Multi-Style Reference Collection

Martial Arts Styles & Systems

U.M.A.A. is a multi-style association. This reference collection introduces major martial arts, combat sports, weapons systems, regional wrestling traditions, and modern hybrid systems in plain language for a reader who may know nothing about the art. Inclusion here is educational and does not claim that every style currently has a verified U.M.A.A. member or school.

Find a styleFamily141 styles

Shorei Goju-RyuChicago / United States

What the style is: Shorei Goju-Ryu is a karate tradition represented in U.M.A.A. through the Chicago lineage associated with O’Sensei James A. Jones Jr. and the Baker brothers. It uses structured striking, stances, movement, kata, partner practice, self-defense, sparring, body mechanics, discipline, and progressive rank training.

Background: The U.M.A.A. lineage developed during the postwar growth of American karate. Chicago became an important center during the 1950s–1970s. James A. Jones Jr. taught a generation of Black Belt competitors that included Preston Baker and other figures later associated with the Baker lineage. Preston Baker began formal study in 1965, earned Shodan in 1968, and carried that training into instruction, competition, Baker’s Dojo, and the later U.M.A.A. organization.

What a beginner should expect: A new student can expect stance and posture work, footwork, punching, kicking, blocking, breathing and body mechanics; formal kata; partner drills; practical self-defense; controlled sparring; conditioning; etiquette; and rank progression. Curriculum emphasis can differ by instructor and school, so students should learn the specific lineage and requirements used by their dojo.

Robert Trias and Grand Master Preston Baker historical lineage photograph — Historical lineage photograph associated with Robert Trias and Grand Master Preston Baker.

Shuri-RyuUnited States / Okinawan influence

Background: Shuri-Ryu was developed in the United States by Robert A. Trias, one of the important early organizers of American karate. Its curriculum draws on Okinawan karate and related influences that Trias encountered and systematized in the mid-twentieth century.

What a beginner should expect: It generally emphasizes kata, striking, stance work, self-defense, body conditioning, and traditional weapons depending on the school.

Goju-RyuOkinawa, Japan

Background: Goju-Ryu was founded by Chojun Miyagi from the Naha-te tradition and related Chinese influences. The name means “hard-soft school,” reflecting the combination of forceful and yielding methods.

What a beginner should expect: Training often includes Sanchin and other kata, close-range striking, breathing and tension methods, conditioning, partner drills, and self-defense.

ShotokanOkinawa / Japan

Background: Gichin Funakoshi introduced Okinawan karate to mainland Japan and became the central figure associated with Shotokan. “Shotokan” came from Funakoshi’s pen name, Shoto, and the training hall associated with his students.

What a beginner should expect: Known for strong basics, linear technique, deep stances in many schools, kata, kumite, timing, distance, and disciplined repetition.

Shito-RyuOkinawa / Japan

Background: Kenwa Mabuni founded Shito-Ryu, drawing especially from the teachings of Ankō Itosu and Kanryō Higaonna. The system preserves a large kata curriculum reflecting both Shuri/Tomari and Naha traditions.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes kata detail, varied striking methods, stance transitions, bunkai/application, and kumite.

Wado-RyuJapan

Background: Hironori Otsuka founded Wado-Ryu in the twentieth century after training in jujutsu and karate. The system combined karate striking with movement, body shifting, and principles drawn from Japanese jujutsu.

What a beginner should expect: Training commonly emphasizes evasion, timing, paired drills, efficient body movement, kata, and controlled sparring.

Shorin-RyuOkinawa

Background: Shorin-Ryu is a major Okinawan karate family associated with the Shuri-te/Tomari-te tradition. Choshin Chibana formalized the Kobayashi Shorin-Ryu branch, while other Shorin branches developed through related lineages.

What a beginner should expect: Training often favors natural movement, speed, direct striking, kata, body shifting, and practical applications.

Uechi-RyuOkinawa / China

Background: Kanbun Uechi developed the lineage later called Uechi-Ryu after studying a southern Chinese system often referred to as Pangai-noon. His students and family established the art in Okinawa and Japan.

What a beginner should expect: Known for Sanchin training, close-range techniques, open-hand strikes, kicks, conditioning, and body-strength development.

Isshin-RyuOkinawa

Background: Tatsuo Shimabuku founded Isshin-Ryu in Okinawa in the 1950s, combining methods from several karate teachers and Okinawan weapons practice.

What a beginner should expect: The system is known for a vertical-fist punch in many schools, compact motion, kata, kumite, self-defense, and kobudo.

KyokushinJapan

Background: Masutatsu Oyama founded Kyokushin in the mid-twentieth century. It became internationally known for hard physical training and knockdown-style competition.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes strong basics, conditioning, kata, body contact, low kicks, and full-contact sparring under Kyokushin rules.

Okinawan KobudoOkinawa

Background: Okinawan kobudo refers broadly to weapons traditions preserved through Okinawan teachers rather than one single school. Common weapons include bo, sai, tonfa, nunchaku, kama, and eku.

What a beginner should expect: Training develops weapon handling, kata, distance, coordination, transitions, and in some schools paired application.

American KenpoUnited States

Background: American Kenpo is strongly associated with Ed Parker, who developed and taught a modern American system in the mid-twentieth century from earlier kenpo training and continued adaptation.

What a beginner should expect: Known for rapid striking combinations, self-defense sequences, motion principles, angles, and structured belt curricula.

Kenpo / Kempo (general family)Japan / China / United States

Background: Kenpo or kempo is a broad label used by multiple systems and lineages; it is not one standardized art. The term is the Japanese reading of characters associated with Chinese boxing or “fist method.”

What a beginner should expect: Schools may emphasize striking, self-defense, forms, grappling, weapons, or hybrid curricula. A school’s exact lineage matters when identifying what “kenpo” means.

KajukenboHawaii, United States

Background: Kajukenbo was created in Hawaii in the late 1940s by a group of martial artists who combined karate, judo/jujutsu, kenpo, and boxing influences for practical self-defense.

What a beginner should expect: Training commonly blends striking, throws, joint controls, self-defense combinations, forms, conditioning, and pressure-oriented partner work.

