The best fighter is not a boxer, karate or judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt to any style.
~ Bruce Lee
A Catalog of Martial Arts
Martial arts have had a long history and each culture has had its own martial tradition. This has resulted in a wide diversity of fighting methods. Some martial arts have been developed as cold, practical systems of combat. Others have evolved with a spiritual background with more of an emphasis on self-cultivation than self-protection while some martial arts have been created as sporting activities.
This chapter describes the major martial arts that are popular today.
A brief history of each martial art is given. This provides a background to the kind of thinking that went into the creation of the martial art and what kind of problem was intended to solve. Many of the martial arts are interconnected with one fighting system being adapted to a new way of thinking and giving birth to a new martial art. The history of the martial arts provides an insight into the influences of previous martial arts.
The approach of each martial art is considered, describing how this martial art is taught and practiced, what types of techniques are emphasized, and which are considered unimportant.
Most martial arts have some sort of competition or sport aspect. This is important because good rules add realism while some rules can result in forming bad habits.
For each martial art, a summary of the main styles is given. Within a martial art there is never complete uniformity. Some arts are more like sporting activities and tend to be unified by a common rule system and within such sports there is little variation. In other martial arts, there are many different styles some of which could almost be considered a separate martial art in their own right.
An analysis of each martial art considers the strengths and weaknesses of the art. These considerations are important when deciding which martial arts to cross train in because training in a complementary martial art that focuses on those areas can compensate for the weaknesses in another martial art. For example, Muay Thai omits takedowns and ground fighting while emphasizing striking and so is complemented by judo, which focuses on takedowns and ground fighting while excluding strikes.
| A SUMMARY OF THE MARTIAL ARTS PRESENTED IN THIS CHAPTER | |
| Kung fu | Chinese martial arts with an ancient history |
| Jujutsu | Japanese grappling art with its roots in the samurai traditions |
| Aikido | A Japanese grappling art with a Shinto heart |
| Judo | Japanese grappling and groundfighting art with Olympic status |
| Karate | Part Okinawan, part Japanese striking art |
| Kickboxing | Full contact striking sport |
| Taekwondo | Korean art and Olympic sport that emphasizes kicks |
| Boxing | Full contact Western sport focusing on punches |
| Wrestling | Grappling sport |
| Other martial arts | Some of the many other arts are summarized |
Kung Fu
Kung fu (pronounced, and sometimes also written, “gongfu”) is usually meant as an umbrella term to refer to the traditional martial arts of China. In fact, the term is even more general than that and can refer to any cultivated skill. A more precise term for Chinese martial arts would be “wushu” but confusingly that term has come to refer to the state sanctioned modern performance sport that is more akin to gymnastics than a martial art. A term that would more accurately describe what is usually meant by kung fu would be “ch'uan fa,” which means “way of the fist” and covers the unarmed martial arts of China.
HISTORY
Many accounts of the history of Chinese martial arts point to the Shaolin Temple as the source.
However, China is known to have had a history of martial arts dating back thousands of years, long before the Shaolin temple was constructed. Chinese legends speak of a great general who lived around 2700 BC who wrote extensive manuals on astrology, medicine, and the martial arts. The Confucian text, “Classic of Rites,” mentions jiao ” (the rite of wrestling), which was a grappling martial art developed in the Chou Dynasty (12th-13th Century BC). This martial art consisted of strikes, locks, throws, and made use of the knowledge of vital areas. This eventually became a public sport during the Ch'in Dynasty (221- 206 BC).
The most significant contribution to the Chinese martial arts came from the Shaolin temple. There are many conflicting stories about the origins of martial arts in the Shaolin temple. The legends suggest that at some point in the 6th century, a Buddhist monk from India called Bodhidharma travelled to the Shaolin Temple in China. He discovered that the monks were in too poor a physical state to meditate and pray effectively and so he instructed them in physical exercises to improve their fitness. These exercises became the basis for Shaolin kung fu.
In the Tang dynasty (618-907), the Shaolin temple gained royal patronage after the monks of the Shaolin gave their aid in the Battle of Hulao. This brought a steady flow of pilgrims to the temple, which started to become something of a hub for the exchange of martial arts techniques.
The original Shaolin exercises that are credited to Bodhidharma, called the “Eighteen Hands of Lohan,” were taken by a chu'an fa master called Ch'ueh Yuan Shang-jen and combined with movements from his own style, expanding the eighteen hand and foot positions to seventy-two. This was later expanded again to 170 moves after Ch'ueh met another master called Li-shao. These techniques were broken down into five animal forms: Dragon, Tiger, Snake, Panther, and Crane.
In the 20th century, following the fall of the Ch'ing dynasty, the new republican government began to consider its martial arts heritage as a source of national pride. There was a growth in public exposure to martial arts as instructors were encouraged to teach their martial arts. Various national organizations for the martial arts were formed, national examinations were organized and training manuals were published. Demonstration teams were sent overseas, including a demonstration at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
With the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, government attitudes changed radically, with the establishment considering martial arts to be subversive. A new officially sanctioned martial art called modern wushu was devised. Although this new art had the outward appearance of the traditional Chinese martial arts, it was a purely performance art devised by committee and deliberately divorced from any of the traditional styles. The suppression of the traditional arts lead to many of the kung fu masters migrating to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other parts of the world. This meant that in the 1960s and 1970s, China suppressed its millennia old heritage and entered a dark age for martial arts while the rest of the world experienced a great surge in interest in Chinese kung fu. The Western world experienced a kung fu craze in the 1970s fuelled by “chop socky” movies produced in Hong Kong, in particular the movies of Bruce Lee.
APPROACH
There are such a wide variety of styles of kung fu that it is hard to identify a single approach. However, there are some general trends within the many schools of kung fu.
Kung fu is based around stand up fighting using mainly punches and kicks. It also includes grappling and take down techniques called ch'in na, but often this approach is not emphasized by kung fu schools and ground fighting in particular is usually neglected.
The Chinese martial arts are often broken down into two groups. Northern styles tend to use big powerful kicks, large sweeping movements and high jumps. Southern styles tend to focus on strength and stability using tense immovable stances with fewer kicks.
Many Chinese martial arts emphasize the use of pressure points, which are areas that can be punched, poked, constricted, or otherwise have pressure applied to them in order to produce effects such as pain. Traditional Chinese doctrines often explain these pressure points in terms of energy meridians while more modern explanations concern nerves and blood vessels.
| TERMINOLOGY: CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS | |
| Chi sau | Sticky hands |
| Kwoon | Training hall |
| Lap sau | Grabbing hand move |
| Muk yan jong | Training dummy |
| Chi | Energy |
| Sanshou | Free sparring, literally “free hand” |
| Sifu | Instructor |
| Wushu | Martial art |
| AN OVERVIEW OF KUNG FU | |
| Name | Kung fu |
| Translation | Achievement through great effort |
| Country of origin | China |
| Period of origin | 2700 BC |
| Category | Striking art |
| Strengths | Fast punches Often includes weapons training Health and fitness |
| Weaknesses | Grappling and ground fighting usually ignored |
Traditional kung fu practice often consists of the following components:
Basics During basic training, students develop the fundamental building blocks of the martial art, throwing punches and kicks and working on developing strong stances.
Forms Most schools of kung fu consider forms to be the most important aspect of the martial arts. Forms consist of prearranged sequences of moves. These can either be solo forms or two-person forms that are practiced with a partner.
Weapons training Some kung fu styles also practice traditional Chinese weapons such as the broadsword, butterfly knives, staff, or the spear.
Wooden dummy Some practitioners use a wooden dummy called the Muk Yan Jong. This usually consists of a vertical post with several horizontal “arms” protruding and various positions. The dummy is used to practice parries against the “arms” and punches and kicks against the central pillar.
COMPETITION
Wushu competitions consist of two categories. In the taolu discipline, competitors perform wushu forms, which consist of set offensive and defensive movements. Performances are given scores by judges in a similar way to gymnastics competitions. There are both barehanded forms and weapon forms. In this discipline, famous practitioners include Jet Li who was China's National Wushu Champion five times, and Ray Park who played Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
In the sanshou discipline, competitors engage in full contact sparring. The rules vary from one tournament to the next. Typically punches and kicks are allowed, including kicks to the legs, and elbow and knee strikes are sometimes allowed. Grappling and throwing is allowed but with a time limit after obtaining a clinch during which a takedown must be executed or the referee will separate the fighters. Joint locks are not allowed. There is no ground fighting: once a fighter ends up on the ground, the fight is stopped and restarted from a standing position. Fights sometimes take place in a roped off boxing ring or it might take place on a raised platform. Sanshou fighters have had a degree of success in various MMA fights, most notably Cung le who defeated MMA veteran Frank Shamrock, breaking Shamrock's arm in the process.
