Mixed Martial Arts Styles
- List Of Mixed Martial Arts Styles
- Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Styles
- Mixed Martial Arts Styles
- Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Styles
Mixed martial arts is a modern and popular combat sport. It takes inspiration from a number of martial arts and self-defense systems, putting them under an umbrella of rules to encourage fair and competitive spectator fights. One of the self-defense systems it borrows from is Krav Maga.
Kajima Satomi (Kajima Style) MMA, which stands for Mixed Martial Arts, is a form of martial arts that combines the techniques, fighting stances, and tactics of one or more martial art and combine them together in order to form a style more powerful than either alone. Mixed martial arts (MMA), hybrid combat sport incorporating techniques from boxing, wrestling, judo, jujitsu, karate, Muay Thai (Thai boxing), and other disciplines. MMA.tv brings you the best news and video in MMA, UFC, Traditional Martial Arts, Combat Fitness, Kids in Martial Arts, & boxing.
There is a fair amount of technique originating from Krav Maga to be found in MMA. But what you won’t find are the eye gouges, groin kicks, or other strikes too brutal for competition setting, but necessary in a survival situation.
List Of Mixed Martial Arts Styles
Today we’re comparing Krav Maga Vs. MMA. We’ll take at the history of each system and weigh the pros and cons of dedicating yourself to the practice of each. If you’re here to compare fighting with Krav Maga and MMA, you found the right place.
History Of Krav Maga
Krav Maga was developed on the streets of Bratislava, Slovakia , by Imi Lichtenfeld to help defend Jewish neighborhoods from fascists in central Europe.
In the buildup to World War II, Imi began to organize bands of fighters in Jewish neighborhoods. Drawing on his years of experience fighting, wrestling, and surviving, he taught them what he knew to be most effective under lawless and brutal conditions of the Bratislava Ghettos.
After Israel’s founding in 1948, Imi became the chief instructor at the Israeli Defense Force School of School of Combat Fitness. There, his Krav Maga fighting system was taught to Israel’s most elite military troops. Over the decades, his system of brutal, decisive, and intuitive actions has been adopted by militaries around the world.
History Of Modern Mixed Martial Arts
Combat sports that mix grappling and striking trace their histories back several millennia with disciplines like Pankration in ancient Greece and China’s Leitai. However, modern MMA is derived from mixed-style competitions in the early 1900s. Often held in Europe or Asia, there was no unified rule set. Each promotion or event would instead establish their own agreed upon rules. During this period, competitions were considered more spectacle than sport.
This began to change in the 1980s as competitions became popular on television, notably in the United States.
These first, rough MMA events would see the use of a competitor’s martial art up against his opponents, which could be wildly different. At this time, practitioners of Krav Maga were grouped in with MMA fighters, and others practicing Karate, Kung Fu, Kuk Sul Won, and many other styles in a no-holds-barred or few-holds-barred contests. With the codification of the sport under the Universal Rules of Mixed Martial Arts by the California State Athletic Association in 2000, the sport gained both legitimacy and structure.
By that time, MMA had begun to emerge as a discipline in and of itself, rather than style-versus-style competitions. It was no longer Krav Maga vs. other MMA styles, but something entirely new. Names like Gracie, Rutten, Couture, and Liddell had etched their names on the sport with their mixe of expert level striking and grappling. The result today is a diverse style inspired by dozens of disciplines.
How Are Krav Maga And MMA Similar?
Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Styles
Both MMA and Krav Maga pull techniques from, and practice against other combat disciplines. This allows you to prepare a variety of attacks. Both emphasize a well-rounded skill set that stretches beyond striking or grappling to encompass many combat situations. When comparing strikes and throws in Krav Maga vs MMA at a basic level, the two may seem very similar.
How Are Krav Maga And MMA Different?
Mixed Martial Arts Styles
Make no mistake: MMA is designed as a sport. While the move set is designed to incapacitate opponents, the goal is to do so without serious injury. Modern Krav Maga is intended to keep you alive in actual emergency situations by any means necessary.
This philosophy leads to a different training style and movesets than sport fighting.
Weapons - Most MMA competitions usually do not rely on weapons. The few that do start opponents on even footing, equally armed and armored. Krav Maga weapons drills are designed to give their practitioners the ability to work from a disadvantageous position against an armed opponent and survive. This is a powerful method of preparing for real-world self-defense scenarios, and is a prime example of what Krav Maga vs MMA training prepares you for.
Rules, Rules, Rules- Sports need rules to maintain fairness and limit injury. Assailants in the real world don’t play fair. While certain moves and holds, such as groin strikes or fishhooking, are forbidden in MMA, Krav Maga has one rule: survive.
Small Differences, Big Problem- While MMA may pull from different styles, it has become a style all its own. A fighter using techniques their opponent is not familiar with has a huge advantage. A good example of this is Lyoto Machida’s Karate-point-fighting style on his run to the UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship. It lasted until opponents began to specifically train and prepare for his techniques.
One difference in Krav Maga vs MMA is that Krav Maga provides training for a greater variety of threats. You will be better prepared to defend against unfamiliar styles after training with Krav Maga.
Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Styles
The Bottom Line
While both disciplines can give you useful self-defense skills, MMA and Krav Maga are not designed equally for self-defense. Real fights happen in alleys and outside bars, not in cages. In a real survival situation, you can bet that your attacker has not trained to fight just like you. MMA has its place as a sport, but can quickly fall short of the tactics that may be required for real-world survival.
Train Hard
You may be comparing Krav Maga vs MMA, but you may not have to choose. Many techniques you learn in Krav Maga work in MMA, and may just give you an advantage. To find out how training in real-world fighting can help your MMA aspirations, call or visit a Krav Maga Worldwide location today.
There are many different types of martial arts, including taekwondo, karate, and jiu jitsu, as well as MMA (mixed martial arts). Below are definitions of some of the most popular styles.
With this information, the next time someone asks, “What’s the difference between the different types of martial arts?” you’ll have an answer.
- Aikido: considered a grappling art, aikido is a Japanese martial art performed by flowing with the motion of the attacker rather than opposing it straight-on. This requires much less physical strength, as the practitioner directs the attacker’s momentum with entering and turning motions, followed by various throws or joint locks.
- Hapkido: a Korean martial art which uses joint locks, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. Weapons such as sword, nunchaku, rope, cane, and staff are also used, although their emphasis varies. Hapkido focuses on using circular motions, non-resisting movements, and control of the opponent, using footwork and body positioning to gain leverage and avoid strength against strength. Although aikido and hapkido are thought to share a common history, they differ significantly in philosophy, range of responses, and execution of techniques.
- Judo: a relatively modern Japanese martial art (created in 1882). The goal of judo is to either throw or takedown one’s opponent to the ground and immobilize or subdue them with a grappling maneuver, joint lock, strangle hold, or choke. Strikes and thrusts by hands and feet or weapons are only allowed in pre-arranged forms (kata), and are not allowed in competition or free practice.
- Jiu Jitsu (Jujitsu, Jujutsu): a Japanese martial art for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon. Practitioners neutralize an enemy with pins, joint locks, and throws by using an attacker’s energy against him, rather than directly opposing it (as with other martial arts such as karate). There are five main areas or arts of training: blocking, fulcrum throw, non-fulcrum throw, escaping, and striking.
- Karate: a martial art developed in Okinawa, Japan that stresses striking techniques, such as punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands (karate chop). In comparison to tae kwon do, karate tends to focus more on hand strikes, whereas tae kwon do emphasizes kicking techniques. The major traditional styles of karate are Shotokan, Shito Ryu, Goju Ryu, and Wado Ryu.
- Krav Maga: a hand-to-hand combat system developed in Israel that involves wrestling, grappling and striking techniques, mostly known for its extremely efficient and brutal counter-attacks used to keep the practitioner safe and incapacitate the opponent by any means necessary. Generally, there are no rules in krav maga, and it has no sporting federation. In addition, there is no official uniform, although some organizations recognize progress with rank badges, levels, and belts.
- Kung Fu (Chinese martial arts): a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. There are common themes to the various styles (which are usually classified by families, schools, or sects). Some styles include physical exercises that mimic animal movements, while others are inspired by Chinese philosophies, religions, and legends. Internal styles focus mainly on harnessing of qi, while external styles concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness. Some of the more common styles include Eagle Claw, Hung Gar, Five Animals (Shaolin Kung Fu), Monkey, Praying Mantis, and Wing Chun. (The term kung fu is often used in the west to refer to Chinese martial arts, however its original meaning refers to one’s expertise in any skill, not just martial arts.)
- MMA (Mixed Martial Arts): a full contact sport that allows a variety of fighting styles to be used (including martial and non-martial arts techniques). Striking and grappling techniques, either standing or on the ground, are allowed. The early years of the sport saw a wide variety of traditional styles, but as the sport evolved many styles were shown to be ineffective. It is now common for fighters to train in multiple styles, creating a more balanced skill set.
- Muay Thai: a martial art from Thailand which uses stand-up striking and clinching techniques. It makes prominent use of punches, kicks, elbow strikes, and knee strikes, using eight points of contact, in contrast to the hands and feet (four contact points) more often relied upon in other martial arts. Numerous techniques associated with Muay Thai can be found in MMA.
- Taekwondo: the Korean art of self-defense, one of the oldest forms of martial arts (reaching back over 2,000 years), and the most widely practiced martial art in the world. Training involves learning a system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes, as well as varying forms of take-downs, throws, and joint locks, all of which develop strength, speed, balance, flexibility, and stamina. Taekwondo is known for its emphasis on kicking techniques, as compared to other martial arts such as karate. In addition to self-defense training, students learn prearranged sequences of techniques known as forms or poomsae (known in other martial arts as kata). Tae kwon do and judo are the only two martial arts included in the Olympic Games.
- Tai Chi: an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. A multitude of training forms exist, including the westernized, standardized version of tai chi (tai chi chih) which has visual similarities to the Chinese tai chi (tai chi chuan), but no martial arts aspect. Some forms are particularly well known because of their slow movement.