The Four Secret African Martial Arts

Martial arts in Africa? Yes, Africa, not Asia. It maysport in which the most prominent feature is its
seem unbelievable to some, but did you knowcompetitive element. In a Judo sparring match the
that many African martial arts systems arebasic object is to either throw the opponent to
actually over 50,000 years old? And today thethe ground or immobilize the opponent.
applications are just as used and respected on theJu-Jitsu: The Third Aftrican Martial Art
continent as they were when they first originated.Ju-Jitsu is a martial art form that specializes in
The Styles of African Martial Artsclose encounter techniques including:
There are four basic styles of martial arts that* Joint locks
are practiced in Africa. They are:* Chokes
* Hapkido* Throws and grappling
* JudoJu-Jitsu students typically learn traditional Ju-Jitsu
* Ju-Jitsuprimarily by observation and imitation as
* Tai-Chipatterned by the prearranged forms. The
Hapkido is a style of martial art that ismovements of Ju-Jitsu tend to emphasize
characterized primarily by kicking withoutcircularity and as well capitalize on an opponent's
retraction. Hapkido is composed of three primarymomentum and openings.
skills:Ju-Jitsu is known as a controversial martial art
* Circular motion to countering and attackingsport because there are some very dangerous
* Nonresistance when meeting forcetechniques, such as throwing an opponent from a
* The water principle.standing position while having an arm in a joint
Hapkido emphasizes body and mind coordination.lock. This can result in the opponent sustaining
The techniques used here are applied byserious injuries.
combining physics, geometry, psychology andTai-Chi: The Fourth African Martial Art
physiology. Kicks are most important to learn andFinally there is Tai-Chi, which is another incredibly
are used as defense against opposing kicks aspopular style within the African martial arts.
hand techniques are used to defend opposingTai-Chi is practiced with the aim of promoting
hand strikes.health and longevity, with its primary focus on
The Second African Martial Art: Judobreathing, meditation, and defending oneself with
Judo, also known as the gentle martial art form, isout the use of violent force.
one of the most well recognized African martialAs you can see, martial arts have been popular in
arts. It is not used to promote violence, butAfrica for centuries. African martial arts are great
rather to be able to overcome the attacker andfor anyone to learn as a competitive sport to
defend either oneself or another.improve their fitness, health, and mental well-being.
Judo is a modern type of combat martial art