Kudo / Daido JukuJapan

Background: Takashi Azuma founded Daido Juku in 1981; the modern competitive system became known as Kudo. It combines full-contact striking with throws and ground grappling under protective equipment.

What a beginner should expect: Training includes punches, kicks, knees, throws, clinch work, ground techniques, and continuous mixed-range sparring.

Enshin KarateJapan / United States

Background: Joko Ninomiya founded Enshin Karate in the 1980s after a Kyokushin background. Its signature concept, sabaki, emphasizes positioning and angles to redirect an opponent and create counterattacks.

What a beginner should expect: Training includes full-contact karate, body movement, sweeps, throws, conditioning, kata or structured drills, and tournament practice.

JudoJapan

Background: Jigoro Kano established the Kodokan in 1882 after studying jujutsu. He organized judo as a modern system of physical education, technical practice, character development, and competition.

What a beginner should expect: Training centers on throws, pins, chokes and joint locks within the judo curriculum, breakfalls, gripping, randori/free practice, kata, and sport competition.

Japanese JujutsuJapan

Background: Jujutsu is a broad family of premodern and modern Japanese grappling systems. Classical schools developed methods for controlling, throwing, restraining, striking, and using weapons in contexts where a warrior might be armed or armored.

What a beginner should expect: Training varies widely by school and may include throws, locks, pins, strikes, weapon defenses, kata, and tactical movement.

Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBrazil

Background: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu developed in twentieth-century Brazil from Japanese judo/jujutsu transmission and Brazilian innovation. The Gracie family became internationally prominent, while other lineages such as the Fadda tradition also contributed to Brazilian grappling.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes positional control, escapes, guard work, sweeps, takedowns, chokes, joint locks, and live rolling.

AikidoJapan

Background: Morihei Ueshiba developed aikido in the twentieth century from Daito-ryu and other martial experience, shaped by his religious and philosophical outlook.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes blending, balance breaking, throws, joint controls, body movement, ukemi/falling, and in many schools weapons practice.

SumoJapan

Background: Sumo is a Japanese wrestling tradition with very old ritual and competitive roots. Modern professional sumo developed elaborate ranks, stables, ceremonies, and tournament institutions.

What a beginner should expect: The objective is usually to force an opponent out of the ring or make any body part other than the soles of the feet touch the ground.

KendoJapan

Background: Kendo developed as a modern Japanese budo from older schools of swordsmanship and the use of protective armor and bamboo swords for safer practice.

What a beginner should expect: Training includes footwork, posture, strikes to designated targets, paired practice, kata, sparring, etiquette, and mental composure.

IaidoJapan

Background: Iaido is the modern umbrella for Japanese sword-drawing disciplines derived from older iai traditions. Different schools preserve different kata and historical lineages.

What a beginner should expect: Practice emphasizes drawing, cutting, control of the blade, awareness, posture, precision, and formal kata rather than free fencing in most schools.

KyudoJapan

Background: Kyudo is modern Japanese archery rooted in older battlefield, ceremonial, and school traditions. It developed into a budo centered on disciplined shooting and formal practice.

What a beginner should expect: Training focuses on the shooting sequence, posture, breath, bow handling, consistency, etiquette, and mental concentration.

Catch WrestlingBritain / Europe / United States

Background: Catch-as-catch-can wrestling developed in nineteenth-century Britain and spread internationally through professional wrestling circuits and athletic clubs. It strongly influenced submission wrestling traditions.

What a beginner should expect: Training includes takedowns, pins, rides, positional control, joint locks, cranks, and continuous grappling.

Freestyle WrestlingInternational

Background: Freestyle wrestling grew from catch-style and regional wrestling traditions and became an international amateur sport. It allows attacks to the legs and rewards takedowns, exposure, control, and pins.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes stance, penetration steps, takedowns, scrambling, mat control, conditioning, and competition strategy.

Greco-Roman WrestlingEurope / International

Background: Modern Greco-Roman wrestling was shaped in nineteenth-century Europe and became an Olympic wrestling discipline. Holds below the waist are prohibited, creating a strong emphasis on upper-body control and throws.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes pummeling, body locks, throws, lifts, par terre control, balance, and conditioning.

SamboSoviet Union

Background: Sambo was developed in the Soviet Union during the 1920s and 1930s by combining regional wrestling methods with judo and other grappling influences. Sport Sambo and Combat Sambo later developed different rules.

What a beginner should expect: Sport Sambo emphasizes throws and submissions; Combat Sambo adds striking. Jackets and distinctive gripping are central to many methods.

PankrationAncient Greece / modern revival

Background: Ancient pankration entered the Olympic program in 648 BCE and combined striking with grappling. Modern organizations have revived the name under contemporary safety rules.

What a beginner should expect: Historical pankration included striking and grappling; modern versions vary by organization and should not be treated as identical to the ancient event.

Mongolian BökhMongolia

Background: Bökh is a traditional Mongolian wrestling culture associated with festivals, physical prestige, and pastoral life. It has regional rules and ceremonial customs.

What a beginner should expect: Bouts emphasize balance, gripping, throws, and forcing the opponent to touch the ground according to the local ruleset.

Korean SsireumKorea

Background: Ssireum is traditional Korean belt wrestling with long historical roots and major festival and sporting traditions. Competitors grip a cloth belt and seek throws or takedowns.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes gripping, hip and leg attacks, balance, timing, throws, and strong lower-body control.

Icelandic GlímaIceland

Background: Glíma is an Icelandic wrestling tradition with several forms. The best-known modern style, belt wrestling, uses upright posture and fixed belt grips.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes balance, footwork, trips, controlled throws, and maintaining an upright wrestling posture.

TaekwondoKorea

Background: Modern taekwondo took shape in the mid-twentieth century through Korean martial arts schools, national standardization, military and educational programs, and later international federations.

What a beginner should expect: Training typically emphasizes kicking, punching, forms/poomsae, sparring, self-defense, breaking, athletic movement, and disciplined rank progression.

Tang Soo DoKorea

Background: Tang Soo Do developed through Korean schools in the mid-twentieth century, with strong historical connections to Japanese karate as well as Korean and Chinese influences claimed by different lineages.

