Some are meant to camouflage; some are meant for defence and some are designed to engage and demolish. Martial arts translate to “arts of Mars”; Mars being the Roman god of war. Martial arts is combat traditions and systems designed to attack, defend, demonstrate physical fitness etc. There are many types of martial arts – armed, unarmed and can also be categorized by its intent. Apart from bring combat oriented, some are health oriented as well and some are intended to be spiritually beneficial. The history of martial arts datesback to the ancient eras, rooted in local and folklore. With the nineteenth century, more modern martial arts came to being, using the ancient marital arts as its inspiration. Here are the martial arts from around the world. Karate – Karate is martial arts using all parts of the body for self-defence and has originated from Japan. The counter-striking of opponents using kicks, punches, elbows, open handed “knife-strikes” as the principal techniques. Karate trains the mind before training the body it is supposed to be a spiritual training before technical skills. KravMaga – KravMaga was developed by Israel and is one of the deadliest martial arts in the world. Comprising several techniques like boxing, wrestling, karate, judo and aikido, KravMaga was developed by an ancient Hungarian-Israeli ImiLichenfeld but the Israeli military and fighting self defence honed it as we see it today.Judo – Judo is a modern martial art that combines jiujuitsu -form of wrestling with mental discipline. A relatively newer form of martial art, it is now a recognized Olympic sport. Kung Fu – Kung Fu is Chinese martial arts that has developed over numerous centuries. It involves more circular movements which when done in succession looks like one flowing routine. Taekwondo – Taekwondo is Korean martial art that comprises with impressively skilled foot techniques. Using legs movements as means to punch, disarm and self- defend, Taekwondo can drop opponents very quickly. Muay Thai –Muay Thai is Thai boxing and the act of eight limbs. This combat-sport uses elbows, knees, fists and shins and various clinching techniques. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu provides advantage to shorter person in combat with a person who has height and weight as an advantage. It uses weight distribution and leverage on opponents to put them in joint-locks and chokeholds. Hapkido– Hapkido is a hybrid Korean martial art that focusses on both close-range and long-range self-defence techniques. It uses long leaps, percussive hand strikes, joint locks. It also teaches use of traditional weapons for self-defence.
