Martial Arts Styles
Martial Arts Styles
Martial arts remain infinitely popular on a world-wide scale and as such, there is bound to be a club near you. Take time to learn more about each style before committing to serious training or expenditure. The list below details a handful of the styles available today.
Aikido
Aikido has a strong basic principle ‘Do not fight force with force’ and as such, is considered a non-aggressive style of martial art. It can take substantially longer to learn this popular style as although it uses minimal kicks and punches, the student has to learn a myriad of locks, throws and restraining techniques.
Jeet Kune Do
This style achieved great popularity as it was developed by none other than Bruce Lee who devised this style by using elements taken from Wing Chun and coupled them with the most positive aspects of other martial arts. Translated Jeet Kune Do means ‘Way of the intercepting fist’. Bruce Lee’s aim was not to create a brand new style of martial arts but to free students from the restraints of specific styles.
Jujitsu
Those who study Jujitsu learn a number of different techniques including kicks, joint locks, strikes and throws and this makes it an attractive and varied style to learn. Weaponry is also taught as student’s progress and Jujitsu techniques are taught for use in Police forces on a world -wide basis.
Kung Fu
Kung Fu is a collective name used for all Chinese origin martial arts. Initially pronounced as gung-fu, this varied collection of martial arts flourished. It is said that the roots of Kung Fu began in the Shaolin temples but many historians would dispute this.
Karate
Simply translating as ‘Empty hand’, Karate uses techniques such as kicking and punching and is a popular martial art to date. Originally from Japan, some aspects taken from Chinese Martial Arts were amalgamated within the style. There were originally just four distinct styles originally but now, there are simply hundreds of Karate styles available throughout the world.
Wing Chun
The foundations of Wing Chun are to deflect force as opposed to meeting force with force in terms of an opponent. Made popular by Bruce Lee, training is based around targets which are placed along a central line in the body. Many martial arts films have captured the essence of Wing Chun training by way of the wooden dummy which is used to enable students to practice blocking and striking techniques.
Judo
Founded originally in Japan, Judo is a popular martial art developed initially from Jujitsu. There are no kicking or punching techniques within this style but instead, it makes use of a series of strangles, joint locks and throws. It became an Olympic sport in 1966.
Kendo
Kendo developed from ‘Kenjutso’ and dates back to the 11th Century. It was the martial art favoured by the infamous Samurai. Known as the Japanese sword fighting sport, the techniques are spectacular. In training however, bamboo swords are used instead of the renowned metal swords.
Taekwondo
Taekwondo – translated means ‘fist –foot – way’ and originated in Korea. The foundations of Taekwondo are substantial, high powered kicks with minimal hand strikes. Students attracted to this style, enjoy the ‘sport’ aspect of the martial art and it is a style used for public demonstrations of ability and technique using high kicks and board breaking for maximum effect. It is now recognised as an Olympic sport and has become possibly the most widely practiced martial art of modern times.