STYLES
There are hundreds of styles of kung fu. A few of the more popular styles are described here.
Wing Chun, which literally means “Spring Chant,” is said to be named after the founder of the style, a woman called Yim Wing Chun who was taught ch'uan fa by a Buddhist nun called Ng Mui. Wing Chun favors fast, but somewhat uncommitted attacks over more powerful attacks that might create openings. The idea is to overcome the lack of power by chaining together multiple rapid attacks from close range that overwhelm an opponent. In defense, Wing Chun uses a technique called “sticky hands,” which involves maintaining contact with an opponent to gain feedback and quickly react and deflect attacks. The most famous Wing Chun student was Bruce Lee who went on to become a film star and design his own martial arts system called Jeet Kun Do.
T'ai chi ch'uan, which means “supreme ultimate fist” and is meant to embody the ultimate combination of the oriental concepts of the yin and the yang, which represent the positive and the negative forces of the universe. T'ai Chi practice involves slow, smooth movements combined with breath control exercises and is believed to have positive health effects. As a martial art, T'ai Chi places an emphasis on understanding your opponent's center of gravity and uses moves that flow with an opponent's attack combined with “pushing hands” techniques that flow back and unbalance an opponent. T'ai Chi also includes forms that include the use of a weapon, most commonly the broadsword, staff, spear, or fan.
Jeet Kune Do, which means “Way of the Intercepting Fist” is an eclectic martial art created by Bruce Lee. It is also known as “Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do” after Lee's original name, Jun Fan. Lee had originally learned Wing Chun but had become disillusioned with the constraints of the “classical mess” of the traditional form. He borrowed techniques from fencing and boxing but the core idea of Jeet Kune Do was that it should be an approach of how to fight rather than a fixed system of how to do techniques.
Praying Mantis, T'ang Lang Ch'uan, is a northern style created by a Shaolin disciple called Wang Lang around 1700. Supposedly inspired by the aggressiveness of the praying mantis and mimics the leg of a mantis with the “mantis hook” hand posture.
Monkey There are many independently created styles of Monkey Kung Fu. It involves taking on the movements and characteristics of a monkey for example, running on all fours and acrobatic movements. Attacks often include open handed slaps and clawing with a semi-closed fist called the monkey paw.
Eagle Claw, Ying Hsing Ch'uan, is a Northern style created in the 12th century by General Yue Fei. Joint locks, takedowns, ripping, and gouging moves characterize it.
Choi Li Fut is a Southern style that was created by Chan Heung in 1836. It contains five animal forms: snake, crane, dragon, tiger, and leopard. It is mainly popular in Hong Kong.
Hung Gar is a Southern style named after the Hung family (gar means family) that created it. It was created by Hung Hei Gun in the 18th century combining the best techniques from Tiger style and Crane Style. Hung Gar uses the five animal forms.
Drunken Boxing Also known as Tsui Chu'an, literally drunken fist, imitates the swaying and staggering of a drunkard's movements.
ANALYSIS
There are so many styles of kung fu that it is very hard to pin down anything that is generally true about kung fu as a whole Overall, the trend is that the traditional nature of many of the Chinese martial arts does result in form before function. The moves of kung fu can be very elegant and smooth but at the expense of realism. This is particularly true of styles like Tai Chi Chu'an, which seem useful only for cultivating a healthy mind and body rather than being useful as a practical martial art. Obvious exceptions to this trend are Jeet Kune Do, which was created precisely to move away from these problems and towards a practical fighting method. Also the Sanshou format of fighting is very strong and realistic, using full contact rules and allowing strikes as well as takedowns and the lack of ground fighting is the main limitation.
Jujutsu
Jujutsu is an umbrella term for a wide variety of both ancient and modern Japanese unarmed fighting systems. Jujutsu means “art of softness” reflecting its philosophy of yielding to an attack so that an attackers strength can be used against him. Most jujutsu styles focus on grappling techniques but can also include striking and ground fighting techniques as well as weapons training. Jujutsu practitioners typically wear a heavy cotton uniform called a keikogi (Western practitioners will usually refer to this as simply gi) that consists of wide bottomed trousers and a long sleeved jacket, held together with a colored belt that signifies rank. The keikogi is usually white and a black hakama (a pair of wide pleated trousers) are often worn, though often this is reserved for instructor level practitioners.
HISTORY
The Japanese art of jujutsu has its origins in the martial traditions of the samurai, the Japanese warrior class. The primary weapon of the samurai was a long sword (katana) but the samurai still needed a method for dealing with an opponent when it was impossible, for whatever reason, to use a sword. For example, if the samurai found himself having to fight at very close quarters, then it would be necessary to fight with close range weapons or to fight unarmed. Therefore, this ancient jujutsu was intended to be used on the battlefield against armored opponents.
Against this kind of opponent, unarmed strikes such as punches and kicks would be ineffective, so consequently unarmed jujutsu consisted of locks and holds.
During Japan's Edo period (1603-1868), the trend in jujutsu training was less for battlefield use and more for use against an unarmored opponent. Consequently jujutsu styles in this time started to include striking techniques such as punches and kicks, though the emphasis still remained on grappling techniques.
Historically, jujutsu training often included at least some weapon practice, for example the tanto (dagger) or hojo (a restraining cord).
APPROACH
Most jujutsu schools focus on grappling techniques—chokes, joint manipulations, and throws. Practitioners will also learn at an early stage how to fall safely (the art of break-falling) so that they can take part in exercises that involve being thrown while minimizing the risk of injury. Jujutsu is usually taught from the perspective of using it for self-defense. There is an emphasis on staying on your feet rather than on ne waza (ground techniques) because fighting on the ground is sub-optimal from a self-defense point of view (as well as from the battle field point of view from which jujutsu originated).
Jujutsu does include striking techniques (which they call atemi waza) but little focus is placed on these techniques. Usually strikes are practiced just so that they can be defended against or are otherwise considered useful as a distraction before moving in close and applying a grappling technique.
The Romanized spelling “jujutsu” is the most faithful to the Japanese pronunciation of the word and has become the accepted spelling. However, in the past other Romanizations were in common use such as “jiu-jitsu” and its use has persisted somewhat. For example, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu was created at a time when this spelling was common and so is still spelled this way.
COMPETITION
Competitive jujutsu is a controversial subject. Any competition would need to have rules restricting what attacks can be used but the original spirit of jujutsu was to use every conceivable technique available to win in combat. If you take away these dangerous techniques, then you would be practicing something more akin to judo or karate than jujutsu.
However, some forms of competitive jujutsu do exist. One competition format is called “Fighting System” and this consists of three phases. In the first phase, the competitors use controlled punches and kicks to score points. In the second phase, which occurs after a grab has been made, competitors must try to trip or throw their opponent to the mat, with points being awarded based on the quality of the technique. In the third phase, which takes place on the ground, the competitors must try to apply locks, holds, and choke-holds.
Another form of jujutsu competition is called “Duo System.” This is a team event in which pairs of competitors from the same team demonstrate self-defense techniques in response to twelve different attacks. Referees randomly call out the attack that must be used, and points are awarded based on the quality of the demonstration.
| AN OVERVIEW OF JUJUTSU | |
| Name | Jujutsu |
| Translation | Gentle method |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Period of origin | Old-style jujutsu 1300s Edo jujutsu 1600s |
| Category | Grappling art |
| Strengths | Wide variety of attacks Defense against a wide variety of attacks |
| Weaknesses | No realistic contests Lightweight striking practice |
STYLES
There have been many different styles of jujutsu over its long history. By the 1800s, there were more than 2000 schools of jujutsu in existence.
Daito-ryu Aiki-jutsu This traces its origins back more than 900 years to a Japanese samurai called Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu (1045-1127). Daito-ryu was popularized in modern times by Sokaku Takeda in the late 1800s. Daito-ryu was the foundation for aikido, which was created by Morihei Ueshiba who studied under Takeda. It was also the foundation for the Korean martial art, hapkido.
Yoshin-ryu Literally translated as “willow heart school,” this style of jujutsu was founded by Akiyama Shirobei Yoshitoki in 1632. Legend has it that his inspiration for the name came about when the founder saw that the branches of the willow tree, unlike other trees, didn't break under heavy snow but instead they just yielded and let the snow fall to the ground.
Tenjin Shinyo-ryu Literally translated this is the “divine true wind school”. It was founded by Iso Mataemon Minamoto no Masatari in the 1830s, based on yoshin-ryu. This style of jujutsu was studied by Jigaro Kano, the founder of judo and formed part of the basis for judo.
