Learn to Fight

There are as many different fighting styles as their are cultures. Each style has been adapted and perfected over years and years of training and influence from other arts and cultures. It is very important to learn how to fight.  You need to be able to defend yourself in any situation. These are some of the most common fighting styles.  Each one is different and unique.  There is no right or wrong martial art. It is a matter of what works for you.  If you don't want to get your ass beat; pick one and start training.

Aikido - is considered to be a non-aggressive style, as the Aikido student does not instigate the attack. The basic principle of Aikido is “Do not fight force with force”. Aikido uses very few punches and kicks. Instead, the attackers force is redirected into throws, locks and restraining techniques. Size, weight, age and physical strength differences of the opponents play only a small role, as the skilled Aikido practitioner is able to redirect the attackers energy, keeping his attacker in a constant of unbalance. To be effective.

Aikido takes longer to learn than most other martial arts. Aikido can be practiced to a late age because this martial art does not rely on flexibility, muscle speed, or strength. Thus it has become especially popular with women and senior citizens. Aikido training teaches the use of several martial arts weapons such as Tento, Jo and Bokken. There is also a sport style of Aikido named Tomiki Aikdo. Origin of Aikido: Japan

Boxing- is in principle a sport, more than a martial art. In both amateur boxing and professional boxing, the bouts are heavily regulated. When it comes to punching technique and power, there are few martial arts that are as focused on fist strikes as is boxing, which makes boxers formidable opponents in mixed martial arts competitions (or on the street, for that matter). B

Boxing is carried out in a series of rounds. Both boxers wear heavy gloves that protect their hands and their opponent from injury. Handwraps are used to stabilize the bones in the hand, allowing the boxers to throw very hard punches that otherwise wouldn’t be possible using bare closed-fist techniques. Although the history of boxing (or rather, fist fighting) can be traced back to 1000s or years A.D., in modern times boxing became infamous in England, in the 18th century, where bare-knuckled prize fighting was popular.

Judo - is a martial art that makes use of throws, strangles and joint locks. There is no kicking or punching in Judo. Judo was originally developed from Jujutsu and was accepted as an Olympic sport in 1966. The lethal techniques and strikes of Jujutsu have been removed from the syllabus, and Judo’s founder Kano designed a syllabus that was meant to aid in the physical fitness of the Japanese people as well as their character development. As such, Judo was always designed more to be a sport than a self-defence system.

The black belt system, that pertains until today in many martial arts is said to have first developed in Judo. Whereas in the West, great value is placed on the coveted achievement of a black belt, Japanese instructors see the black belt as a stage of the student when the real study of the martial art begins. Judo Uniforms are typically made of heavy material to withstand the pulling and grabbing associated with this martial art. Origin of Judo: Japan

Ju Jitsu - is a fighting system that employs a wide range of techniques - including strikes, kicks, throws, joint locks and choking. In addition to this Jujitsu also teaches weapons technique. Techniques and influences from Jujitsu can be found in almost all of the martial arts. Jujitsu developed in many independent schools in Japan over many centuries and as such does not have a clear lineage.

As the syllabus of techniques in Jujutsu is very large, invidivual schools today may teach variations and/or a subset of the vast range of existing Jujutsu techniques. As Jujutsu also provides many practical arm lock and submission techniques, jujutsu techniques have been popular with Police forces all over the world. Origin of Jujutsu: Japan. Founded early 1600.

Karate - translates, as is generally accepted, to Empty Hand in Japanese. Karate is a martial art that uses weaponless techniques such as punching and kicking to overcome the opponent. Typically, fighters wear a white Karate Uniform (Gi) and a belt that indicates their skill level and rank.

The development of Karate began in Okinawa, an island south of Japan. Okinawans travelled to China, where they learnt the Chinese martial arts. On their return to Okinawa they set about blending their own martial arts (initially simply called Te, “Hands”) with what they had learnt in China and called it To-De, Chinese Hands.

From this, 4 main styles of Karate developed - Goju Ryu, Shorin Ryu, Uechi Ryu and Shorei Ryu. Gichin Funakoshi, who trained under several Okinawan Karate masters, developed his own style of Karate that he named Shotokan. There are now hundreds of different styles of karate across the world, but all can be traced back to the original four from Okinawa. Origin of Karate: Okinawa. Karate was founded in the 16th century and formalised into different styles in the early 20th century.
Kickboxing - is not inherently a martial art, although most kickboxers originate from a martial arts background. Rules greatly vary but generally a certain number of kicks must be thrown per round or the fighter will have points deducted. Many boxers make the transition to kickboxing by training in the martial arts and learning how to kick. Origin of Kickboxing: America and Europe

Krav Maga - is an Israeli army method of unarmed combat now gaining popularity all over the world. It is considered a “no-nonsense” method of self-defence for a variety of situations. Originally developed during the liberation fighting of Israel, Krav Maga is now practiced by the entire Israeli military - especially its elite forces.

