Overview of Different Styles of Martial Arts

Boxing is that style of martial arts where powerful fist strikes are most important. Focus is on punches and not on single strikes. This is the reason for boxing being so important in street fighting or mixed martial arts competitions. Imposition of heavy regulations has however turned boxing more into a sport rather than martial arts. Organized in a series of rounds, boxing relies mostly on striking techniques. The heavy gloves worn by the boxers besides protecting their hands protect the opponents from injury. Very hard punches could not be delivered using closed fists of the bare hands. Hand-wraps are therefore used to protect the hand bones from the impact when striking with the hands. The main striking techniques in boxing are jab, cross, hook and uppercut. Jab is the most effective striking method. This quick action is executed with the leading arm with the arm retracted promptly after punching. There is more speed and reach in the jab than power. The cross is bringing the rear fist straight forward to deliver the most powerful strike making use of weight and rotation of the body. It is again the lead hand with which the hook is delivered. This small semicircular strike aims at getting around the opponent’s defense and most often targets the head though it can also deliver body strikes. In uppercut the fist aims to strike the chin of the opponent. The fist is thrown upwards to penetrate the opponent’s defense. Kickboxing, another style of martial arts, is similar to boxing with the only difference that kicking is permitted. Downing and controlling the opponent is in focus in the martial arts of wrestling that uses grappling as the main technique. Submission is not a part of wrestling other than the Catch wrestling. The major wrestling styles are Greco Roman, folk, bar slams and the freestyle. Only the upper body is allowed to be grabbed in Greco Roman. Attacking the legs is the main thrust of folk. The bars slams and the hold and freestyles allow throwing down the opponent that can cause serious injury. Freestyles have fewer rules compared to folk or Greco Roman styles of wrestling. Karate, one of the most popular forms of martial arts, relies mostly on kicks. Some styles of karate however allow punches and defensive techniques. The lethal strikes and moves do not find place in Judo unlike Jujutsu from which it has evolved. This style adopts ground fighting and submission focusing on sweeps and throws. In the Japanese Jiujutsu, lethal strikes assume more importance than its Brazilian counterpart although the focus for both the styles is on fighting off the back and submissions.

The martial arts of Sumo wrestling is an ancient Japanese style and is now the country’s national sport. Earlier this style was combination of wrestling and boxing which subsequently changed to the present form. The Japanese warriors Samurai developed jujitsu from this style. Jujitsu is a martial art style of ground fighting with bare hands basically using grappling. Jujitsu also known as Jujutsu or jiu-jitsu laid the foundation for other martial arts styles like judo. Judo is also the art of fighting without weapons and draws largely from other martial arts like Tae Kwan Do and Kung Fu. The objective of Judo is to throw the opponent on the ground by using hands and feet. The Jujutsu style utilizes the principal of using the energy of the attacker against him without directly opposing it. In this style, the grappling techniques like trapping, joint locking, holding, striking, kicking, throwing, etc. are used. These are attacking combat methods. The tactics of defense are evading, blocking, off-balancing, escaping, etc. Some jujutsu styles like the Sengoku adopt weaponry like dagger, chains or disguised weapons. The most common form of Jujutsu martial arts today is the Nihon jujutsu (unarmed). The unarmed jujutsu styles like Nihon and Edo cannot be used in war against armed opponents. However facing the enemy in a normal situation like in street fighting can be handled with these unarmed styles. Occasional use of weapons like daggers is allowed in Edo jujutsu. Goshin jujutsu is a self-defense martial art that emphasizes ground grappling. A good example is the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu derived from Judo. Techniques of throwing, immobilizing, joint-locking, pinning, choking and strangling are given more importance in Japanese jujutsu styles as opposed to other martial art styles like karate. Striking techniques were of less importance due to the use of armor by the samurai. The Chinese martial arts like Kung Fu however focus on striking, kicking and punching. Some moves are potentially fatal in jujutsu. Throwing can cause serious injury. However, break-falling skills are taught to minimize the impact of the fall while practicing or performing in non-competitive environment. Unlike judo or karate, all conceivable aggressions like hair pulling, biting and eye gouging are applied in jujutsu. Kuzushi or the art of off-balancing the opponent is used in both the martial art styles of judo and jujutsu. Only the techniques differ. In judo, the opponent is gripped and then off-balanced. Jujutsu since it requires a throwing space does the breaking of the opponent’s balance by blocking or deflecting the rival’s attack. Kuzushi focuses on conserving the fighter’s energy during the combat. Grabbing, twisting and jabbing on the pressure points on the body of the opponent.