3 Best Martial Arts For Skinny Guys | Explained
You may think that skinny guys are at a disadvantage in Martial arts, but you'd be pleasantly surprised.
In this page, we'll go over the best martial arts for skinny guys, what makes them the best, and how they can be used in real life situations.
Table of Contents
1. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a martial art where technique and grappling IQ takes precedence over the normal strength, size, and speed.
Nobody proved this better than Royce Gracie when he won the first 3/4 UFC tournaments despite being at a massive weight disadvantage, and being a tall lean fighter himself.
He would go on to submit pretty much everyone that he fought, and introduce the world to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the success that can be attained with it.
Skinny guys whether tall or short, can have massive success in training Jiu Jitsu. The long limbs allow skinnier guys to get away with, and lock in submissions that most others cannot.
Additionally, skinnier guys normally have the best cardio & endurance. In a sport where ground fighting includes grabbing and holding their opponents throughout the entire match with very little breaks, endurance is essential.
Nate Diaz is a great example of this, as he has used his long frame to lock in submissions, most notably when he pulled a huge upset vs Conor McGregor via submission.
2. Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a unique martial art as although it is focused on striking, fighters are able to use not just their hands and feet, but their elbows and knees as well.
For those with skinnier frames, that can be extremely useful vs opponents who can close the distance quickly.
When an opponent is able to close the distance quickly vs a long fighter in other sports, the fighter can only use their punches, and it loses a ton of power in very close distances.
Long skinny fighters can throw in and elbow to viciously catch their opponent coming in.
There have been many skinny fighters in Mixed Martial Arts who have had massive success, none more notable than Anderson Silva.
Despite having a skinny and long frame, and at times not even being the tallest fighter in his fight, he was able to use Muay Thai to knock out his opponents using his hands, feet, and even knees.
He was able to do this so successfully that he is commonly known as one of the great mixed martial artists of all time.
3. Tae Kwon Do
Tae Kwon Do is one of the best martial arts that a skinny person can do, particularly those with a shorter torso and longer legs.
Tae Kwon Do focuses primarily on leg kicks and turning your legs into self defense weapons.
Kicks when done correctly, can be extremely lethal when they land, no matter what part of the body.
Joe Rogan is someone who has been a Tae Kwon Do champion, and has had incredible success maintaining his technique even at his age.
In fact, George St-Pierre who is in the conversation as the best martial artist of all time, has mentioned multiple times that he has been in awe of his powerful kicks, in particular, his spinning back kick.
TKD will teach foot and eye coordination, how to close the distance, and how to hit without being hit back.
