Being skinny comes with a lot of benefits. It normally means you are agile and can easily train your body to be flexible without any excess weight getting in your way. However, skinny people do face a slight disadvantage when it comes to fighting. Thankfully, we are going to answer what the best martial arts for a skinny person are.
The three best martial arts for skinny people are Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and something like kickboxing. This is because, as a skinny person, you want to avoid getting into clinch fights and rather focus on strike-focused combat sports.
In this article, we will discuss a few topics and talking points about each of these three martial arts. We also have a little bit of a bonus section that talks about whether your weight can affect how you can perform in martial arts. So, for everything you need to know, keep reading.
Best Martial Arts For Skinny People: Taekwondo
I am actually starting to sound like a bit of a broken record because we talk a lot about Taekwondo on this website. That being said, sometimes it has to be done, especially when taekwondo is a good martial art for so many different types of people to pick up. Let’s take a look at why Taekwondo so good for skinny people.
Taekwondo is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. What makes it so great for skinny people is, it relies a lot on agility. Being able to easily perform many maneuvers due to weighing less will give you a huge advantage in Taekwondo.
Is Taekwondo Dangerous?
We will do this for each of the martial arts within this article because it is something that we always get asked when talking about or recommending a martial art to someone new to martial arts. For now, though, let’s take a look at whether or not taekwondo, specifically, is dangerous.
Before answering this question, we need to note that there is a big difference between training taekwondo and fighting in taekwondo. Most people who do taekwondo and achieve black belt never fight. They just do the training.
With all of that out of the way, we can now answer whether or not Taekwondo is dangerous.
In Training, no, taekwondo is not dangerous. A few rare injuries do occur, but these might be minor fractures in the lower limbs. In Fights, yes, Taekwondo can be very dangerous. You can risk sustaining head and neck injuries along with lower limb fractures.
Best Martial Arts For Skinny People: Muay Thai
Muay Thai is another martial art that we have covered quite a lot on this website, and we actually plan to do so in the future. The question is not whether or not Muay Thai is good for skinny people; the question is WHY is it so great for skinny people.
Muay Thai is also known as Thai boxing, and it is a form of kickboxing. Because skinny people will have a longer reach than most people in their weight divisions, this makes Muay Thai best for you because you have a reach advantage when kicking and boxing.
Further on in this article, we will briefly touch on kickboxing, but we should notice a pattern with Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and kickboxing. That pattern is that skinny people benefit from any strike combat focus martial arts.
Is Muay Thai Dangerous?
Okay, so if you are considering doing Muay Thai but are a little worried about the risks, let me ask you something: What sport doesn’t have any risks? There aren’t many sports out there that don’t come with risks, and the benefits of doing something like Muay Thai has far more benefits than risks.
Yes, Muay Thai can be very dangerous, but it only starts to become dangerous when you fight professionally, as with boxing. You can train Muay Thai your entire life without getting into a professional fight. That said, at least you will have developed a new skill set. You will also be healthy and fit. There are just so many great things that come from doing martial arts.
One key thing to remember is, you do not ever have to fight. Martial arts, in general, has more depth to it than just “fighting.”
Will Muay Thai Help You Pick Up Weight And Get Ripped?
Being skinny is something that a lot of people envy. However, most of the time, those people do not realize that skinny people try almost everything to gain weight in the same way overweight people try to lose weight.
Muay Thai alone will not help you gain weight. For this, you need to factor in your diet, sleeping habits, how often you train, and your training intensity. It is best to add in some weight training and eat a healthy amount of carbs and protein if you want to gain weight.
One thing for sure, though, Muay Thai is an excellent way to shed excess weight and build lean muscle. So, considering you are eating healthy, building muscle, and sleeping well, Muay Thai will get you ripped.
Best Martial Arts For Skinny People: Kickboxing
We won’t go into too much detail with kickboxing because it is so similar to Muay Thai. I just thought it was important to highlight that this is another option for you if you are a skinny person who wants to do martial arts.
As with Muay Thai, a skinny person will usually have a longer reach than other people in their weight divisions. This is because height plays a significant role in weight. So, if you are skinny, you should be taller than the next person who might be bulky but is in the same weight class as you.
Does Weight Matter In Martial Arts?
This is a very interesting question, and it relates to another question we get asked quite a lot, which is, does size matter in martial arts. I think it is important not only for skinny people but also for overweight people to finally answer this question.
When it comes to training any martial art, weight does not really matter. However, when it comes to fighting, it does matter, and therefore, most martial arts have weight divisions. Even though we say that it does not matter, different body types and sizes have certain martial arts best suited to them.
With all of that being said, you should always choose which martial art you want to do because it piques your interest. Remember, weight is something that can be altered.
Martial Arts Are Great For Losing Weight
This is a question that may seem pretty obvious, but if you are somebody who has excess weight and you are looking to lose that weight and become skinny, you might be wondering if martial arts can help. While the logic seems pretty sound that yes, it should help, the actual question is, can martial arts EFFECTIVELY help you lose weight?
Martial arts can definitely help you lose weight, especially the ones we mentioned above, because high-intensity cardio workouts and anything that gets your heart rate up will definitely help you lose weight.
Conclusion
That brings us to the end of this article, and I hope that we made your decision as to what you are going to do a little bit easier. Here at On Martial Arts, we are passionate about helping people when it comes to martial arts.
We have a wealth of articles discussing different martial arts types, different types of body types and sizes, and much, much more. So, feel free to take a look at some of the other articles if you are curious or have any other questions. That is all for now.
Other articles in this series:
Best martial art for a small person.
Best martial art for tall people.
Best martial art for big guys.
Best martial art for overweight people.
Best martial art for bodyguards.
Best martial art for women to learn.
Best combination of martial arts for MMA.
