Many styles of martial arts are practiced for self-defense. Judo, for example, has many self defense techniques. Some styles train almost exclusively for self-defense, while some martial/Combat sports can be effectively applied for self-defense. More complete self-defense training not only teaches how to physically defend against attack, but also includes personal safety tips and techniques that increase awareness and improves the ability to avoid confrontation and potential dangers. Self-defense is legal in most countries.

To provide more practical self-defense, many modern day martial arts schools now use a combination of martial arts styles and techniques, and will often customize self-defense training to suit the participants' lifestyles, occupations, age groups and gender. The practice of combining martial arts styles for competitive sport is most often referred to as Mixed Martial Arts or MMA.