Martial Arts Styles

There are thousands of martial art styles all over the world that are currently in practice and thousands more that have faded away or morphed into the newer martial art styles seen today. Below is a listing of some of the more common and popular styles and what they are about.

  • Jujutsu - A japanese grappling martial art that stems from the ancient fighting techniques used by samurai. It has its basis in using your opponents energy against him.
  • Karate - This is a martial art that is very popular in western society. The Karate Kid movie bringing much popularity during the 80's. It evolved as a fighting style from Okinawa. It is classicaly thought of as a striking martial art consisting of hard strength oriented punches and kicks. It also encorporates grapples, throws, and locks.
  • Wushu - Chinese martial arts are often refered to in the west as Kung Fu (Great Skill). The term encompases many chinese fighting styles. One of the most popular is Shaolin with its deep history rooted in the Shaolin temple.
  • Tae Kwon Do - This is a Kroean martial art. Although Taw Kwon Do makes use of both punches and kicks Tae Kwon Do martial artists are well known for their exceptional kicking ability. The style emphasises kicks and the skills with kicks is evident in the martial arts practitioners.
  • Krav Maga - This is a martial art in the truest sense of the word. Krav Maga is the fighting style developed in Israel and used by the Israeli Security Forces. The term Krav Maga means Close Combat and the focus is on real life situations as applicable to combat on the battlefield and in dangerous situations on the street.
  • Capoeira - This is a martial art developed by the slave class in Brazil during the 16th century. It is thought that it evolved as a fighting style in the guise of dance to hide that it is a martial art. The strength and endurance required by capoeira movements and techniques is considered by many to create exceptionally well conditioned practitioners.
  • Muay Thai - This martial art literally means Thai Boxing is a martial art developed in Thailand. It is known as a vicious martial art that emphasises devastating elbows and knee strikes.
  • Judo - This is a Japanese grappling martial art that is known for excellent ground fighting technique. Chokes and strangulation are a common technique used in Judo to force your opponent to pass out or to kill them.
  • Ninjutsu - This is a Japanese martial art that evolved from the Iga Province in Japan. Ninjutsu is known to be a martial art once used for assasination and spying. Today Ninjutsu training often focuses on Ninja weapons and unarmed combat techniques.