Top 10 International Martial Arts
Published on August 29, 2007 - 36 Comments
Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. They may be studied for various reasons including combat skills, fitness, self-defense, sport, self-cultivation/meditation, mental discipline, character development and building self-confidence, or any combination of the above. This is a list of the top 10 international Martial Arts. In no particular order:
1. Karate [Wikipedia]
Meaning “Empty hand” in Japanese, Karate is one of the more popular martial arts. Originated centuries ago from the island of Okinawa, it did not catch on in mainland Japan until the early 1900s, when Master Gichin Funakoshi simplified the self-defense techniques and added a philosophical aspect to the art. There are many different styles within Karate, but they are all characterized with the same hard blocks, punches, and kicks. Today, it is practised and studied in countries all over the world.
2. Tae Kwon Do [Wikipedia]
Although in the Korean language it can be loosely translated as “The way of hand and foot”, Tae Kwon Do is distinguished more by its powerful kicks than hand strikes. Practitioners believe that since the legs are longer and generally stronger than the arms, it is the best weapon a martial artist has. Tae kwon do as a sport and exercise is popular with people of both sexes and of many ages. Thanks to the millions of students worldwide, it is now an Olympic sport.
3. Judo [Wikipedia]
Judo, meaning “gentle way”, is a modern martial art that originated from late nineteenth century Japan. The art was founded by Jigoro Kano, who as a youth was often picked on and bullied. After an unsatisfactory experience with Jujutsu, he developed a system with sweeps and throws which made size and strength irrelevant. Just like Tae kwon do, today it is an Olympic sport, where the main goal in a Judo competition is to throw one’s opponent to the ground or make him submit through a joint lock or choke-hold. The balance between standing and ground fighting makes Judo a popular choice for many martial artists.
4. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [Wikipedia]
Well-known to the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters around the world is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (also called Gracie Jiu-Jitsu), which focuses on grappling and ground-fighting techniques. Borrowing from Japanese Judo, the system was developed by the Gracie family throughout the early 20th century and has been going strong ever since.
5. Kung Fu (Wushu) [Wikipedia]
The term “Kung Fu” does not technically mean Chinese martial arts, but rather “skill or ability to do something”. A more accurate name would be “Wushu”, which is the modern name for the Chinese martial arts. It is believed that thousands of years ago the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma created the art to help his students concentrate during meditation. There are literally hundreds of styles of Kung Fu / Wushu that still exist today, some of the more famous ones being Shaolin, Wing Chun, and Tai Chi.
6. Capoeira [Wikipedia]
This art comes not from Asia, but again from Brazil. Capoeira was created in the 19th century by African slaves, who had to disguise the martial art as a dance. Music provided by drums and other instruments help to set a rhythm for the game, which consists of two participants using acrobatic play as well as kicks, sweeps and head butts. The technique and strategy are key elements to a well-played game.
7. Arnis / Escrima / Kali [Wikipedia]
The Filipino Martial Arts called Arnis / Escrima / Kali are known for their weapons, which include rattan sticks, knives, and swords. Fighters in the very effective fighting styles use intricate footwork, stances, blocking and disarms to take out opponents.
8. Muay Thai [Wikipedia]
As the national sport of Thailand, Muay Thai is what baseball is to the United States. This form of kickboxing is different (some say more brutal) than Western kickboxing because fighters are allowed to use fists, feet, shins, knees, and elbows in their strikes. The sport has gained worldwide attention and today there are schools all over the world.
9. Krav Maga [Wikipedia]
This combat system was developed in Israel and has been adopted by military units and police forces around the world for its effectiveness. The martial art is not a sport and has no competitions, but has a specific focus on self-defense in a “real-life” application. Students are taught to ignore distractions and inflict maximum damage in close quarters, making Krav Maga very effective.
10. Jeet Kune Do [Wikipedia]
Developed by the famous martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do literally means “Way of the Intercepting Fist”. Not so much a martial art in the traditional sense, it is a combat philosophy that incorporates traits and characteristics from many other fighting styles, including Western boxing and fencing. There are no set solo training forms, and practitioners are encouraged to interpret techniques for themselves and to change them if necessary, giving the student freedom to experiment.
Notable Exclusions: Ninjutsu, Aikido
Contributor: Wilson Tran
Technorati Tags: martial arts, Sports
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1. Morphy - August 29th, 2007 at 7:44 am
Great list. I might have added Aikido just because I have done a little and love the way it uses the opponents mass and strength against him (similar to Judo) Sumo also because it is singularly different from all the rest but definitely a martial art of its own. Pankration also, because it is European and traces its roots back to the ancient Olympic games.
