Many people who want to learn Martial Arts or are attracted to Martial arts often find themselves confused in terms of which style I should learn or which style will suit me the most. Some just select a style without thinking and then discover its suitability and some often caught in this dilemma don’t take the next step to learn and their aspirations only remains dreams. In this blog, I would like to address this concern once and for all and want to share that in principle selecting a martial art form will always be secondary to why I should learn martial arts in the first place. Unless I am clear on my motive to explore this art, learning any form will not yield intended results as form needs to align with the purpose and not other way around.
There are broadly 2 ways to Classify Martial Arts Style. One is more technical and another more related to the purpose of the art.
1) Based on Distance between me and my opponent
This classification is more technical and also foundational on which various traditional martial arts styles have evolved. The distance between me (subject) and my opponent (one I am fighting with) determines various ranges of combat. Let’s explore all ranges of combat:
Weapons Range: This is the longest range of combat where I cannot reach my opponent with any body part. Hence, I use weapon as an extension of myself. Famous Martial Arts in this range are; Archery, Sword Fighting, Bo staff, Filipino Kali, Nunchaku etc
The value of this range is learning to use a weapon as an extension of self for long distance combat.
Kicking Range: From weapons range if I come close enough to reach my opponent with longest part of my body (legs), then I am in Kicking range. This is one of the very popular range and famous martial arts styles based only on kicking are Taekwondo, Karate which is predominantly a kicking art, Kickboxing etc. The value of this range is to learn to be flexible and agile in my movements with good rhythm and balance.
Punching Range: From Kicking range, if I take a step closer where I can reach my opponent with my hands then I am in Punching range. This is classical hand to hand combat range. Famous Martial arts styles based on this range are Boxing, Kung Fu etc. The value of this range is to learn to be courageous as coming closer to opponent is also risky as impact of receiving a punch is bigger than impact of receiving a kick.
Knee-Elbow Range: From Punching range, if I take a step closer where I can reach my opponent with elbows and knees then I am in this Knee-Elbow Range. Famous Martial art based on this range is Muay Thai. The value of this range is to go on the offensive without emphasis on defence as in close quarters, it is very difficult to defend anyways.
Grappling Range: From Knee-Elbow range, if I come closer so as to be in physical contact with my opponent then I fall in grappling range. Grappling range is unique as here I need to be in touch with my opponent’s body unlike all other ranges. Here, there are multiple martial art forms which based on their focus represents a unique style by itself. For example, Judo (art of throwing an opponent), Aikido (Art of locking), Wrestling etc. The value of this range is to learn to balance energy of ying and yang between me and my opponent in order to emerge victorious.
Mat Range: This is in a way extension of Grappling range. In this range, both opponents are on the ground in lying position. This is also referred to as ground fighting and famous martial arts styles based on this range are Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling etc. The value of this range is to learn to fight in difficult scenarios with combining aspects of grappling, locking and striking.
All these ranges define a martial arts style. Here, it is important to note that many martial art styles are combinations of 2 or more ranges for example, Kung Fu (Punching+Kicking), Wrestling (Grappling+Mat), MMA (Punching+Kicking+Knee-Elbow+Mat) etc.
As per legendary martial artist Bruce lee, one should learn all ranges of martial arts and not selectively one or two. As in a given situation, if I have the knowledge of all ranges only then I can appropriately respond to the situation. Being a good boxer means nothing if my opponent is in kicking range or being a good kicker means nothing if my opponent is grappling with me.
2) Based on Purpose of the art.
This classification is more related to the purpose of various art forms. They over time have changed or altered depending on what emphasis is given to the art in a particular time period.
Performance Arts: Some martial arts forms are geared towards more rhythmic aspect of movement. These are arts like Capoeira from Brazil and Wushu from China.
Internal Arts: There are Martial arts styles which are more philosophical in nature where focus is more towards conquering inner values like harmony, oneness and balance. These forms are Aikido, Tai-chi, Qi-gong etc.
Weapons Arts: Martial arts which fall in this category are Iaido (drawing of sword), Kendo/Kenjutsu (Sword sparring), Kyudo (zen archery) etc. The focus of these arts is more spiritual development as its physical relevance is much less now.
Self-Defence Arts: Some Martial Art forms are mainly focussed at protecting oneself and others. Some popular examples are Filipino Kali, Chinese Gung Fu, Jiujutsu etc. Krav Maga though not classified as Self defence art is mainly military discipline of learning self defence techniques and hence not Martial Art style by itself.
Combat Sports: These are more modern-day martial arts which eventually became sports. Arts like Judo, MMA, Kickboxing, Taekwando, Muay Thai etc. As they became sports, rules and regulations came into being and commercialisation of the art made it all about winning or losing.
Comprehensive Martial Arts: There are some rare Martial arts styles which has all aspect mentioned above and also covers multiple ranges of Martial arts classified earlier. These are Shaolin Kung Fu, Kalaripattyu and Most recent Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. These arts are for serious Martial Artist and hence highly recommended for all those who really want to learn Authentic Martial Art Style.
To conclude, above two classifications only presents small sneak-peak in the phenomenal world of Martial Arts. So, if you ask me personally which Martial Art style you should learn, I would say multiple art forms or comprehensive art forms like Bruce lee’s Jeet Kune Do or Shaolin Kung Fu. As only by exploring multiple ranges of Martial arts, one will know what range one is good at and which values one beholds or lacks.