Mixed Martial Arts is all about using any move or technique learned in basically any martial art to defeat an opponent, therefore it can be difficult to place its exact creation or inception in history. Of course, the earliest contact sport or martial art with very few rules (or a no holds barred concept) was called pankration and was started in Greece around the year 648 B.C., taking its place among other sports in the Olympic Games.

It can be safely said that while pankration may have been the parent sport of other full-contact combat styles, it was too early a form to have any direct influence itself. However, it has taken on many techniques from the sports and martial arts that pankration had spawned.

Wrestling is one of its greatest influencers and to the untrained eye, a Mixed Martial Arts competition or match can be mistaken for a modern wrestling match. It was during the late 1800’s that wrestling and boxing became popular and participants such as John L. Sullivan and William Muldoon were well known for some of their no holds barred antics.

Because of this, many people held anything goes matches and more often than not, the wrestler won. In Europe, Jiu Jitsu versus boxing matches were held, and sometimes, it was boxing versus other styles as well. There was definitely a demand for both people who wanted to study Mixed Martial Arts and observers who wanted to watch competitions for sport or show.

Not surprisingly, a major catalyst in the creation of Mixed Martial Arts was the one and only Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee formed his own styles by making use of different styles such as Karate, fencing, boxing, Jiu Jitsu, wrestling and more to allow him to use what he felt were the best defenses and the best attacks from each martial art. In addition to Bruce Lee, a prominent figure is a man by the name of Royce Gracie who in 1993 won the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship. It was after this that it gained a heavy cult following and began to spark interest across the globe.

As Mixed Martial Arts became more and more prominent, competitions and matches became commonplace in both the martial arts world and the entertainment industry. Students learned to borrow moves and techniques from each other to help each other discover what the best and most useful defenses and attacks were. Of course, a student must be trained in several different forms before they are ready to compete in a match or competition. The popularity and recognition that it has received thus far shows absolutely no signs of slowing down, in fact, the sport is becoming increasingly attractive to both spectators and students of Mixed Martial Arts.

James Dunn owns and operates Martial Arts Tutor Visit Mixed Martial Arts Lessons for more information about Mixed Martial Arts or Kung Fu Lessons to learn about Kung Fu.

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No doubt, martial arts is one of the longest form of self defense technique that ever existed since the beginning of human civilization. Each part of the world region have their own version of martial arts. And if you observe the world history closely, Kung Fu, the chinese form of martial arts is perhaps one of the most well known and practised form of self defense arts from generation to generation.

And thanks to the exposures done by martial artists turned movie stars like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Bruce Lee and a few others, Chinese martial arts, more specifically Kung fu has spread beyond its ethnic root and is gaining attention from all around the world. Most people, when asked about what their idea about self defense are, kung fu, or karate-do. Let me spill out the truth for you. What you learn in school is not going to save your life if you’re involved in a real life situation.

And to be honest, I started to have interest in the martial arts when I was exposed to the Hong Kong dramas, so, that’s why if you ask me what I know about martial arts, I would say, I know them thru the TV and cinema. While it’s fun to see how Jackie Chan do his complex stunt action in his movies, just having half of what he know is already enough to save your life, or to do a counter attack in a real life fighting situation.

There are a lot of martial arts teachings available, and there is no right or wrong when it comes to which of them that you decided to learn. In fact, there are a lot of martial arts gurus like Bruce Lee who learnt so many types of martial arts and come out with their own styles. If you’re comfortable using weaponries, then you should at least try kendo and fencing. And if you’re like me, and interested to learn close combats skills, you can try Korean martial arts, Taekwando, or Japanese Judo.

But, always bear in mind to use your martial arts skill for self defense purpose. It’s always better to be prepared to face any dangers that may happen. Who knows you might be able to use your martial arts skill to save your life from a life threatening situation. We must do whatever it takes to save ourselves. Sometimes, even having a basic self defense skill can save your life. In real time combat, even a split second difference means a lot.

Chester Bleu is a street fighter and he aims to share his martial arts skills for self defense purpose.

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Are you a black belt who has mastered the art of Wristlock Techniques? Or are you just starting out, learning the basic self-defense moves against grabbing and pulling attacks?

Whether you are a beginner or an expert looking for a way to explain Wristlocks to your students, this article will help you understand the four foundational principles behind Wristlock Techniques.

