No matter their origin, code of ethics or moral foundation, all martial arts are saturated in a repertoire of similar techniques and skills that can be classified as martial arts basics. This holds true for traditional martial arts and modern mixed martial arts styles.
Some martial arts basics include striking, kicking, leg kicks, sweeps, punches, slaps, finger pokes, parries, evasion tactics, footwork, elbow and knee strikes, and specific kinds of stances that reflect defensive or attacking positions. Other basic skills that may occur within specific sets of styles include takedowns, throws, head butts, grappling, chokes, rolls, ground techniques, wrestling, joint manipulation, stomping, submission holds and striking vital areas of the body.
Mastering martial arts basics is usually accomplished through repetition, forms, sparring or fighting.
– March 7, 2012
Richard “Mack” Machowicz is an ex-Navy SEAL, co-host of Spike TV’s Deadliest Warrior and author of the book Unleash the Warrior Within. He’s proficient in taekwondo and has studied muay Thai, kali, boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Paul Vunak’s take on jeet kune do. However, this SEAL Team hand-to-hand combat instructor
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– September 30, 2011
I selected 10 systems that I’ve practiced and found to be self-defense worthy. It’s hard to say just one art does it all. The best advice is to try them all and get in combat shape. Ultimately, it’s not the art that’s important; it’s the individual. It’s not the technique
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– August 26, 2011
This list is in no particular order. I could have put krav maga, haganah and others in there, but when I got to 10, I stopped. This list will piss off many instructors, but they have to realize, for example, that with a system like kyokushinkai, which came from goju-ryu
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– August 19, 2011
I love our Facebook community. On Monday, we asked them why they began their martial arts training, and their answers were so inspiring that I just had to share them with you.
“I was picked on as a child and had a lot of anger issues. I joined karate when I
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– August 12, 2011
Editor’s Note: Because it’s impossible to defend yourself when you’re unconscious, knockouts play a critical role in any fight, whether it takes place in the ring or on the street. In our September issue, we explored the physiological effects of a knockout and why head trauma is such a controversial
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– August 8, 2011
Almost every day at Black Belt, we’re asked the same question: “What’s the best martial art for self-defense?” To find out the answer, we asked Dr. Mark Cheng, an expert in Chinese medicine and martial arts.
“I chose the following arts because of my personal experience with them,” Dr. Mark Cheng
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– August 5, 2011
Can empty-hand jujitsu techniques improve your weapon skills? We asked our friend George Kirby this question, and the result is our latest free ebook—Basic Jujitsu Techniques: 4 Budoshin Moves to Improve Your Jujitsu Weapons Training.
Long before the Brazilian jiu-jitsu tidal wave washed over the world, George Kirby was diligently spreading
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– July 18, 2011
In Spider-Man, Uncle Ben told Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The fact that the statement originates from a comic-book character doesn’t make it any less true. It’s especially applicable to the martial arts and the use of deadly force. Deadly force is the most serious issue you
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– July 7, 2011
The martial arts were created as a means of weaponless self-defense. That’s why almost every art has sparring at its core. By taking the basic martial arts techniques you learn in class and applying them in controlled fighting situations, you’ll learn how you react under pressure.
Unfortunately, many students are afraid
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– July 6, 2011
It’s been called the edge-of-the-hand strike, the ax hand, the shuto, the thousand-hand strike and the judo chop. It can be found in virtually every martial art from karate to kung fu and in every kata from those practiced at the Kodokan to those done at Kukkiwon. So how did
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