A Look At The Most Popular Martial Arts Styles

We are going to spend some time today discussing three of the martial arts that are practised all around the globe today. Even though there are a lot of other popular forms of martial arts, these are the three that get the most attention. 

The first of them, Kung-Fu, is very well-liked among those who are looking for a more conventional kind of martial arts instruction. MMA athletes often train in both Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Kung-Fu Martial Arts

The first martial art that we are going to discuss is known as Kung-Fu. Kung-fu was first taught to Chinese monks when it was first developed. It wasn’t always possible for anybody to participate in the activities associated with it, despite the fact that they are today commonplace all around the globe. It was really reserved exclusively for the usage of the monks in the past.

Kung-Fu relies on a lot of kicks and punches.  It has some joint locks and some throws, but they’re very limited.   Unlike Judo and karate, Kung-Fu is a softer style of martial arts.

 Kung-Fu uses a lot of concepts and body mechanics, whereas karate’s more considered a hard, force against force style.   Kung-Fu, however, uses a soft against hard style. 

Because of this many people think that Kung-Fu cannot provide any good self-defense techniques but Kung-Fu actually has some powerful techniques if used properly.

Made popular by MMA, Muay Thai is the next art we will go over.  Like the name suggests, Muay Thai originated in Thailand. It can be seen all over Thailand in many kick-boxing competitions. At a very young age, Thai boys are taken from their homes and families and taught to fight for money in the ring.  

The fight will typically only end when one of the competitors either gives up or gets knocked out.  Knees, elbows, and round-house kicks are the primary focus of Muay Thai. 

 Thanks to the devastating knees and elbows of Muay Thai, this style is a great source of self defense moves.  In Thailand the competition is very brutal, however in the U.S. many gyms use protective padding so you can practice Muay Thai safely.

Brazilian Jujitsu

Finally, we will talk about BJJ, or Brazilian Jujitsu.  BJJ is a great style that has many powerful self defense techniques. Brazilian Jujitsu is one of the more popular martial arts, thanks again to the UFC.   However, little was known about it in its very beginnings.

When it was introduced to the UFC by the Gracie brothers, however, it took the world by storm.  Royce Gracie was known for going into the UFC and basically defeating everyone in the ring in this all out blood-thirsty fight.   After seeing this, the rest of the world saw that Brazilian Jujitsu might be worth learning.

  Today, it’s practiced by nearly every participate of MMA.   A great style for grapplers, it’s actually not used as often as before.  BJJ’s focused mainly on the grappling aspect, so there’s going to be a lot of chokes and arm bars, knee locks, submissions.

The only punches and strikes are very basic.  The main aim of BJJ is to get your opponent to the ground and then submit them via one of the joint locks or chokes.

That’s a look at some of the more popular martial arts.  Of course, this isn’t everything.  This is just quick overview of some of the more popular martial arts.   Hopefully by reading this information, however, you were able to get a good idea of what you might be interested in.

If you want to learn more about a martial art, take a look at dojos in your area to see which one is your closest fit.   Don’t be afraid to look at different schools. Make sure you try a few schools to see which one you like the most before committing to a certain one.  Most good schools will let you try a few classes for free before you commit.