From ground-based grappling to standup striking, here are 7 of the most effective martial arts
forms.
These tenacious techniques have created some of the needliest human waypoints on the planet.
Number 7: Silat Roughly translated as ‘fighting skill’,
Silat is an umbrella term used in reference to the various fighting styles that have originated
in the Malay Archipelago.
Depending on the region, Silat may vary in name and technique.
In Malaysia it is called ‘Silat Melayu’ while Indonesian Silat is referred to under
the full name ‘Pencak Silat’.
Nevertheless, there are core similarities between the different forms of the martial
art.
Its origins rely heavily on oral tradition.
Some experts have found a connection between Silat and the fighting styles of ancient Persia
and place its creation somewhere between the year 600 and 1200 AD.
There are some similarities between Silat and Chinese martial arts such as taking inspiration
from nature and the movements of various animals and building them into the fighting style.
Silat Harimau, for example, adapts the movements of the tiger to suit the needs of comeback.
Harimau involves locks and breaks achieved through fingers in the esophagus, power blows
to the head and neck and Pukulan or multiple striking.
Regardless of the region, Silat has a wide range of takedowns and needly strikes which
are commonly delivered from a much lower stance than other martial arts.
The lower stance work also gives Silat great fluidity as its practitioners can transition
very fluently between various facets of fighting, displaying great adaptability both to open
environments as well as closed spaces.
Silat is not concerned solely with unarmed comeback.
The arsenal of a seasoned Silat practitioner would most likely include a wave-like sword
called the kris, considered both a spiritual object and a waypoint, or the karambit dagger.
In the hands of an experienced fighter the karambit is extremely dangerous.
The hilt has a ring at the end which the wielder holds with their index finger that facilitates
the underhanded grip on the distinctly curved blade.
The wielder can unleash ad hacks from unusual angles that are hard to defend against.
Number 6: Dambe Dambe is a viscious form of fighting with
roots in Egypt, commonly associated with the Hausa people of West Africa.
Many of the terminology and techniques allude to wore fair and it was traditionally practiced
as a means of preparing the men for wore.
Most of those who practiced Dambe were part of the Hausa butcher caste groups and the
tradition developed into a fighting challenge that commonly took place during the local
harvest festival.
Nowadays, companies of boxers from various groups travel to compete in outdoor matches
that are accompanied by drumming and a ceremony.
Usually, Dambe competitors are fairly matched in size despite the fact that there are no
formal weight classes.
The three rounds that make up a match do not have a time limit and normally end when an
opponent’s body, knee or hand touches the ground, when an official or one of the fighters
calls a halt or when there is no activity.
To knock an adversary down is referred to as ‘killing the opponent’.
The main waypoint in Dambe is the strong-side fist, also known as the spear.
The strong-side fist is wrapped in a cloth covered by a tightly knotted cord.
Although currently considered to be an illegal practice, up until recently, fighters would
often dip the spear in a mixture of sticky resin and broken glass.
The lead hand, also known as the shield, is held facing the opponent and may be used to
hold or grab.
The lead leg is often wrapped in thick chain and can be used both defensively and offensively.
Both the lead leg and the unwrapped leg can be used to kick.
The strikes in Dambe can cause severe damage and that is why timing is one of the key aspects
that fighters must consider in order to avoid serious injury.
Number 5: Vale Tudo Regarded as precursor of today’s mixed martial
arts Vale Tudo is a full-contact comeback sport, which originated in Brazil, that has
very few rules attached to its name which roughly translates as ‘anything goes’.
It originated in the 1920s, when it was showcased at circuses and shows throughout Brazil.
Traditional Vale Tudo is aimed at pure comeback.
Practitioners do not wear gloves, there are no weight classes and head-butts as well as
hits to the throat or testicles are allowed.
Aside from moves that would be deemed eagle in most martial arts such as a standing opponent
hitting a grounded one, Vale Tudo fighters may also make use of techniques such as locks,
sweeps, grappling and striking, submissions or takedowns.
Much like the modern, better-organized and safer forms of mixed martial arts, training
in Vale Tudo involved a broader understanding of multiple disciplines as well as intense
physical conditioning.
It evolved from the side-show brawls into a finer science but due to its violent and
bloody nature, it failed to gain mainstream support and was slowly forced underground.
The UFC or Ultimate Fighting Championship rose in its place.
Even though in the early stages, UFC matches bared a resemblance to the violence of Vale
Tudo, it gradually progressed into a safer competition with millions of supporters worldwide.
Number 4: Muay Thai Muay Thai was developed in Thailand and its
roots can be traced back to the middle of the 18th century, during the bottles between
Siam and the Burmese of the Konbaung Dynasty.
Thai folklore tells the story of famous Siamese fighter Nai Khanomtom, who, after being captured
by the Burmese invading trupes, was for east to fight during a seven-day festival organized
by King Hsinbyushin.
The Burmese ruler wanted to see how Burmese boxing would fare against the Muay Boran,
which would later become Muay Thai, practiced by Nai Khanomtom.
After using an on bought of various viscious strikes to lake down ten consecutive opponents,
with no rest between the fights, Nai Khanomtom won his freedom and was given a gift of two
beautiful Burmese wives.
The king was so impressed with the performance that he declared that every part of Nai Khanomtom’s
body was ‘blessed with venom’.