What a beginner should expect: Training often includes forms, kicks, punches, self-defense, one-step sparring, free sparring, and traditional discipline.

HapkidoKorea

Background: Hapkido developed in Korea in the twentieth century through several teachers and organizations. It combines joint controls and throws with striking, kicking, and self-defense methods.

What a beginner should expect: Training commonly includes circular movement, breakfalls, locks, throws, kicks, pressure-point concepts, and defenses against grabs or weapons.

TaekkyeonKorea

Background: Taekkyeon is a traditional Korean martial practice known for fluid stepping, kicks, sweeps, and rhythmic movement. It survived into the modern era through a small number of practitioners and later preservation efforts.

What a beginner should expect: Practice emphasizes mobile footwork, controlled kicking, off-balancing, sweeps, timing, and a distinctive relaxed rhythm.

Kuk Sool WonKorea / modern international system

Background: Kuk Sool Won was organized in the twentieth century by Suh In-Hyuk as a broad Korean martial arts curriculum drawing from several categories of traditional and modern practice.

What a beginner should expect: Training may include striking, joint locks, throws, forms, weapons, acrobatics, pressure-point methods, and meditation or breathing exercises.

ShaolinquanChina

Background: Shaolinquan refers to martial traditions associated in different ways with the Shaolin Monastery and wider northern Chinese martial culture. It is not one single unchanged style.

What a beginner should expect: Schools may train forms, stance work, striking, kicking, weapons, conditioning, partner drills, and in some cases modern sanda.

Wing ChunSouthern China / Hong Kong

Background: Wing Chun is a southern Chinese martial art whose modern lineages became internationally known through teachers including Yip Man and his students. Earlier origin stories include legendary material alongside later historical lineages.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes centerline control, close-range striking, sensitivity drills such as chi sao, structure, economy of motion, forms, and weapons in many lineages.

Hung GarSouthern China

Background: Hung Gar is a southern Chinese system associated with Guangdong and lineages that became prominent in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

What a beginner should expect: Known for strong stances, powerful hand techniques, close-range striking, traditional forms, conditioning, and weapons.

Choy Li FutSouthern China

Background: Chan Heung founded Choy Li Fut in 1836. The system combined material from several teachers and became widespread in southern China and overseas Chinese communities.

What a beginner should expect: Training often uses long and circular striking, mobile footwork, forms, partner work, conditioning, and a large weapons curriculum.

Tai Chi Chuan / TaijiquanChina

Background: Taijiquan developed through Chinese martial lineages, with Chen family practice forming the oldest well-documented major family tradition and later Yang, Wu, Wu/Hao, and Sun styles spreading widely.

What a beginner should expect: Training may include slow solo forms, standing, push-hands, applications, weapons, balance, body coordination, and in some schools free martial practice.

BaguazhangChina

Background: Baguazhang became prominent in the nineteenth century and is closely associated with Dong Haichuan and his students.

What a beginner should expect: Known for circle walking, changing direction, palm strikes, evasive footwork, body turning, partner practice, and weapons.

XingyiquanChina

Background: Xingyiquan developed through northern Chinese martial lineages and became prominent in the nineteenth century. Different branches preserve differing accounts of earlier origins.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes direct stepping, coordinated whole-body power, five-element methods, animal forms, partner practice, and weapons.

BajiquanNorthern China

Background: Bajiquan is a northern Chinese martial art historically associated with Hebei and later military/bodyguard circles.

What a beginner should expect: Known for short explosive power, close-range body strikes, elbows, shoulder methods, strong stepping, forms, and weapons such as the spear.

Sanda / SanshouChina

Background: Modern sanda developed as a Chinese full-contact combat sport and training format in the twentieth century, drawing on punching, kicking, throwing, and Chinese military/sport training.

What a beginner should expect: Competition combines boxing-style punches, kicks, catches, sweeps, and throws, traditionally on a raised platform in some formats.

Shuai JiaoChina

Background: Shuai Jiao is the modern term for Chinese jacket-wrestling traditions with roots in older wrestling practices and military/folk competition.

What a beginner should expect: Training focuses on gripping, entries, trips, reaps, throws, balance, and explosive standing grappling.

Muay ThaiThailand

Background: Muay Thai is Thailand’s modern ring combat sport, shaped in the twentieth century from older Thai fighting traditions and modern boxing-style competition structures.

What a beginner should expect: It uses punches, kicks, knees, elbows, clinch control, sweeps, pad work, heavy-bag training, conditioning, and sparring.

Muay BoranThailand

Background: Muay Boran is a modern umbrella term for older Thai unarmed fighting methods that predate or exist outside standardized ring Muay Thai.

What a beginner should expect: Training varies by lineage and may include older striking combinations, elbows, knees, throws, posture changes, and historical forms.

LethweiMyanmar

Background: Lethwei is a Burmese bareknuckle fighting tradition with regional festival roots and modern professional rules.

What a beginner should expect: It includes punches, kicks, knees, elbows, clinch work, throws, and headbutts under traditional/modern rulesets.

Kun Khmer / Pradal SereyCambodia

Background: Kun Khmer is Cambodia’s striking combat-sport tradition, related to older Khmer fighting culture and modern ring competition.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes punches, kicks, knees, elbows, clinch work, conditioning, pad work, and competitive timing.

Kun LbokatorCambodia

Background: Kun Lbokator is a Cambodian traditional martial art with a broad body of empty-hand, weapon, grappling, and animal-associated methods. It has been the subject of modern preservation and revival and is recognized by UNESCO.

What a beginner should expect: Training varies by school but can include striking, locks, throws, weapons, forms, conditioning, and cultural ritual.

Pencak SilatIndonesia

Background: Pencak Silat is a large family of Indonesian martial traditions with regional styles integrating combat, art, music, ritual, sport, and community identity. UNESCO recognizes the traditions of Pencak Silat.

What a beginner should expect: Training may include strikes, kicks, sweeps, takedowns, locks, forms, weapons, artistic performance, and sparring.

SilatMalay Archipelago

Background: Silat is a broad family of self-defense and martial traditions across the Malay world, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, and neighboring regions.

