What are the best martial arts for short guys and gals out there?
Martial arts really is for all people of any size and shape.
Here we look at 4 shorter fighters who were/are world champions and compete at the highest levels.
We also look at 6 excellent martial arts for shorter people to use effectively in a self defense situation.
Self Defense or Competition
The best martial arts for short guys and gals also depends on the motivation behind wanting to train and study martial arts in the first place.
For example if you wish to compete then pretty much all martial arts competitions require weight classes so you will be matched with a competitor of the same weight.
If you wish to learn and train martial arts for self defense then this is a different story as in a self defense situation your opponent or attacker could be of any size and may be much bigger than you.
So below we discuss martial arts and combat sports which are suitable for anyone and also martial arts which are better suited for shorter and smaller guys and gals in a self defense or street situation.
Shorter Martial Artists who Compete at High levels
For those shorter guys and gals out there you can take some inspiration from these shorter martial artists who compete at high levels and are recognized as being formidable martial artists and even world champions.
I) Waheng Menayothin – 5 ft 2 in – 158cm – Boxing and Muay Thai champion
Nicknamed the “Thai Dwarf Giant”, Waheng is a boxing World Champion and former muay thai Lumpinee Champion.
Lumpinee stadium is recognized as the top muay thai competitive arena and only the very best become Lumpinee Champions.
Further to that Waheng has seen great success in the Boxing ring also.
Waheng became WBC Straw weight champio n in 2007 and eclipsed Floyd Mayweathers 50-0 record in 2018 with a boxing record of 51-0.
Waheng faced his first loss in 2020 and currently has a boxing record of 54-1.
ii) Demetrius Johnson – 5ft 3 in – 160cm – MMA/UFC Champion
Nicnknamed “Mighty Mouse”, Johnson was a dominant champion in the ufc flyweight Division.
Johnson was the first ever flyweight champion in the UFC after the division was created and he held that title for 6 yearts (2012-2018) and defended his belt a record-breaking 11 times.
Johnson has been referred to as one the greatest UFC fightes and mixed martial artists of all time thanks to dominance in the octagon.
His background before MMA was in wrestling and his incredible speed, elusiveness and ground control as well as upper body clinhcing makes hisstyle perfect for his body and Wrestling background which he uses to maximum effect.
iii) Jacob Matlala – 4 ft 10 in – 147cm – Boxing World Champion
Nicknamed Baby Jake, Matlala was a South African boxer who became junior lyweight champion.
He is the shortest ever Boxing Wrold Champion and held a record of 53 wins and 2 draws from 68 fights.
Matlala achieved 4 world championships and was WBO, WBU and IBA flyweight champion.
iii) Enho Akira – 5 ft 6 in – 167cm – Top Level Pro Sumo Wrestler
Enho AKira is a professional sumo wrestler who is also by the smallest competitor at the highest levels of Gran Sumo in Japan.
Enho tied the record for the fastest to be promoted to sekitori. He achieved this within 6 tournaments after his professional debut.
Sekiotri are sumo wrestlers who are ranked in one of the top two professional divisions.
Currently there are only 70 sekitori who compete and only a very small percentage of sumo wrestlers ever reach this level.
Enho is about 50kg (110lbs) lighter and 15com (6inches) shorter than the average sumo wrestler in the top divisions.
Enho uses speed and technique in all his matches to defeat taller and heavier opponents.
Martial Arts for Short Guys and Gals Who Want to Compete
So from the above list of short martial artists and champion fighters it is possible to see that even the shortest guys out there can achieve big things in martial arts and combat sports and even become world champions.
That being said the best martial arts for shorts guys and gals who want to compete are:
1.Boxing
Western Boxing is a sport for all body sizes and shapes. The record achievements discussed above by world champions like Baby Jake and Waheng really solidify the point that height and size doesn’t matter in boxing competition.
Heart is far more important.
And again when competing in boxing you will be matched with a fighter of the same weight.
Even Mike Tyson, who was one of the most dominant heavyweight boxers in history was considered short for the heavyweight division.
But he developed a style that suited his body shape with the help of world class trainers of course.
2.MMA
Similar to boxing, MMA really is for all who want to train and compete.
Again in MMA competition you would be matched by weight.
While height has its advantages there are may, many MMA fighters and champions who make their shorter height work in the cage.
And some shorter mixed martial artists such as Demetrieus Johnson even dominated their Division for years.
An advantage of MMA for shorter fighters is that you can take the fight to the ground where height does not really matter, in comparison to Boxing where you have to stay standing.
3.Wrestling & Sumo
The dominant fighting style of Mighty Mouse Demetrius Johnson began in Wrestling.
Wrestling is another combat sport where height does not really matter as you will be matched in competition by weight with your opponent.
Also having a low center of gravity is beneficial to wrestling and for shorter guys and gals, having this lower center of gravity can definitely be something you use to your advantage is Wrestling competition and develop a very effective style with.
Sumo, is very different from the other martial arts and combat sports discussed as there are no weight classes.
However even a sumo wrestler (rikshi) who is undersized such as Enho, can develop a style that works effectively for him.
And also competing at the very top of the Professional sumo world is a feat that only a very small percentage of professional sum ever reach.
And if a shorter fighter such as Enho can make it then, it proves that heart and technique can be more important and valuable than size.
Best Self Defense Martial Arts for Short Guys & Gals
Above we have discussed martial arts for shorts guys and gals who are interested in competing.
We will look at martial arts for shorter people who want to learn for self defense or even for fitness and the discipline that comes from training martial arts.
A self defense situation is completely different from competition as there are no weight classes and you could face an opponent who is much taller, heavier and stronger than you.
Martial arts which have been proven to work in real combat against larger and heavier opponents include Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Judo and specifically Kodokan Judo.
4.Gracie Jiu Jitsu
The difference between Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Sport BJJ is the competition aspect.
Competition is based on weight classes and techniques that are base don rules and regulations.
Gracie Jiu Jitsu as developed by Carlos and Helio Gracie is based on self defense and specifically developed for defending yourself against bigger attackers using leverage and technique.
This is also very effective for women who are pretty much always smaller and lighter than men and Gracie Jiu Jitsu has proven to be effective by the Gracie family in no rules fights against others styles and no weight classes or time limits from the early days of UFC 1.
5.Wing Chun/Ving Tsun
Wing Chun, according to legend was developed by a Buddhist Nun and designed to be used by smaller practitioners against larger stronger opponents.
Therefore Wing Chun is designed to rely more on technique, body structure and positioning over size and strength.
Based on these principles, Wing Chun is another suitable martial art for shorter and smaller people to be used in a self defense situation effectively.
6.Krav Maga
Krav Maga was designed as an amalgamation of effective martial arts to be used in street fighting, self defense and real world combat situations.
Krav Maga is focussed on neutralizing an attack as quickly as possible using any means necessary.
Krav Maga is suited for shorter guys and gals as it utilizes techniques and principles from other effective martial arts that utilize leverage over strength and size.
