Martial Arts 101: A beginner's guide
What is Martial Arts?
‘Martial arts’ refers to numerous systems and traditions for training and combat that are practised for many reasons including self-defence, competition, military and law enforcement as well as to work on one’s mental, spiritual and physical development. It’s also an incredibly popular way to stay in shape and keep on top of your fitness, health and wellbeing.
(Source: Senshi Academy)
What are some of the popular martial arts, and where did they originate?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - Brazil. There is also Japanese Ju-Jitsu from Japan.
Karate - Japan
Taekwondo - Korea
Krav Maga - Israel
Kung Fu - China
Judo - Japan
Muay Thai - Thailand
Aikido - Japan
What is Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)? Is it the same as the UFC?
MMA is full-contact combat sport where competitors are allowed to use both striking and grappling techniques, while standing or on the ground. Instead of being confined to one martial art, competitors can use a variety of techniques and strategies learned from multiple martial arts, and apply them under a unified set of rules.
The most well-known promoter of MMA is the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). UFC is the organisation who runs the events and MMA is the sport - similar to NRL (organisation) and rugby league (sport), NBA (organisation) and basketball (sport) or Ironman (organisation) and triathlon (sport). A few popular names you might have heard of who fought in the UFC include Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Georges St Pierre, BJ Penn, Amanda Nunes and Daniel Cormier.
What is the difference between grappling and striking martial arts?
Martial arts can generally be divided into two major types - grappling and striking.
Striking martial arts teach people how to engage from a standing position, using kicks, punches, blocks, knees, elbows, feet etc to defeat an opponent. Examples include karate, boxing, krav maga, kickboxing, capoeira, kung fu, muay thai and tae kwon do.
Grappling martial arts focus on the ground game, where a dominant position or submission is achieved, using the principles of leverage, control, timing and angles to control an opponent. Size and strength are less important, as technique and strategy is used to control and beat an opponent. Examples include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling and sumo.
Many martial arts are a hybrid of both grappling and striking, such as Judo which focuses on the use of takedowns and throws, or MMA which uses skills and techniques from all disciplines.
Which martial art is best?
This is a tough one to answer without being completely biased, but it varies greatly depending on what you want to get out of it. If you’re after something purely physical, a high impact cardio martial art like Muay Thai might tick your boxes. If you need more discipline, the principles taught in Karate may work best.
We’ve explored a few different thoughts to help answer this question in these two articles:
Have a read and if you decide you want to try Jiu-Jitsu, book a free trial at NBJJA in Cromer.