Krav Maga combines elements of boxing, Judo, and Jujitsu as well as the use of weapons such as knives and sticks. This weapon technique is taught to deal with modern day street situations where guns and knives are often involved. There are no kata or other traditional martial arts training exercises. The techniques of Krav Maga are highly practical and effective for the street. Individuals can attain a high level of profiency within a relatively short period of instruction.

Kung Fu - is a broad term that is used to describe all martial arts of Chinese origin. Kung-Fu existing under many different names throught China’s history. Initially Kung Fu was called Ch’uan Fa (fist way). The Shaolin monastery housed many fugitives from justice, and many warriors turned monk, which sets the roots of Kung Fu in the Shaolin Temple in Northern China. In fact there were five different Shaolin temples in five districts, and so five distinct styles of Shaolin Kung Fu developed. Kung Fu as one of the oldest martial arts has been a great influence to other and younger martial arts styles, such as Okinawan Karate styles and subsequently Japanese Karate styles.

Muay Thai - existed for centuries as a fighting martial art and is well known for its devastating knee, elbow and shin kicks. Muay Thai developed in Thailand and is popular today the world over as a ring sport for competition fighting. All strikes are allowed in the ring, unlike western boxing, which prohibits all but strikes with gloved fists. Origin of Muay Thai: Thailand

Ninjutsu - is the practiced art of the Ninja. Ninjutsu is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes stealth in movement and camouflage. Ninjas were a group of mercenaries in feudal Japan who were trained in stealth and the martial arts and employed as spies, saboteurs, or assassins. The two oldest styles of Ninjutsu that are still practiced today are Iga Ryu and Koga Ryu.

Ninja are skilled in a variety of martial arts including Judo, Jujutsu and swordsmanship. Ninja use a shorter sword than the Samurai and prefer to carry it strapped to their back. As well as these martial arts they are skilled in a variety of Ninja weapons - such as the shuriken (throwing star), throwing knives, stick fighting, and chain arts. The Ninja originally were also experts at disguise and concealment, which enabled them to gather information or act as assassins for Japanese warlords. This was work that others, such as the Samurai - who were bound by their strict code of Bushido - were reluctant to perform. Origin of Ninjutsu: Japan. Ninjutsu founded: Around 900 years ago
Sambo - is a form of wrestling that employs strikes, takedowns, throws, joint-locks and teaches defence against weapons. Origin of Sambo: Soviet Union/Russia.
Savate - or French Boxing, was developed in the late 1700’s and it said to have developed on French ships sailing the Indian Ocean and South China seas, where they learned kicking techniques from Asian cultures. Savate was first recognised in Marseille, an important port in the south of France where sailors of many countries came together. Savate made use of the boots of the time known as Savate to attack an opponent’s legs and body. A characteristic of this simple but effective method of self-defence is the manner in which kicks are always executed by the leg nearest the opponent, with the other leg taking the weight of the body. Savate uses both striking and foot techniques. Origin of Savate: France.

Taekwondo - (Tae-Kwon-Do, Fist-Foot-Way) is a martial art from Korea (sometimes also spelled Taegwondo). It is a blend of Shotokan Karate with other Chinese and Korean martial arts. Taekwondo places great emphasis on fast, spectacular kicking techniques with very few hand strikes. Competition rules in Taekwondo prohibit the use of throws, holding or grappling. Protective gear is usually worn to allow contact with the body. Taekwondo tends to place more emphasis on the sport aspect of martial arts.

Taekwondo is more of a long range fighting style, due to its use of more kicking than striking. Board breaking is used in belt grading in Taekwondo, to show the power of the techniques being taught (Kyokushin Kai is another martial art that also adheres to this practice). Taekwondo is popular the world over and is probably the most widely practiced of the martial arts. Taekwondo is now recognised as an Olympic sport, which is sure to popularise it even more. Origin of Taekwondo: Korea .

ThugJitsu- Thug Jitsu is the creation of Yves Edwards. Edwards calls his fighting style "Thugjitsu". It’s just finding what’s a weakness in your opponent compared to your strength, and just exploiting it. Edwards also teaches Thugjitsu at The Revolution Dojo in Houston, Texas. It is a devastating fighting style. To learn more ThugJitsu.com.