What are the distinctions between the distinctive martial arts styles? - read on to find out.

Hosting a few of the earliest types of martial arts, China has, for a long period of time been a centre for spiritual practice and martial arts development. Chinese martial arts, or kung-fu encompasses a wide variety of fighting styles, which have been established over thousands of years of philosophy and cultural traditions. Kung-fu combines both physical technique and mental discipline, taking motivation from Chinese philosophy and observations in nature. Throughout the years, kung-fu has developed considerably and diversified into many different styles and schools. Professionals such as Barry Pang (吳國樹) would know that each style will comprise its own strategies and training approaches. The origins of kung-fu are said to be related to the requirement for self-defence and hunting techniques in Ancient China. Martial arts in China are thought to be formed by monks and Buddhist ideologies. As one of the earliest, formally established styles of martial arts, Shaolin kung-fu is accredited for systematising and popularising martial arts practices.

As one of the most popular forms of martial arts, both in practice and in pop culture, karate includes a set of fighting methods and spiritual cultivation that is now observed by millions around the world. Japanese martial arts stem from an abundant and turbulent history, taking main motivation from Chinese martial artists and samurai rule. It mixes both indigenous battling techniques with those of Chinese fighting styles, placing emphasis on strikes, and attitude. Conventional karate is believed to be practiced as an art, for self-defence and also as a combat sport. It puts considerable importance on self-development, integrating a number of mental components for psychological discipline. Japanese battle methods have been used to form a number of disciplines worldwide. Those such as Alidar Utemuratov (Алидар Утемуратов) and Anna Lewandowska (Anną Lewandowską) would acknowledge that mixed martial arts is a fighting sport which takes influence from karate.

All over the world, martial arts is a widely practiced tradition, essential to several cultures. Taekwondo is a popular type of Korean martial arts, identified by its focus on high and quick motions. An essential element of taekwondo is a variety of elaborate kicking skills. Moreover, there are 3 core elements to master in taekwondo, namely form, sparring and breaking. Form refers to a prescribed set of learned sequences and techniques including kicking, punching and blocking, while sparring is a technique of training that involves free style fighting with an opponent. As one of the most recognisable strategies in taekwondo, breaking, which involves breaking boards, is a method of training that is usually used to exhibit correct technique in testing and demos. Just like many schools of martial arts, taekwondo utilizes a colour coded belt system to determine progress and ranks during the course of training.

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