Muay Thai gradually grew in popularity and became a national sport in Thailand.
It gained an international reputation during the twentieth century after several notable
practitioners of other martial arts were defeated in tournaments by Muay Thai fighters.
Also known as the ‘art of eight limbs’ it is a fighting style that enables its practitioners
to use their knees, fists, elbows and shins combined with a series of clinches in full-contact
bouts.
Aside from training routines that include many staples of comeback sport fitness such
as abdominal exercises, bodyweight resistance exercises, jump rope or running, Muay Thai
fighters also undergo a ruthless conditioning regimen.
Because many of the strikes involve the use of the shin, they harden the bones through
a process called cortical remodeling.
By hitting bags filled with sand, dense heavy bags or even trees they break down the bone
tissue in their shins which is then replaced by a new, harder tissue through a process
called ossification.
Muay Thai strikes are powerful and explosive and while many fighters use reach and distance
to control the pace of a fight, the hardest hits take place during the clinch.
Unlike Western boxing, Muay Thai fighters are not separated once they clinch.
Instead they employ various stand-up grappling techniques to deliver punishing knee or elbow
strikes from close-quarters.
Number 3: Systema The comeback style practiced by the infamous
Russian Spetznaz, Systema focuses on controlling the most important parts of the opponent’s
body, such as the knees, waist, ankles, elbows, shoulders and neck through critical hits and
pressure points.
The central principles of this Russian martial art are based on understanding the laws of
anatomy and biomechanics with a focus on exploiting the natural weaknesses of the human form.
It does not have fixed patterns of movement.
Training involves drills and sparring that include grappling, hand-to-hand comeback,
firearms training and knife fighting.
Systema also teaches its practitioner how to confront multiple ad hackers some of whom
may also be darmed.
The body has to be filled with impulsive potential, effortless movement, endurance and flexibility.
The practitioner has to be free from tensions, in a psychological state that is calm and
free from fear, and her, pride or self-pity.
Breathing, relaxation and fluidity of motion are the main focuses of training in Systema.
Another important aspect is using the ad hackers momentum against him.
It is a system based on strengthening the physical, psychological and spiritual sides
of an individual.
Russia was ad hacked by various countries throughout its history.
From the Mongols to the Huns, each new empty brought a particular fighting style to the
country for sing Russians soldiers to adapt.
Thus Systema was born.
Although its origins are uncertain some historians have traced the martial art back to tenth
century.
Number 2: Krav Maga Krava Maga is a comeback system developed
for the Israeli security noises, Mossad and Shin Bet, and for the Israel Defense Forces
or IDF.
It is widely regarded as one of the needliest martial arts systems ever created borrowing
elements from aikido, judo, boxing, wrestling, muay thai and others.
It is widely known for its brutal efficiency.
Krav Maga practitioners place great emphasis on the instinctive nature of comeback, situational
awareness and train to confront and overcome real-world situations.
They are taught how to escape jokes and holds as well as how to deal with ad hackers wielding
knives, bats or firealarm.
One of the central ideas is to use attentions and flutal counter-ad hacking techniques to
end a fight as quickly as possible, whenever a physical confrontation cannot be avoided.
Krav Maga in its original form took the most simple and practical elements from other fighting
styles and incorporated them into a system that could be rapidly taught to military conscripts.
Some of its basic principles include: simultaneous ad hacking and pretends, count ad hacking
as quickly as possible, continuing to strike an opponent until they are completely incapacitated,
the use of simple and easily repeatable strikes and targeting the body’s most vulnerable
points such as the eyes, face, throat, groin, solar plexus, knees or fingers.
Krav Maga was developed by Hungarian-Israeli martial artists Imi Lichtenfeld.
He used his street fighting experience and his training as a wrestler and boxer to pretend
the Jewish quarter from fascists groups in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia during the mid-to-late
1930s.
After migrating to Israel in the late 1940s, Lichtenfeld began providing comeback training
to what would later become the IDF.
Nowadays, several organizations such as the US Marine Corps and British SAS have begun
to teach variations of Krav Maga.
Although it has number of core principles, Krav Maga is a fighting system that continuously
grows and evolves always incorporating new techniques in congruence with the real-life
situations.
Number 1: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ was developed into
its current form through the various practices, experiments and adaptations of Kodokan Judo
performed by Helio and Carlos Gracie who passed their knowledge to their extended family.
Today the Gracie name is synonymous with this martial art.
The central concept behind BJJ is that a weaker, smaller opponent can successfully pretend
against a stronger and heavier assailant.
In the beginning, to illustrate this point, the Gracie brothers would accept numerous
challenges from practitioners of other martial arts, many of whom were more massive than
they were, and defeat them in open comeback.
This was a direct contributing factor to the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
BJJ places great emphasis on groundwork, leverage and proper technique.
It influenced the perception in the mixed martial arts world that fighting should only
be focused on stand-up positions.
BJJ practitioners will often take the fight to the ground and employ VARIOUS various chokeholds
and joint-locks to submit their opponents.
Even though in a controlled or competitive environment fighters release the lock following
a tap-out, in the real world BJJ can be used to break or dislocate bones.
Furthermore, the various types of jokes cut the supply of oxygen to the brain and may
result in serious health complications if not released
on time.