• Aikido
• Arnis/Escrima/Kali
• Bando/Thang
• Bersilat
• Bushidokan
• Capoeira
• Chun Kuk Do
• Cuong Nhu
• Gatka
• Hapkido
• Hwarangdo
• Iado
• Jeet Kune Do
• Judo
• Ju Jitsu
• Karate
• Kajukenbo
• Kalarpayit
• Kenpo
• Krabi Krabong
• Krav Maga
• Kendo
• Kung Fu

• Lima Lama
• Lua
• Muay Thai
• Naginata Do
• Northern Eagle Claw
• Ninjutsu
• Okinawan Karate
• Pankration/Panmahia
• Pencak Silat
• Ross
• Sambo
• San Soo
• Savate
• Shorin Ryu
• Shotokan
• Sumo
• Tae Kwon Do
• Tai Chi
• Tang Soo Do
• Vajramushti
• Vale Tudo
• Vovinam
• Wing Chun
• Wushu

Origin: Japan

Aikido is a non-combative martial art that emphasizes evasion, pressure points, throwing and joint locks over striking and kicking. It's a defensive art, with a philosophy rooted in avoiding conflict, harmony, and reconciliation.

Origin: Philippines

Arnis is the Northern form, Escrima the central form, and Kali is practiced in the south. This art concentrates on hand strikes and hand-held weapons such as sticks, wooden daggers, and long, wooden swords.

Origin: Burma (Myanmar)

Combines punching and kicking techniques with joint locks, grappling, and weapons such as swords, knives, and spears. Characterized by retreat from opponent's attack followed by counterattack from outside opponent's area of reach.

Origin: Malaysia

Dating from the 15th century, Bersilat has two variants: silat pulot and silat bush. Silat Pulot consists of a series of dancelike movements usually performed to music. Silat Buah is the combat variant. Heavily acrobatic and emphasizing leg techniques, this art also incorporates punches, kicks, takedowns, throws, and holds.

Origin: United States

A combination of Judo and Okinawan karate. Emphasis on tournament fighting and street-effective self defense.

Origin: Africa/Brazil

Capoeira began among Angolan slaves brought to Brazil. Many of the movements: sweeps, blocks, and kicks, are performed in the handstand position, as the slaves who originated the art were often manacled. Capoeira is often performed to music, and with its flips, cartwheels, and handstands, is breathtaking to behold.

Origin: United States

Chuck Norris, master of Tae Kwon Do and Tang Soo Do, originated this art, combining the aforementioned two arts with elements of Ju Jitsu. It is a fighting art, with a philosophy of loyalty, positivity, and open-mindedness.

Origin: Vietnam

An eclectic art incorporating both hard and soft techniques from many different arts including Shotokan, Wing Chun, Judo, Tai Chi, Boxing, and others.

Origin: India

Gatka is said to have originated as a self defense system around 1200 years ago in India. It has traditionally been practiced by the Sikhs, but has seen an increase in popularity as a self defense art, especially in Britain. Gatka is based on a simple movement, called the Panthra. This movement can be practiced in many different ways, weaponless, or with any of 18 different weapons.

Origin: Korea

A combination of aiki-jitsu, hwarangdo, and taekyon, Hapkido is very similar to Tae Kwon Do. In addition, Hapkido utilizes joint locks and sweeping circular movements to devastate the opponent.

Origin: Korea

Utilizes internal, external, hard, soft, linear, and circular elements, as well as many different kinds of weapons. Traditionally, study has also included herbal medicine, ki, acupuncture, acupressure, and more.

Origin: Japan

Iaido is a formal weapons art that centers around the sword. Techniques and forms focus on the drawing and use of the sword.

Origin: United States

Bruce Lee is the founder of Jeet Kune Do. This eclectic art takes the best of a variety of different styles, with the goal of maximum function and effectiveness.

