By: Daved Steele M.M.A. (MIXED MARTIAL ARTS)

ABOUT MARTIAL ARTS Various people practice Martial Arts for various reasons. Martial Arts is intended to be a self defense training and/or a way of life. Martial Arts has transformed over decades from forms used by ancestors to the forms we use today. It has grown and combined with forms that have been used by different groups and cultures over the years. Martial Arts are about well-being just as much, if not more, than self defense. Although almost all forms of martial arts are based on fighting, there are the select few about being “one with nature”. Kapoiera is a form of martial arts conceived by the combination of Jamaican dancing and a pre-existing form of martial arts similar to Muay Thai.

FORMS OF MARTIAL ARTS Jiu Jitsu Tae Kwon Do Ishinryu Jeet Kune Do Muay Thai Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Kickboxing Boxing Wrestling Judo Karate Catch Wrestling Capoiera Savate Fencing Kapap San Shou Systema Krav maga Seidokaikan Karate There are also many unmentioned forms.

MUAY THAI Muay Thai is my personal favorite form of martial arts. It is based on Thailand’s ancient form of Muay Thai Kickboxing, and has transformed into what it is today. Muay Thai is most famous for “the Muay Thai Clench”. This is where you would take both hands and pull your opponent’s head down, locking your fingers together behind the person’s neck. The fact that this move can be easily escaped from, is completely irrelevant when dealing with a true Muay Thai fighter. Normally once the fingers are locked together behind the opponent’s neck there is a maximum of one second pause before a knee its fired upward towards the opponent’s face while pulling their face towards the oncoming knee with the already clenched hands.

MUAY THAI KICKS, KNEES AND PUNCHES Round House Kick Teej Kick/Straight Kick (Bottom Left) Spinning Back Kick 360 Spin Kick/Tornado Kick Crescent Kick Axe Kick Drop Kick Side Kick Back Kick Round Kick Diagonal Kick Straight Back Kick Hook Kick/Down Round Kick Jump Kick/Scissor Double Kick Clench Knee Flying Knee Flying Scissor Knee (Bottom Right) Jab Hook Haymaker Back Fist Hammer Fist Spinning Back Fist

TONY JAA Tony Jaa is one of the most successful and skilled Muay Thai has ever seen. Although he is known by said name, Tony Jaa, his birth name is Panom Yeerum Tony Jaa not only lives his life for the art of Muay Thai, he has applied it to everyday situations, and also choreographed and acted out his own scenes in several movies including: Ong Bak Ong Bak 2 Ong Bak 3 The Protector The Body Guard The Body Guard 2 and many others. He is one of the very few action movie actors who use no lines, no stunt doubles, and no CGI; he personaly does every single scene in his movies.

JIU JITSU Jiu Jitsu is probably the form of martial arts closest in style to wrestling, even though it is far superior. Jiu Jitsu is made up of a web of takedowns and submissions. The most widely known takedown for any martial artist is the “double leg takedown”, this originated from Jiu Jitsu. There is also the single leg takedown, several leg sweeps, and rolls, which use your opponent’s momentum from their attack, and move in the same direction as them slightly pulling them down, redirecting them to the ground. You use virtually no energy in this takedown, which is why it is my favorite takedown (excluding the Muay Thai leg sweep). Jiu Jitsu submissions include: The Rear Naked Choke The Guillotine (Below Right) The Arm Bar The Leg Lock The Ankle Lock The Key Lock The Triangle Choke The Arm Triangle Choke The Peruvian Necktie (Above Right) The Kimura and many others

GLOVES These gloves are 8 oz. martial arts gloves, they are actually used for matches. These are 6 oz. gloves used for training only. They have a metal bar in the palm, used to grip and prevent the breaking of any bones. They are very illegal to use in an actual match. It is commonly misconstrued that martial arts gloves are used to control the infliction of damage done to the opponent. The true reason for these gloves roots from boxing. The top of the skull is the hardest bone in the body, it didn’t take boxers long to figure this out, so they started looking straight at the ground when they saw their opponent beginning to strike, causing countless hand and/ or wrist fractures and breaks. These gloves were invented to prevent, or lessen the possibility of, said fractures and breaks.

MUAY THAI TRAINING Rope Fighting is a training tool that has been used for centuries. It is supposed to test a fighters “manhood”. It is considered a national sport in Thailand. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems. (There is a photo shown on the right.)

YEP… I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO ON THE LAST SLIDE.