Martial Arts Types and Styles and How To Tell Them Apart
This article is a guide to help beginners identify the different martial arts styles and types. If you’re interested in learning martial arts and want to gain a better understanding of what martial arts are and what separates the different types and styles, you’ve come to the right place!
“Martial arts” is being used as a blanket term for the purposes of this article, so let’s take a quick look at exactly what it means.
Disclaimer: This article was published for entertainment and educational purposes. It should not be used as personal or professional or medical advice. Please consult your doctor before deciding to engage in any new exercise activities or nutritional regimen. Take care!
What are Martial Arts?
In this article (and often in real life) “martial arts” is used as a blanket term for any training that involves or resembles fighting. If we break it down, there are actually three different types of martial arts and four different styles of martial arts. Let’s start by looking at the types of martial arts first:
The 3 types of martial arts
Traditional Martial Arts: These are systems of training that have been practiced for many years. Traditional Martial Arts (TMAs) include Karate, Judo, Aikido, Tae Kwon Do, Tai Chi, and more.
Traditional martial arts often have a historical origin in combat training. They were originally designed to teach people how to fight, and the training system was modified over time to evolve into more of a sport or exercise philosophy.
These days the original altercation-based purpose is seldom used as part of practice. Modern TMA practitioners usually study for fitness and overall wellness as well as a passion for the art.
Combat Sports: These are martial arts that are focused on competition, with the eventual goal of most competitors being to become a world champion. Examples of combat sports include Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and western Boxing.
Combat Sports sometimes have a historical origin in actual combat training. They were originally designed to teach people how to fight, but evolved into competition formats over time as the world changed. Today most combat sports are practiced for their competitive nature and rigorous conditioning.
Self Defense Systems: These are martial arts that are used as tools for real-life self defense. Examples include Krav Maga, Systema, and other military combative systems. Self Defense Systems have a combat or self defense origin and were designed to teach people how to fight
Like traditional martial arts, these systems originated as combat training for military or self-defense purposes. The difference is that while TMAs and combat sports evolved into an art form and sport over time, self defense systems are designed for active use in real life situations. Unlike the other two types of martial arts, they retain their original intent.
The 4 styles of martial arts
Striking Arts: These include Karate, Kickboxing, Boxing and Muay Thai. These systems focus on powerful punches, kicks, elbow strikes, and knee strikes, which are used exclusively while both competitors are standing.
Grappling Arts: These include Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Aikido and wrestling of all types. Sparring typically involves grabbing ahold of your opponent and trying to pin them, throw them, move them, or force them to submit using joint locks or chokeholds.
Mixed Martial Arts: While modern MMA is included in this category, it is not the only form of mixed martial arts. This can refer to any kind of physical competition where combatants employ both striking and grappling techniques. Sambo is a popular form of mixed martial arts in Russia, and for years before even the first UFC events, Pankration was widely celebrated in Japan.
Weapon Arts: These include everything from western sword arts like Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) to Japanese kendo. Weapon arts are those that focus on or require the use of a weapon during combat. A modern example is military combatives that teach soldiers how to use their guns as melee weapons in close quarters.
What martial arts style is best?
This question boils down to three things:
- What do you want to get out of the martial art?
- Are you medically and physically fit to practice the martial art?
- How much time will you devote to learning the martial art?
If your desired outcome from training is to lose weight, or to learn to protect yourself, or to join in competition, that should be the main driving factor behind your decision.
The next thing to consider is your fitness. Combat sports are likely to be the most difficult athletically and the most damaging, so if there are any issues with your fitness they are the first option to cut out. This is where a discussion with your doctor is crucial.
Finally, you’ll need to manage your expectations based on how much time you can devote to training. If you can only manage an hour a week, don’t expect to master anything quickly, and consider choosing an option that will be easier to learn.
Reasons to start – why will YOU practice martial arts?
Most people start and stick with a martial art for one of the following reasons:
- Self-Defense: The most common reason people start martial arts is likely that they want to learn self-defense. Whether they are dealing with real life encounters or just want to boost their confidence, this remains a top reason that people look into martial arts.
- Improve Fitness: Many newbies and experienced practitioners alike turn to martial arts as a means to lose weight or improve other aspects of physical fitness. The great thing about martial arts for fitness is that they are enjoyable and cover the main aspects of a good workout. Most martial arts include training that increases strength, flexibility, and cardio and muscular endurance. Indeed, it’s often posited that martial arts create some of the most well-rounded athletes in the world.
