# Best Martial Art In A Zombie Attack? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 14, 2021, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014 "2021-12-14T01:08:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/1 "2021-12-14T01:08:40Z")
So you’re facing a horde of shamblers-the slow infectious bitey kind. You’re very experienced in martial arts but don’t have any weapons. What’s the best fighting art to use to get away? Assume that once you’ve knocked enough down that you can get away. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/2 "2021-12-14T01:11:22Z")
(Ivan Decker) “When the zombies attack, how come no one just puts on a leather jacket? Zombies have human teeth, and they’re probably rotting. And human teeth can’t chew through leather. Know how I know? I’ve had sandwiches I couldn’t chew… because they are too toasted.” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/3 "2021-12-14T01:15:42Z")
_Mythbusters_ actually tried this. If you’re surrounded, weapons or not, you’re a snack. If you have space behind you, run like hell. You can get through a light crowd but too many and you’re a snack. The only case they could use weapons and keep them at bay was if there was a one zombie chokepoint. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/4 "2021-12-14T01:16:01Z")
“And for my next impression, Jesse Owens!” Seriously, fleeing seems like a much better bet than melee combat with entities carrying a really nasty infectious disease. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/5 "2021-12-14T01:17:18Z")
Without weapons, anything involving strikes to the head or upper body seems risky, even if they are slow you might accidentally punch one in the mouth and puncture your skin. I think leg sweeps are the best technique, so whatever martial art uses leg sweeps. Just knock them down. Knock enough down and you will get an effect like reaching critical mass - the ones behind will trip over the ones you have already knocked down, there will just be a mass of flailing zombies, and you can stroll away at your leisure. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/6 "2021-12-14T01:17:57Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_IlL0ZH1q8I/maxresdefault.jpg "Axe Or Gun To Fight Zombies | Mythbusters 9") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IlL0ZH1q8I) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qQDWrQ285IM/maxresdefault.jpg "Zombie Apocalypse Survival: Ax vs. Gun | MythBusters") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQDWrQ285IM) ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/7 "2021-12-14T01:19:14Z")
^^^ > [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > You’re very experienced in martial arts but **don’t have any weapons**. [Filler to keep Discourse happy.] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/8 "2021-12-14T01:22:20Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > So you’re facing a horde of shamblers-the slow infectious bitey kind. You’re very experienced in martial arts but don’t have any weapons. All of a sudden I’m wishing I’d seen a movie where advancing zombies keep walking into slapsticky mayhem due to found objects serving as _improvised_ weapons via Jackie Chan… ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/9 "2021-12-14T01:28:17Z")
I had not considered _using_ Jackie Chan as a weapon until now. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/10 "2021-12-14T01:31:25Z")
#1 I agree that a martial art focusing on knocking folks over would be best. IIRC Shootfighting largely focuses on getting your opponent on the ground. #2 I too would pay good money to see Jackie fight the walking dead. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/11 "2021-12-14T01:43:44Z")
Given the circumstances, I’ll also agree with some form of foot-based martial art, but for a slightly different reason: shoes! Given a lack of preparation (after all, no weapons, no leather jacket, no bite-resistant gear of any sort), I do not want to put any bare flesh near a zombie. And since I don’t wear gloves on a daily basis, that includes my hands/fists. We don’t have details on the infectious nature, so if it’s blood transmissible then after those first few punches you are likely to have a scrape or cut, and then one bad punch and you join the shuffling hordes. The average American sneaker isn’t going to give you a whole lot of protection, but it’s better than nothing. However, a kick powerful enough to sweep the leg or knock down a zombie is really quite likely to put you off-balance or make you fall down. So in this circumstance, you may knock yourself over with a kick if you misjudge the zombie’s mass or center of gravity, and once YOU’RE on the ground, it’s all over. So I’m going with the best foot-based martial skill of all: jumping! Jump up and out of the way parkour style and get the heck out of there. Or as Gandalf said [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/meOCdyS7ORE/hqdefault.jpg "Fly, you fools!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meOCdyS7ORE) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/12 "2021-12-14T01:49:18Z")