ANALYSIS
Jujutsu's main strength is that it contains a wide range of grappling techniques while still including a reasonable selection of strikes as well as containing weapon defenses. So, jujutsu does at least address all the phases of combat. However, it doesn't convincingly master any particular area: In the striking phase of combat it cannot match up to the striking arts like boxing, karate, kickboxing, or taekwondo. In the standing grappling phase, judo tends to do better and in the ground phase Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has the edge.
With competition playing only a minor role in the practice of jujutsu, there is always a risk that the attacks that jujutsu practitioners defend against are lacking in realism. Unless you practice against attackers who are making a concerted effort to really hit you then you never know how you would deal with a real situation. However, jujutsu practice is most often with a collaborating partner. It is therefore a good idea for jujutsu specialists to cross train in something like boxing or karate where your opponent will be throwing fast punching combinations that are set up by feints.
Aikido
Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art that focuses on controlling the opponent by way of joint manipulations. Aikido is derived from jujutsu but is unusual in the world of martial arts in that the central idea is to nullify an aggressor while causing him as little harm as possible. The word aikido can be literally translated as “way of harmonizing spirit” and this reflects the spiritual dimension that is considered by many of its practitioners to be central to aikido.
Like jujutsu practitioners, aikido practitioners also typically wear a heavy cotton uniform called a keikogi that consists of wide bottomed trousers and a long sleeved jacket, held together with a colored belt that signifies rank. The keikogi is usually white and a black hakama (a pair of wide pleated trousers) are often worn, though often this is reserved for instructor level practitioners.
HISTORY
Aikido was developed in the 1930s by Morihei Ueshiba who combined techniques from a variety of jujutsu styles, primarily Daito-ryu jujutsu. He also took some of the footwork from sword and spear fighting. Ueshiba was influenced by the idealistic philosophies of the Omoto-kyo religion, which is a branch of the Shinto religion, and he integrated these philosophies into aikido.
In 1931, Ueshiba opened the Kobukan, a dojo (training hall) located in Tokyo, initially calling his art akibudo. In 1942, the Kobukan was closed due to wartime evacuation and Ueshiba moved to Iwama. By this time Ueshiba had moved the focus of his art away from its purely martial roots and more towards a spiritual one. Reflecting this change, he adopted the name aikido for his art.
In later years, the leadership of aikido passed to Morihei's son, Kisshomaru Ueshiba and the Kobukan in Tokyo was reopened. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, aikido spread to the West and today aikido is practiced throughout the world.
APPROACH
Because of its roots in Daito-ryu, aikido has a great deal of similarity to jujutsu. It focuses on joint manipulations and includes strikes, particularly those against vital areas, mainly as a way of creating openings for a lock or a throw. Break falling is also an integral part of the training.
Aikido is often classified as an internal martial art. One aspect of aikido that helps it to qualify as an internal art is the concept of blending. Rather than use brute force to block an incoming attack, aikido practitioners prefer to try to synchronize their movements with those of the attacker, flowing with the attack and then gently redirecting it. After blending with an incoming attack, the aikido practitioner will usually try to apply a joint lock. The expectation is that in a real live self-defense situation something would break or dislocate. Obviously, during aikido practice inflicting this kind of serious damage to your training partner is not desirable. Consequently the person experiencing the joint lock is also expected to use blending and flow with the lock. This means flipping or rolling out of the lock, which looks very impressive in aikido demonstrations.
The creator of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, when speaking about the purpose of aikido, said that “to control aggression without inflicting injury is the Art of Peace.” One of the central philosophies of aikido is that practitioners should avoid conflict and when attacked they should defend themselves without injuring their opponent.
KI - An important concept in the eastern martial arts is that of ki (or chi in Chinese martial arts). Ki is best translated as "vital energy"or "life energy"and it has both physical and mental components.
COMPETITION
Most aikido practitioners do not take part in any competitive fighting matches. The official explanation usually given is that aikido is about harmony and that this is not compatible with the idea of fighting in a competition.
One type of aikido contest is tanto randori. One competitor is designated attacker and one the defender. The attacker is armed with a fake knife (usually rubber) and tries to tag the defender with it. The defender must avoid the attacks and is scored on his ability to break the attacker's balance and apply aikido techniques. After a fixed time period the roles are reversed.
Another type of contest is called embu in which competitors demonstrate kata, predetermined techniques, and contestants are scored on their performance.
| AN OVERVIEW OF AIKIDO | |
| Name | Aikido |
| Translation | Way of harmonizing spirit |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Period of origin | 1930s |
| Category | Grappling art |
| Strengths | Includes a broad range of attacks Defense against weapons as well as unarmed attacks |
| Weaknesses | No realistic contests Neglects the benefits of going on the offensive |
STYLES
Aikikai This is the mainstream style of aikido and is still controlled by the Ueshiba family.
Yoseikan Aikido Minoru Mochizuki founded this style of aikido in 1931. He integrated techniques from judo and karate in an attempt to create a well-rounded martial art.
Yoshinkan Aikido This style was created in 1951 by Gozo Shioda. It is noted for its punishing senshusei (expert) course that is used to train Yoshinkan instructors and was originally conceived to help train the Tokyo riot police. Robert Twigger described his experiences of the senshusei course in his book Angry White Pyjamas.
Shodokan Aikido Kenji Tomiki created the shodokan style in 1967. The founder decided that what aikido training was lacking was the realism and pressure of sparring with a resisting opponent. Taking ideas that he had learnt from Jigaro Kano, the founder of judo, Tomiki started introducing competitive elements into the aikido training. Shodokan practitioners do not wear hakama as it was found to interfere with safe competitive fighting.
Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido Founded in 1974 by the then chief instructor of the Aikikai, Koichi Tohei. This style of aikido focuses on the application of ki and is often referred to as ki aikido (its governing association calls itself the Ki Society).
ANALYSIS
Aikido practice includes defense against various attacks including punches, grabs, and weapon attacks. It also includes training for defending against multiple attackers. The ability of aikido practitioners to blend with incoming attacks, combined with the fluid counter attacks and the flips and rolls that they cause are very impressive.
However, the emphasis of aikido is to defend against an incoming attack and redirect it rather than to make use of a preemptive attack. While this philosophy is admirable it does means that the initiative is given away to an opponent. This defensive attitude to training can also result in aikido practitioners never really learning how to mount a strong offense. Within such a training environment, a student might only be exposed to other practitioners with the same outlook. This combined with the common rejection of competitions within most aikido schools can mean that an aikido practitioner might never learn to defend against a strong attack. And with all of that blending, you can never really be sure if all those joint locks are really going to work or if the compliant partner is doing all the work with those flips and rolls. Consequently, a common criticism of aikido practice is that these attacks that are thrown are not realistic and are merely caricatures of real attacks and so some doubt is raised as to whether they could successfully defend against a more earnest attack.
Judo
Judo is a modern Japanese martial art and Olympic sport that focuses on grappling techniques and ground fighting. Like jujutsu and aikido practitioners, judo participants typically wear a heavy cotton uniform called a keikogi, or judogi that consists of wide bottomed trousers and a long sleeved jacket, held together with a colored belt that signifies rank. The judogi is usually white but blue uniforms are also common and in many competitions one competitor must wear white and the other blue.
HISTORY
Jigoro Kano created judo, basing it on jujutsu. Kano had studied two styles of jujutsu: Kito-ryu and Tenjin Shinyo-ryu. Jujutsu practice consisted of step-by-step predetermined moves and Kano felt that this was not sufficient to train someone in how to really fight. He realized that the only way to learn to fight properly was by engaging in free flowing, interactive contests, and so he started to formulate a way that jujutsu could be practiced with a resisting opponent. He called this approach to training randori, which is usually translated as “free practice” (but literally means something like “disordered grasp”).
In 1882, Kano founded the first judo school in a Buddhist temple and had just nine members. Over the years, the home of judo, which became known as the Kodokan, would move to progressively larger premises as the popularity of judo grew.
There was a great deal of rivalry between jujutsu schools and the new judo school (at that time it was referred to as Kano's Jujutsu). There were a great many challenge matches between the kodokan and jujutsu fighters. Kano wrote in his memoirs, “It seemed that the Kodokan had to take on the whole of Japan, and had to have a spirit of being ready for anything.”
The turning point came in 1886 when athletes from the Kodokan faced Totsuka-ha Yoshin-ryu jujutsu in a contest organized by the Tokyo metropolitan police. Kodokan Judo dominated the contest, winning 13 out of 15 matches. Judo grew in popularity with new students leaving their jujutsu masters to train with Kano. Ultimately, this would lead to judo displacing jujutsu in Japan.