What a beginner should expect: Different lineages emphasize empty-hand striking, sweeps, locks, takedowns, blades, staff, forms, cultural ceremony, or practical self-defense.

Arnis / Eskrima / KaliPhilippines

Background: Arnis, eskrima, and kali are overlapping labels used for Filipino martial arts. Their many regional and family systems preserve weapons and empty-hand skills shaped by local warfare, dueling, community practice, and modern instruction.

What a beginner should expect: Training commonly starts with sticks or blades and develops distance, timing, angles, disarms, checking, empty-hand striking, locks, and weapon transitions.

DumogPhilippines

Background: Dumog is a term used for Filipino grappling and wrestling methods within several regional and martial-arts traditions. It is not one universally standardized system.

What a beginner should expect: Training may emphasize off-balancing, clinch control, trips, takedowns, limb manipulation, and grappling integrated with weapon or striking systems.

KalaripayattuKerala, India

Background: Kalaripayattu is a martial tradition of Kerala in southern India with historical links to regional warrior culture, physical training, weapons, and healing practices. Modern schools preserve different lineages and curricula.

What a beginner should expect: Training often progresses from body conditioning and movement to staff, blade and other weapons, partner work, and unarmed applications.

GatkaPunjab / Sikh tradition

Background: Gatka is a Sikh/Punjabi martial tradition associated with weapons practice, community demonstration, and martial heritage. Modern Gatka also exists as a regulated competitive and exhibition activity.

What a beginner should expect: Training commonly features stick/sword simulation, footwork, spinning weapon methods, shields, paired practice, and rhythmic movement.

Pehlwani / KushtiSouth Asia

Background: Pehlwani developed in South Asia through the interaction of older Indian wrestling traditions with Persianate wrestling culture, especially during the Mughal and later periods.

What a beginner should expect: Training traditionally occurs in akharas and combines wrestling technique with intense conditioning, diet discipline, digging/pit practice, throws, pins, and body control.

Malla-yuddhaIndian subcontinent

Background: Malla-yuddha is a historical term associated with forms of Indian wrestling and grappling described in older texts and traditions. Modern reconstructions should be distinguished from living pehlwani/kushti systems.

What a beginner should expect: Historical descriptions include grappling, throws, holds, and competition; exact practice varied across periods and regions.

TahtibEgypt

Background: Tahtib is an Egyptian stick tradition with deep historical associations. Modern practice takes the form of controlled staff exchanges, often accompanied by music and social ritual.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes staff control, distance, timing, defense, feints, rhythm, precision, and respect between players.

DambeNorthern Nigeria / Hausa communities

Background: Dambe is a combat sport associated particularly with Hausa communities in northern Nigeria and neighboring regions. It developed historically around itinerant fighters and festival/market settings.

What a beginner should expect: Fighters traditionally emphasize a wrapped striking hand, an active lead hand, movement, timing, kicking, toughness, and short intense bouts.

Laamb / Senegalese WrestlingSenegal

Background: Laamb is Senegalese wrestling with both traditional village/festival roots and a major modern professional form. Some modern rulesets include striking.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes wrestling, throws, balance, explosive strength, conditioning, ritual preparation, and in striking formats punching.

Nuba WrestlingSudan

Background: Nuba wrestling is practiced among communities in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains and carries important social, athletic, and ceremonial meaning.

What a beginner should expect: Training and competition emphasize standing grappling, trips, throws, balance, strength, and community prestige.

Engolo / N’goloAngola

Background: Engolo is an Angolan combat/movement tradition associated particularly with southern Angola and often discussed in scholarship on African contributions to Atlantic-diaspora movement traditions.

What a beginner should expect: It is known for inverted movement, kicking, evasion, balance challenges, and game-like interaction; practice varies by community.

CapoeiraBrazil / African diaspora

Background: Capoeira developed in Brazil within African-descended communities. It combines combat, game, music, ritual, movement, and community identity and was historically criminalized before later institutional recognition.

What a beginner should expect: Training includes the ginga, kicks, evasions, sweeps, takedowns, acrobatics, musical instruments, songs, ritual, and the roda/circle.

Kalinda / CalindaCaribbean

Background: Kalinda is an Afro-Caribbean stick-fighting tradition, especially associated with Trinidad and Tobago, with related forms elsewhere in the Caribbean.

What a beginner should expect: Practice centers on stick combat, timing, distance, evasive movement, music/drumming, ritual, community identity, and competition.

Danmyé / LadjaMartinique

Background: Danmyé is a Martinican combat tradition combining striking, grappling, rhythm, and communal performance, historically associated with Afro-Creole culture.

What a beginner should expect: Training can include kicks, hand strikes, takedowns, sweeps, body control, rhythmic entry, and practice within a drum-supported circle.

Knocking-and-KickingAfrican-American history

Background: Knocking-and-kicking is a historical label found in accounts of African-American fighting culture, particularly in the nineteenth-century South. It belongs to a broader history of Black vernacular combat practices rather than a single modern standardized school.

What a beginner should expect: Historical descriptions include striking, kicking, wrestling, rough-and-tumble elements, and community contests; surviving practice and terminology vary.

BoxingGlobal ancient roots / modern Britain

Background: Fist-fighting is ancient, but modern Western boxing rules developed in Britain through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, especially after the London Prize Ring and Marquess of Queensberry rule eras.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes stance, footwork, jab/cross/hook/uppercut, defense, timing, combinations, bag work, pads, conditioning, and sparring.

SavateFrance

Background: Savate developed in nineteenth-century France from street/self-defense kicking traditions and English boxing influence, later becoming a codified French combat sport.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes precise shoe-based kicks, boxing punches, distance management, footwork, timing, and technical sparring.

KickboxingJapan / United States / global

Background: Kickboxing is a family of modern combat sports rather than one single lineage. Japanese kickboxing emerged in the 1960s from karate and Muay Thai competition; American full-contact karate/kickboxing developed through related but distinct 1970s circuits.

What a beginner should expect: Training commonly combines boxing punches with kicks, pad work, bag work, conditioning, and sparring; knees, elbows, clinch and low kicks depend on the ruleset.

