Here I am throwing Ryu with a seoi nage. Beautiful throw and he just goes flying. A classic Judo (Kodokan) technique. I can do uchi mata throws as well, but they're just not my style. 
I know that the uchi mata has empirically proven itself to be one of the most effective competition throws in Judo, especially Ken Ken style. But "Ken Ken" stands for hopping here. And that just ain't my style. My style is bold and brash. Not like the Olympic Judo bunnies on TV.
Anyways, I actually wanted to explain fighting styles to you in this chapter. There are basically three stages in a fight:
- Striking (kicking and punching)
- Grappling (take-downs)
- Rolling (submissions)
Each of these three phases have dominant martial arts schools specializing on that type of attack. Some schools span across stages, but most schools do focus on a particular stage of the fight. I am choosing two dominant schools per stage to keep it simple. One each from what tends to dominate the modern Ultimate Fighting Championship (a mixed martial arts competition), and from what tends to dominate the more traditional (old school) Japanese fighting styles.
Muay Thai, the art of eight limbs, permits strikes with fists, elbows, knees and shins. If you think as kick boxing as boxing plus kicking, think of Muay Thai as kick boxing plus elbows and knees thrown in your face for good measure. It's probably fair to say that Muay Thai is the most liberal of the striking disciplines. Two fighters clinching in traditional boxing will be broken up by the referee. A Muay Thai fighter clinching the opponent, and throwing a knee in that opponents face as part of the clinch will simply be viewed as having executed a classical Muay Thai technique.
As with most martial arts, a picture says more than a thousand words, so let these ten knock-outs speak for themselves. There are some classic boxing knock-outs in there, but most of the knock-outs would not be permitted in boxing, or even kick boxing, as they involve elbows and knees.
Karate is the closest to Muay Thai that the Japanese have is Kyokushin (full contact) Karate. Unlike the more Kata (form-based) styles of Karate such as Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin is actually about effectively knocking your opponent down and out, rather than focusing on pristine style and form of your techniques. Not quite as full-on as Muay Thai, these Karate guys do also knock each other out. This includes Ryu and me, who are both trained in Kyokushin Karate. However, we don't punch or elbow each other in the face. Muay Thai remains #1 in the striking stratosphere in terms of minimum restrictions.
It is worth pointing out that if you read about the different Karate schools and their philosophies, you'll quickly come to realize that, whilst the practitioners may all look vaguely similar (a bunch of Asians dressed in Karate Gis kicking, punching, and shouting out loud), the schools each have a vastly different outlook on life in general, and the underlying purpose of each strike in particular. That said, I suppose their collective penchant to kick and punch bricks only adds to the overall confusion of the uninitiated observer. But fair enough, as we know, bricks don't hit back. Here we go.
Wrestling is the age old art of picking up some dude and throwing them down on the ground. That's called a take-down in modern day parlance. Whilst in striking the choice of attire is mostly optical, in grappling it makes a tremendous difference whether you have something to hold onto or not. In wrestling, you do not. So basically it is grappling in its purest form, holding on to body parts, the head, the body itself, whatever you can get a hold off really. Although wrestling has never appealed to me personally, I admit it is probably the most purely athletic of all of the martial arts, and it is also damn effective at taking someone to the ground if neither of you are wearing a traditional fight gi.
Judo is the gentle path, and basically a technical and gi-clad version of Wrestling. At least that's what Judo is viewed as these days, post its introduction to the Olympics. Judo has such a rich history, and one that I am personally quite close to, that it is worth elaborating on this discipline somewhat, rather than just viewing it as a means to take your opponents to the ground, to ultimately submit them.
BJJ
Kosen Judo
It shouldn't be surprising they're all so similar. They all share common roots.
A brief history of submission grappling
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu changed the face of mixed martial arts forever.
In order to understand Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and the Gracie role in the sport and brand, you have to understand the Ultimate Fighting Championship first. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (later renamed UFC 1: The Beginning) was the first mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), held at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, on November 12, 1993. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view and later released on home video.
UFC-1 was the first mixed martial arts competition.
UFC 1 was co-created by Rorion Gracie and Art Davie, used an eight-man tournament format, with the winner receiving $50,000. The tournament featured fights with no weight classes, time-outs, or judges. The two rules, no biting or eye gouging, were to be enforced only by a $1,500 fine. The match only ended by submission, knockout, or the fighter's corner throwing in the towel.
Royce Gracie won the tournament by defeating Gerard Gordeau via submission due to a rear naked choke. Royce also won UFC-2. And UFC-4.
All about Royce Gracie.
A video of Royce in UFC-1.
And more about UFC1 below.
UFC - the competition
UFC now - big business
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is now an American mixed martial arts promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada, that is owned and operated by parent company William Morris Endeavor. It is the largest MMA promotion company in the world and features the highest-level fighters on the roster.
As of 2018, the UFC has held over 400 events. Dana White serves as the president of the UFC. White has held that position since 2001; while under his stewardship, the UFC has grown into a globally popular multi-billion-dollar enterprise.
But what is the lineage of Brazilian Jiu Jiutsu?
Kosen Judo
So what's all this lineage about?
To cut a long story short, Jigoro Kano combined the Jiu Jitsu schools. He then also made it an Olympic sport.
Geo Omori originally brought Judo to Brazil, by opening the first Jiu Jitsu (Judo) school in Brazil in 1909. Mtisuyo Maeda followed closely thereafter in 1914, training Carlos and Helio Gracie. That's where it took off, as the entrepreneurial Gracies made Jiu Jitsu their own, coining the terms Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). Whether they actually added as much technique as they added in branding is questionable. I am sure a lot of people have a lot of opinions on the matter.
In any case, it was one of the Gracies, Royce Gracie, that brought the discipline to the world stage, by winning the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Today, you basically have on the world stage the Olympic sports (Wrestling and Judo) and you have the UFC with its heavy Muay Thai and BJJ influence. Obviously each of the disciplines have their own competitions, but in terms of televised
Boxing and Tae Kwon Do are also both Olympic disciplines. Boxing is too narrow. Tae Kwon Do is more of a martial gymnastic sport than one underpinning a true fighting discipline.
Read on
Chapter 6 - The Renaissance Ken
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