Martial Arts Is Not About Fighting. It’s About Building Character
Men soaring across the skies from one skyscraper to the next. Walls are being broken down with a single blow and iron bars are being bent. Villains may cease to breath simply by hero pinching a nerve on the side of the neck. These are the kinds of scenes you’ve seen in action movies. All of these actions are about one concept called “Martial Arts”. Assume you have made the serious decision to devote time to becoming a martial artist and reaping many of its rewards. Before we proceed, we must state that you have made an excellent decision.
The article is founded on conversations with personal fitness trainers who also provide martial arts instruction, with whom Sirwiss has collaborated. Keep reading to learn more about the many martial art forms and how to choose the best one for you.
Martial Arts
Kung fu, Judo, Karate, and Kendo are just a few examples of the many combat styles that fall under the umbrella term “martial art,” many of which have their roots in East Asia. There are two main types of martial arts: those that use weapons and those that do not. Those from the West emphasize hitting with the head, neck, or shoulders, while those from China place more emphasis on striking with the feet and hands or grappling. The ancient Japanese warrior curriculum focused on developing proficiency in the arts of the bow, the sword, unarmed fighting, and swimming while clad in armor. Other social groups who were interested in fighting tended to train in staff skills, weaponry centered around common tools (such thrashing flails, sickles, and knives), and unarmed conflict. For military spies in feudal Japan, ninjutsu was created, and it comprised not only fighting techniques but also disguise, escape, hiding, geography, meteorology, medicine, and explosives.
Why Martial Arts
The conditions for being skilled in every martial art, regardless of style, are the same. They all need a great deal of devotion, commitment, and sacrifice. Any martial art will put your body and mind through tremendous strain in the beginning. For some, this is the time at which you either leave the mats and never return, or you continue with it for the rest of your life. Several studies have demonstrated that different martial arts may assist a person in dealing with a variety of physical and mental ailments, on that note, you are on the correct road whether you want to take lessons for fun or to pursue a professional job.
A Guide to 10 of the Most Popular Martial Art Styles
Every martial art method with a lengthy history may help you develop decent manners as well as great fighting ability. Before picking a martial art, consider if you prefer an aggressive or defensive strategy, as well as whether you have the mental fortitude and discipline to stick to a strict schedule. Another consideration is selecting a martial art depending on your body type. Although it is not required, utilizing your own DNA to your advantage is always suggested. Various metabolic types have distinct advantages.
1. Kickboxing
What is kickboxing? Kickboxing as a sport in the United States is often a mix of boxing and karate, using punches with just the hands and feet. Kickboxing is more of a catch-all phrase than a particular combat style and may refer to anything from a martial-arts-inspired aerobics routine to the ancient discipline of Muay Thai. Unlike in Muay Thai and other martial arts, elbows and knees are not permitted. Due of the sport’s vague classifications, ask for clarification before enrolling in your first kickboxing session to ensure it’s the style you’re searching for.
2. Karate
What is karate? While it features strong kicks, punches, and blocks, the primary focus of this Japanese martial art is self-defense. Karate, often known as the “empty hand” technique, originated in Okinawa out of need during a period when invading armies prohibited the use of firearms. Karate’s philosophy, akin to yoga and other Japanese physical activities, goes beyond the classroom and into daily life, aiming to enrich the individual through principles like as respect, discipline, and the pursuit of constant improvement.
3. Aikido
What is aikido? Rather of relying on punches and kicks, aikido exploits an opponent’s kinetic energy to acquire control. Aikido practitioners learn to divert the power of an attack in order to weaken their opponents and make a throw or pin simpler to perform. Aikido has a higher learning curve than other martial arts, and many novices may need to study for a year or more before they feel confident applying the techniques outside of the dojo.
4. Tae Kwon Do
Tae kwon do literally translate to “the path of the foot and fist,” in contrast to karate’s “empty hand.” It emphasizes power through feats such as cracking wood and bricks with bare hands and feet. Tae Kwon Do promote respect, discipline, and various types of personal fortitude beyond from its physical aspects.
5. Brazilian Jujitsu
What is Brazilian Jujitsu? Brazilian jujitsu is a modified version of Japanese jujitsu in which practitioners seek a superior posture from which they aim to execute an array of chokes, grips, locks, and joint manipulations. Brazilian Jujitsu, a modified style of Japanese jujutsu developed by Brazil’s Gracie family in 1925, was designed to assist petite fighters in defeating bigger opponents. Although its claim to fame is ground combat, the discipline also includes some standup techniques.
6. Krav Maga
What exactly is Krav Maga? Krav Maga literally translates to “contact fighting” in Hebrew, and it focuses for simultaneous defense and attack, which implies that every defensive movement is linked with an attacking movement. Developed in the 1930s by a Jewish boxer and wrestler to protect his neighbors from fascist and anti-Semitic organizations, Krav Maga has since become the official fighting style of the Israel Defense Forces. This combat technique, in contrast to the disciplined approach of Eastern martial arts, contains no actual etiquette or fighting patterns, instead focusing on constant mobility that seldom enables an attacker to rest.
7. Muay Thai
What is Muay Thai? Muay Thai, Thailand’s national sport and one of the most popular MMA fighting techniques, has been dubbed “the art of eight limbs” due to its emphasis on the hands, shins, elbows, and knees. Muay Thai is a full-body exercise since practitioners engage so much of their upper and lower bodies. Fighters must maintain strong core muscles to twist their hips with each kick, punch, and block. Bumps and bruises are frequent among novices, particularly on the shins, but a thorough training routine may help toughen the most sensitive spots of contact over time.
8. Capoeira
What is capoeira? Capoeira combatants, known as Capoeiristas, exchange strikes and defenses in a continuous flow, often employing feints and trickery to manipulate and confuse their opponent. Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that blends fighting, dancing, music, and continual movement. Some historians believe it evolved as a method for African slaves to disguise their combat training from their captors by masking it in dance. When two Capoeiristas perform the traditional Jogo, additional participants circle the combatants in a Roda de capoeira, or capoeira wheel, playing percussion instruments and singing call-and-response to provide a dynamic musical background.
9. Kung Fu
What is kung fu? Although there is a wide range of kung fu techniques, beautiful, flowing moves are common to most. Soft methods that utilize the opponent’s strength against them complement the harder techniques like kicks, blocks, and open and closed hand strikes.
10. Judo
Judo, or “gentle way,” is a contemporary martial art that has grown into a combat sport that is represented at the Olympic level. Jigoro Kano invented the art form in 1882 as a kind of physical, mental, and moral discipline. Judo is derived from jujutsu. The goal is to take your opponent down with a throw and pin or immobilize them with different sorts of grips and locks. Striking is a feature of judo, although only in high level pre-arranged forms. Judo practitioners are known as “Judoka,” and their outfit or uniform is known as a “Judogi.”