By Jillian Bullock

World famous martial artist Brue Lee created Jeet Kune Do, which means “Way of the Intercepting Fist,” and he believed that only what worked for you should be used in martial arts and the rest discarded. Mixed martial arts can actually be compared to Jeet Kwon Do, which is a hybrid fighting system or fighting styles and theories from several different martial arts.

The martial arts known as Silat is not very well known in the U.S. but it is very popular internationally!  This arts has now spread from Java, Singapore, and Thailand and Silat is said to have influenced the most popular martial arts in the US which is Okinawan karate.  Although you may never have heard of it or seen it performed check out this art and you will see for yourself that it is right up there with the best.  This art is also known for it’s intense training and hard workouts, so it is perfect for those who want to get into shape and lose some pounds!

Legend has it that silat was originally created by a woman, Rama Sukana. Rama is believed to have developed several fighting styles from watching fights between animals in the jungle including monkeys against tigers and tigers and large birds. This is no doubt the basis of many styles named after animals that were so popular when martial arts first took to the big screen.

Kyokushin Karate is one of the toughest martial arts on the planet. Definitely not one for those of you who don’t like to be hit. If you do not like violence, you probably shouldn’t even peek through the windows. Masutatsu Oyama founded Kyokushin in 1964 and since then an amazing 12 million students have trained in this style. It is distinguished by it’s full contact training, stand up style and emphasis on it’s practicality and physical toughness.

Karate Competitions

Also known as the ‘El Juego Del Garrote’, Garotte Larense is a unique martial art from Venezuela, South America. While Venezuela may be considered a small country, it’s capital Caracas is known to have the highest per-capita murder rate in the world, even rivaling the death tolls of war time Iraq and Afghanistan. So clearly any martial art that has proved it’s self on these streets has definitely earned some credibility.

Garrote Larense is a fighting form combining open handed techniques, stick and knife fighting. But perhaps most notable is Garrote Larense’ machete techniques and defenses. Anyone who has been in some serious real life situations knows that defending against a machete attack is probably one of the most difficult and dangerous situations you can be in. A machete’s length and weight make it much more dangerous than a knife or bat, meaning that one strike can end your life or at least take off a limb.

For being such a tiny country Korea has a seriously impressive list of martial arts, far more than most other large countries. It is true that they have been at war for almost their entire history and still today which must be one of the main reasons they have developed so many fighting styles. During various invasions it was illegal for them to practice many forms, though they were still handed down in secret. The Koreans have earned a reputation for fighting off significant attacks from larger better equipped armies – a trait they still clearly cling to today.

What is also amazing compared to other countries is that these martial arts use a wide range of styles from wrestling based styles to those like Taekwondo featuring acrobatic kicks where as other countries may be known for just one core type of fighting. And even more notable is that several of these Korean martial arts have spread across the globe and built up followings matching or surpassing any other one style. These martial arts involve incredibly well developed empty hand techniques as well as a huge range of weapons. In recent years there has also been a big revival of other Korean fighting arts including sword arts, knife fighting and archery.

While Vietnamese martial arts may not be to most well known in the world they have certainly be honed for use against overwhelming force of invading enemies with better weapons and massive forces and resources. Among it’s invasions Vietnam has been attacked by it’s giant neighbor China as well as being ruled for a time by France and of course there was the infamous Vietnam war involving the US. Some controlling forces like the French tried to outlaw practicing or training in martial arts in order to protect themselves from uprisings.

This led to training continuing in secret. The Vietnamese borrowed techniques from their neighbors and combined them to form of one of the first Mixed Martial Arts. The breakdown in factional fighting and guerrilla warfare lead by various warlords to various regions developing their own styles of Viet Vo Dao or Vo Thuat. The most important principals behind the development of these Vietnamese martial arts were:

While Vietnamese martial arts may not be to most well known in the world they have certainly be honed for use against overwhelming force of invading enemies with better weapons and massive forces and resources. Among it’s invasions Vietnam has been attacked by it’s giant neighbor China as well as being ruled for a time by France and of course there was the infamous Vietnam war involving the US. Some controlling forces like the French tried to outlaw practicing or training in martial arts in order to protect themselves from uprisings.

This led to training continuing in secret. The Vietnamese borrowed techniques from their neighbors and combined them to form of one of the first Mixed Martial Arts. The breakdown in factional fighting and guerrilla warfare lead by various warlords to various regions developing their own styles of Viet Vo Dao or Vo Thuat. The most important principals behind the development of these Vietnamese martial arts were:

‘Semper Fu’, ‘McSlap’ and ‘McNinja’ are all nicknames for MCMAP the US Marine Corp Martial Arts Program. Started in 2001 this program teaches unarmed hand-to-hand and close quarters combat combined with rifle and bayonet techniques. According to the Marine Corps Times as of a year ago 98% of US Marines were trained in the MCMAP program totaling approximately 196,000 active duty troops and 96,000 reservists.

Grading is given in belts much like many other martial arts and ranks range from tan to black with further degrees of black belts. New regulations require that all Marines must complete MCMAP training, and infantry marines must achieve a rank of green belt or higher. As of 2008 it was determined that tougher standards of grading were required and were to be implemented. To become an instructor you must be a green belt or higher and a black belt to become a instructor trainer. Additionally there are restrictions by military rank as to how fast and far you can progress in your Marine Corp Martial Arts Program belt ranking.

The unique Japanese martial art of Aikido was developed by by Morihei Ueshiba almost a century ago. Aikido is often translated as ‘The way of unifying life energy’. This style is often mistakenly confused with Judo or Kendo Bogu. It’s unique form uses the force and motion of the attacker and re-directs it instead of attacking it head on.

These techniques use turning movements, throws and joint locks to manipulate opponents. One of Ueshiba’s most famous sayings is “To control aggression without inflicting injury is the Art of Peace.“ which perfectly sums up the philosophy behind Aikido. Some of the other recognizable and different elements that separate Aikido from other forms of martial arts are the wooden sword/ bokkens or sticks used in weapons training as well as the ‘Hakama’ which is often commented on because it looks like a dress or skirt.

Savate, what is that?

Savate aka French Kickboxing or French Foot Fighting is a martial art

from France that combines boxing and kicks. In Savate only foot kicks are used as opposed to some arts allowing shins and knees to be used. Hence Savate is on of the few martial arts where it’s practitioners train with their martial arts shoes on. And for you new MMA fans out there, Savate was actually used in the first UFC tournament by Gerard Gordeau a Dutch Savate champion who defeated a Sumo wrestler and an American Kick boxer.

And while the name ‘Savate’ may not be familiar to you it has been featured in TV shows and movies including the children’s cartoon Ben 10, Jet Li’s Kiss of the Dragon and X-Men. Savate was originally developed as a form of street fighting and self-defense on the streets of Paris and Marsielle and has stood the test of time as a form of combat still used and taught today. However for most MMA fighters, Savate’s techniques may sound pretty limited with only 4 types of kicks and punches allowed. These include fouette – the roundhouse, chasse a front or side kick, revers a reverse or hook kick and coup de pied bas which is a leg sweep. Punches and hand strikes are limited to boxing style; jabs, crosses, hooks and uppercuts.