Krav MagaIsrael

Background: Krav Maga was developed from the experience of Imi Lichtenfeld and later Israeli military/security training, then adapted into civilian systems by multiple organizations.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes practical self-defense, striking, escapes, defenses against common attacks, situational awareness, and stress-based drills. Curricula differ substantially by organization.

Jeet Kune DoUnited States

Background: Bruce Lee developed Jeet Kune Do in the late 1960s as a personal martial approach emphasizing directness, adaptability, interception, and freedom from rigid stylistic limitation. His students later preserved different branches and interpretations.

What a beginner should expect: Training may include boxing, fencing-inspired footwork, kicking, trapping, grappling, equipment drills, sparring, and conceptual study.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)Global modern combat sport

Background: Modern MMA developed as a rules-based combat sport through late twentieth-century events that brought together striking and grappling specialists. It also has older precedents in mixed-style contests, vale tudo, shoot wrestling, and pankration revivals.

What a beginner should expect: Training integrates boxing/kickboxing or Muay Thai, wrestling/takedowns, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/submissions, cage or ring strategy, conditioning, and transitions between ranges.

Shoot WrestlingJapan

Background: Shoot wrestling developed from Japanese professional-wrestling circles that emphasized realistic grappling and submission methods. It became an important bridge toward Japanese mixed-style combat sports.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes takedowns, clinch work, submissions, positional grappling, and in some branches striking.

Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA)Europe / modern reconstruction

Background: HEMA is a modern research-and-practice movement reconstructing European martial systems from surviving manuals and related historical sources. It includes multiple weapons and time periods rather than one style.

What a beginner should expect: Training may include longsword, sword and buckler, rapier, dagger, wrestling, polearms, protective sparring, and close reading of historical technical manuals.

Modern FencingEurope / international

Background: Modern fencing developed from European swordsmanship traditions into standardized foil, épée, and sabre sports during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes distance, timing, footwork, attack, parry-riposte, blade control, tactics, and electronic scoring in modern competition.

Canne de CombatFrance

Background: Canne de combat is a French stick-fighting sport related historically to cane self-defense and the wider savate tradition.

What a beginner should expect: Training uses fast one-handed cane strikes, footwork, evasions, combinations, controlled contact, and formal competition rules.

BataireachtIreland

Background: Bataireacht is a modern umbrella term used for Irish stick-fighting traditions, especially methods associated with the shillelagh and family/regional practices.

What a beginner should expect: Training varies by lineage and may include stick guards, strikes, checking, footwork, close-range fighting, and historical reconstruction.

Juego del PaloCanary Islands, Spain

Background: Juego del Palo is a family of traditional Canary Islands stick-fighting practices with regional schools and differing weapon lengths.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes distance, controlled striking lines, defense, footwork, timing, and preservation of family or island traditions.

MoraingyMadagascar

Background: Moraingy is a traditional bareknuckle striking competition practiced in Madagascar, especially in coastal regions, with social and festival functions.

What a beginner should expect: Bouts emphasize punches, movement, toughness, timing, community prestige, and local rules or ceremonial customs.

MusangweSouth Africa

Background: Musangwe is a traditional bareknuckle boxing culture associated with Venda communities in South Africa.

What a beginner should expect: Competition emphasizes punching, movement, endurance, toughness, community participation, and age/experience groupings.

Lutte TraditionnelleWest Africa

Background: Traditional wrestling appears in many West African societies under regional names and rules, including major traditions in Senegal, Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and neighboring countries.

What a beginner should expect: Training commonly emphasizes balance, grips, throws, explosive movement, strength, ritual preparation, and community competition.

KurashUzbekistan / Central Asia

Background: Kurash is a traditional Central Asian jacket-wrestling style strongly associated with Uzbekistan and now organized internationally as a sport.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes upright jacket grips, balance, fast throws, and clean projection of the opponent.

ChidaobaGeorgia

Background: Chidaoba is a traditional Georgian wrestling style with deep cultural roots and modern sporting preservation.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes jacket/belt gripping, throws, trips, balance, explosive entries, and upright wrestling.

SchwingenSwitzerland

Background: Schwingen is Swiss folk wrestling practiced especially at festivals. Wrestlers grip special shorts and try to throw the opponent onto the back in a sawdust ring.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes grip control, lifting, trips, throws, balance, and strong upright grappling.

GourenBrittany, France

Background: Gouren is traditional Breton jacket wrestling with organized rules and festival heritage.

What a beginner should expect: Training emphasizes jacket grips, trips, throws, balance, and controlled projection onto the back.

Karate (General Family)Japan

Background: Karate developed on the Ryukyu Islands (modern Okinawa), blending indigenous Okinawan fighting methods (te) with Chinese martial arts brought by trade contact. It was formalized in the late 19th/early 20th century and introduced to mainland Japan in the 1920s, notably by Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate. Characterized by linear strikes, punches, kicks, knee/elbow strikes, and open-hand techniques, karate emphasizes kata (pre-arranged forms), kumite (sparring), and breaking (tameshiwari). Major styles include Shotokan, Goju-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, and Wado-Ryu. Philosophically it stresses discipline, respect, and self-development ("karate ni sente nashi" — there is no first attack in karate). *Search terms for media: "Shotokan karate kata", "Gichin Funakoshi", "Okinawan karate history"*

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

KenjutsuJapan

Background: Kenjutsu refers to classical Japanese swordsmanship schools used by samurai in actual combat, predating kendo. Iaido, a related art, focuses on the smooth, controlled drawing of the sword and immediate cutting response to a sudden attack, emphasizing precision, awareness, and calm readiness. Famous schools include Itto-ryu and Muso Shinden-ryu.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance and footwork fundamentals, safe handling of the system’s traditional weapons or training implements, solo drills or forms, and controlled partner practice. Equipment, contact level, and progression vary by school.

