Martial Arts Used by Navy SEALs

The Navy SEALs are a highly trained special division of the United States Navy. They specialize in covert missions and are expected and trained to be highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat. Because of the strong emphasis on hand-to-hand combat, Navy SEALs are taught a variety of different martial arts and fighting disciplines.

Boxing

Most people would not consider boxing to be a martial art, but for all intents and purposes it is - you're trained to hurt people with your hands. Traditional boxing supplies SEALs with the most basic fundamentals they need to move on to more sophisticated forms of hand-to-hand combat. After all, if you can't throw a basic punch and stand a good chance of knocking someone out, you're certainly not ready to start trying to kill people with your bare hands.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai, also known as Thai boxing, takes traditional boxing to the next levels. At this stage SEALs are no longer simply throwing punches, they are also kicking and throwing knees and elbows. Muat Thai originated in Thailand - hence the name - and it is considered to be one of, if not, the most brutal form of hand-to-hand combat in the world.

Combat Jujitsu

You can hurt someone pretty badly with some basic Muay Thai training, and if you're really strong, maybe you could kill someone. But combat jujitsu isn't about just hurting someone or maybe killing them, it is about killing them. Traditional jujitsu and Brazilian jujitsu are about hurting people just enough to make them quit - taking an opponent to the point that they will want to give up out of fear of dying or being seriously injured. Combat jujitsu sort of says, "let's skip all that and just get to breaking bones and killing people."

Krav Maga

The official martial art of the Israeli army, Krav Maga is another martial art that doesn't leave room for possible injury. It is designed to save your butt at any cost, which usually involves killing or maiming the person that's attacking. Krav Maga teachers a SEAL how to rely on their instincts and do whatever it takes. It literally is anything goes: bite, scratch, claw, gnaw, gouge eyes, pull hair, break fingers, it's all good. Krav Maga also teaches Navy SEALs valuable techniques for engaging and disarming armed adversaries.