From Dead Alive, a mostly effective use of martial arts to fight zombies. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rC6WAAlNHt4/maxresdefault.jpg "I Kick Ass for the Lord - Dead Alive (5/9) Movie CLIP (1992) HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC6WAAlNHt4) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/13 "2021-12-14T01:53:17Z")
When I said “infectious” I meant to say they’re the usual “bite-and-become-one” type. So scrapes would be all right. (Have there been any movies where zombism could be transmitted that way? I guess I’ll ask that next.) ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/14 "2021-12-14T02:21:06Z")
Not a movie, but in Mira Grant’s Newsflesh universe (which I highly recommend if you enjoy zombie fiction), contact with blood is enough to turn someone. In this universe, everyone’s already infected, if you’re a mammal over 40lb. you can count on reanimating after death unless someone else takes very emphatic action to prevent it (such as a bullet to the head), contact with the blood of a zombie or someone becoming one will start the process, and some can just spontaneously “amplify” as the existing infection takes over, which will cause any mammal over threshold weight to go straight from living being to chompy zombie. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/15 "2021-12-14T03:06:43Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > When I said “infectious” I meant to say they’re the usual “bite-and-become-one” type. So scrapes would be all right. (Have there been any movies where zombism could be transmitted that way? I guess I’ll ask that next.) _28 Days Later_, for one, where the viral zombie infection can be transmitted by even minute fluid transfers (a drop of blood to an eyeball quickly results in Sudden Onset Zombieism). Of course, those were rage “zombies”, not actual undead, and they definitely weren’t slow shamblers. But I’m pretty sure there have been other viral zombie movies where undeaditude can be transmitted via open wounds, not just bites. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/16 "2021-12-14T03:21:32Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > there have been other viral zombie movies where undeaditude can be transmitted via open wounds, not just bites. I would go so far as to say this is the normal rule. The original concept of the zombie might have been attributable to voodoo, but ever since _Night Of The Living Dead_ (radiation from a space probe) there has always been some naturalistic cause - usually a transmissible pathogen. There can be variation in how easily it’s transmitted, but I don’t think there’s usually anything special about a bite. It’s just that a bite is the most obvious way to break the skin and transmit the virus. I would certainly work on the assumption that if zombie juice of any description got into an open wound, you’re going to be zombified. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/17 "2021-12-14T03:35:04Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > You’re very experienced in martial arts but don’t have any weapons. I dispute the concept that I could ever be a very experienced martial artist, but “have no weapons”. The oldest weapons the human race have are basically just pointy sticks and thrown rocks. Learn any of the various staff related martial arts, and you can adapt virtually any long thin thing to your techniques. Broom handle, mop handle, thick piece of dowling, a good strong walking stick, a shovel, any long-handled garden tool, the list goes one. I’ve probably got 20 things I could use as a staff weapon in my house before I even get to the things actually designed as staff weapons. Add in a pocketful of hand-sized rocks and I’m set. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/18 "2021-12-14T03:39:25Z")
Zombies are typically grapplers and biters so I’m going to go with wrestling as the best martial arts. A wrestler is going to be good at escaping or reversing grapples as well as knocking their opponents to the ground. The goal isn’t to destroy the zombie with sweet, sweet wrestling moves, but rather to buy time to either find a more suitable weapon or flee. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/19 "2021-12-14T03:41:20Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Zombies are typically grapplers and biters so I’m going to go with wrestling as the best martial arts. A wrestler is going to be good at escaping or reversing grapples as well as knocking their opponents to the ground. The problem with wrestling is that you’re also more likely to end up on the ground, which is fine in a one on one fight, but that’s not how Zombies fight. On the ground is exactly where you _don’t_ want to be when in the middle of a horde. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014/20 "2021-12-14T03:45:00Z")
Movies - 28 Days/Weeks Later - single drop of blood will effect transformation within moments. Books Black Tide Rising - biological weapon, transmitted originally via flu like symptoms, later by contact by saliva, blood and ‘other fluids’ Comics Walking Dead Comics - blood to blood contact is lethal and after death, they will then become a walker Could come up with more, but those are off the materials I have personally read or watched. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-martial-art-in-a-zombie-attack/956014.md?page=2)