Which discipline suits you?

Fists only – and in return, footwork, distance and timing in their purest form.

Origin

England (modern form)

Region

Europe

Founded

rules of 1867

Punches, kicks and blocks from Okinawa – kata, kumite and a belt system copied worldwide.

Origin

Okinawa, Japan

Region

East Asia

Founded

19th century Okinawa; mainland Japan from 1922

Punches, kicks and knees, no elbows: the fast, combination-heavy ring sport built from karate, Muay Thai and boxing.

Origin

Japan and the Netherlands

Region

Europe

Founded

1960s (Japan); Dutch style from the 1970s

The “art of eight limbs”: fists, elbows, knees and shins – plus the clinch.

Origin

Thailand

Region

Southeast Asia

Founded

pre-modern, as a sport from the 1920s

French boxing with shoes on – precise kicks, English boxing hands, and a lot of finesse.

Origin

France

Region

Europe

Founded

19th century

The kicking art of Korea – fast, high, spinning, and Olympic since 2000.

Origin

Korea

Region

East Asia

Founded

1940s–1950s; named 1955

Centreline, close range, economy of motion – the system Ip Man taught and Bruce Lee started with.

Origin

Southern China; spread from Hong Kong

Region

East Asia

Founded

19th century Foshan; worldwide from the 1950s

Ground fighting with positions, joint locks and chokes – technique beats strength.

Origin

Brazil

Region

Latin America

Founded

1920s

The “gentle way”: throws, pins, joint locks and strangles – Olympic since 1964.

Origin

Japan

Region

East Asia

Founded

1882

Soviet self-defence system turned sport: judo-style throws, leg locks, and a combat version with strikes.

Origin

Soviet Union (Russia)

Region

Europe

Founded

1920s–1930s; official sport in the USSR 1938

Takedowns, control and pins – the oldest sport in the Olympic programme and the base of modern MMA.

Origin

Worldwide; modern styles codified in Europe

Region

Europe

Founded

ancient; Olympic since 1896

Fight, dance and game in one – kicks, sweeps and acrobatics inside a circle of music.

Origin

Brazil

Region

Latin America

Founded

Afro-Brazilian origins; academies from the 1930s

Joint locks, throws and kicks – the Korean art that combines grappling with striking.

Origin

Korea

Region

East Asia

Founded

1940s–1950s

Bruce Lee's “way of the intercepting fist”: a philosophy of fighting built from Wing Chun, boxing and fencing, with no fixed forms and one rule – use what works.

Origin

United States (Los Angeles and Oakland)

Region

North America

Founded

1967

Self-defence, not sport: simple strikes, aggression and weapon defences drilled under stress.

Origin

Israel; roots in 1930s Bratislava

Region

Middle East & Central Asia

Founded

military use from 1948; civilian teaching from the 1960s

Striking, wrestling and submissions under one ruleset – the sport where every base gets tested.

Origin

Modern form from the United States; roots in Brazilian vale tudo

Region

North America

Founded

UFC 1993; Unified Rules 2000

Strikes, sweeps, locks and blades in one flowing system – with hundreds of regional styles.

Origin

Malay Archipelago (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, southern Thailand, the Philippines)

Region

Southeast Asia

Founded

centuries-old; international federation 1980

Foil, épée and sabre – the European sword sport that has been at every modern Olympic Games.

Origin

Europe

Region

Europe

Founded

modern sport 19th century; Olympic since 1896

Filipino martial arts: sticks and blades first, empty hands second – the same angles for every tool.

Origin

Philippines

Region

Southeast Asia

Founded

pre-colonial roots; national sport of the Philippines since 2009

Japanese fencing with bamboo sword and armour – speed, spirit and etiquette.

Origin

Japan

Region

East Asia

Founded

modern form 20th century; federation 1952

Blending with an attack instead of blocking it – throws and joint locks, mostly without competition.

Origin

Japan

Region

East Asia

Founded

1920s–1940s

The martial art of Kerala – acrobatic body training, weapons and a link to traditional medicine.

Origin

Kerala, India

Region

South Asia

Founded

origins uncertain; documented for centuries

Hundreds of Chinese styles under one word – from Shaolin forms to modern competition wushu and sanda.

Origin

China

Region

East Asia

Founded

centuries of regional styles; modern wushu standardised from the 1950s