NinjutsuJapan

Background: The historical strategic and combative art associated with ninja (shinobi) of feudal Japan, ninjutsu encompassed espionage, infiltration, unarmed combat, and use of unconventional weapons. Modern representations (e.g., Bujinkan, founded by Masaaki Hatsumi) draw on several historical ryuha and blend combat technique with strategy and stealth methodology, though much modern ninjutsu practice is reconstructive.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Krabi KrabongThailand

Background: Thailand's traditional weapons-based martial art, predating and closely related to Muay Boran, Krabi Krabong ("sword and staff") trained Siamese soldiers in sword, staff, and shield combat, and is preserved today through ceremonial performance and martial demonstration alongside modern Muay Thai.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance and footwork fundamentals, safe handling of the system’s traditional weapons or training implements, solo drills or forms, and controlled partner practice. Equipment, contact level, and progression vary by school.

KuntaoIndonesia/Chinese-Indonesian

Background: A fighting system developed within Chinese immigrant communities in Indonesia and neighboring regions, Kuntao blends Southern Chinese martial arts with local Indonesian influences (often cross-training with Silat), emphasizing close-range striking, joint destruction, and practical, non-flashy technique.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

BandeshIndia

Background: A little-known traditional Indian grappling art focused specifically on joint locks and pain-compliance holds, historically taught alongside wrestling (Pehlwani) as a supplementary self-defense skill set for controlling an opponent without necessarily striking them.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect balance and movement drills, safe falling or landing skills where used, controlled partner grappling, and progressive work on throws, holds, locks, or positional control according to the tradition.

NabanMyanmar

Background: A traditional Burmese grappling and wrestling art distinct from striking-focused Lethwei, Naban shows historical influence from Indian wrestling traditions and Chinese grappling arts due to Myanmar's position along regional trade routes, focusing on throws, locks, and ground control.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect balance and movement drills, safe falling or landing skills where used, controlled partner grappling, and progressive work on throws, holds, locks, or positional control according to the tradition.

Yaw-YanPhilippines

Background: A modern Filipino striking art developed in the 1970s by Napoleon Fernandez, blending traditional Filipino boxing-style striking with Muay Thai-influenced hip-driven power generation, sometimes called "the Filipino martial art of dance" for its distinctive rhythmic footwork and body mechanics.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Luta LivreBrazil

Background: A Brazilian no-gi submission wrestling style that developed as a rival to Gi-based Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the 20th century, Luta Livre ("free fight") combines catch wrestling influences with submission grappling, historically associated with fighters from Rio de Janeiro's working-class neighborhoods and early Vale Tudo competition.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect balance and movement drills, safe falling or landing skills where used, controlled partner grappling, and progressive work on throws, holds, locks, or positional control according to the tradition.

BunoPhilippines

Background: Buno is a traditional Filipino wrestling and grappling art predating Spanish colonization, focused on throws and takedowns using leverage and off-balancing rather than striking, historically used in village contests and preserved today as a component of broader Filipino martial arts training.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Varma Kalai / Marma AdiTamil Nadu, India

Background: A Tamil martial and healing tradition closely linked to Kalaripayattu and Silambam, Varma Kalai centers on precise strikes to vital points (varmam) for both combative and therapeutic purposes, historically transmitted through Siddha medicine practitioners and martial gurus together.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement, mobility and conditioning, supervised technical drills, and gradual introduction to the art’s striking, grappling, weapons, or traditional training methods according to the lineage.

SikaranPhilippines

Background: Sikaran is a traditional Filipino kicking-based martial art historically originating in Rizal province, distinct from the weapons focus of Eskrima/Arnis/Kali, emphasizing powerful kicks delivered from the ball of the foot, traditionally practiced as both self-defense and a community sporting contest.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

PanantukanPhilippines

Background: Panantukan, sometimes called "Filipino Dirty Boxing," is the empty-hand striking component of Filipino Martial Arts, using rapid, angled punches, elbows, and limb destructions derived from the same body mechanics as Eskrima stick-fighting, designed for practical close-quarters self-defense.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Shastar VidiyaIndia

Background: An older, more combat-oriented Sikh martial tradition than the performance-focused Gatka, Shastar Vidiya ("science of weapons") emphasizes practical swordsmanship and battlefield technique, historically preserved by small lineages and reconstructed/revived in recent decades for historical accuracy.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance and footwork fundamentals, safe handling of the system’s traditional weapons or training implements, solo drills or forms, and controlled partner practice. Equipment, contact level, and progression vary by school.

Dutch KickboxingInternational

Background: A distinct European branch of kickboxing developed in the Netherlands from the 1970s–80s, blending Kyokushin karate, Muay Thai, and Western boxing into a highly influential competitive striking style known for heavy low-kick and boxing combinations, produced by gyms like Chakuriki and Mejiro.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Binh DinhVietnam

Background: Binh Dinh is one of Vietnam's oldest regional martial traditions, associated with the Tay Son dynasty and known for extensive weapons forms (especially pole and blade), acrobatic movement, and its role in Vietnamese military history predating the modern, unified Vovinam system.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Kupigana NgumiAfrican Diaspora, USA

Background: A modern martial art system developed in the United States in the 1970s by practitioners seeking to reconstruct and systematize African-rooted combat concepts, drawing on historical African fighting traditions and diaspora movement styles into a structured curriculum.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

American Full-Contact KarateInternational

Background: Emerging in the United States in the early 1970s as karate practitioners sought full-contact competition, American full-contact karate (a precursor to modern American kickboxing) allowed hand and foot strikes with boxing gloves, leading to the establishment of dedicated professional kickboxing sanctioning bodies.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Itto-ryu & Yagyu Shinkage-ryuJapan

Background: Itto-ryu, founded by Ito Ittosai in the late 16th century, emphasized decisive, single-cut swordsmanship philosophy and became one of the most influential sword schools in Japanese history; Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, patronized by the Tokugawa shogunate, blended swordsmanship with strategic and philosophical teaching for samurai administrators.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Daito-ryu AikijujutsuJapan

Background: The direct historical source of both Aikido and much of Hapkido, Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu is a samurai-era grappling system whose modern transmission is credited to Sokaku Takeda in the late 19th/early 20th century, emphasizing joint manipulation and off-balancing through subtle body mechanics ("aiki").