Kano quickly promoted Judo outside of Japan, travelling to Europe and America in 1889. He became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1911. Judo was demonstrated at the 1932 Olympic Games but did not become an Olympic sport until the 1964 games in Tokyo.
APPROACH
In formulating randori, Kano removed the most dangerous techniques, for example the strikes, whose unrestricted and uncontrolled use would endanger participants. These techniques were preserved in the judo kata, which were rehearsed sequences of moves to be performed in a controlled manner. Thus, there would be two training methods: randori would use a restricted set of moves that could be used without control against a resisting partner; kata would use an unrestricted set of moves to be performed with control against a compliant partner.
Most judo practitioners focus on the competition element and so judo practice focuses on the techniques that are allowed in randori: grappling techniques, throwing techniques, and arm locks. Other locks, such as wrist, leg, or spinal locks, as well as small joint manipulations, are not allowed in competition and so tend not to be practiced. Striking techniques only appear in the judo kata and so tend to be overlooked. They are regarded as techniques for advanced students and that their main use is to distract an opponent to allow for close range grappling.
In recent years, there has been a trend towards judo competitors focusing on throws and less on groundwork because throws seem to be more likely to score points in competition.
| AN OVERVIEW OF JUDO | |
| Name | Judo |
| Translation | Gentle way |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Period of origin | 1880s |
| Category | Grappling art |
| Strengths | Good ground skills Realistic grappling contests |
| Weaknesses | Poor against multiple attackers Difficult to use against a heavier opponent Many judo techniques depend on the opponent wearing a judo jacket |
COMPETITION
Judo is a fully developed sport and is part of the Olympic Games. There is also a judo world championship that is held every two years by the International Judo Federation. Originally there were no weight limits, but over time categories were added and now most competitions have seven weight categories.
There are two distinct phases to a judo fight. During the standing phase, which is considered the initial phase, competitors grapple and attempt to bring their opponent to the ground by way of a throw or a trip. This leads into the ground phase where fighters try to apply a hold, lock, or strangulation. Any time that a point is scored or a penalty applied, the fight is stopped and recommenced in the standing phase.
Points are awarded for throwing an opponent on his back. A perfectly executed technique is awarded an ippon (a full point) and will immediately win the match. If the technique is lacking in some way, for example the opponent lands only partially on his back or the technique is done with less than full force, then there are lower scores that can be awarded but which can be used to determine the winner if no ippon is scored. An ippon is awarded for holding an opponent on the ground for 25 seconds. A partial score is awarded for holding an opponent down for less time than that. An ippon is also awarded if an opponent submits or is incapacitated after being held in an arm lock or strangulation technique.
STYLES
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Mitsuyo Maeda originally brought judo to Brazil in 1914, a Japanese kodokan judo practitioner who was a notorious prize-fighter in no-holds barred contests. Maeda taught the Gracie family, who then reformulated and popularized Brazilian jiu-jitsu. They did not use the word “judo” because at that time it was still being referred to as Kano Jujutsu (and due to the conventions of the time it was spelled “jiu-jitsu,” which was then a common Romanization). Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, often called Gracie Jiu-jitsu, emphasizes the groundwork aspects of judo. This emphasis has proved the most effective tactic in no holds barred contests and the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion was Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, Royce Gracie.
Sambo This modern Russian martial art is a synthesis of judo, and various regional wrestling styles from China, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Azerbaijan. Sambo is an acronym for “self defense without weapons.” Notable Sambo practitioners include Vladimir Putin, who is also a 6th dan in judo; Oleg Taktarov who was the UFC champion in 1995; and Megumi Fujii who is an undefeated female MMA fighter and is known as the “Princess of Sambo”.
ANALYSIS
The judo philosophy of improving fighting skills through competition is an effective one. It allowed judo to quickly evolve away from its jujutsu roots and almost rendered other similar arts obsolete. However, this came at a cost. While the separation of dangerous techniques into kata allowed safe competition between practitioners, there was a trend towards simply ignoring the kata and the focus was placed on techniques that won competitions.
Judo's status as an Olympic sport brought about an increase in international interest in the art but also had the effect of pushing it further from being a martial art and more towards being a sport. Judo contains a complete ground fighting system but the modern trend in judo emphasizes throws partly because the perception is that these are the techniques most likely to score points in competition.
Karate
Karate, which means “empty hand” is a modern Japanese martial art with its roots in Okinawa. It emphasizes striking, in particular punching and kicking. Karate practitioners typically wear a cotton uniform called a keikogi, or dogi (Western practitioners will usually refer to it simply as a gi). This uniform is similar to the judo uniform but since it does not need to withstand the grappling of judo it is typically a much thinner weave. It consists of wide bottomed trousers and a long sleeved jacket, held together with a colored belt that signifies rank. The keikogi is usually white but some karate schools use other colors.
HISTORY
The island of Okinawa lies in the Ryukyu island chain between China and Japan. It has been strongly influenced by China for centuries and the unarmed martial art native to Okinawa was essentially a local variant of the Chinese “way of the fist,” ch'uan fa. In Okinawa this was known as tode, which means “Chinese fist,” and in Japanese this is pronounced “karate.” Okinawan martial arts were divided between three towns: Naha-te from the port town of Naha, Shuri-te, from the royal city of Shuri and Tomari-te, a small town near to Shuri.
Unarmed martial arts in Okinawa became of greater importance following a weapons ban in 1429 by the King of Okinawa. The Japanese Shimazu clan who annexed Okinawa as a vassal state in 1609 extended this ban. Under these conditions the Okinawan martial arts evolved away from their ch'uan fa roots.
Many of the top practitioners of this Shuri-te were of the Okinawan ruling keimochi class, the most significant of which was Sokon Matsumura who was chief bodyguard to the king of Okinawa. Many of the main styles of karate can trace their lineage back to Matsumura, so in many ways these karate styles are the bodyguard's fighting art.
In 1872, Japan officially annexed Okinawa and abolished the Okinawan ruling class sending the King into exile. As a result, karate masters, who had previously served the king, changed their philosophy, moving away from that of a 19th century royal secret service and more towards an open method of self-defense that would lead to mental and physical self-improvement. Following this new philosophy Anko Itosu, who had studied under Matsumura, introduced karate into elementary schools. He designed new kata, less than half the length of the typical kata, making it more appropriate for teaching to children.
Karate gradually spread to mainland Japan as various Okinawan karate masters travelled to Japan promoting their art. A key figure in bringing karate to Japan was Gichin Funakoshi, who had learned karate from Itosu. He worked on integrating the Okinawan karate, which still had a very Chinese identity. He changed the way that karate was written so that instead of meaning “Chinese hand” it instead meant “Empty hand.” He also renamed some of the kata, giving them Japanese names rather than Okinawan or Chinese ones. He also consulted with Jigaro Kano, creator of judo, which was at that time very much established in Japanese culture, and introduced the white uniform and colored belt system from judo.
APPROACH
Karate focuses on using fast straight punches combined with kicks to strike an opponent. Karate practice is broken down into three sections:
Kihon Means basics, involves practicing the fundamental movements, usually punches, kicks and blocks, without a partner.
Kata Meaning forms, involves practicing sequences of prearranged moves. In general, these kata are poorly understood but there is a trend towards interpreting the practical meaning of these forms in what is often called kata application.
Kumite Involves sparring with a partner. These can take the form of formal pre-arranged exercises, typically involving blocking or parrying a punch or kick followed by a counter strike.
Some karate schools also include kobudo, traditional weapons training, with weapons such as the sai (three-pronged dagger), bo (staff), nuchuku (flail), and tonfa (baton).
A central concept in karate is that of ikken hissatsu, the one hit kill. This is a concept that seems to have been imported from kendo. A killer blow with a sword hardly stretches the imagination, but in the karate world of the unarmed strike, it is certainly a loftier goal. Even if unrealistic, this aspiration results in practitioners focusing on fast and accurate strikes.
Some karate practitioners develop their punching ability by repeatedly striking a wooden post called a makiwara. Advocates of this training method say that it is a way to develop strong punches with a firm straight wrist as well as conditioning the knuckles to the impact by causing a thickening of the skin. This practice seems to be declining in favor of modern punching bad or sports karate where heavy contact with the fists is avoided entirely.
| TERMINOLOGY: JAPANESE MARTIAL ARTS | |
| dojo | training hall |
| rei | bow |
| yoi | ready |
| hajime | begin |
| kiai | martial shout |
| yame | stop |
| mawate | turn |
| ippon | one point |
| wazari | half point |
| tsuki | punch |
| geri | kick |
| uke | block |
| AN OVERVIEW OF KARATE | |
| Name | Karate |
| Translation | Empty hand |
| Country of origin | Japan (Okinawa) |
| Period of origin | 1800s |
| Category | Striking art |
| Strengths | Powerful punches and kicks |
| Weaknesses | No ground fighting No realistic grappling |
STYLES
Shotokan, means “house of Shoto”, named after its creator Gichin Funakoshi whose pen name was Shoto. Long low stances and large powerful movements characterize Shotokan.
