Kickboxing

Modern martial art that uses powerful kicking and punching techniques. There are a variety of forms of it Including - Western Kickboxing - Muay Thai - Chinese Boxing - Savate to name but a few.

In the UK and US many Karate teachers teach Sport Karate as Kickboxing - this is a terrible misrepresentation of Kickboxing and is essentially lying to students.

Kickboxing is a Full Contact sport and in competition has Full Contact and Light Continuous categories. There are no 'forms' in kickboxing nor is there Semi Contact. These are both sport Karate traits.

Kickboxing is a great style that is quick to learn and is great for both fitness and self defence. As a modern fighting style it is a good all rounder.

Karate

There are many styles of this old military martial art. Reliable data states that it originated in the islands of Ryukyu after a group of Chinese famlies moved there for cultural exchange.

Many forms of Karate have evolved since then, from the Full Contact to no contact versions! There is much philosphy and ethics behind Karate, something that is often passed from Instructor to Students.

Sport Karate (sometimes called Kickboxing - although it is not a true version of kickboxing) has become very popular in recent years. It is great for fitness and display with dynamic forms.

Capoeira

A martial art that mixes music and dance with cunning and power. Often misunderstood as just dance - this Brazilian Fighting art was hidden in the dance. Like most arts what you learn depends on the experience of your teacher, if you find a teacher with a fighting background Capoeira can be a devastating and disorientating style to come up against.

The Jinga is used to evade, block and inflict damage on an opponant, not just serve as a base to work from. Though from that base a variety of kicks ad acrobatic techniques are taught.

Kidon

Kidon is a fighting style used by Mossad and other Special Military Organisations in Russia, US and the UK. Of similar origin to Krav Maga and Kapap but Kidon is taught to only the most elite.

A few ex special service personnel are beginning to teach this little known fighting system to certain lucky students and of course continuing to teach it to Military, Police Forces and PMC's world wide.

Kidon uses a variety of strikes and methods of inflicting pain and damage to an opponant, with the emphasis being on the maximum effect in the minimum amount of time.

Kung Fu

The many styles of Kung Fu (or Gong Fu) originate from Shaolin and the term Kung Fu relates to the work required to achieve the skill base. Thus someone having "bad Kung Fu" did not apply themself !

There are many stlye of Kung Fu, some internal other external, some styles choose to fight close range and others at mid to long range.

Examples of Kung Fu inlcude Wu Shu, Wing Chun, Praying Mantis, White Crane, Drunken Boxing to name but a few.

Ju Jitsu

Origionally from Japan much of the Ju Jitsu studied today is the post WWII Brazilian version. Known as BJJ it focuses more on the grappling and ground work than the origonal style.

Ju Jitsu is based on the principle that a weaker indiviual can overcome a stronger opponant if the proper technique is applied.

MMA

Mixed Martial Arts is common place now with one of the biggest brands being the UFC. MMA fighters compete in a cage in Full contact fights with the fighters having a mix of Kickboxing, Boxing, Judo and JuJitsu backgrounds.

Some fighters prefer to work on the ground, others prefer stand up fighting, however a lot of fights go to the ground due to a lack of skill in the fighters stand up game. The money involved in MMA has brought a lot of fighters to the sport that do not have the same level of skill there is in other competitions. Many rush in, lured by the financial gain and the kudos of being a pro fighter.

That said, when a good fighter with a strong skill set enters the MMA arena it can be a fantastic spectacle to watch.

As MMA progresses we are seeing more and more highly talented individuals in the sport, something that means the stand up and ground fighting involved in these tournaments and as a spectator sport is becomes ever more exciting.

Judo

The Gentle Way is a relatively young martial art, with is origins in the late 19th century.

Contrary to popular belief Judo does actually involves some striking techniques, though these are not often taught nor are they allowed in competitions. Judo is a highly effective thworing art and is often used in Mixed Martial Arts.

Aikido

The essence of Aikido is to blend the energy of the attacker with your own, thus redirecting its force and sending it onward under your control rather than meeting it head on.

Aikido is often critiscised for its lack of realism due to the fact that as a defensed based art, the attacks practised have no real threat or severity, thus the defensive skill learnt are based upon a weak foundation.

That aside Aikido is a fantastic fighting style and if the proper striking training is given and a student has the chance to learn realistic situations, it can be a highly effective and art.

British Martial Arts Institute