The wristlock is one of the most popular and effective self-defense techniques. Most martial arts styles teach Wristlock Techniques to at least some degree. Some styles and systems make extensive use of wristlocks, such as Jui Jitsu and Chin Na. Yet not all wristlocks are applied with the same end desire. For example, a wristlock technique may be used by a competitor in a Mixed Martial Arts match as a submission hold, whereas an Aikido master might apply a wristlock technique as a means of causing the aggressor’s whole body to shift, roll, or lose balance.

The most common types Wristlock Techniques are typically applied by controlling the opponent’s hand while using a bending or rotational movement to put pressure on the hand, wrist, or forearm.

Although most wristlock techniques are performed by turning the opponents wrist in a rotational manner, not all Wristlock Techniques use a rotational method.

There are four main types of wristlocks:

• Pronating
• Supinating
• Adductive
• Hyperflexive

To understand how wristlocks work, familiarity with hand, wrist, and arm ergonomics is helpful:

To start, hold your right hand out in front of you, palm down, with you hand, wrist, and forearm straight (parallel to the floor). This is called a Neutral position.

Next, bend your hand up so that your fingers are pointing to the ceiling. This is called Extension.

Now, bend your hand down so that your fingers are pointing to the floor. This is called Flexion.

Starting with your right hand in the Neutral position and rotating the wrist to the left is called Radial Deviation.

Starting with your right hand in the Neutral position and bending at the wrist to the right is called Ulnar Deviation.

Almost all of the various wristlocks use one or a combination of these four hand/wrist positions.

The two following types of wristlocks, Pronating and Supinating are commonly referred to as Rotational Wristlocks because the hand, wrist, and arm are rotated in a circular clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.

Pronating Wristlock

For an example of a pronating wristlock position, hold your right hand out in front of you, palm facing down and fingers pointing to the floor. Your wrist, when bent this way, is in a pronating position. For the wristlock, rotate your hand in a counter-clockwise direction as far as you can. This would be considered a pronating wristlock.

Supinating Wristlock

For supinating, hold your right hand in front of you, palm facing you and fingers pointing upward. The supinating position is when your palm is facing toward you. For the wristlock, rotate your hand clockwise as far as you can. This would be considered a supinating wristlock.

Adductive Wristlock

The term “adductive” in referring to the human anatomy means to draw an arm or leg in toward the center of the body. For example, if you extend your right arm straight out to your side at shoulder height, then drop your arm to your side, bringing your arm in would be an adductive motion.

In the case of an adductive wristlock it is back of the wrist that is being rotated in toward the center line of the body. This can be done by rotating the wrist in either a clockwise or counter clockwise direction.

For an example, hold your right hand straight out in front of you. Now, without bending your wrist or elbow, rotate your hand, wrist, and arm counter-clockwise as far as you can while positioning your wrist in front of your body’s center line. When you’ve reached the maximum point that you can turn your wrist, you’ve reached the limit of what is called “ulnar deviation,” that is, the limit that you can turn your ulna, the bone on the little-finger side of your forearm.

Hyperflexive Wristlock

“Flexion” refers to bending a part of your body, such as when you bend your arm in order to “flex” your bicep. “Hyperflexion” is when you bend part of your body beyond its normal position to the point that it causes stress to that part of the body.

A Hyperflexive Wristlock is accomplished by bending the wrist to such a degree that it forced the hand toward the inside of the forearm.

The difference between a Hyperflexive Wristlock and a Pronating Wristlock is, with the Pronating one, the hand is rotated in a circular direction. With a Hyperflexive Wristlock, the hand is not rotated, but forced inward.

These four types of wristlocks are just the beginning basics of many lock-flow techniques. For example, if your opponent grabs your left collar with his right hand, you might reach over the top of his hand with your left hand, grab and rotate his hand to your counterclockwise. By bringing your right hand up to help, you are now able to place him in a supinating lock by rotating his hand to the left. Or you might perform a hyperflexive lock by forcing his hand straight down toward his forearm.

Now that you understand the types of locks, you can experiment with ones of your own, or learn from the vast number of resources available through martial arts books and DVDs. But to really master Wristlock Techniques, consider enrolling in a local martial arts school where a qualified instructor can guide and develop your skills.

