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A true martial art does not teach you how to fight, it teaches you how to fight back!

Categories of Martial Arts

There are four categories of martial arts, each determined by its primary focus:

• Self-defense/professional use of force. This category is the most limited in focus. Its only purpose is the use of force to resolve a violent situation, This category includes styles such as Krav Maga or Musti Yudha. This category of martial arts training may range from a weekend combat course for the public, to military close-quarter combat and killing techniques. The techniques are for high-risk situations that must be resolved immediately. The techniques are simple, effective, and often brutal. It does not take too long to learn the techniques, usually only a few days or months. Unless you are actively involved in a profession or lifestyle where you are constantly in danger, your interest in this category of martial arts will usually fade quickly.

• Traditional/physical art/self-discipline. This is the category most commercial schools teach, such as Taekwondo, various styles of Karate, Judo, various styles of Kung-fu, etc. The greatest benefits from the martial arts are often found in this focus, such as self-confidence, exercise, courtesy, self-defense, competition, mental focus, and self-control. Social interactions are also found here. Friendships and community involvement are common by-products of a martial arts school. In this category, troubled children often bloom, their grades improve, and unacceptable behavior subsides as they get farther and farther into the art. This category takes years of training to perfect so interest usually lasts for years, even a lifetime.

• Spiritual/health. These are the gentle arts that help develop inner peace and harmony, such as Tai Chi Chuan, Ba-qua, Hsing-i, etc. They are poetry in motion and are of great benefit to health. These arts gentle enough for for all ages and my be practiced for a lifetime. They are taught for reasonable prices or for free at community centers, YMCAs/YWCAs, colleges, etc. Cardio type, pseudo martial arts, such as Tae-bo, Cardio Kick Boxing, etc., fall into this category, however, do not confuse them with self-defense training; they are not designed to teach actual self-defense.

• Sport/competition. Tournament fighting is a demanding and challenging sport that requires great dedication and intensive practice. There are entire marital art styles dedicated to sport and competition, such as the sport version of Taekwondo. The category of martial arts is great for safely channeling young and aggressive energy, but may also be a family event, with family members attending tournaments to cheer for and encourage the participant.

Each category has a specific focus or purpose.  While there is a certain degree of crossover, what works for one category may not work for in another. Each category has its strengths and weaknesses. Since it is nearly impossible to master all four categories, instructors usually focus on just one. An instructor who is good in one category is not necessarily qualified to teach another, however, some instructors will tell you they are qualified to do it all.

Along with different purposes come radically different attitudes, training procedures, rules of engagement, and standards of conduct between the categories. These differences have a profound effect on what you learn and how long you will want to keep training. If you understand the differences between the categories, you may more easily find a school or course that fits your needs and wants.

There are three methods to use in defending oneself against an attack, and various styles of martial arts have been developed to exploit each method. The methods are:

• Meet the attack with force, using mainly punches and kicks. Uses medium to close range fighting. Uses limited throws. Rarely uses locks or submission holds. Examples are: Taekwondo, Karate, Boxing, and other striking arts.

• Greet and engage the attack, using mainly throws, takedowns, pins, and submission holds. Uses close range fighting. Uses limited punches and rarely uses kicks. Examples are: Judo, Wrestling, and other grappling arts.

• Retreat from the attack, using avoidance, locks, and throws. Uses medium to close range fighting. Rarely uses punches or kicks. Examples are: Aikido, Jujutsu, and other avoidance arts.

While each of these methods may be useful under the right circumstances, but they are mutually exclusive. For example, it is difficult to grapple and strike at the same time, or to avoid and grapple at the same time, or to strike and avoid at the same time.

Martial artists are people who study a martial art. Most study one art exclusively, but some may also try a different art, usually one from the same method as their original art. For example, a Taekwondo practitioner may also study boxing. By staying within a specific method, the student learns ways to respond to almost every conceivable attack. However, when a student studies an art from a different method, problems may arise. In a surprise attack on the street, you must react instinctively or reflexively, since there is no time to consciously think about a defense. If you are a student of a striking art, you will instinctively block and counterattack. If you are a student of a grappling art, you may duck and tackle, or grab and throw. If you are a student of an avoidance art, you will probably step to the side and flip the attacker. If you are also studying an art from a different method, what would you do? You would probably do some half-ass, ineffective combination of the two arts and get your butt kicked.

A martial artist who has specialized in one method of self-defense will not make the mistake of being seduced into another method of fighting. For example, a Taekwondo specialist who gets suckered into grappling with grappler will probably lose, or a grappler who tries to punch it out with a boxer will probably get butchered. A well-trained martial artist will attempt to seduce an opponent into fighting in his or her method of fighting, while exploiting weaknesses in the attacker's method of fighting.

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