Origin: Japan

The focus of this art is using the opponent's momentum and weight against him/her. Judo is characterized by throws and ground fighting techniques. The sport of Judo developed from the combat art of Ju Jitsu.

Origin: Japan

Ju-Jitsu is an intense fighting art, originating with the Japanese Samurai. The techniques, developed to disable or kill an opponent in full armor, include striking, kicking, throwing, joint locks, choke holds, grappling, and weapons.

Origin: Hawaii

Kajukenbo is an eclectic art developed in the late 1940s in Hawaii. It's a combat and defense art that combines Karate, Kenpo, Ju Jitsu and boxing. There are currently four branches of Kajukenbo: Kajukenbo Kempo, Tum Pai, Ch'uen Fa, and Wun Hop Kuen Do.

Origin: India

Both the northern and southern styles of Kalaripayit are composed of four branches of combat techniques: unarmed, stick fighting, weapons training, and striking points. The northern style is characterized by very high jumping and kicking techniques, long strides, and low stances. The southern style incorporates circular motion as well.

Origin: Okinawa

The term Karate, meaning "empty hand" refers to a group of martial arts originating on the island of Okinawa. Okinawa is currently part of Japan, but at the time these arts developed, was occupied by China. I refer to Okinawa here, and in other places, to differentiate the distinct arts developed there from those, such as Ju Jitsu, that originated in medieval Japan.

I've listed some of the styles of Karate here --- see Shotokan, Okinawan Karate, Shorin Ryu.

Origin: Hawaii

A fighting art that emphasizes striking, poking, chopping, and thrusting at various vital points of the body. Techniques include joint locks and takedowns. This art uses both circular and linear motion, as well as intermittent power.

Origin: Israel

Krav Maga is the official hand-to-hand combat system of the Israeli military and law enforcement. Based on logic and principles of physiology, this art emphasizes self defense, and many techniques start with the student in a vulnerable or comprimised position.

Origin: Japan

Kendo is a system of formal fencing. Emphasis is on developing the kiai, a personalized yell to give the student confidence and intimidate the opponent. Kendo is practiced with wooden swords, and participants wear extensive protective equipment.

Krabi Krabong

Origin: Thailand

Krabi Krabong is primarily a weapons art, incorporating techniques for sword, staff, shield, spears, axes, etc, as well as open hand techniques such as those in Muay Thai.

Origin: China

The term Kung Fu, which literally means "exercise", refers to any of hundreds of styles of martial arts originating in China. I've listed a few here. See Tai Chi, Wing Chun, Wushu, San Soo, and Northern Eagle Claw.

Origin: Polynesia (Samoa, Hawaii)

A defensive system focusing on multiple attackers. Lima Lama incorporates high kicks, throws, blocks, and circular motion. Based in Polynesian arts and centered in Hawaii, modern Lima Lama is an eclectic art combining techniques from Aikido, Kung Fu, Boxing, Judo, and other arts.

Origin: Hawaii

This art combines Ju Jitsu, Karate, and Aikido with grappling, and a variety of weapons unique to Hawaii, such as the Ma'a (sling) and Ka'ane (garotte).

Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing)

Origin: Thailand

A competitive fighting art that emphasizes strikes with the knees, elbows, and feet.

Origin: Japan

Originating among Samurai women, Naginata Do is still practiced, primarily by women. The Naginata weapons is a staff with bamboo slats; this weapon is derived from a short sword mounted on a bamboo pole.

Northern Eagle Claw
(Ying Jow Pai)

Origin: China

The basis of Northern Eagle Claw Kung Fu is the "108 Fighting Techniques" adapted by General Ngok Fei from a Shaolin monk named Jow Tong. Northern Eagle Claw is characterized by an impressive array of kicks, grappling, acrobatics, and various "claw" grips used in locks and traps.

Origin: Japan

The Ninja were the "secret agents" and mercenaries of Feudal Japan, combining the occult, bushido, and espionage. Modern practitioners of Ninjutsu emphasize stances, pressure points, and weapons.

