From a weapons-based tradition to a brutal West African fighting sport, here are 9 more
martial arts styles you’ve never heard of Number 9 Mau rakau
Mau rakau is a martial art involving the use of traditional Maori weapons.
On New Zealand’s Mokoia Island there are schools which teach the wielding of the taiaha.
This is a staff, of 5 to 6 feet, made either from wood or whale bone.
It’s used for stabbing thrusts or short, sharp strikes.
Combined with the wielder’s footwork, this is a highly-efficient weapon, particularly
in close quarters.
Actor Cliff Curtis has attended the Mau Rakau program at Mokoia Island ever since he was
10 years old.
Another traditional weapon is the patu, a short-handled club made from stone or bone.
The Maori would use the patu to strike an enemy’s temple with a horizontal thrust,
straight from the shoulder.
If close enough, the warriors would also drive the club under an enemy’s jaw or ribs.
Number 8 Limalama This Polynesian martial art originated on
the insular nation of Samoa and roughly translates as “hand of wisdom”.
It was created by Tu’umamao “Tino” Tuiolosega with traditional Polynesian techniques that
were passed down to him from his father and his uncle.
Tino had served in the US military and even took part in the Battle of Inchon, during
the Korean War.
He’d studied aikido, Shaolin Kung Fu, judo and other martial arts.
As an amateur boxer, he’d had more than a hundred matches.
Tino took the traditional Samoan dance and added fighting forms of his own to develop
Limalama.
The martial art involves flowing, circular movements and mainly uses hand techniques.
There are also leg strikes, holds and takedowns as well as stick and knife fighting components.
Tino introduced his style in Hawaii and then opened schools in California.
Before we move on, answer this question.
Which famous martial artist said “Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory”?
Was it a.
Jackie Chan b.
Jean-Claude Van Damme c.
Steven Seagal d.
Bruce Lee Let us know what you think in the comments
section below and stay tuned to find out the right answer.
Number 7 Shin-Kicking Shin-Kicking, also known as hacking, originated
in England at some point during the 17th century.
It’s still practiced today and the World Shin-kicking Championship draws crowds of
thousands.
Fighters wear white coats, symbolic of a shepherd’s smock.
They hold each other by the collar and hit each other’s shins with the toes and the
inside of the foot.
It’s a challenge in pain endurance as well as agility.
One of the combatants will cry out “sufficient” when the pain becomes too much to bear.
There’s also a referee to determine the winner, who, in modern competitions, is the
best out of three rounds.
Fighters nowadays are required to wear straw shoes and stuff their trousers with straw
padding.
In the past, shin-kicking was much more brutal.
Fighters would wear steel-toed boots and condition their shins using hammers.
Number 6 Bataireacht Bataireacht encompasses the various stick-fighting
martial arts practiced in Ireland.
The “bata”, or stick, varies in length and shape in accordance to the style of fighting.
One traditional stance involves gripping the stick so that the lower part protects the
elbow while allowing for rapid strikes.
The stance enables swift offense while still maintaining a defensive position.
The weapons may include knobbed clubs, canes or walking sticks.
In the 18th century, Irish gangs, called factions, engaged in bataireacht melees at weddings,
fairs, funerals and other social gatherings.
Historians have described the practice as a form of recreational violence.
Competition among these factions soon moved into other sports, like hurling, and the martial
art faded towards the end of the 20th century.
The modern practice of bataireacht is linked with preserving Irish tradition.
Some forms are particular to a specific family as a historical heritage that’s passed down
from generation to generation.
Number 5 Bakom Bakom is a ruthless martial art developed
for survival on the dangerous streets of Lima, Peru.
It was developed in the 1980s by Roberto Puch Bezada, a former soldier and ex-convict.
Bakom recognizes the realities of a street fight.
It’s never fair or noble and usually won by the person who can do the most amount of
damage in the least amount of time.
Bakom teaches fatal chokeholds, strikes at vital organs and swift, bone-snapping locks.
Its practitioners are also taught deception and the use of hidden weapons to end a conflict
quickly.
Number 4 LINE In the 1990s LINE, or Linear Infighting Neural
Override Engagement, was the preferred combat system of the United States Marine Corps.
It was a fusion of various martial arts put together by former Marine Ron Donvito.
A review board studied the style’s efficiency and cleared it for adoption in the USMC.
Between 1998 and 2007, LINE was also adopted by US Army Special Forces.
It was tailored to the life of an active soldier and could be easily learned through repetition.
The purpose was for it to become second-nature, a battle reflex.
LINE enabled soldiers to inflict lethal damage when they were extremely tired, in low visibility
conditions and in full combat gear.
Number 3 Coreeda The Coreeda is a folk wrestling style from
Australia, based on Aboriginal fighting techniques that existed before colonial times.
Evidence from rock art sites in New South Wales suggests that the first Coreeda tournament
was held more than 10,000 years ago.
Aboriginal wrestling was a form of martial arts training meant to control hostilities
at tribal gatherings and to prepare young men for war.
It was also done purely for recreation.
The warm-up ritual involves a traditional kangaroo dance while the wrestling match takes
place in a circle, roughly 15 feet in diameter.
The legend of how Coreeda came to be is about a lizard man called Beereun.
He was told by a giant snake that he needed to learn how to fight without weapons by watching
red kangaroo bucks.
Beereun did as he was told, then took the fighting style back to his people, thus initiating
an era of great prosperity.
So, who said “Showing off is a fool’s idea of glory”?
The right answer was d, Bruce Lee.
An iconic figure in the world of martial arts, Bruce Lee was as much a philosopher as he
was a fighter.
He believed in freedom of self-expression in all walks of life.
This is reflected by another famous quote of his in which he tells his audience to be
“formless, shapeless…like water”.
Number 2 Systema Systema is a Russian martial art used by Spetsnaz,
the country’s infamous Special Forces.
There are various styles of Systema which have been developed in martial arts schools
since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Some reportedly use secret practices that were applied by elite branches of the Soviet
military.
The overarching techniques used in Systema involving controlling the opponent’s body
through pressure points and critical strikes.
The martial art is rooted in knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics which enables manipulation
of the body’s natural weaknesses.
Systema explores the body’s kinetic chains, which can swiftly transfer exploding power
when striking a target.
Its practitioners train in weapons defense as well as taking on multiple opponents.
Number 1 Dambe Dambe is a martial art traditionally practiced
by the Hausa people of West Africa, as part of entertainment during local harvest festivals.
Historically, it was also a way to prepare the men for war, which inspired much of the
terminology in Dambe.
A strong-side fist is wrapped in cloth and covered by a tightly-knotted rope.
This is known as the “spear” and it’s used to deliver devastating blows that can
break jaws and cause concussions.
Although the practice is now banned, fighters used to dip their spear in resin mixed with
pieces of broken glass.
The lead hand can be used to hold or grab as needed and it’s known as the “shield”.
Sometimes the lead leg is wrapped in a chain and then used both for offense and defense.
There are three rounds, with no time limit, and the purpose is to knockdown an opponent,
which is known as “killing” him.
Nowadays, Dambe practitioners compete year round and travel to different villages and
urban areas to take part in bouts.
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