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Hwa Rang DoKorea

Background: A modern, comprehensive Korean martial art founded in 1960 by Suh In-Hyuk and Suh In-Sun, claiming lineage from the ancient Hwarang warrior youth corps of the Silla kingdom, combining striking, grappling, weapons, and philosophical/meditative training into an extensive curriculum.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

YongmudoKorea

Background: A modern, eclectic Korean martial art developed at Yong In University in the 1990s, systematically combining judo, taekkyon-influenced striking, hapkido joint locks, and Korean wrestling (ssireum) into a unified modern curriculum for both self-defense and competition.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

KapapIsrael, historical precursor to Krav Maga

Background: An early Israeli hand-to-hand combat system developed before and alongside the founding of Krav Maga, Kapap ("face to face combat") was used to train pre-state Jewish defense organizations and later the Israeli military and police, blending practical striking, grappling, and weapon-disarm techniques.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Muay Thai Strategic Sub-StylesThailand, Muay Thai sub-styles

Background: Within Muay Thai, several recognized fighting styles describe a fighter's strategic approach: Muay Femur emphasizes technical skill and countering, Muay Khao centers on aggressive clinch and knee attacks, and Muay Mat focuses on powerful hand strikes combined with kicks—reflecting the sport's tactical depth beyond a single uniform approach.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Donga (Ethiopian Stick Fighting)Donga

Background: Donga is a ritualized stick-fighting practice among the Surma and related peoples of Ethiopia, serving as both a rite of passage for young men and a means of settling disputes and demonstrating status within the community, performed with padded protective wrapping and community oversight.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance and footwork fundamentals, safe handling of the system’s traditional weapons or training implements, solo drills or forms, and controlled partner practice. Equipment, contact level, and progression vary by school.

XilamColombia

Background: A modern Colombian martial art developed in the late 20th century, positioned as a reconstruction of pre-Columbian Indigenous fighting concepts blended with contemporary combat sport training methods, promoted as a distinctly Latin American self-defense and combat system.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Huka-HukaBrazil, Indigenous

Background: A traditional wrestling style practiced among Indigenous peoples of Brazil's Upper Xingu region, Huka-Huka is deeply tied to ceremonial and spiritual life, notably featured in the intertribal Kuarup ceremony, with technique focused on grip-based throws and ground pins.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect balance and movement drills, safe falling or landing skills where used, controlled partner grappling, and progressive work on throws, holds, locks, or positional control according to the tradition.

SystemaModern / International

Background: A Russian martial art with roots in historical Cossack and Russian military training, modernized and popularized internationally after the fall of the Soviet Union, Systema emphasizes relaxation, natural body movement, breathing control, and adaptability over rigid technique or forms, training practitioners to move fluidly under stress.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Combat SamboModern / International

Background: Beyond traditional Sambo, various modern grappling-focused competitive sports (submission grappling, no-gi jiu-jitsu tournaments such as ADCC) have developed since the late 20th century, focused purely on wrestling and submission skill without strikes, often serving as a proving ground for techniques later used in MMA.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect balance and movement drills, safe falling or landing skills where used, controlled partner grappling, and progressive work on throws, holds, locks, or positional control according to the tradition.

Muay LaoSoutheast Asia

Background: Regional cousins of Muay Thai found in Laos (Muay Lao) and historically across the Khmer and Siamese kingdoms, these arts share the core eight-limb striking approach with local variations in rules, rituals, and emphasis, reflecting the shared martial heritage of mainland Southeast Asia.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

VovinamSoutheast Asia

Background: Vietnam's modern national martial art, founded in 1938 by Nguyen Loc, Vovinam combines traditional Vietnamese wrestling and combat techniques with elements of other Asian martial arts, known for distinctive flying scissor-kick takedowns and a philosophy blending physical training with ethical and spiritual development.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Vale TudoAmericas

Background: A Brazilian "anything goes" combat sport with roots in early 20th-century circus-style challenge matches, Vale Tudo ("everything goes") pitted practitioners of different disciplines against each other with minimal rules, serving as a direct precursor and proving ground for the Gracie family's jiu-jitsu and, later, modern mixed martial arts.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Shorei-RyuOkinawa/Japan

Background: One of the two foundational lineages of Okinawan karate (alongside Shorin-ryu), Shorei-ryu traces its roots to Chinese martial arts brought to Okinawa through the port city of Naha, with historical ties to teachers such as Kanryo Higaonna. It is generally characterized by shorter, more circular movements, close-range technique, deep low stances, breathing exercises tied to internal power generation (similar in flavor to Chinese internal arts), and slower, more deliberate kata compared to the longer, more linear Shorin-ryu lineage. Many "Naha-te"-descended styles, including Goju-Ryu and Uechi-Ryu, are considered part of or heavily influenced by the Shorei tradition.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Fujian White CraneChina

Background: A southern Chinese style said to be inspired by the observed movements of a crane, Fujian White Crane emphasizes evasive footwork, whipping strikes generated from relaxed, spring-like power, and open-hand techniques; it is historically significant as a major influence on Okinawan karate through cross-strait cultural contact.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Monkey Style Kung FuChina

Background: A distinctive Chinese style imitating the acrobatic, unpredictable movements of a monkey, used both to confuse opponents and to enable rapid, low-stance evasive footwork combined with sudden striking and grappling, traditionally considered one of the more physically demanding animal styles to master.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

BartitsuEngland

Background: A short-lived but historically notable English self-defense system created by Edward William Barton-Wright around 1898, Bartitsu combined jujutsu, judo, boxing, savate, and cane/stick fighting into one of the first documented mixed martial arts systems in the West, later referenced in Sherlock Holmes literature.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

WWII Combatives / DefenduBritain/China

Background: Developed by William E. Fairbairn and Eric A. Sykes based on their experience in the Shanghai Municipal Police and later formalized for Allied special forces training in WWII, Combatives (also called Defendu) is a no-frills, close-quarters system focused on fast incapacitation, blending boxing, jujutsu, and street-fighting principles for military application.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Lua / Kapu KuialuaInternational

Background: See also Lua — regional Hawaiian bone-breaking and joint-lock systems historically taught within royal lineages, preserved through oral tradition and formal halau (schools) established in the modern revival period beginning in the 1970s.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance and footwork fundamentals, safe handling of the system’s traditional weapons or training implements, solo drills or forms, and controlled partner practice. Equipment, contact level, and progression vary by school.