Goju-ryu, means “hard and soft style” and traces its heritage back to Chojun Miyagi who studied under the Naha-te master Higaonna. Goju-ryu uses a combination of hard linear moves combined with soft circular moves and there is a focus using breathing to improve technique.
Shito-ryu, Founded by Kenwa Mabuni in the 1920s, Shito-ryu is a synthesis of the soft circular styled Naha-te of Higa-onna and the hard straight styled Shuri-te of Itosu.
Wado-ryu, Created by Hironori Otsuka in the 1930s, Wado-ryu is a synthesis of Shotokan karate and jujutsu. Wado-ryu, which means “the harmonious way style,” combines the linear strikes of Shotokan with evasive maneuvers that involve slipping past attacks. Wado-ryu also focuses on sparring drills that are more complex than the simple block and counter drills of shotokan. These drills, which are called paired kata, include locks and throws reflecting the jujutsu heritage of Wado-ryu.
Kyokushin-kai, was created by Masutatsu Oyama in the 1950s. Kyokushin-kai, which means “ultimate truth school,” is based on Guju-ryu karate with some Shotokan influence but places an emphasis on realistic full contact stand up fighting. These full contact fights are done with a minimum of protective equipment, but, as a result, punches and elbow strikes are not allowed to the head. In this way Kyokushin-kai sparring is symptomatic of the realism dilemma within martial arts. In trying to create realism by disallowing head guards while insisting on full contact, the most common attack, the head punch, has been disallowed, resulting in fighters who remain fairly static and make no effort to protect their head. Well known kyokushin-kai black belts include the MMA fighter Bas Rutten and action movie star Dolph Lundgren.
Tang Soo Do, Despite Korean influences and claims of ancient Korean origin, Tang Soo Do remains a Korean version of Shotokan karate. Tang Soo Do means “Way of the Chinese hand,” the same as the original characters for karate. The Tang Soo Do hyeong, or forms, are very similar to the Shotokan karate kata and, in fact, Shotokan has more in common with Tang Soo Do than it does with some of the official karate styles such as Goju-ryu. The martial arts legend Chuck Norris began his martial arts career studying Tang Soo Do.
COMPETITION
One type of karate competition is called kumite, which means sparring. It involves competitors attempting to score points by landing punches or kicks on the body or head. In full contact karate matches, these blows are done with full force, but in this case punches to the head are not allowed. In semi-contact karate, head punches are allowed, but all competitors are required to pull their attacks so that they only tag their opponent, thus avoiding injury.
Usually minimal protective equipment is used in these contests. Some contests allow only a mouth guard and a groin guard. Other competitions will require light cotton mitts to be worn that reduce the risk of cuts when punching to the head. Sometimes head protection or shin guards are used.
Another type of karate competition revolves around the performance of ritualized movements called kata, which are scored by judges based on form and concentration.
ANALYSIS
Karate practice focuses most heavily on punching and kicking techniques, usually with the focus on driving forward with these attacks quickly and powerfully. These techniques are usually taught with a great deal of attention to detail, and practice involves many repetitions with the aspiration to develop the perfect technique. As a result karate practitioners tend to be able to strike explosively with millimeter accuracy.
The karate kata contain a number of grappling moves including throws, single-leg take-downs, as well as arm locks and neck breaks. However, karate does not contain any ground fighting techniques, although some of the locks can be transferred to a ground-fighting context, and karate practitioners almost never engage in ground fighting exercises. In a self-defense situation, this makes a lot of sense but it does lead the karate practitioner open to defeat from a skilled ground fighter.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is a competitive full contact sport that focuses on kicking and punching. Fights are held in a ring and competitors wear boxing gloves and either boxing shorts or long pants with foot-pads, depending on the type of kickboxing.
HISTORY
The origin of kickboxing begins with Muay Thai, which in turn traces its origins back to the ancient art that is now called Muay Boran, which means “ancient boxing” that had been practiced in Siam for centuries. Muay Boran was originally used as a practical fighting art for military and self-defense purposes, but increasingly it became popular as a competitive spectator sport. In the 1920s, a modern set of codified rules were created which became the modern Muay Thai.
In the 1950s Japan, there were two people whose interest in Muay Thai would lead to the creation of kickboxing.
A Japanese karate practitioner called Tatsuo Yamada, who had created Nihon Kempo Karate-do, had become frustrated with karate because opponents were not permitted to make full contact. He had taken an interest in Muay Thai and, in 1959, it had inspired him to create a sport that he called “karate boxing” which combined the kicking techniques of karate with the full contact and punching aspects of boxing. At about the same time a boxing promoter called Osamu Noguchi had also become interested in Muay Thai.
Finally Yamada and Noguchi met and worked together to organize karate vs Muay Thai matches. Nuguchi proposed the name kickboxing and the new martial art started to grow in popularity. Noguchi founded the Kickboxing Association in 1967 and the new sport boomed in Japan after being broadcast on television.
In the 1970s, kickboxing spread to North America. At first, fights were organized under various rules since no universal set of rules could be decided. After much political infighting eventually large governing bodies began to coalesce and were able to provide some sort of consistency. However, to this day the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) and the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) both claim to be the largest kickboxing organizations.
APPROACH
Kickboxers use punches and kicks to damage their opponent. Muay Thai fighters also use elbow and knee strikes. A common tactic in Muay Thai is to hold an opponent in a clinch and then to either to strike the body using knee strikes or to pull the head down while striking up with a rising knee strike
It is common for kickboxers to use pads as part of their training drills. Focus pads are used to practice light, fast punches as a way of increasing speed and an ability to fire combination punches. Heavy pads are used to practice heavy attacks and to improve the power of kicks and knee strikes. Another type of pad that is used, particularly by Muay Thai practitioners, are thai pads which are a pair of rectangular pads that cover the forearms and can be placed in a variety of positions to allow a sparring partner to practice combinations of punches, kicks, knee strikes, and elbows.
| TERMINOLOGY: THAI MARTIAL ARTS | |
| teh trong | straight kick |
| teh tud | roundhouse kick |
| teh glub lang | spinning heel kick |
| teh khao | axe heel kick |
| gra-dode teh | jump kick |
| sok tee | elbow slash |
| sok tud | horizontal elbow |
| sok kun | uppercut elbow |
| mud trong | straight punch |
| mud wiang san | hook |
| mud wiang glu | spinning backfist |
| mud seuy | uppercut |
| AN OVERVIEW OF KICKBOXING | |
| Name | Kickboxing |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Period of origin | 1920s |
| Category | Striking art |
| Strengths | Powerful punches and kicks Full contact fighting |
| Weaknesses | No ground fighting No take-downs Minimal grappling |
STYLE
Muay Thai, which means Thai boxing, is known as the “Art of the Eight Limbs” because competitors can use punches, elbows kicks and knees. It also allows neck wrestling, whereby an attacker clinches behind the head or neck while throwing knee strikes to the head or body. Well known Muay Thai fighters include Anderson Silva, who has also been very successful in MMA fights.
Muay Boran, which means “ancient boxing” is the predecessor Muay Thai and allows some techniques that are not allowed in Muay Thai fights, such as head butts.
Japanese kickboxing, is based on the fighting system founded by Osamu Noguchi in 1967. The rules are essentially the same as those for Muay Thai, but the point system scores punches and kicks equally which encourages the use of punches more than Muay Thai.
American kickboxing, can be seen as a combination of boxing and karate. Competitors use punches and kicks, but not elbows or knees, and all attacks must be above waist height. Notable American kickboxers include Bill “Super-foot” Wallace” and Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, who went on to star in martial arts movies like Wheels on Meals and Dragons Forever.
Savate, is a French martial art also known as French Kickboxing that dates back to the 19th century. It allows striking with both the hands and feet, somewhat similar to Muay Thai but knee and elbow strikes are not allowed. Competitors wear boxing gloves and typically these are colored to indicate rank in the same way that a belt does in oriental martial arts.
