Basic Techniques of Martial Arts
From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source
Martial arts have grown in diversity of form and discipline according to the instructor, environment, and specialty. Every branch of martial art has different styles; technique specialization based on specific interpretation of its main philosophy; and different attitudes towards foes. They can also be classified according to the location of its origin. However, despite their wide varieties, most martial arts have one goal: defeating a person or defending oneself from a physical threat. Generally, martial arts techniques falls into one of five categories:
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Hand Strikes
The most common fighting technique in the martial arts involves hitting an opponent with the hand, forearm, or elbow. This kind of fighting can be called the "universal" fighting style since primitive man used his hands as the earliest form of "weapon." This fact can be seen in the way many lower forms of mammals use their front legs as their main arsenal in catching prey. Asian martial arts that especially concentrate on punches and other hand-strikes include Karate, Jendo, and southern styles of Kung Fu. In the West, a popular hand-striking art is Boxing, which originated from Bare Knuckle Boxing.
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Kicking
Another method of striking an opponent is kicking. This kind of fighting is used in almost every style of martial art. It involves the act of hitting an attacker with the foot or foreleg. (A knee strike is also considered a kick.) Emphasis on kicking is commonly found in East Asian martial arts such as Taekwondo, Jendo, Karate and northern styles of Kung Fu, and such Western styles as Capoeira and Savate.
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Grappling and Throwing
Grappling/throwing is a fighting style that uses close combat techniques to immobilize or throw an opponent in order to defeat him. Employing holds, throws, trips, chokes and takedowns is common in this style. Examples of these are Wrestling, which originated in the West, and Judo and Jujutsu from the East.
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Weaponry
This style employs the use of instruments or tools in attacking an opponent or defending oneself from physical threat. It has been in use for thousands of years since men started to use simple tools to aid their daily work. Kendo is a Japanese sword fighting style that is derived from ancient sword techniques. The art of Fencing is an international sport.
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Internal Martial Arts
The terms "internal" and "soft" are often used interchangeably in martial arts lingo, perhaps incorrectly. The phrase "internal martial art" may refer to one of two kinds of martial art:
- martial arts which overall teach less violent skills (mostly throws) and generally use the attacker's energy against him; and
- martial arts which are considered "soft" because they teach students to generate power through body mechanics and qi rather than focusing on muscular strength.
Most of the former use some strikes, and some of the hard throws verge on body slams. The latter use mostly punches and palm-strikes, which are hardly "soft" techniques. However, both kinds are indeed soft compared to arts such as Karate or Bajiquan. Other styles, such as Tai Chi Chuan, are said to give practitioners longer, healthier lives.
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