Ancient Egyptian & Nubian WrestlingAncient

Background: Depicted extensively in tomb paintings at Beni Hasan dating back over 4,000 years, ancient Egyptian wrestling shows highly developed technique and rules remarkably similar to modern folk wrestling, making it among the earliest visually documented martial arts in history.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect balance and movement drills, safe falling or landing skills where used, controlled partner grappling, and progressive work on throws, holds, locks, or positional control according to the tradition.

Zui Quan / Drunken BoxingChina

Background: A distinctive Chinese style mimicking the unpredictable, off-balance movements of a drunk person to confuse opponents and disguise real strikes and takedowns, Zui Quan exists within several kung fu lineages (including Shaolin) and requires exceptional balance and body control despite its deceptive appearance.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

TongbeiquanChina

Background: An internal Chinese style emphasizing long, whipping arm strikes generated from the back and shoulders ("through-the-back fist"), Tongbeiquan influenced the development of several other Chinese systems including some Wing Chun and Baji lineages through historical cross-training.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Shorinji KempoJapan

Background: Founded by Doshin So in 1947, Shorinji Kempo blends Shaolin-derived striking and grappling techniques with Buddhist philosophy and a structured system of physical, mental, and ethical development, practiced today as both a martial art and a spiritual/community movement, mainly in Japan.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

JukendoJapan

Background: The modern Japanese martial art of bayonet fighting, derived from military bayonet training and formalized as a competitive sport in the 20th century, using a padded mock rifle (mokuju) with rules governing target areas and scoring, similar in structure to kendo.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance and footwork fundamentals, safe handling of the system’s traditional weapons or training implements, solo drills or forms, and controlled partner practice. Equipment, contact level, and progression vary by school.

Mau RakauNew Zealand/Maori

Background: A traditional Maori martial art centered on the use of the taiaha (a long wooden weapon) and other traditional weapons, Mau Rakau combines combat technique with cultural and spiritual teachings and has seen a significant cultural revival in recent decades.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Collar-and-Elbow WrestlingIreland

Background: A historical Irish folk wrestling style in which competitors grip each other by the collar and elbow before the match begins, Collar-and-Elbow was brought to the United States by Irish immigrants in the 19th century and significantly influenced the early development of American folk and catch wrestling.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect balance and movement drills, safe falling or landing skills where used, controlled partner grappling, and progressive work on throws, holds, locks, or positional control according to the tradition.

Jogo do PauPortugal

Background: A traditional Portuguese stick-fighting martial art with regional folk roots, historically used by shepherds and rural communities for both self-defense and dueling, Jogo do Pau ("stick game") uses a long staff and structured footwork patterns, and has been preserved through folk associations into the present day.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance and footwork fundamentals, safe handling of the system’s traditional weapons or training implements, solo drills or forms, and controlled partner practice. Equipment, contact level, and progression vary by school.

Yağlı Güreş / Oil WrestlingTurkey

Background: Turkey's national sport, "oil wrestling," dates back centuries and is traditionally performed with competitors covered in olive oil, wearing leather trousers (kispet), making grips extremely difficult; the annual Kirkpinar tournament, held since the 14th century, is considered the oldest continuously running sporting competition in the world.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect balance and movement drills, safe falling or landing skills where used, controlled partner grappling, and progressive work on throws, holds, locks, or positional control according to the tradition.

OkichitawCanada/Plains Cree

Background: A modern martial art developed in the 1990s by George Lepine, reconstructing and systematizing historical Plains Cree fighting techniques and weapon use (including the use of the traditional gunstock war club) into a structured curriculum aimed at preserving Indigenous Canadian martial heritage.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement and conditioning, controlled technical drills, partner practice, and gradual introduction to the system’s core striking, grappling, self-defense, weapons, or competitive methods as applicable.

Choy GarHung Ga, Choy Gar

Background: Hung Ga, associated with the legendary Hung Hei-Gun, is known for strong, low stances and powerful "tiger-crane" hand techniques, popularized in film (e.g., Wong Fei-hung stories). These southern Chinese styles emphasize rooted stances and forceful, direct power generation, contrasting with the more mobile, kicking-oriented northern styles.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Northern Long Fist (Changquan)Chang Quan

Background: A category of northern Chinese styles characterized by extended, long-range strikes, high kicks, and acrobatic movement, Long Fist forms the technical basis for much of modern competitive wushu. It emphasizes flexibility, large dynamic movements, and jumping/kicking techniques.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

Praying Mantis Kung Fu — Northern & Southern TraditionsChina

Background: Two distinct styles unified by an animal-inspired name: Northern Praying Mantis (attributed to Wang Lang, developed ~17th century) mimics the quick, hooking strikes of the mantis with rapid hand combinations, while Southern Praying Mantis, from Hakka communities in Guangdong, is a shorter-range, more compact style with different lineage and technique despite the shared name.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance, footwork, basic striking or defensive mechanics, conditioning, partner drills, and progressive practice of the methods emphasized by that school. Forms, sparring, weapons, and contact level vary by lineage.

SilambamSouth Asia

Background: An ancient Tamil martial art centered on long staff (silambam) fighting, with historical references dating back over a thousand years in Tamil Sangam literature, Silambam also includes empty-hand combat and other weapons, and influenced the development of some Southeast Asian silat traditions through historical trade contact.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect stance and footwork fundamentals, safe handling of the system’s traditional weapons or training implements, solo drills or forms, and controlled partner practice. Equipment, contact level, and progression vary by school.

Musti YuddhaSouth Asia

Background: An ancient Indian form of unarmed combat/wrestling, particularly associated with the city of Varanasi, Musti Yuddha ("fist fight") involves punches, kicks, knee strikes, and grappling and has historical roots described in ancient Indian texts, practiced today mainly as a traditional/cultural art.

What a beginner should expect: A beginner should expect foundational movement, mobility and conditioning, supervised technical drills, and gradual introduction to the art’s striking, grappling, weapons, or traditional training methods according to the lineage.

U.M.A.A. History Archive