2. Bjorn Pal - August 29th, 2007 at 7:45 am
And the most notable exclusion, one of the most practiced around the world, Aikido!
3. jfrater - August 29th, 2007 at 7:50 am
Okay - its added to the exclusion list
4. mix2323 - August 29th, 2007 at 8:52 am
i have done martial arts for five years karate,judo ,Tae Kwon Do tournaments and love it am still going strong list is great j
5. jfrater - August 29th, 2007 at 9:00 am
mix2323: thanks
6. JeremyB - August 29th, 2007 at 9:42 am
What about savate? It’s a national sport of France and Spain and was part of the Paris Olympics (1924?).
Another great list though. I’m hooked. These lists are addicting. Great job!
7. WilsonT - August 29th, 2007 at 11:37 am
Hmm…There may be an opportunity for me to make a second list!
8. jfrater - August 29th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Jeremy: I am glad they are addicting - that is the aim
9. tjgrs - August 29th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Yeah i second savate, a street fighting technique originally developed from the street and fleets of Marseille that the french special forces and police teams are now trained in, plus it’s one of the most effective forms of self defense. It was used in WWI and II, especially by the French resistance after German occupation.
10. xasshern - August 29th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Man, i had a feeling just seeing the list that ju-jutsu would have “brazilian” or “Gracie” in front of it! this is very understandable, since the gracie family have been the ones to bring it out of obscurity in recent years. ju-jutsu is one of the oldest japanese martial arts and japanese karate, aikido and judo all stem from it. it originally was very grappling intensive, with lots of throws as well as striking techniques involved. modern krav maga is very similar in that it has no katas and a very, very strong emphasis on practical self-defense. unlike krav maga, it does have sport applications and contests. its a great list and i was thrilled to see it posted. its just that i studied small cirlce ju-jutsu for quite a while (if you haven’t guessed already) and like most of my fellow practitioners have been slightly annoyed by the image that gracie ju-jutsu has given to the art, namely that its ALL grappling and really just developed for sports, which is what the gracies did. its just much more of a well-rounded art than many think and extremely progressive, similar to jeet kun do. just to clarify some things
11. WilsonT - August 29th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
I(unlike a lot of my friends) DO recognize the difference between BJJ and real Japanese Jujutsu. I feel your pain with BJJ…It’s a shame sometimes. However I didn’t wanna clog this list with too many Japanese arts, so I kept I had to sacrifice Jujutsu. I’ll be sure to add it to the next list though!
12. tjgrs - August 29th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
What about boxing? i don’t know if it’s acually considered a “martial art” but it’s an effective form of self-defense, a multi-billion dollar sport around the world and is pretty cool.
13. Gustavo Caetano - August 29th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Jiu-Jitsu isn’t borrowed from Judo. It’s the other way around.
14. WilsonT - August 29th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
If you’re talking about the Brazilian Jiu jitsu, according to Wikipedia it actually does come from Judo…but for whatever reason, it is called jiu jitsu(which is the wrong spelling anyway). But if you’re talking about Japanese Judo borrowing from Japanese Jujutsu, you are correct.
15. jfrater - August 30th, 2007 at 12:03 am
tjgrs: I don’t think regular boxing is considered a martial art - though I am not sure if its ancient origins (in Greece or Rome) were for defense or entertainment). I did boxing and it is one of the best sports for fitness I have ever come across!
16. mix2323 - August 30th, 2007 at 10:39 am
i read black belt magazine and it said that boxing is now a art or martial art i forgot what issue it was but yea it was also saying that boxing is as effective as any other form of martial art in terms as like boxing vs karate or boxing vs kung fu one is not better then the other all arts still have there strengths and weakness
17. jfrater - August 30th, 2007 at 10:48 am
mix: interesting - I suppose you could call it that because of the fact that it is designed as a defence and attack system.
18. mix2323 - August 30th, 2007 at 10:51 am
and the technique and science that goes in to it is more then meets the eye
19. Null - August 30th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Ninjitsu and Aikido definitely…
20. Adjie - September 17th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Aikido is not one kind of Martial Art, i think its close to Self Defense Art.
21. yaurt - September 28th, 2007 at 1:51 am
OMG…i can’t believe no one mentioned ninjutsu
22. jfrater - September 28th, 2007 at 2:18 am
yaurt: comment 19
23. yaurt - September 28th, 2007 at 3:06 am
oh, yeah…sorry…
24. Yanslash - October 29th, 2007 at 2:35 am
‘Muay thai’ is the best martial arts in the whole wide world.When it strikes u,u will die to death.’Muay Thai’use the most strong joints to attack or defend people.Example knees and elbows.
