Throughout the country, you'll find schools that teach the arts of Karate, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Taekwondo and other well-known types of martial arts. There are some ancient martial arts, however, that are far less well known, but equally interesting. Take a look at the following unusual forms of martial arts.
While you might have heard of Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines dance and fighting, the Egyptian art of Tahtib is far less well known. Practitioners combines traditional folk dancing and fighting with sticks. The stick is about 12 feet long and you are meant to take turns striking each other in the head with the stick. Typically, these days Tahtib is more ceremonial than actually injurious, but sometimes dancer/fighters do get carried away as the music increases in intensity.
Practically every country in the world has one or more types of martial arts that incorporates stick fighting and Ireland is certainly no exception to this rule. For many hundreds of years, men in Ireland practiced Bataireacht, which eventually became highly associated with gang violence and sort of fell out of favor with many Irish. However, in the past few decades, Bataireacht has increased a bit in popularity as a way to honor Irish heritage.
While not ancient, the martial art of Okichitaw is based upon ancient ideals and teachings of the Plains Cree First Nation. Canadian George Lepine developed the art which teaches uses both weaponry and hand-to-hand maneuvers. The main weapons include the tomahawk and a gunstock war club, which has been used by many native tribes dating back to the 18th Century. Fighters are taught how to use these weapons and defend against the weapons, using only their body.
In ancient Hawaii, Kapu Ku'ialua, also known just as Lua, was an impressive form of martial art that was in some ways similar to Jiu-Jitsu in that some fighting techniques include joint locks and manipulating pressure points on the body. However Lua also incorporated a variety of weaponry helping fighters utilize whatever items were readily available. For instance, one is taught to use a canoe paddle as a weapon, as well as the Leiomano, which is club with imbedded shark teeth.
Some martial arts are based on physical contact with no weapons, and some are a combination of both hand-to-hand techniques and weapons. Mau rakau, an ancient martial art from the Maori tribe in present-day New Zealand, is an art that relies almost entirely on several different weapons. One special weapon, created from whale bone, is known as the taiaha. This weapon along with a type of axe and several different types of clubs are all part of this martial art and are even more special because as the story is told, Maori Gods gave these weapons to the warriors to help them defend their land.
While you might have heard of Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines dance and fighting, the Egyptian art of Tahtib is far less well known. Practitioners combines traditional folk dancing and fighting with sticks. The stick is about 12 feet long and you are meant to take turns striking each other in the head with the stick. Typically, these days Tahtib is more ceremonial than actually injurious, but sometimes dancer/fighters do get carried away as the music increases in intensity.
Practically every country in the world has one or more types of martial arts that incorporates stick fighting and Ireland is certainly no exception to this rule. For many hundreds of years, men in Ireland practiced Bataireacht, which eventually became highly associated with gang violence and sort of fell out of favor with many Irish. However, in the past few decades, Bataireacht has increased a bit in popularity as a way to honor Irish heritage.
While not ancient, the martial art of Okichitaw is based upon ancient ideals and teachings of the Plains Cree First Nation. Canadian George Lepine developed the art which teaches uses both weaponry and hand-to-hand maneuvers. The main weapons include the tomahawk and a gunstock war club, which has been used by many native tribes dating back to the 18th Century. Fighters are taught how to use these weapons and defend against the weapons, using only their body.
In ancient Hawaii, Kapu Ku'ialua, also known just as Lua, was an impressive form of martial art that was in some ways similar to Jiu-Jitsu in that some fighting techniques include joint locks and manipulating pressure points on the body. However Lua also incorporated a variety of weaponry helping fighters utilize whatever items were readily available. For instance, one is taught to use a canoe paddle as a weapon, as well as the Leiomano, which is club with imbedded shark teeth.
Some martial arts are based on physical contact with no weapons, and some are a combination of both hand-to-hand techniques and weapons. Mau rakau, an ancient martial art from the Maori tribe in present-day New Zealand, is an art that relies almost entirely on several different weapons. One special weapon, created from whale bone, is known as the taiaha. This weapon along with a type of axe and several different types of clubs are all part of this martial art and are even more special because as the story is told, Maori Gods gave these weapons to the warriors to help them defend their land.
About the Author:
Rod Bourgoine loves blogging about mixed martial arts benefits. To get more information about martial arts in San Diego or to find San Diego boxing lessons, please visit The Arena MMA website today.
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