Origin: Okinawa

Combining the native Okinawan art of Te with Shaolin Temple Boxing, this art emphasizes natural movement. Weapons are descended from farm implements. Shorin-Ryu is descended from Okinawan Karate.

Origin: Greece

A sport combining boxing, kicking, and wrestling. Pankration is the sport variant; Panmahia is the combat variant.

Origin: Indonesia

Pencak Silat combines weapons, open-hand techniques, striking and grappling. It is very graceful and fast moving. This art has both combat and competition applications. Originating in the 7th century, it gained popularity in the 1940s, with the increase in hostility toward Dutch colonists.

Origin: Russia

The consummate Russian martial art, Ross is a system of belief, fighting, and healing steeped in Russian folklore, Cossack dance, and human biomechanics. Dating back to the steppe fighters circa 5000 BCE, Ross has been incorporated into military and security training. Training in Ross runs along eight parallel tracks, including survival training, acrobatic dance, bayonet fencing, Russian folk medicine, and fisticuffs.

Origin: Sakhalin Island, Russia

Derived from Judo, Sambo has wrestling (sport) and combat variants. In this sport, "the rule is, there are no rules."

Origin: China

Some describe this sport as Kung Fu's version of kickboxing. This competition sport incorporates strikes, kicks, grappling, and takedowns.

Origin: France

Originating in post-Napoleonic France, Savate has both sport and combative forms. Combining street fighting with crescent and other kicks, Savate also incorporates stances and postures from fencing.

Origin: Okinawa

A style of Karate emphasizing quick, linear movements and natural breathing.

Origin: Okinawa

A style of Karate characterized by linear techniques and deep, strong stances. Much training is devoted to basic, rather than complex, techniques, and more emphasis on punching, as opposed to kicking.

Origin: Japan

The enormous, eponymous Sumo wrestlers of Japan have rock star-like status in their home country, and not without reason. Sumo is a complicated and highly formal art, with grips, locks, lifts, throws, and other devastating techniques.

Origin: Korea

Tae Kwon Do has both sport and self-defense variants. This art emphasizes kicking and linear strikes, blocks, and chops. Tae Kwon do is characterized by spectacular high, spinning, jumping, and flying kicks, most often executed from a back stance, with 80% of the weight on the back leg.

Origin: China

A northern style of Kung Fu, Tai Chi is an internal art, characterized by slow, gentle moves and development of chi, or internal energy. Tai Chi also contains a powerful array of self defense techniques, including blocks, strikes, locks, and throws.

Origin: Korea

Tang Soo Do is a combat art, utilizing both hard and soft techniques. Tang Soo Do incorporates the Korean art of Soo Bak, as well as Northern and Southern Chinese techniques.

Origin: India

An indigenous combat sport from the west of India. A predecessor of Kalarpayit.

Origin: Brazil

The literal meaning of Vale Tudo is "anything goes." The objective of this competition sport is to force submission or knock out the opponent. Competitors may use strikes, kicks, and takedowns, although grappling is often the predominant technique in a given match.

Origin: Vietnam

Originating at the beginning of the 20th century as a reaction to French colonial rule, Vovinam developed for the purposes of personal and national self defense. Vovinam incorporates weapons, open hand techniques, leg takedowns, and wrestling moves, as well as a philosophy of "personal revolution."

Origin: China

Wing Chung, a southern style of Kung Fu, and one of the most influential martial arts the world has ever known, was developed by a Buddhist nun, Ng Mui. Wing Chun emphasizes self defense in the form of simultaneous attacks and multiple, straight-line strikes at extremely close range. Wing Chun also emphasizes trapping the opponent's limbs, low kicks, and rapid hand techniques combined with constant forward motion.

Origin: China

Wushu is another competition style of Kung Fu. Instead of a fighting competition, however, Wushu competition is based on the expert execution of forms and open hand and weapons techniques.