Martial Arts: The Different Styles and Practises

Martial arts are the system of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. The main objective of martial arts is to defeat your opponents and to defend yourself from physical threat. nnMartial arts consist of many styles of fighting. The different styles are Stand-up Styles, Ground Fighting or Grappling Styles/Throwing Styles, Weapons Based Styles and Low impact or Meditative Style. nnStand-up Styles use punching, kicking and blocking as the main focus of their art. This is the most popular style of martial arts. A student learning this style studies various stances, footwork and combinations in practice, which vary in appearance and application depending on the style. Some of the Stand-up styles are Karate, Kung fu, Tae Kwon Do, Boxing/Kickboxing, Kray Maga, Wushu, and San Shou etc. nnGround fighting or Grappling Styles have a greater focus on the wrestling aspect of fighting. Some of the Ground Fighting styles are Brazilian Jujitsu, shooto or shoot fighting, Sambo, and Greco-Roman Wrestling etc. nnThrowing styles are those styles which mainly start from a standup position but utilize throws, trips, locks and other means to disrupt the balance of an opponent. Throwing styles include Judo, Aikido, Shuai Jiao, Hapkido etc. nnWeapons Based Styles of martial arts are styles that focus mainly on the practice of using one or more weapons. These are considered to be more traditional or cultural form of art. Some of the weapons based styles of martial arts are Kali, Iado and Kendo. nnThe next style of martial arts is the Low Impact or Meditative Style. These styles which had originally been established for combat, have now become more focused on breathing, internal energy and stress relief. These styles include Tai Chi, Ba Gua and Chi Gong based styles. nnA person who wants to learn martial arts is stumped with the various styles and unable to decide as to which style of martial arts he/ she should learn. The first thing to do when going for a martial arts class is to decide what you wish to gain from the martial arts training. The most common reason for learning martial arts is that people want to get shape up, get in better physical condition and become strong. Martial arts is a great way to get in shape and it improves endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, coordination, balance and helps with overall stress levels. Some people learn martial arts for self defense and they should go for Hapkido and Kray Maga as this two are known to have self defense as their main focus. Some learn martial arts as they are interested in traditional or cultural arts. There are some people who have the aim of participating in sports, competitions, combat sports etc and so they learn to take part in such activities. nnTo help you decide, I've found a website called VideoJug which hosts a number of films depicting different combat types. View their Martial Arts films and see which you prefer, and maybe even learn the basics at home.