| Koryo Martial Arts Center |
| Synopsis of the Martial Arts (a generalized description of the most common martial styles) |
| Aikido A soft circular, internal/external, grappling art. Mainly defensive, using the momentum of an opponent's attack to throw or unbalance them before counter attacking. Aikido has a strong philosophical and ideological foundation, which still comprises a large portion of the training. One of the more famous mainstream Aikidoists is movie star Steven Seagal. Brazilian Jujitsu A hard external, grappling art. Characterized by its groung fighting, Brazilian Jujitsu practitioners seek to submit their opponents through joint locks, chokes, and pain compliance techniques. The Gracies (a Brazilian family) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship events made this fighting art famous. Capoeira A hard external striking art. Capoeira is an African fighting art, developed in the 1500's by slaves forced to work in the Brazilian sugar cane fields. Due to the fact that the slaves were forbidden the practice of any fighting art they hid the movements of Capoeira in what appeared to be dance. The style consists mainly of dynamic kicking techniques combined with acrobatics, fancy stepping, bobbing, and weaving to avoid counter attack. Hapkido A soft, circular, external grappling art. Hapkido is in many ways the Korean equivalent to Aikido, though without the same emphasis on the philosophical underpinnings of the Japanese art. It uses joint locks, holds, and throws to counter attack and unbalance an opponent before finishing with basic kicking and striking techniques. Judo/Yudo A soft external grappling art. Judo is "the gentle way" because its end result is the accomplishment of a goal with maximum efficiency and minimum effort. The art focuses on throws, elbow locks, chokes, ground position, and falling techniques. The objectives are; Control of balance; Control of ground position; Non resistance defense; Self improvement. Jujitsu This art is one of the few that at its root uncorporates soft and hard approaches, grappling and striking techniques, internal and external elements, all applied either circularly or linearly. It is the fighting art of the ancient Japanese Samurai, and the basis for many subsequent Japanse styles such as Judo and Aikido. Karate Within North America, Karate is perhaps the most recognizable of the martial arts, as it was the first to be introduced and widely practiced in the States. There are a dozen or so styles of Karate, each with their own subtleties, but with the common denominator being a focus on hard external techniques. Karate incorporates stikes, kicks, blocks and some joint locking techniques into its curriculum. Kung Fu In general Kung Fu is a label used to describe any Martial Art that comes from China. It is the generic name for literally hundreds of individual Chineses fighting arts, both "internal" and "external", ancient and of relatively recent invention. The words 'Kung fu' can be literally translated as "skill from effort". It can be used to describe anything that requires a person to invest both time and effort into training to become skillful. Muay Thai A hard, external, linear striking art. Muay Thai is the martial art of fighting with one's bare fists, utilizing elbows, knees, feet and fists as weapons. No one knows when Muay Thai first began, it is assumed that it has been practiced since the beginning of Thai history. Sikaran A hard external striking art. This art, developed in the Philippines is similar to both Karate and Taekwondo. It can be characterized by high flying and spinning kicks, but also incorporates hand blocking and striking techniques. Sikaran training also incorporates some of the traditional Filipino weapons; Balisong, Sticks, Kris. Taekwondo A hard external stiking art. Taekwondo is an empty-hand form of combat that uses the entire body. Tae means 'to kick' or 'smash with feet', Kwon implies 'punching' or 'destroying with the hand or fist', and Do means 'way' or 'method'. Many Taekwondo schools now also incorporate joint locks, sweeps, and throws into their curriculum. Taekwondo is also a sport which enjoys inclusion in most major international games, including the Olympics. Tai Chi A soft internal art. It consists of slow, connected movements that are practiced to reduce tension, to slow breathing and to clear the mind. Moving correctly and allowing the chi to circulate freely is the goal. Students learn to yeld so that the attacker is overcome by their own force. Tae Chi also incorporates some weapon technique, principally a double-edged straight sword. It is a method for achieving physical fitness and serenity of mind. It is not ordinarily regarded as a practical self-defense system, though the movements have self-defense applications, and practitioners can achieve great power in their techniques. |