Basically, any fight, whether martial art or street fight involves clinching. In Muay Thai, it means grabbing your opponent in the head or neck, then landing knee or elbow strikes on the torso. It inflicts crippling pain and severe damage. If not well trained, this can be fatal.
Learning Muay Thai is not that difficult. As it requires fast movements of limbs and joints, your fitness will come first. There is no alternative to regular training. If you are committing full time, fitness shouldn’t be a problem. However, if you have a full-time job, staying fit should be your main goal.
Discover if Is Muay Thai a Brutal Combat Sport?
2-Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a refined form of traditional Jiu-Jitsu. The best part about it is that it is specially designed for short people.
Jiu-Jitsu is about real combat while BJJ takes it to the ground. Grapple and ground-based martial suits short people so that is where it shines.
One of its innovators, Hélio Gracie was only 5 feet 8 inches tall. Now you can see where it came from.
The importance of the center of gravity on Jiu-Jitsu and the advantage for short guys
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focuses on taking your opponent’s feet off the ground rather than landing punches or elbows.
Once on the ground, the strength difference due to height variation is largely nullified.
Grappling and ground fighting depends on the center of gravity. It is more favorable to short people because their center of gravity is lower than taller people.
So, the main fighting technique applies when on the ground. There are many positions like full mount, back mount, knee on belly, etc. Back mount also known as back grab is a very powerful position in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. When the opponent is laying sideways on the ground, he is incapacitated from behind by few intricate locks made by knees, shin, and arm around the neck.
The full amount is what it sounds like. Once the opponent is lying on his back, you mount on his chest with full body weight, thus restricting his movement. In another form of this position, you use your knees to subdue the opponent’s arms so that he can’t punch you in the face or poke your eyes. Once mastered, this maneuver is very powerful regardless of your height.
If you are going to start jiu jitsu i suggest you to read Things To Know Before Starting BJJ to be prepared of what is and more other interesting things.
Arrived at that time you can think What age should you start Jiu-Jitsu? for a more clear idea read that article.
Short guys and the use of Jiu-jitsu in a real-life situation
Everything has a downside and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is no exception. Its biggest flaw is that it can’t be applied to multiple opponents, In real-life situations, when you pin one guy on the ground, the other person can easily walk up to you and take advantage.
However, none of the downsides can understate its efficacy as a short man’s martial art.
Getting a grip on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not that easy. In other forms of martial arts where punches and kicks are predominant, it’s easy to train. But in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you are putting your whole body on the line.
You are constantly being choked, pinned, locked in submission, etc. This can turn out to be very claustrophobic for some individuals.
3-Judo
Judo is a grappling category of martial arts. It neither includes strikes nor ground fights. Judo involves intricate grapples and flashy throws.
Judo is widely popular as a sport. Judo mainly focuses on balance and stance. It manipulates the enemy’s own body weight against them rather than directly challenging them.
Tall people have their center of gravity higher which makes it difficult for them to maintain balance compared to shorter people.
That is why an individual of any height can shine at Judo. As a matter of fact, having some extra inches can work against you in some situations. So, people of medium height excel in this particular martial art.
The judo can undo the difference in height
Judo is a Japanese term that means ‘minimal effort’. And that is its main focus. Rather than brute force and complicated maneuvers, Judo is all about taking down your opponents with the slightest effort. At the highest professional level, bodily measures become irrelevant. It all comes down to techniques and efforts.
In other martial arts like kickboxing, having long legs gives you an advantage as you can reach your opponents from a distance. In Judo this can be quite detrimental because your opponent can easily throw you off by grabbing your legs. As the center of gravity already works against tall individuals, you can thank yourself once in your for being short.
After grounding your enemy, various types of locks, chokehold, and other grappling techniques can be followed. These grapples and other holds are independent of height or weight. So, you can easily overpower anyone taller than you. The basis of Judo is balance, so people of short stature will have a slight advantage from the beginning.
Grappling and throwing are more difficult to master than striking and punch. Judo requires years of training. Also, stamina and lung capacity are very crucial as throwing opponents bigger than you is a heavy task. Two things you always need to keep in mind: Judo is not for part-timers and you are at an advantage if you are short.
Ok after understanding the various advantages that a short person can have in practicing judo, actually is judo good for self defense?
If you next question is What is the Difference Between Jiu-Jitsu and Judo?
4-Boxing
Body balance is one of the key components of any form of martial arts.
From what we see boxing seems all about fierce blows and swift movements as the incredible head movements that boxers do.
But actually, those blows and movements stem from perfect balance.
So, it is safe to say that, no matter what your height is, you have every opportunity to shine at boxing.
Reach vs Agility on boxing, have short guys advantage?
Taller opponents have a significant advantage as they will be able to reach you from a distance. But when it comes to striking force, it largely depends on feet and hip movement.
Plus, short people are more swift and agile than taller ones. This will come as a major advantage. We can see many short people as successful boxers throughout history.
Shorter people tend to have bigger muscle mass. Their arms are usually bulky. So naturally, they are able to generate more power behind their punch.
Blows like uppercut and hook are easy to execute for shorter people.
Punches in the liver and solar plexus are easy to hit for short boxers. So, the height difference is compensated by devastating body blows.
if you are a beginner here for you my 14 Tips for Beginners that Want to start Boxing
Short persons and balance, the perfect combination in boxing
Short persons have a drastic advantage in balance, movement, and defense. As their center of gravity is lower, they can maintain balance with ease.
