Impaku

From the first strike to the final bout

Hundreds of martial arts and styles, their techniques, kata, weapons and people – what is documented, what is legend.

Primary Martial Arts

Kung Fu

A collective term for the Chinese martial arts, not a single style. It includes sport wushu (taolu and sanda) and traditional schools. It has no founder, and Bodhidharma is a legend.

ChinaHybrid

Karate

An Okinawan striking art reshaped in the 20th century into Japanese budo and an Olympic sport. Built on kata and hand and foot techniques.

JapanStriking

MMA

A full-contact sport combining strikes and wrestling standing, in the clinch and on the ground. It has no belts and is contested under several rule sets (Unified Rules, ONE, IMMAF).

United StatesHybrid

Taekwondo

The Korean art of high, dynamic kicks, unified after the Second World War from nine schools. A full Olympic discipline since 2000.

South KoreaStriking

Wrestling

A family of styles of takedowns, throws and control of the opponent on the ground without strikes. The Olympic Greco-Roman (since 1896) and freestyle (since 1904) are governed by the UWW.

Grappling

Muay Thai

Thai boxing, the art of eight limbs — fists, elbows, knees and shins, complemented by clinch work. It moved into the ring in the early twentieth century.

ThailandStriking

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

A Brazilian ground-fighting art built on joint locks and chokes; it lets technique control a stronger opponent.

BrazilGrappling

Boxing

Fighting with the fists alone, in gloves, weight classes and rounds — the oldest codified combat sport.

United KingdomStriking

Krav Maga

An Israeli self-defence system aimed at fast, simple responses to real danger rather than at competition.

IsraelHybrid

Judo

A Japanese art of throws and grappling, Olympic since 1964; its idea is to use the opponent's strength instead of your own.

JapanGrappling

Sumo

A Japanese wrestling sport in a dohyo ring in which the loser steps out or touches the ground. A professional form has no weights, an amateur one has weight categories.

JapanGrappling

Sambo

A Soviet wrestling style in the kurtka with throws and locks on the arms and legs, without chokes. A sport since 1938, FIAS has had full IOC recognition since 2021, not at the Olympics.

RussiaGrappling

Aikido

A Japanese art of throws and joint locks that Morihei Ueshiba developed from Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. It is practiced mainly in paired kata, and only some schools compete.

JapanGrappling

Kickboxing

A striking sport joining boxing hands with kicks. It appeared in the 1960s and 1970s in Japan and the United States at once, from a wish to give karate full contact.

JapanStriking

Capoeira

An Afro-Brazilian art on the border of fight and dance. Two players play in a circle (roda) to singing and berimbau music, the technique rests on ginga, kicks and dodges.

BrazilHybrid

Jeet Kune Do

A system that Bruce Lee named in 1967. It grew out of Wing Chun, added fencing and boxing, and rejected prearranged forms. Today it is taught by the Original JKD and JKD Concepts lineages.

United StatesHybrid

Kendo

Kendo is Japanese fencing with the bamboo shinai in bogu armor. A point comes just from a clean hit to four target areas under FIK rules.

JapanWeapons

Ninjutsu

Modern Japanese organizations (Bujinkan, Genbukan, Jinenkan) following the shinobi of Iga and Koga: kata, weapons, no competitions, lineage cannot be independently verified.

JapanHybrid

Eskrima

Filipino martial arts with stick, knife and bare hands, since 2009 the national martial art and sport of the Philippines. They have no single founder or system of grades.

PhilippinesStriking

Hapkido

A Korean art of locks, throws, kicks and strikes rooted in Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. It competes in demonstrations of techniques and forms, with several organisations and grading systems.

South KoreaHybrid