Taekkyon is the only martial art still practiced that has its roots in the ancient art of subak and was probably practiced as early as the time before the Three Kingdoms period of Korea (57 BC - 676). During the Joseon period (1392-1910) it was widespread among all social classes. Banned by the Japanese occupation authorities in the early 1930s under penalty of death, Taekkyon has been revived in South Korea and has been recognized by the South Korean authorities as an important cultural heritage and has been included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. ¹⁾

Karate developed from a local martial art from the Ryukyu Islands (now Japan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. The Kingdom of Ryukyu was independent from the 15th to 19th century. Despite its small size, it played a dominant role in the maritime trade of East Asia during the Middle Ages. Until the 19th century (still in the times of karate's origins), the Riukiu Kingdom had much more in common with China than with Japan. ²⁾

Shaolin Monastery is located in Henan province. It is the third most populous province in China and also the motherland of Chinese civilization. ³⁾

Ninja used the Ninja-tō (aka shinobi-gatana) as a replacement for the katana. It was not used often, and its craftsmanship was not as elaborate and laborious as that of its samurai counterpart. Because of this, the ninja-to often broke when confronted with stronger weapons. ⁴⁾

Edward Sell was first introduced to the Korean martial art of taekwondo in Korea as a United States Air Force (USAF) officer in 1961. In 1963, he became the first American to be allowed to participate in the Korean National Championships. In 1997, he received the ninth dan from the World Chung Do Kwan, and in 2001, the ninth dan from the World Taekwondo Federation. He was the first non-Korean master to receive such a high degree. Edward Sell wrote the first American taekwondo training manual. ⁵⁾

The style, developed in the early 1920s for the Red Army, is a lethal combination of judo and wrestling. The name Sambo is an acronym for the first letters of the Russian “SAMozashchita Bez Oruzha,” meaning self-defense without weapons. This martial art was recognized as a sport by the FILA International Wrestling Federation in 1966. ⁶⁾

Krav Maga is a military self-defense and combat system developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It is derived from a combination of techniques derived from boxing, wrestling, aikido, judo, and karate. Krav Maga is focused on real-life situations and is extremely effective. It is derived from the street fighting experience of Hungarian-Israeli martial arts adept Imi Lichtenfeld, who used his experience as a boxer and wrestler to defend a Jewish neighborhood against fascist groups in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, in the mid-1930s. In the late 1940s, after migrating to Israel, he gave hand-to-hand combat lessons to the forces, which later became the IDF. ⁷⁾

Vale Tudo is a Brazilian martial art and sports popular since the 20th century. It is a Full Contact style with relatively few rules. The style uses techniques from many martial arts and can be considered a precursor to MMA. Vale Tudo fights are said to be very bloody and brutal. For this reason, they are not promoted much, while from time to time they cause quite a stir in the media. ⁸⁾

Rough and Tumble also known as Gouging was a form of hand-to-hand combat common in the United States, primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries. The style was brutal, with biting on the tongue and gouging out eyes, for example, being permitted. The style went out of use in the 1740s due to the widespread use of the bowie knife and revolver, which were obviously more effective in resolving disputes. Although it was never an organized sport, participants sometimes planned their fights and the winners were treated as local heroes. ⁹⁾

Although not as well-known as other martial arts, Bacorn (or Vacorn) is just as effective and deadly. This style of martial arts originated in Peru, specifically Lima. It is an amalgamation of many fighting styles, with clashes often ending in death due to the use of hidden weapons and trickery. It is a type of fighting designed to quickly inflict maximum pain on the opponent. ¹⁰⁾

Kapu Ku’ialua, Kapu Kuialua is an ancient Hawaiian martial art or Lua. Bone breaking, joint locking, throws, pressure point manipulation, strikes, the use of various weapons, battlefield strategy, water combat, and the use of firearms since their introduction by the Europeans play an important role. It is said that warriors lubricated their bodies with coconut oil, which was said to make grappling more difficult. ¹¹⁾

Ninjutsu is a style used mainly in Japan by ninjas or shinobi. The martial art focuses on unconventional warfare, espionage, and assassination. Popular in Japanese films, the style also uses a number of discreet weapons. Although there is an international martial arts organization representing several modern styles of ninjutsu, the historical lineage of these styles is in question. ¹²⁾

Pugilism focuses on head injuries. In the 19th century it was banned in several countries, but the use of gloves and governing bodies restored boxing's status as a sport, and a gentleman's sport at that. As is well known, a boxer does not fart in a dance, but immediately pounds the bowl, or liver. A sharper variation is bare-knuckle boxing. In 1995 it was estimated that 500 boxers lost their lives in the ring, and we're talking about a sporting contest with a referee, pads, and so on. ¹³⁾

Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima / Escrima, is the national sport and martial art of the Philippines. This martial art relies on weapons in the form of sticks, knives, and various improvised weapons, as well as unarmed techniques. It is the martial art that the Spanish colonizers faced in 1610, although that is not what it was called then. The Philippines has campaigned for this martial art to be listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. ¹⁴⁾

Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, is a combat sport that has its origins in Thailand. This discipline is also known as the “art of the eight limbs” because it is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, and shins. Muay Thai became widespread around the world in the late 20th century and into the 21st century when Thai boxing fighters began competing in kickboxing and mixed martial arts competitions. ¹⁵⁾

Systema is a Russian martial art, similar to Krav Maga, which aims to inflict as much harm on the opponent as possible in the shortest possible time. It is also said to be the style Specnaz uses. Nowadays, there are a number of systema schools that began to appear after the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, and their teachers claim that their “systems” are the legendary and effective ones. ¹⁶⁾

Silat is a fighting style originating from Malaysia that focuses on efficiency. The martial art is about exploiting the weaknesses of opponents and eliminating them as quickly as possible. Many martial arts are about fighting as well as philosophical and moral aspects. Silat, however, is all about violence. Pencak silat is a generic term for a class of related Indonesian martial arts. It is a form of combat that uses strikes, joint levers, and weapon combat. ¹⁷⁾

The Bojuk system differs from most forms of martial arts or self-defense systems in that it does not have centuries of history behind it. It is a relatively new self-defense training program introduced by Tom Schrenk in the 1990s. The system uses techniques from boxing, ju-jitsu, and karate. The system is designed to be fast, effective, and easy to learn. ¹⁸⁾