ANALYSIS
Kickboxing is generally considered a well-rounded and realistic method of stand-up fighting. Muay Thai in particular is very practical and complete because of the inclusion of elbow and knee strikes; practitioners are also familiar with some aspects of the stand-up grappling with clinching and close-range striking. Kickboxing styles such as American kickboxing that do not allow such maneuvers are sometimes criticized as being watered down versions of Muay Thai. However, the gritty realism of Muay Thai has been one of the main barriers to its success outside of Thailand because of its perceived brutality and this has probably led to students favoring American kickboxing.
Muay Thai has gained in popularity as interest in MMA has grown because it is considered an ideal martial art for the stand up striking aspect of MMA and many of the most successful MMA fighters have come from a Muay Thai background. However, Muay Thai has one main weakness in that it does not include any ground fighting. For this reason, kickboxing MMA fighters will always train in another martial art such as judo, wrestling, or Brazilian Jiu-jitsu that covers the takedowns and ground fighting.
Taekwondo
Taekwondo, which means “kick punch method” is a Korean martial art that focuses on kicking attacks. Practitioners wear a white uniform known as a dobahk with a colored belt that indicates rank. The dobahk is quite similar to the training uniforms of karate and judo but differs in that the top is not a jacket but instead is more of a long sleeved t-shirt. In sparring contests, fighters wear foam head guards and padded trunk protectors.
HISTORY
Korea has a rich history of traditional martial arts, the most popular of which were subak and taekkyeon. However, during the Josean Dynasty (1392-1910) Korean martial arts went into decline. It was not until after the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945) that there was a resurgence or interest in Korean martial arts. By the 1950s, nine kwans (schools) of unarmed fighting had emerged. These were united into one martial art that was named “taekwondo” by Hung Li Choi.
Choi, who is usually referred to as General Choi, is widely regarded as being the creator of taekwondo. Choi had studied both the Korean art of taekkyeon and the Japanese art of karate. He managed to convince the leaders of Korea that tae-kwondo should be part of the training regime for the South Korean army. In 1966, he founded the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) and within a few years taekwondo had become one of the world's fastest growing martial arts.
After a series of disputes with the South Korean President, Choi left Korea and moved to Canada. From there he continued to open ITF schools outside of Korea. The response in Korea was to appoint Un-yong Kim in Choi's place. In 1973, Kim created the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). Choi tried to oppose the WTF by conspiring with North Korea to destabilize the WTF. However, this plan backfired because many of his students and instructors disagreed with these actions and simply switched sides to the WTF.
After years of lobbying by the WTF, taekwondo was accepted as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Games in Seoul and as a full medal sport at the 2000 Games in Sydney.
| TERMINOLOGY: KOREAN MARTIAL ARTS | |
| dojang | training hall |
| kyung ye | bow |
| charyeot | attention |
| shijak | begin |
| kihap | martial shout |
| junbi | ready |
| keasok | continue |
| kyoruggi | sparring |
| kuman | stop |
| dwiro dora | turn around |
| jireugi | punch |
| chagi | kick |
| makki | block |
APPROACH
Taekwondo based its approach on the high power of kicking attacks relative to a punching attack. If you want to break down a door do you punch it down or do you kick it down? Taekwondo practice not only contains a wide variety of kicks but also ways to throw those kicks in combination.
Stretching exercises are an essential part of taekwondo practice because good flexibility is needed to be able to kick effectively.
Breaking exercises are used as part of demonstrations and as requirements in rank tests. This typically involves breaking a wooden board by throwing a punch or a kick at it. Demonstrations often involve other materials such as brick or blocks of ice.
Increasingly the emphasis has been towards pursuing taekwondo as a sport. However, most taekwondo schools still focus on self-defense applications of the art. Often these applications use joint locks in addition to punching but the emphasis is on using the legs for counter strikes, finishing moves, and takedowns.
| AN OVERVIEW OF TAEKWONDO | |
| Name | Taekwondo |
| Translation | Way of kicking and punching |
| Country of origin | Korea |
| Period of origin | 1950s |
| Category | Striking art |
| Strengths | Great variety of kicking attacks Full contact contests |
| Weaknesses | Close range fighting No ground fighting Some contests ban head punches |
COMPETITION
WTF competitions prohibit punching to the head and the point system so heavily favors kicks that, from a competition standpoint, there is little point worrying about holding a strong guard. Competitors will try to throw as many kicks as quickly as possible rather than worry about a strong defense. Some competitors also report that blocking a kick can still result in a point being scored against them because many judges use the sound of the impact to indicate a successful attack. Kicks or punches to the body score one point and kicks to the head score two points. The fights are full contact and only full force blows are scored. Knockouts are permitted and result in an immediate win.
The different scoring system used in ITF competitions lead to a different fighting style. Head punches are allowed and competitors will typically hold up a strong guard. Full force blows are not allowed and competitors will be penalized for excessive contact.
ANALYSIS
Taekwondo's focus on an offensive style of fighting that emphasizes kicking produces martial artists capable of impressive and dynamic kicking combinations. This has been one element of the art that has attracted students. However, these techniques are athletically challenging and require a high degree of flexibility to perform, making them inaccessible for those unable to achieve these standards of physical aptitude.
The danger with the taekwondo approach is that it builds an over reliance on kicking techniques. While these are very useful and powerful tools to have in the arsenal, they can prove to be impractical in a real life situation. The fighting style that the WTF competition engenders is highly unrealistic in that it does not allow head punches which, in any real life self-defense setting, would be the most likely attack to have to defend against. Fortunately, most taekwondo instructors realize this and do include defending against such attacks in their classes.
Boxing
Boxing, also known as pugilism, is a competitive full contact sport that focuses solely on punching. Competitors wear large padded gloves.
HISTORY
Fist fighting, as a competitive sport, has existed for thousands of years. Ancient Sumerian carvings have been found that depict bare-fisted contests and ancient Indian texts such as the Vedas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata make reference to fist fighting. Boxing is often referred to as “pugilism,” which is a term that dates back to the Etruscans in the 1st Millennium BC.
There were various forms of boxing throughout the Mediterranean in ancient times. Originally, it consisted of bare-fisted fighting, but increasingly fighters would wear leather straps on their hands to protect themselves. Boxing became part of the Greek Olympic Games in 688 BC and was known as pygme or pygmachia. Boxing existed in the Roman world both as an athletic pursuit as well as a gladiatorial exposition.
In post-classical times, boxing remained popular in various forms throughout Europe. In 18th century England, organized bare knuckle fist fights, then known as prize fights, led to the first bare knuckle champion in 1719, James Figg. Around this time the sport acquired the name of “boxing.” In 18th century England, Jack Broughton wrote the first boxing rules, called the London Prize Ring rules, in 1743. Prior to this the sport was very dangerous with no official rules, weight divisions, time limits or referees. Broughton encouraged the use of padded gloves for use in training and demonstrations.
In Victorian times, the practice of boxing came under criticism from the establishment, in particular the clergy and the upper classes. After a particularly brutal 38 round fight that had to be stopped by police, a law was passed, the Anti-Prize Fight Act of 1861, which made it illegal to have any part in a prizefight.
A big step towards the modern form of boxing came about with the creation of the Marquess of Queensbury rules. These rules, drafted in 1865 by John Chambers, were published under the patronage of the Marquess of Queens-bury and included most of the elements of modern boxing including a 24-foot square ring, three-minute rounds and a ten second count for fighters who were knocked down.
Boxing was still something of an underground activity and did not achieve legitimacy until the 20th Century with the foundation of boxing commissions and the inclusion of boxing in the modern Olympic Games.
APPROACH
Boxing training includes the following components:
Heavy bag, A boxer's speed, power, and endurance can be improved by punching the heavy bag. One training method is to work on the ability to continue punching at a high intensity for the duration of one round. By having a rest period of the same duration as a boxing match and then returning to the heavy bag, the staying power needed for a boxing match can be built up.
Skipping rope, Using a skipping rope has been a training method in boxing for many years. It can be used to work on endurance, work on being able to develop speed in bursts, and to develop good footwork and rhythm.
Speed ball, Boxers use a small air-filled bag called a speedball or speed bag to improve hand-eye coordination.
Sparring, Sparring can be done in a variety of ways and levels. At the most basic level, sparring practice is essential as a way of getting used to hitting an opponent and of being hit while also building endurance. More advanced boxers use sparring to build up tactics and ring craft.
The Marquis of Queensbury Rules
1. To be a fair stand-up boxing match in a 24-foot ring, or as near that size as practicable.
2. No wrestling or hugging allowed.
3. The rounds to be of three minutes' duration, and one minute's time between rounds.
4. If either man falls through weakness or otherwise, he must get up unassisted, 10 seconds to be allowed him to do so, the other man meanwhile to return to his corner, and when the fallen man is on his legs the round is to be resumed and continued until the three minutes have expired. If one man fails to come to the scratch in the 10 seconds allowed, it shall be in the power of the referee to give his award in favor of the other man.
