Extreme Fighting Styles

Stamina, strength and speed are all qualities that extreme fighting styles require. While some athletes train and fight in specific extreme martial art disciplines, others, known as mixed martial artists, incorporate techniques from various disciplines. All extreme fighting styles share the common tie of being highly dynamic, although particular moves and areas of focus vary from style to style.

  1. Muay Thai

    • Muay Thai, also known as Thai boxing and Thai kickboxing, is the official martial art of Thailand. Its extremeness stems from its close range and its focus on inflicting the maximum amount of damage possible with each strike or blow. Instead of inflicting blows as a means of pushing opponents away, fighters of the style often grapple or pull opponents towards them while delivering kicks and punches, according to the United States Muay Thai association. They use their knees and elbows to pummel opponents once they are in close. Unlike other Asian martial arts. such as kung fu, which require athletes to memorize and repetitively practice particular sets and forms, Muay Thai emphasizes the need to increase speed, power and response time over the technical, graceful or artistic precision of movement.

    Capoeira

    • Angolan slaves brought Capoeira to Brazil approximately 400 years ago, according to Ithaca College. The martial art differs from other fighting styles in that it combines elements of singing, dancing and acrobatics, in addition to hand-to-hand combat. While Capoeira fighters originally practiced the style as a game, and not as a means of self defense or aggression, streets gangs of the late 19th century in Rio De Janeiro used Capoeria violently as a means of carrying out criminal activity. The starting stance or basic movement of the style is known as ginga and requires that you keep moving in a rhythmic pattern at all times. Attacks often come in the forms of cartwheels, aerial kicks or sweeping leg movements, and fighters often use handstands to avoid attacks. Unlike other martial arts, which emphasize aggression, Capoeria emphasizes trickery and sneakiness.

    Shaolin Kung Fu

    • Shaolin kung fu requires an incredibly high amount of training in order to master it. According to Shaolin Kung Fu Academy, students of the martial art must master five sets of combat movements in order to complete their training. Each set, or style, has an animal name and incorporates movements that mimic the movement of its namesake. The first four animal styles are tiger, panther, crane and snake. The fifth style that students must master is dragon, which incorporates techniques from all of the previous styles.