‘Muay Thai’is also the fastest martial arts.
FOR ME ‘MUAY THAI’IS FOR PEOPLE
WHO IS STRONG LIKE ME:)
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25. KRJJ_admin - October 30th, 2007 at 9:31 am
I definitely agree with WilsonT, Xasshern and many others in respect to the whole Traditional JJ and Gracie JJ… But in all respect anyone that studies a martial art is one that is dedicated to that art but is not afraid to branch out and try others. Forever learning that’s what I call a true student of the arts
Have a great day and I really love the list. Keep it up.
26. StormBlast - November 24th, 2007 at 5:51 am
I’m glad Krav Maga was included.
But yeah, aikido and ninjutsu are epic.
27. smac - November 24th, 2007 at 6:51 am
Yeah, ninjutsu should be on there. It is almost a mythic martial art now - how many people do you know that have ever acted like they were a ninja but had no clue of what they were doing. Most guys have done that at least once. It’s also been glamorized on television and in the movies. I would have put it near the top of the list.
Otherwise it is a very well done and informative list.
28. SubliminalDeath666 - November 24th, 2007 at 8:51 am
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Capoeira, and Muay Thai are a DEADLY COMBINATION!! I only know Muay Thai ’cause there aren’t any Capoeira or Brazilian Jiu-jitsu classes in Aruba. 1 out of 3 isn’t THAT bad.
29. mrhex - November 27th, 2007 at 3:56 am
systema. look it up. its the fucking shit. ive been doing it for 7 years now. when i first started to learn i had to spar against, how many, FIVE opponents. dim mak is also an interesting art as it translates to “death point striking”.
30. PeteFloyd - December 6th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Capoeira? Do people really take that seriously? The people who do it refer to it as a game, as mentioned in this article. People don’t practice capoeira, they play capoeira. Also, the main focus of the martial is to avoid hitting your opponent. I’ve seen rounds of capoeira come to a halt because someone actually made physical contact.
31. Avi - January 14th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
If you are not looking for a work out or for a “way of life” form of fighting or even a sport fighting style, Krav Maga is the be all, end all, greatest fighting style ever conceived. It takes from every fighting style before it and harnesses it into a practical fighting style and can learnt and used by anyone and everyone. It is the Israeli way to kick ass! Boo Yahhh!!
32. Hapkido - May 11th, 2008 at 10:59 am
I train Sin Moo Hapkido.It is korean martial art.she has aikido kung-fu Judo
pretty good list
and ninjutsu is not tecknikly martial art or self defense.it is art that train war going skills stragedy and how to get out of fight or avoid it and of course lil’bit fighting skills
33. Glowbug - June 8th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Another art worthy of mention is Kalaripayit - it’s also a very old system of combat that incorporates armed and unarmed techniques, and comes from India rather than the archetypal Japanese or Chinese systems.
Oh, and regards Karate, You left out the name of the fellow who taught Yamaguchi-sensei (Chojun Myagi - I kid you not, look it up). Fun Fact - Yamaguchi-sensei’s nickname was “the Cat”, due to his grace and almost preturnatural speed.
Good list, though. Perhaps a list of arts that rely more on weapons would get peoples attention (fencing, Kendo, Pantjak Silat….)?
34. Meka - June 25th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Watch out for these BJJ and some Krav Maga guys, there are a lot of closet homos out there who just like to frotter other blokes.
In a fight, the ground is a very dangerous place to be, be very careful of instructors who are overly fond of rolling about.
Especially with skimpy shorts on, how gay is this?;
http://www.kravmagacombat.com/.....mbatsports
35. princessfairygirl63 - August 16th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
what does these things do with paris 1924. you have just wasted 5 muinites of my precious time.and these stuff aren`t even memorable.thanks for nothing. now i need to find another stuff that`s memorable for paris 1924. gee thanks. now my mom will ground me for not finishing my project.happy now you guys. you should be ashamed of yourselves.f**k
36. Krav - August 28th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Krav Maga is virtually the best self defense ever created. It was actually created in eastern europe by Imi Lichtenfeld in Hungary and present day Czech republic. It teaches high stress level to last longer than your attacker. also teaches to punish your attacker as quick as possible. I am currently training in Krav and i have done other forms but this is the most effective on the streets hands down.