- Positive Community: Some people join martial arts because they need a positive change or simply want to meet new people in a safe, healthy environment. Even if martial arts alone are not enough to make you more outgoing, the positive impact of having a support network of friends and instructors on hand may increase your self-confidence.
- Competition: Some people choose martial arts because they want to compete or simply enjoy sports like MMA, boxing, and wrestling. Competition is always a strong motivator, and martial arts are enjoyable because you can compete in so many different ways, especially if you cross-train in multiple disciplines.
- Self-Improvement: A lot of martial artists feel that training has helped them grow both mentally and spiritually. The discipline of learning a new skill or overcoming fear to go into combat can increase self-confidence and help improve a person’s overall bearing. It is also not uncommon for martial artists to report increased mental clarity and heightened senses after training for an extended period of time.
You can start training in martial arts regardless of your fitness level, as long as you take it slowly to avoid injury.
Overview of Martial Arts by Type and Style
Let’s break down the most popular martial arts into their types and styles, and examine exactly what they’re best for.
Boxing
Type: Combat Sport
Style: Striking
If you want your punches to pack as much power as possible and build great cardio and muscular endurance, boxing is a good choice to consider. While many people might think of someone like Mike Tyson as a stereotypical boxer – a big, muscular man – most boxers are quick and agile. And while punches are the only strikes you use, there are a variety of other techniques to learn in this style of fighting.
Boxers also practice a variety of movements such as bobbing and weaving, the slip, and the roll. Head movement and general mobility is crucial, since these skills allow you to dodge attacks. Because of this most boxers spend a lot of time running and improving their cardiovascular endurance in other ways.
Karate
Type: Traditional Martial Art
Style: Striking
Karate is the first thing many people think of when martial arts are mentioned. Karate is great for increasing all aspects of fitness and learning to be more attuned with your body and mind. It has a rich history, and if you join the right dojo you can become part of that history. Many a proud martial artist has fallen in love with karate and never looked back, and for good reason.
That said, karate is less likely to push you to the same level of physical performance as a combat sport like boxing. Most karate schools will have beginner classes and more advanced classes, but few have as strong a focus on competition and actual fighting skills as boxing gyms.
Kickboxing
Type: Combat Sport
Style: Striking
While boxing focuses primarily on punching, kickboxing incorporates kicks and potentially even knee strikes, depending on the rules. This makes it a very versatile form of striking, but it does have its drawbacks. While kickboxers have more weapons than boxers, they don’t usually become as skilled at things like head movement, footwork, and punching hard and fast.
Kickboxing was once one of the most popular styles of combat in the USA, and it is making something of a comeback in recent years because of the effectiveness of its striking techniques in MMA.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Type: Combat Sport
Style: Grappling
BJJ has become one of the most common styles of martial art in the years since it exploded into North America via the Gracie family and UFC 1. This form of jiu-jitsu (which is actually rooted in judo) uses a variety of grappling techniques including takedowns, joint locks, and chokes to subdue an opponent and force them to submit.
This martial art has been proven on multiple occasions to be one of the most effective forms of ground fighting. There are so many different modern forms of BJJ that it becomes difficult to keep track of them all.
Mixed Martial Arts / Pankration
Type: Combat Sport
Style: Mixed
The term “mixed martial arts” refers to any art that combines grappling and striking techniques. The goal of pankration is to knock out your opponent by using both hands and feet against him. You’ll need to train in several disciplines before you’re ready to compete in a full tournament, though.
Aikido
Type: Traditional Martial Art
Style: Grappling
Aikido is a traditional style of martial art that is focused around leverage, using an opponent’s strength against them, and subtle joint manipulation. Sadly, as cool as the concept is, Aikido doesn’t really work. In the 20th century, Aikido has been debunked by multiple people including Aikido blackbelts who tested themselves against trained fighters and got beaten badly.
If you watch an Aikido demonstration on YouTube, you will see that it’s more like theatrical stunt work than actual combat.
Krav Maga
Type: Self Defense System
Style: Mixed (can include weapons)
Krav Maga is a self defense system originally developed for civilian self defense. It has been adapted over the years into multiple styles, some for civilians and some for military use. Some styles emphasize hand-to-hand combat with no weapon other than what you might find in the environment. Others include some knife work and how to deal with firearms if you find yourself up close and personal with someone armed.
Some experts (including Krav Maga instructors) believe that many branches of the Krav Maga tree are watered down. This could mean that Krav Maga is in some ways on its way to becoming a TMA, but as long as real fighting units like the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) continue to use Krav Maga, we will continue to consider it a self defense system.
Thanks for reading! Train safe, train hard, and come back to MyFitnessFight soon!