Different Styles of Martial Arts

Cuong Nhu and Vovinam: “vovinam viet vo dao”

Vovinam

Nguyen Loc, the founder of vovinam, grew up in French-occupied Vietnam. His early experiences as a youth, coupled with his patriotic nature, led him to believe that a strong nation could only exist if young people were trained to have a clear mind, pure soul, and strong body.

Loc studied various martial arts, philosophy, theology, and scientific health, before uniting them all into a Vietnamese art designed for the Vietnamese people.

Key techniques

Also known as “vovinam viet vo dao,” the art includes training with empty-hand and weapons techniques. Students learn to use unusual weapons, such as the ax and folding fan. Signature moves are diagonal kicks, backfists to the temples, and leg-grappling methods for felling opponents. Elbow and knee strikes, kicks, and wrestling techniques are also included. The art specializes in defensive movements that deal with attacks from behind and weapon-based attacks when the player is empty-handed.

Peace of mind

Vovinam stresses harmony between the Chinese philosophical aspects of yin and yang, which represent the hard

Vovinam Stance

and soft elements of physical combat. Students, who often wear a distinctive light-blue training “gi,” learn the Buddhist concept of seeing through their ego, freeing themselves from its influence. They become tolerant of—and generous toward -other people, and learn that awareness leads to harmony and peace.

Vovinam’s motto and salutation— “iron hand over benevolent heart”— emphasizes the principle that force should only be used as a last resort.

Cuong Nhu

Cuong nhu is a hybrid Vietnamese martial art developed by Doctor Ngo Dong in 1965, which blends karate techniques with basic grappling methods. It also draws inspiration from taijiquan, wing chun, Shotokan karate, boxing, aikido, and vovinam.

The first cuong-nhu dojo in the US opened its doors in 1971 after Ngo Dong escaped from the horrors of the Vietnam War and set up home in the United States.

Basic training takes the hard, external elements of karate—such as kicking and blocking—along with judo takedowns and rolling and throwing techniques. As the student progresses, tafjiquan-like elements are included in the curriculum. These stress diversion of thought as opposed to the use of direct blocking moves. Such techniques enable the student to be flexible— he or she responds to the attack appropriately, using either the hard or soft elements of training. Martial Arts Weapons are also taught, usually only to advanced students, and they include the “bo” (staff), the “tonfa” (stick), the “sai” (dagger), and spear.

Ethical art

In keeping with the philosophy of inclusion, alongside martial techniques the art teaches its students public speaking, poetry, philosophy, and painting. A strong element of self-development, through self-control and modesty, informs much of the system. Students are known for developing a positive attitude. A code of ethics governs cuong nhu and the art has a ranking order based on belt colors, similar to Japanese martial arts.

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Different Styles of Martial Arts

Cuong Nhu and Vovinam: “vovinam viet vo dao”

Vovinam

Nguyen Loc, the founder of vovinam, grew up in French-occupied Vietnam. His early experiences as a youth, coupled with his patriotic nature, led him to believe that a strong nation could only exist if young people were trained to have a clear mind, pure soul, and strong body.

Loc studied various martial arts, philosophy, theology, and scientific health, before uniting them all into a Vietnamese art designed for the Vietnamese people.

Key techniques

Also known as “vovinam viet vo dao,” the art includes training with empty-hand and weapons techniques. Students learn to use unusual weapons, such as the ax and folding fan. Signature moves are diagonal kicks, backfists to the temples, and leg-grappling methods for felling opponents. Elbow and knee strikes, kicks, and wrestling techniques are also included. The art specializes in defensive movements that deal with attacks from behind and weapon-based attacks when the player is empty-handed.

Peace of mind

Vovinam stresses harmony between the Chinese philosophical aspects of yin and yang, which represent the hard

Vovinam Stance

and soft elements of physical combat. Students, who often wear a distinctive light-blue training “gi,” learn the Buddhist concept of seeing through their ego, freeing themselves from its influence. They become tolerant of—and generous toward -other people, and learn that awareness leads to harmony and peace.

Vovinam’s motto and salutation— “iron hand over benevolent heart”— emphasizes the principle that force should only be used as a last resort.

