What Is the Best Martial Art for Evasion?

Written by Jeff Campbell in Types of Martial Arts Last Updated June 13, 2022

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Evasion is one of the best self-defense techniques against an attacker. That is why many beginners tend to look for a martial art that trains on how to avoid a fight rather than directly attacking an opponent. But what is the best martial art for evasion?

The best martial art for evasion is Aikido. Aikido is about taking advantage of your opponent’s movements and momentum. It also has a do-no-harm ethos, and practitioners would much prefer to avoid a fight rather than risk harm to themselves or others.

Morihei Ueshiba created it, and it was based on Jiu-Jitsu. Its purpose is to keep both the defense and the attacker safe but, most importantly, the person defending.

Aikido is highly effective for individuals who constantly face aggressive bullies or attackers. Apart from evasion, there are other defense techniques like blocking and dodging.

This article will further explain the best martial arts for evasion. Keep reading to find out more!

What martial art is about dodging?

Dodging is one of the top defense techniques in martial arts.

Dodging involves a series of rapid movements to avoid an opponent’s attack quickly. Dodging is great because you will not suffer any impact or take strikes from an attacker.

Aikido is one martial art that is about dodging rather than attacking or striking your opponent. Because dodging is such an important aspect of Aikido, any martial artist training in this discipline will always have many stripes in that skill.

Steven Seagal, a 6th-degree Aikido black belt, made Aikido renowned in the movies. An Aikido practitioner may throw many opponents in the same turn by using momentum and wrist holds.

Aikido emphasizes tossing and twisting your opponent rather than striking and blowing them. That is why most law enforcement officers and club bouncers learn Aikido to be able to defend themselves and neutralize an attacker rather than fight.

Professional security details prefer to dodge and defuse an attacker instead of throwing punches that may lead to a police arrest.

In essence, Aikido gives you a choice. You don’t necessarily have to punch or kick except in situations where you are outnumbered and you have to strike some people to send a warning to the remaining attackers.

Keeping in mind that both Aikido and Tai Chi are soft martial arts, which martial art do you think is effective for self-defense?

In a recent article, I compared the two. One of them is superior to the other when it comes to self-defense. Tai Chi is thought of as gentle and for the elderly, but it actually goes a lot deeper than that and does have martial applications.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Do all martial arts focus on fighting?

Not all martial arts focus on fighting. People learn some martial arts for physical fitness, self-defense, and overall body wellness (body and mind).

Martial arts techniques like Aikido, Tai Chi, Ninjutsu, etc., teach students how to evade a fight just as much as they teach fighting.

Self-defense, military and law enforcement applications, competitiveness, entertainment, and preserving a nation’s intangible cultural legacy are just a few reasons some martial arts are practiced and not just for fighting.

Physical fitness (strength, stamina, speed, flexibility, movement coordination, etc.) may be improved by systematic martial arts practice since the entire body is worked and the whole muscle system is active.

Beyond physical fitness, martial arts training provides mental health advantages, including increased self-esteem, self-control, and emotional and spiritual well-being.

As a result, many martial arts schools have only concentrated on therapeutic qualities, entirely disregarding the historical aspect of self-defense or fighting.

Can you learn martial arts without fighting?

You can learn martial arts without fighting. However, sparring is a large part of many martial arts. Everyone who engages in martial arts training does so for a specific reason. Personal growth, staying in shape, learning self-defense, or becoming a competent fighter.

All these are valid reasons for learning martial arts.

The reason you practice martial arts might influence whether or not you have to fight. If you are learning martial arts for personal growth, fitness, or self-defense, you don’t have to fight.

At the same time, martial art practitioners who want to improve their fighting skills must fight both in practice and in real-life tournaments. You can, however, pursue martial arts for purposes other than fighting, such as self-development, remaining healthy, and self-defense.

Sparring is a frequent practice in martial arts schools, although it may signify different things to different people. Sparring is best described as two people coming together to practice their techniques and skills while adhering to a set of rules.

Unlike sports or actual fighting, the goal is to learn from each other rather than beat your partner.

Sparring is never an actual battle.

You cannot effectively train martial arts without sparring. Yes, you can learn all the movements in theory, but sparring is required to understand how they operate in practice. It assists you in identifying your weaknesses and learning how to respond to assaults more quickly.

There are, however, martial arts forms that do not need sparring. Kung Fu is a beautiful example. Most Kung Fu training may be done using a heavy bag or shield.

Aikido is another option. Aikido is a martial arts discipline that emphasizes self-improvement over fighting. When practicing Aikido to meet an opponent, the goal is to destroy the opponent’s negative attributes rather than the opponent himself.

You may avoid fighting in your practice by choosing a martial art style that is not geared toward combat in sports, sparring, or other comparable scenarios.

Does Ninjutsu focus on getting away from attackers?

Ninjutsu was created as a compilation of basic survivalist tactics throughout medieval Japan’s warring states.

In a period of terrible political unrest, the ninja used their skill to protect their existence. Ninjutsu includes information collecting tactics, non-detection, evasion, and diversion techniques.

In summary, Ninjutsu is a martial art that focuses on getting away from attackers without getting detected. It is no surprise that it is mostly used by Ninjas. And this is because Ninjas do not go head-to-head with their opponents.

They are assassins who use stealth and deception.

The four major categories of martial arts are Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Brazilian — and there are a few styles within each category.

However, there is a worldwide debate that Chinese martial arts are not effective for self-defense. 

Is that true? Find out in a recent article I published. After all, while the term Kung Fu is a catch-all term for all Chinese martial arts, didn’t Bruce Lee start off that way?

Click on the link to read it on my site.

Does Tai Chi focus on evasion?

While it can have martial applications, Tai Chi Chaun as a solo practice isn’t really about partner work, self-defense, or attack. So the primary purpose isn’t evasion.

In fact, Tai Chi was really developed in China as a way of hiding (from the Chinese government) that practitioners were training martial arts.

So while it had martial applications at that time, these days most people use it as a gentle moving meditation practice and not as something used against a partner or attacker.

As a martial art, Tai Chi has a basic but essential theory: the use of softness (yin) to overcome hardness (yang) and the use of hardness to overcome softness.

As a result, assaults are deflected or redirected through evasion rather than being immediately prevented. Therefore, it is safe to say that Tai Chi focuses on evasion instead of attacking.

Even though Tai Chi focuses on evasion, the Tai Chi forms are based on the notion of moving calmly while directing each posture with attention and breathing.

Martial artists may develop total leg strength, agility, upper body relaxation, and waist suppleness. The waist is a key component in Tai Chi because it serves as a pivot for the body, allowing fluidity, balance, and strength to develop.

If you are not interested in practicing martial arts to fight, you can learn Tai Chi to evade a fight. And the long practice of Tai Chi has health benefits for children and adults.

Tai Chi is one of the few martial arts that can be practiced almost entirely without a sparring partner. As a result, it appears excellent for studying and practicing at home.

Is it, nevertheless, feasible to learn Tai Chi by yourself?  

In a recent article, I explained everything you need to know. In fact, Tai Chi is one of the easiest martial arts to learn from home. In the article, I give you a ton of free resources for learning it from amazing teachers.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Aikido Principles You MUST Know

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be seen that there are some martial arts like Aikido and Tai Chi that teaches people how to evade a fight instead of attacking.

The best martial art you can consider to evade a fight is Aikido.

You can also consider Tai Chi as well. Continuous practice in Aikido will help you properly evade a fight or an attacker without getting hurt.

Image by Štefan Tóth from Pixabay

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