5. A man hanging on the ropes in a helpless state, with his toes off the ground, shall be considered down.
6. No seconds or any other person to be allowed in the ring during the rounds.
7. Should the contest be stopped by any unavoidable interference, the referee to name the time and place as soon as possible for finishing the contest; so that the match must be won and lost, unless the backers of both men agree to draw the stakes.
8. The gloves to be fair-sized boxing gloves of the best quality and new.
9. Should a glove burst, or come off, it must be replaced to the referee's satisfaction.
10. A man on one knee is considered down and if struck is entitled to the stakes.
11. No shoes or boots with springs allowed.
12. The contest in all other respects to be governed by revised rules of the London Prize Ring
STYLES
The following fighting styles are commonly used by boxers:
Brawler/slugger, The brawler is like a tank, relying not on finesse but on sheer power. They favor single powerful punches over combination punches. Brawlers typically are not very mobile but instead are good at absorbing punches. Famous Brawlers include Sonny Liston and George Foreman.
In-fighter/swarmer, The in-fighter tries to stay close to their opponent, putting them under pressure with a flurry of attacks. This type of fighter uses aggression to put his opponent on the back foot, and bob and weave maneuvers to close the distance without being hit. Famous in-fighters include Mike Tyson and Joe Frazier.
Out-fighter, The out-fighter attempts to keep distance between himself and his opponent. These fighters will try to use long-range attacks, typically the jab, to hit without allowing their opponent to counter, often employing superior footwork to maintain the advantage. the most well known out-fighter was Muhammad Ali.
Boxer/puncher, A puncher is well-rounded fighter, similar to an out-fighter using mobility to fight at a distance, but they are also able to close the distance and wear down their opponent using combinations. Examples of well-known punchers are Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis.
COMPETITION
Amateur boxing, This form of boxing is used in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. It focuses more on technique than power, with points being awarded for clean punches delivered to the head and body. Participants wear head guards. Matches have only a small number of rounds, usually three or four. Many amateur boxers go on to become professional boxers. The Olympics in particular has been a pipeline to the world of professional boxing and gold medalists Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali), Joe Frazier, and George Foreman all went on to become Heavyweight Champions of the World.
Professional boxing, In professional boxing, strength and endurance are as important as skill. Head protection is not permitted in professional boxing and matches are longer than amateur matches, usually 10 or 12 rounds long.
| BOXING TERMINOLOGY | |
| Chin | Ability to withstand punches |
| Glass jaw | A fighter who can easily be knocked out |
| Hammerhead | A fighter who can take punches without getting knocked out |
| Orthodox | Fighting with the left leg forward |
| Southpaw | Fighting with the right leg forward |
| KO | Knockout - a fighter is rendered unconscious |
| TKO | Technical knockout - a fighter is judged too injured to continue fighting |
| makki | block |
| AN OVERVIEW OF BOXING | |
| Name | Boxing |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Period of origin | 1867 (in its modern form) |
| Category | Striking art |
| Strengths | Full contact contests |
| Weaknesses | No grappling No kicks No ground fighting No weapon defenses |
ANALYSIS
Boxing is unsurpassed for punching technique and is an overall great way to practice stand-up fighting. The highly competitive and full contact nature means that techniques and tactics that do not work are quickly exposed. However, when viewed alongside the entire catalog of martial arts it can seem very one dimensional, entirely neglecting kicking, grappling, or ground fighting.
Wrestling
Wrestling is a broad term covering fighting styles that use grappling techniques to control or make an opponent submit. There are many different styles of wrestling from all over the world and most have long histories. Wrestling has two main forms. Firstly, it is a competitive sport that is included in the Olympic Games and is most commonly practiced at college and high school level in the United States. Secondly, it is a form of entertainment called professional wrestling in which fights are choreographed in advance. In amateur matches, competitors wear a singlet and wrestling shoes and may also wear kneepads. In professional wrestling, there are no restrictions on what the participants may wear and a wide variety of costumes are worn, as a way of increasing the entertainment value.
HISTORY
The practice of unarmed grappling dates back to ancient times with records of wrestling matches in the ancient texts of various cultures. In India, The Mahabharata contains a wrestling match in which the combatants “with bare arms as their only weapons... grasped and struck each other.” The ancient Sumerian text, The Epic of Gilgamesh, describes a wrestling match between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, saying that “they grappled, holding each other like bulls... Gilgamesh bent his knee with his foot planted on the ground and with a turn Enkidu was thrown.” Evidence in the shape of artwork on pottery, coins, and friezes indicates that wrestling was popular in both ancient Greece and Egypt.
Wrestling became an event in the ancient Olympic Games and after the conquest of Greece by the Romans, wrestling became absorbed into Roman culture.
The modern form of Greco-Roman wrestling was formulated in the 19th Century and was popular throughout mainland Europe, while freestyle wrestling became popular in the United Kingdom and the United States. Wrestling was popular first in fairs and carnivals, and then, as gymnasiums and athletic clubs grew in popularity, regulated competitions with more formal rules were organized. In the 20th century, Greco-Roman wrestling became part of the modern Olympic Games and, in later years, freestyle wrestling was included.
Prior to the First World War, carnival show prizefights had few rules and were very popular. This kind of wrestling died out and was replaced by two types of wrestling: “shoot” in which fighters actually competed to win and “show” in which matches were mere spectacle.
APPROACH
The objective of the wrestler is to either pin his opponent or to apply a painful lock that will force him to submit. In general, strikes of any kind are forbidden in wrestling although, as a hybrid style, shoot wrestling often includes some strikes. Pro wrestling also includes certain strikes but these would be theatrical attacks.
STYLES
Greco-Roman, is a type of amateur wrestling and is included in the Olympic Games. It was formulated in France in the 19th century but follows in the tradition of ancient Roman and Greek wrestling. It does not allow the use of legs to apply a hold, nor does it allow any holds below the belt. Throws are allowed but trips are not.
Freestyle, is similar to Greco-Roman wrestling in that it is an amateur style that is included in the Olympic Games. Unlike Greco-Roman, it allows the use of the legs to apply holds as well as allowing certain locks to be applied to an opponent's legs.
Catch, the term catch wrestling is derived from the Lancashire folk wrestling style “catch-as-catch-can”, which is one of its major influences. Another influence was the American folk wrestling style, which was known as rough and tumble fighting. Catch wrestling formed the basis for many hybrid-fighting systems, including Sambo and MMA. Well-known catch wrestlers include Frank Shamrock and Ad Santel (who once, after defeating the then judo champion, declared himself World Judo Champion).
Professional, wrestling has its roots in carnival sideshows in the 19th century and is more of a form of entertainment than a competitive sport. It does contain elements of catch wrestling and includes grappling and striking techniques, but it is mock combat with choreographed moves and prearranged outcomes. Many pro-wrestlers have achieved a celebrity status, for example Hulk Hogan and The Rock.
Shoot, wrestling covers a variety of hybrid fighting systems that were developed in Japan in the 1970s. Shoot wrestling is based on freestyle and catch wrestling but with influences from judo, Muay Thai, and karate. The different shoot wrestling systems, such as Shooto and Pancrase, have various rules but typically allow certain strikes while the focus is on grappling with the objective of accomplishing a submission hold.
| WRESTLING TERMINOLOGY | |
| Contact | This indicates that the wrestlers must initiate contact |
| Dawai | An indication to wrestle more actively |
| Defaite | An opponent has been defeated |
| Head up | This indicates that a wrestler must lift his head and this warning is given when a wrestler repeatedly attacks by thrusting his head forwards |
| Jambe | In Greco-Roman wrestling, this indicates that a leg has been used or grabbed |
| Ordered hold | A specific starting hold used in freestyle as a tie-breaker and in Greco-Roman to initiate the par terre phases. |
| Parterre | Grappling on the ground |
| A terre | Instruction given to continue a bout on the ground |
| Out | A hold was applied outside the mat area |
| Touche | A wrestler was beaten by a fall |
AN OVERVIEW OF WRESTLING
| Name | Wrestling | ||
| Country and date of origin | Greco-Roman | Europe | 1800s |
| Shoot | Japan | 1970s | |
| Freestyle | USA | 1900 | |
| Professional | USA | 1860s | |
| Catch | USA | 1900 | |
| Category | Grappling art | ||
| Strengths | Good ground skills Realistic grappling contests | ||
| Weaknesses | Poor against multiple attackers Difficult to use against a heavier opponent No weapon defenses Multiple opponents not considered | ||
COMPETITION
International amateur wrestling competitions are organized by FILA (Federation Internationale des Luttes Associees). There are four types of competitions: freestyle, Greco-Roman, women's wrestling, and beach wrestling. There are a variety of age and weight categories. Fights are conducted within a circle with a diameter of nine meters. Bouts are divided into three periods, each of two minutes in duration, and a match is won by the winner of two periods. Points are awarded for throwing an opponent, with more points given if an opponent lands on his back. Greco-Roman periods are formally divided into a standing phase of one minute followed by two 30-second phases “par terre,” on the ground. There are many restrictions on the types of techniques that are allowed, for example strangulations are forbidden as are many arm locks. In Greco-Roman wrestling, no holds that grab or use the legs are allowed.