Cuong Nhu

Cuong nhu is a hybrid Vietnamese martial art developed by Doctor Ngo Dong in 1965, which blends karate techniques with basic grappling methods. It also draws inspiration from taijiquan, wing chun, Shotokan karate, boxing, aikido, and vovinam.

The first cuong-nhu dojo in the US opened its doors in 1971 after Ngo Dong escaped from the horrors of the Vietnam War and set up home in the United States.

Basic training takes the hard, external elements of karate—such as kicking and blocking—along with judo takedowns and rolling and throwing techniques. As the student progresses, tafjiquan-like elements are included in the curriculum. These stress diversion of thought as opposed to the use of direct blocking moves. Such techniques enable the student to be flexible— he or she responds to the attack appropriately, using either the hard or soft elements of training. Martial Arts Weapons are also taught, usually only to advanced students, and they include the “bo” (staff), the “tonfa” (stick), the “sai” (dagger), and spear.

Ethical art

In keeping with the philosophy of inclusion, alongside martial techniques the art teaches its students public speaking, poetry, philosophy, and painting. A strong element of self-development, through self-control and modesty, informs much of the system. Students are known for developing a positive attitude. A code of ethics governs cuong nhu and the art has a ranking order based on belt colors, similar to Japanese martial arts.

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Mixed Martial Arts and the Ground Game History

Lancashire Wrestling

An extremely violent form of mixed martial arts and wrestling in which only the deliberate breaking of bones is prohibited, Lancashire wrestling is considered to be the founding art of catch wrestling and both professional and amateur wrestling. The style probably evolved out of matches that took place during the 350-year Roman occupation of Britain; the Romans felt the men of

Only victory matters

Matches were always on a winner-takes-all basis and any money was given to the overall champion. Matches would typically start with players standing about 1 1/2 ft (0.5 m) apart, facing each other, hands straight out and elbows bent in a typical wrestling posture. From here short grips, take-downs, and tussles were employed. Once on the floor, the grapplers constantly moved around trying to apply a hold, a lock, or a choke, with waist holds and throws common.

There were no rounds and no breaks and the fight would typically continue until one of the fighters submitted known as submission fighting. Given that matches could last for long periods of time, training for Lancashire wrestling placed an emphasis on physical fitness and conditioning.

Cornish Wrestling

Similar to judo martial arts, the object of Cornish wrestling is to throw an opponent flat onto his back. The sport achieved its greatest popularity in Cornwall, England, where, in the local dialect, the art is known as “wrasslin.”

The Cornish Wrestling Association was formed in 1923 to standardize the sport’s rules, which state that the grabbing or breaking of fingers is forbidden and that players are not allowed to grab their opponent’s legs, or indeed any part of the body below the waist. A pure, four-pin throw—in which the player throws his opponent much like judo martial arts so that both shoulder blades and buttocks hit the ground at the same time—is the classic winning technique.

Cornish wrestling bouts can still be seen in the south of England—and in some European countries— demonstrated at local fairs. The most well-known display of the sport takes place every year at the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Show. A feature of the system is that players often swear an oath before the match begins, usually in the Cornish dialect.

Catch Wrestling

Catch wrestling is derived from the Lancashire term “catch as catch can,” meaning to “hold” an opponent, which was a forbidden rule in the Greco-Roman form of wrestling popular during the Roman occupation of Britain. Catch players typically win a match through submission or a pin down, and matches are usually determined by who wins two out of three bouts.

Notable practitioners

Catch wrestling has enjoyed much popularity in the western world, with Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Teddy Roosevelt all notable former catch wrestlers.

Although the original form of the art does not involve any strikes or kicks, it is believed to have been a major influence on today’s mixed martial arts movements. The mixed wrestling matches staged during the 20th century (particularly in the 1920s) spurred much legend, with the cross-cultural clashes between Japanese judo players and American wrestlers catching the public’s imagination. The art also had a significant influence on the evolution of international mixed martial arts competitions.

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Those with a strong wrestling background, have been recently doing quite well in mixed martial arts. What classifies wrestling and is it the best sport to get someone ready for MMA?

