What is the stealthiest unarmed martial art?

Answer 1

Unarmed stealth speaks of a 'Soft' style art. Some would say Ninjutsu, as it specializes in stealth. But the Ninja were nearly always armed and killed with a weapon (of which they carried many). Then there were the Thuggee, who snuck up on their victims who were asleep. But Thuggee used a silken cord to strangle, very easy to have and not arouse suspicion. So is a silk cord, the killing means, a weapon? In modern espionage it is vital that no suspicion be aroused, so weapons are not normally carried. The trained agent can use the thrust of a rolled up magazine to kill, or slice the throat with a credit card, there are endless everyday items and means to use them effectively. But these tools, even though not obvious, are still implements and therefore weapons. Special Forces also learn to kill when unarmed, but the specialty of their training, their 'art' of pieces from many arts, still focuses mainly on the use of weapons.

So a focus on unarmed arts may help. Karate is unarmed and definitely can kill, but the stealth element is not strong in Karate, their confidence in winning a battle is rather hard to hide. They are all too ready to be seen to be willing to battle, even if they wait, a Karate warrior does not look very stealthy. Aikido uses the staff etc. but mainly the combat is unarmed. It is stealthy in that the warrior simply waits for the aggressive unsuspecting enemy to attack and then defeats him in numerous ways. But Aikido is not a killing art and only will restrain or leave the scene. Tai Chi in its unarmed form is unsuspecting. Attackers do not realize its ability to win unarmed combat. The training though is long years to master the necessary skill level to ensure a win. It is effective in the street only by its advanced practitioners. Then we come to JuJutsu (JuJitsu) where its unarmed combat is for Self Defense and it can be practiced successfully even by beginners. JuJutsu teaches many restraints but also, where necessary, how to kill. Unlike its derivative art of Judo which trains under rules, releases its strangles and cuts out battle techniques, JuJutsu is for practical Self Defense where you may need to kill by strangles or strikes. So the JuJutsu warrior simply waits in stealth, does nothing aggressive, needs to do nothing at all, until attacked. Then the numerous unarmed techniques come into play, and if the attack was with intent to kill, then the JuJutsu adept can respond in kind.

Then there is Dim Mak, the unarmed healing art. Its supreme knowledge of the points on the body that are vital to life, and the further knowledge of just how to operate on those points for healing, also enables the practitioner to paralyze or kill. But the practitioners are few, as the masters are fewer and it is not an art suitable for sparring distances, mainly close quarter.

Masters do not fight like their students. Their personality, from a confidence in their abilities, is calm and non-aggressive. They fight, but seem to do little, all the action appears to be done by the attacker who is twisting and contorting and desperate to get away, if not unconscious. There is stealth. To do nothing, and yet when set upon to be effective. The attacker seeks to stomp what they think is a person like a kitten, only to find that they have lashed out at a Tiger. So many arts, at their master level, are stealthy and effective though unarmed. It is dishonorable for masters to train people of low character in the finer, stealthier aspects of their art.

But, aside from Dim Mak and other little known dangerous arts, JuJutsu would be the main one that can be practiced by unarmed ordinary people, uses the strategy of stealth and is effective to either: in contest restrain, or in combat to incapacitate or kill.