Also due to their miniature body built, short guys are very fast and agile.
This gives them an edge in terms of movement and dodging attacks. Boxing is mostly about evading punches after all.
Smaller people mean a smaller target.
This automatically gives short guys an advantage in terms of defense.
Big guys are easier to hit and vice versa. Being short and small means your head is small as well. But the boxing gloves you wear are the same size as your opponents. So naturally, a bigger portion of your head is covered.
Boxing training is not grueling, unlike other martial arts.
They mostly focus on fitness and stamina.
With regular training, you will nail those fast strikes and movements.
For shorter people, it is easy to grasp. A few months of determination and perseverance will bring you your desired result.
If you are still not sure about the efficency of boxing, take a look at 11 Reason Why boxing is considered a good martial art
5-MMA
MMA or mixed martial art is suitable for all sorts of people because it does not comprise a single fighting style.
It is one of the most popular sports in the world right now and growing faster than ever,however there is a recommended age to start mma.
It involves moves from kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu, karate you name it. That’s why it is suitable for short people because they can choose the components that suit them.
MMA specifically teaches sambo or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for ground fighting techniques and kickboxing or Muay Thai for standing fights. All of these martial arts are very suitable for short people as we have discussed above. You can learn a little bit of everything from everything that suits your stature and style.
MMA and the importance of grounding techniques for short persons
For standing fighting techniques, Muay Thai excels in literally everything. And short guys can learn it with ease.
Elbow strike and clinching require precision and swiftness rather than height.
If you can master these specific components along with few others, you are good to go as far as MMA is concerned. Remember, you are learning MMA, not Muay Thai.
If you want to take it to the ground, Sambo or Judo got your back. Mastering Judo throwing techniques like Kuzushi or Kake will more than do the job.
These moves combining with combat sambo or sport sambo will make you a lethal mixed martial artist. Needless to say, sambo is one of the best martial arts for short people.
If you are wondering about drawbacks. There aren’t many. The only thing I can think of is that you cannot master anything specific. As I’ve said before, you will learn a little bit of everything. You will not shine against any bona fide Muay Thai fighter or Judo artist, but you will be one of the best mixed martial artists.
Before jumping into mixed martial art, remember that you will not become let alone master, even a rookie overnight. It takes years of practice, fitness, and a healthy body. As it is a mix of various martial arts, it requires time to pick it all up and connect them altogether. If you can commit, this is undoubtedly the best martial art for short people.
Some More Martial Arts Great For Short Guys
There are various other martial arts that go well with short people. You can also take a look at them if you are looking for other options besides the ones mentioned above.
Aikido
Aikido originating from Japan is a very unique style of martial art. Have you ever seen any movie where the hero casually deflects and dodges enemy attacks rather than hitting them back? Yes, that’s aikido. It largely focuses on dodging blocking enemy attacks and using the momentum against them
Along with its unique style, throwing opponents and several weak points of bodies are also taught in aikido. It is one of the best martial arts to defend against more than one attacker. Joint holds, locks, punches, strikes all of these combined makes it a very effective form of martial art.
But if it is a good martial arts, Why is Aikido not used in MMA?
Wing Chun
This Chinese martial art is all about speed. It teaches you to stay close to your opponents and inflict maximum damage while they are at range. It is said that this martial art was invented by a Buddhist monk to defend himself. Buddhist are usually short and that is why it is suitable for short guys.
Wing Chun equally emphasizes offense and defense. Plus, it mainly focuses on the centerline of the body. The centerline contains several weak points. So, striking those weak points all the while saving yourself can be the difference between winning or losing a fight. Wing Chun also teaches to improve reflex, so height difference becomes negligible.
Sambo
The only Russian martial art in our list, sambo, literally means ‘defense without weapons’.
It was initially designed for Russian soldiers to defend in an unprepared situation. It is mostly like Judo, focusing on grappling and ground fighting making it suitable for short people. It is very efficient for self-defense in situations like street fights.
Note that there are two variations of sambo; combat sambo and sport sambo. Sport Sambo is solely for sports and not suitable for self-defense. Combat sambo, on the other hand, is designed for defense. So before admitting to any martial arts school, be sure what you want and what they offer.
For more details Is Sambo A Good Martial Art?
Krav Maga
The only martial art in this that is not considered a sport is Krav Maga. It is specifically taught to the Israeli army and other defense forces. It uses various components of boxing, Judo, karate, etc. but in a deadly manner. The main purpose is to inflict severe damage and incapacitate your enemy.
There aren’t many martial arts schools that teach Krav Maga as it’s a military thing. Inaccurate execution can be lethal. Even if it’s a perfect martial art for short people, it is recommended to avoid it.
Final Verdict
If I were to pick one, it would be MMA. It has everything, so you get to choose what you want to learn and what you don’t. Plus, other martial arts are region-specific. But MMA is growing fast in the whole world.
So, you are more likely to find an MMA school than a Muay Thai academy or Judo training center.
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Conclusion
As you can see there is no shortage of the number of martial arts for short guys. Basically, you can learn whichever style you want even if you’re short. But, in a combat situation some are more advantages to short people than others.
In this article, I have talked about the 5 best martial arts for short guys, their learning curve, drawbacks, etc. I sincerely believe that this guide was able to deliver all the required information so that you can choose the right one for you. Hope this article was of help to you. Thanks for stopping by.
If you are interested we also spoke about :The 7 best martial arts for kids: PROS & CONS