Most people think of Freestyle and Greco-Roman when they think of wrestling. But, according to the

International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles

International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles which has been regulating ametuer wrestling since 1921, there are four different styles of wrestling that are acknowledged throughout the world . They are Greco-Roman, Freestyle, Grappling, and Sambo. All these style have had a large influence on the sport of mixed martial arts. There are also numerous lesser known styles of grappling that have found their way into the sport of mixed martial arts.

Greco-Roman Wrestling

Greco-Roman is an international discipline and an Olympic sport. “In Greco-Roman style, it is forbidden to hold the opponent below the belt, to make trips, and to actively use the legs in the execution of any action. This is what makes Greco-Roman so exciting to watch since there are numerous high throws in a match. Greco-Roman wrestling is derived from the Ancient Greeks and was practiced by Roman soldiers during ancient times.

Randy Couture after winning the UFC Title Background: Grecco Roman Wrestling

Two MMA fighters that have a strong background in Greco-Roman wrestling are UFC Hall of Famers, Randy Couture and Dan Severn.

Freestyle Wrestling

Unlike Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling allows attacks to the entire body of the opponent. Freestyle wrestling is an international discipline and an Olympic sport, for both men and women. Takedowns and putting an opponent on their back are ways to score points. In addition, pinning an opponent wins a match.

Freestyle wrestling teaches single leg and double leg takedowns, both of which are highly ingrained in the sport of mixed martial arts.

Freestyle wrestlers have been extremely successful in MMA. Former UFC Champions, Tito Ortiz, Josh Koscheck, Brock Lesner, and Mark Coleman all have a freestyle background.

Grappling

Grappling refers to the gripping, handling, and controlling of an opponent without the use of striking, typically through the application of various grappling holds, choke holds, and counters to various hold attempts. Grappling forms an important part of both ground fighting and standing clinch fighting.

One style with a strong foundation in grappling is Judo. Founded in 1882 by a Doctor named Jigoro Kano. This sport, which is a blend of Japanese Jujutsu and emphasizes free sparring where half the time is spent on the feet practicing throws, called tachi-wasa, while the other half is spent on the ground ( ne-wasa ). Submissions, of course, are used on the ground. Though leglocks, wrist locks, and spinal locks are banned from competition, they are still sometimes taught in practice.

Early on, the Japanese wanted to keep the secrets of their martial arts from the western world ( particularly their jujutsu or jiu-jitsu ). Due to this, the form of Judo the Japanese divulged to the western world, at least initially, was devoid of many of the submissions that jujutsu or jiu-jitsu taught.

Even so, the secrets could not be contained forever. Mitsuyo Maeda brought the pure forms of Judo/ Jujutsu to the western world, via Brazil. In fact, Maeda taught Carlos Gracie initially, which eventually led to the development of Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Karo Parisyan Background: Judo

Today Judo is very popular and is an Olympic event. Some popular MMA fighters with a background in Judo are Judo gold medalist, Hidehiko Yoshida, and the UFC’s, Karo Parisyan who is a a four time international Judo champion.

Sambo

Sambo evolved as a result of early Russia’s yearning to produce an elite fighting system for military and police personnel. With this as their lofty goal the pioneers of Sambo (Vasili Oshchepkov and Viktor Spiridonov) brought together several forms of fighting that ranged from Japanese arts ( Judo and Karate ) to Greco-Roman wrestling. These also drew upon their own fighting experiences and styles es of the Tatars, Vikings, Mongols, and native Russians.

The Sambo we see today has three different versions. First, is the Self- Defense Sambo which is used on the streets. The second version of Sambo is the Combat Sambo which is used by the military in the field of battle, and the third version of Sambo is the Sports Sambo which is used in competitions. The ‘Combat Sambo’ is the version we see used in mixed martial arts.

Sambo is recognized for the outstanding take downs it has much like what makes the sport of Judo exciting. However Sambo also utilizes leglocks, which is unlike any of the other wrestling styles we have talked about so far.

There have been a lot of MMA fighters with a background in Sambo but the one that sticks out is considered to be the best in all of MMA, Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor has been training in Sambo since the age of 10 and still fights in Sambo competitions every year in Russia.

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