Yorkshire's most popular martial art revealed

In fact, two English fighters are currently UFC champions, Tom Aspinall (Interim Heavyweight) and Leon Edwards (Welterweight).

Plus, with the recent boxing boom, seeing the likes of Tyson Fury and KSI’s popularity continue to grow, England is certainly getting into combat sports.

Now, Harlow Leisurezone has analysed search engine data to find out which martial arts classes were searched the most in each region, and county, across England.

The data reveals that, in Yorkshire and the Humber, Kickboxing is the most popular martial art with the term “Kickboxing classes near me,” being searched an average of 405 times a month.

“Boxing classes near me,” comes second with an average of 353 searches a month, and “Jiu Jitsu classes near me,” and “Muay Thai classes near me,” third with an average of 348 searches a month.

Region:

Most Searched Martial Art

North East England

Jiu Jitsu

North West England

Jiu Jitsu

South West England

Jiu Jitsu

East of England

Jiu Jitsu/Muay thai

East Midlands

Muay Thai

South East England

Muay thai

London

Boxing

West Midlands

Boxing/Kickboxing

Yorkshire and the Humber

Kickboxing

Digging into the data deeper, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, it’s four-way draw between Boxing, Kickboxing, Jiu Jitsu, and Muay Thai.

Kickboxing, Jiu Jitsu, and Muay Thai are equally loved in North Yorkshire.

Boxing and Kickboxing come out on top in South Yorkshire.

People in West Yorkshire enjoy Kickboxing the most.

County:

Most Searched Martial Arts Class

East Riding of Yorkshire

Boxing/Kickboxing/Jiu Jitsu/Muay Thai

North Yorkshire

Kickboxing/Jiu Jitsu/Muay Thai

South Yorkshire

Boxing/Kickboxing

West Yorkshire

Kickboxing

In fact, when we take the whole of the UK into account, the research reveals Jiu Jitsu is the most popular martial art to study, with “Jiu Jitsu classes near me” being searched an average of 27100 times a month.

Average Number of Searches Per Month

Boxing

Kickboxing

Judo

Karate

Kung Fu

Taekwondo

Aikido

Jiu Jitsu

Muay Thai

UK

22200

22200

8100

8100

1900

9900

2400

27100

22200

Patrick Arnold, Activity and Engagement Manager at Harlow Leisurezone, who conducted the research, said “It’s really inspiring to see interest in martial arts rise.

“Training not only improves physical fitness, but it also grows respect, self-improvement and a sense of community. It’s more than just learning to defend yourself, it's about building confidence, discipline, and resilience, whilst also improving mental health and relieving stress.

“I’m proud to see the rise of English fighters in the UFC like Tom Aspinall, Leon Edwards, Paddy Pimblett, and Molly McCann inspire people to take up a martial art"

"I encourage everyone, regardless of age or experience, to give it a try.”