Marshall Buchholz is a Martial Arts instructor and school owner. He teaches the Wu Ying Tao style of Martial Arts in Salem, Oregon. Visit his web sites at: http://www.professionalmartialartsofsalem.com and http://www.learn-practical-self-defense.com

Tags: Ninjutsu, martial arts, Kempo, Jeet Kune Do, Hwa Rang Do, kickboxing, Judo, Arnis, Kick Boxing, Tai Chi

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The purpose of the article isn’t to sell you on the wonders and myriad benefits of practicing the martial arts.

Frankly, you may not need them.

It’s very unlikely that you’ll ever become the victim of a violent crime, and as you reach adulthood, the likelihood of getting into a fistfight diminishes as your real world responsibilities to your mate, your kids, and to your mortgage lender grow.

So, why do people, especially grown-ups, study martial arts?

The simple answer is to develop POWER.

When you boil it down, there are two kinds of power:

(1) Power over others, and

(2) Power over yourself.

If I were to guess, I’d say it’s the first type that attracts most people. Being able to bend others to our will, as it is portrayed in movies, looks very cool.

Not being picked on by those who would lord over us; also ranks high on most people’s lists of motivations.

Various martial arts kicks, hand strikes, and animal imitating moves, are appealing, as well.

But really, the power that is the most difficult to attain, and potentially the most rewarding in our daily lives has nothing to do with physicality.

It is the power which we can wield over ourselves, particularly in the area of restraint.

The other day I was provoked by a fool who not only cut me off in traffic, nearly causing a multi-car crash, but who pulled over, flipped me an unpleasant finger gesture, and menacingly invited me to match fists.

With my adrenalin pumping from a toxic brew of fear, anger, and overt provocation, I nearly gave him what he wanted.

Yes, I could have demonstrated my physical power over him, but a higher power, self-discipline, intervened, happily for both of us.

Realistically, you’ll probably never be called on to use your martial arts derived, physical skills.

So, if you want power over others go into corporate management or start your own business, and you’ll find plenty of it.

But if you want to master yourself, to make and break your own habits, and to summon the discipline to achieve nearly anything else, study the martial arts with that purpose in mind.

Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 850 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered “The Gold Standard”–the foremost expert in sales development, customer service, and telephone effectiveness. Top-rated as a speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

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Jujitsu is a form of martial arts that defeats opponents with various chokes and holds that incapacitate the opponent due to injury, pain, or lack of oxygen. However, Jujitsu also involves techniques for getting into these positions of victory. You cannot expect an opponent to let you get him into a chokehold, especially if they want to stand up and strike with you. Jujitsu throws and grapples are used to help the Jujitsu practitioner get the fight into the situation that he wants it to be in.

When two people are striking it is common for them to get into a clinch. In this clinch an experienced fighter will be able to effectively strike and grapple while an inexperienced fighter will simply want to lean and take a break. Jujitsu trains fighters to use the clinch to take the fight from a standing striking battle into a position where a joint lock or choke can be applied. While in the clinch a Jujitsu fighter will be able to land quick strikes, grapple with the opponent and control their movements, and then take them down using a throw.

Even when fighting a much larger person, you can use Jujitsu grappling techniques to control their actions by using leverage and angles. This prevents them from stepping away to begin striking you again, and allows you to maneuver them into a position in which you can apply a choke or joint lock. Effective grappling is based on using your arms to control an opponent due to their position, not their strength. Your arms do not need to be very strong to lock an opponent into a position and keep them from striking you. Using under hooks, which means having your arms locked under the opponent’s armpits, allows you to prevent them from striking and use your whole body to move them around.

Jujitsu also makes use of throws to get an opponent onto the ground where submissions are easier to achieve. Unlike wrestling throws that are accomplished by picking the opponent up using pure strength, Jujitsu throws use leverage and gravity to bring the opponent down. Usually this is done by taking them legs out from under them using a sweep or by collapsing their knee.

Jujitsu is so effective because the Jujitsu throws and grapples can be accomplished even by small martial artists. These techniques combined with the Jujitsu submissions allows skilled fighters to win against strong fighters on the merit of their moves and techniques. In many ways, this is the heart of martial arts.

Yoshi E Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. He covers the mixed martial arts industry. For a free report on jujitsu throws and grapples visit his blog.

Yoshi Kundagawa is a freelance journalist covering the martial arts world. Too much time at his computer eating donuts reduced him to couch potato status. He’s on a quest to recapture his youth and fitness. You can read his blog at http://www.martialarts3000.com

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