ANALYSIS
Wrestling contains a wide variety of grappling techniques, and wrestlers are very effective at fighting on the ground. Wrestling is aimed at competition fighting rather than self-defense and so offers no specific defenses against weapon attacks or multiple attackers. While a major component of wrestling involves technique, strength is a major factor, and so it is difficult for a wrestler to compete against a bigger and heavier opponent. For those who view a martial art as a way of overcoming a bigger opponent, this could be viewed as a drawback.
Wrestling has proven to be a valuable skill to MMA fighters and many wrestlers have successfully competed in MMA competitions, for example Randy Couture, Ken Shamrock, and Frank Shamrock.
Mixed Martial Arts
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full contact sport that uses a wide variety of techniques combining the use of strikes with grappling skills, including fighting on the ground. Fighters wear shorts and fingerless “MMA” gloves.
HISTORY
In a way MMA is one of the most modern martial arts. The term “mixed martial arts” only really coming into common usage in the 1990s. Dedicated MMA gyms only came into existence in recent years, and most of the top practitioners have come into MMA having first learnt fighting techniques from martial arts such as kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or wrestling. However, in other ways MMA is one of the oldest martial arts in that it is in many ways identical to the ancient Greek full contact sport, pankration.
There has long been an interest in the idea of no holds barred fights: In Europe and in the USA, catch wrestling was popular as a carnival show during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; in Brazil, underground fights known as vale tudo, meaning anything goes, were popular in the early 20th century and out of this culture came the Gracie family's challenge matches that pitted fighters from a variety of martial arts against the Gracie family and their style of jiu-jitsu; in 1970s Japan, a wrestler called Antonio Inoki hosted a series of matches against fighters from a variety of martial arts, including one against Muhammad Ali.
The first MMA organization was Shooto, created in 1985 by Satoru Sayama (also known as “Tiger-mask”). However, Shooto matches could not really be considered MMA until 1994, when it first allowed striking. Continued interest in MMA in Japan lead to the creation of the PRIDE Fighting Championships in 1997.
In 1993, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was created based on Brazilian vale tudo and was shown as a pay-per-view event. The original format included very few restrictions on what fighters could do and this quickly led to accusations of brutality. Political pressure eventually led to UFC embracing stricter rules. In 2000, the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were created and these are now considered the de facto standard MMA rules in the United States.
APPROACH
There are a number of approaches that MMA fighters use during a fight. Fighters will often have a preference about which approach to use, often depending on their background. For example, fighters from striking arts like karate or Muay Thai will typically prefer a sprawl and brawl approach that allows them to make use of their strikes.
Sprawl and brawl, This approach involves fighting from a standing position and throwing punches and kicks. A fighter using this approach will usually try to counter takedown attempts by using a sprawl so that they can return to the stand up phase of combat.
Clinch fighting, A clinch fighter will attempt to close the distance to his opponent and then hold them in a clinch. From the clinch he will use close range strikes like elbow and knee strikes.
Ground and pound, This approach involves taking an opponent down to the ground and then trying to adopt a dominant position from which he can throw strikes down on his opponent.
Submission grappling, This involves grappling with an opponent and attempting to use a submission hold such as an arm lock or a chokehold.
COMPETITION
UFC, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a USA based promotion that uses the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. Fights take place in an eight-sided caged enclosure called the Octagon.
PRIDE, The PRIDE Fighting Championships (or PRIDE FC) was a Japanese MMA event that began in 1997. The promotion was acquired in 2007 by the Zuffa, who own rival UFC, and resulted in PRIDE being discontinued.
K-1, combines the rules of various stand-up fighting styles. It primarily organizes fights in Japan. K-1 fights are banned in most U.S. states.
Pancrase, is an MMA promotion run by the Japan-based Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling organization. The name of pancrase is derived from the ancient Olympic pankration event. Pancrase came from a professional wrestling background and so originally its rules reflected this. Punching with a closed fist is banned in favor of palm strikes. Recently, the Pancrase promotion has changed its rules so that they are more in line with UFC/PRIDE.
ANALYSIS
MMA fights are full contact and allow a wide variety of strikes and grappling techniques. As such, it is probably the most realistic fight form in existence. MMA competitions have quickly helped establish what works and what does not work. However, the MMA format typically disallows the most dangerous techniques and a complete martial artist should know how to use these as well as how to defend against them. MMA also does not prepare a fighter to defend against an attacker with a weapon. The typical MMA tactics are designed for use against a single attacker, and the typical MMA techniques that are executed during ground fighting can leave a fighter vulnerable if fighting multiple opponents.
| AN OVERVIEW OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS (MMA) | |
| Name | MMA |
| Translation | Mixed Martial Arts |
| Period of origin | Late 20th Century |
| Category | Striking and grappling art |
| Strengths | Full contact contests Balances and integrates different skills |
| Weaknesses | No weapon defenses Multiple opponents not considered |
Other Martial Arts
There are many other martial arts in the world. Here are a few of the most important ones.
CAPOEIRA
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art, which primarily consists of sweeps, kicks, and feints connected by fluid acrobatic movements. Capoeira is usually practiced as a folk dance with participants playing musical instruments and singing while pairs take turns sparring.
ESKRIMA
Eskrima is a family of Filipino martial arts (FMA) that focus on stick and sword fighting, and is also known as Kali or Arnis de Mano. Eskrima practitioners, called eskrimadors, usually fight with two rattan sticks or with a stick and a dagger. Eskrima is generally considered to be one of the best martial arts for learning knife defenses.
FENCING
Fencing is a European martial art and Olympic sport that involves fighting with the sword. Fencing dates back to the 14th century and originally was concerned with a variety of weapons including the dagger, spear, and poleaxe as well as the sword. Currently there are three fencing weapons: the foil, a light thrusting weapon; the epee, a thrusting weapon that is heavier and more rigid than the foil; and the sabre, a light thrusting and slashing weapon. Fencers wear a protective jacket reinforced with kevlar, a protective gauntlet for the sword arm and a mask with bib that protects the head and neck. An electrical system is used to register scoring hits.
KRAV MAGA
Krav Maga is an unarmed fighting style, developed in Israel and adopted by the various Israeli security forces. Krav Maga is Hebrew and means “contact combat.” It is designed to be used against potentially lethal threats including opponents armed with knives or firearms and uses the approach that practitioners should train under adverse conditions, for example in difficult terrain, in bad visibility, or while being distracted.
HAPKIDO
Hapkido is the Korean cousin of Aikido and is derived from daito-ryu aiki-jutsu. Yong Sul Choi founded it in 1940 by combining aiki-jutsu techniques with taekwondo. The result was an impressive looking martial art that includes the flowing wrist and arm locks of aikido and the dynamic flying kicks of taekwondo. Some Hapkido schools include training in traditional weapons such as the sword, nunchuku, rope, and staff.
IAIDO
Iaido is a Japanese sword art. It involves the drawing of the sword, cutting with the sword and cleaning and returning the sword to the scabbard. Iaido emphasizes smooth, precise movements and in particular the drawing and cutting actions are executed as one continuous motion. Iaido is usually practiced as a solo activity but some styles include partner work.
KENDO
Kendo is the Japanese art of sword fighting. Practitioners fight using bamboo sticks called the shinai and wear armor protecting the upper body, a masked helmet to protect the head and heavy gloves to protect the hands. Kendo emphasizes an offensive attitude and focuses on strong counter strikes in response to an opponent's attack instead of focusing on blocking or parrying.
NINJUTSU
Ninjutsu, meaning “stealth techniques,” is the martial art of the shinobi who are popularly known as the ninja. Ninjutsu covers a wide range of infiltration, survival, and fighting skills but modern practitioners usually focus on unarmed combat and some weapons training such as sword fighting.
SUMO
A Japanese sport in which competitors attempt to either push their opponent out of a circular ring or to drop them to the ground. In addition to grappling skills, body weight is a major factor in sumo contests and competitors are renowned for their large body mass.
