10 Most Popular Forms of Martial Arts in NYC -Part 2

Welcome to the second installment of this four-part article series on the most popular forms of

martial arts in NYC. In Part 1, our panel of experts introduced us to the core philosophies and

combat techniques employed by Jiu-jitsu and Aikido, two Japanese martial arts that have made their

way into many of the schools, classes and gyms found in New York.

We’ve got another eight to go, so let’s resume our journey! In no particular order… Popular Martial Arts in NYC # 3: Karate

Thanks to the many martial arts films that have made their way into American cinema, karate has become one of the most widely known and best-loved martial arts forms across the country. Karate was born in Japan and is a far more aggressive combat style than those previous discussed. “Karate, meaning open hand, is a more aggressive and vicious form of martial art that makes use of a variety of open-handed striking techniques, sharp kicks and strikes

using the elbows and knees to drop an opponent,” explain karate experts in New York. “In Karate, force meets force and it’s the quicker, more nimble and powerful opponent who wins.” Karate has a great variety of sub-styles, but the biggest of these styles are the traditions of Shotokan, GojuRyu, ShitoRyu and WadoRyu. Many karate schools in New York approach teaching karate as a singular all-encompassing art, while others branch out and provide specialization in the major traditions.

Popular Martial Arts in NYC # 4: Judo Judo is probably the most widely taught martial art form in primary and secondary schools in New York. Developed around the early 1880’s in Japan, Judo is a defensive martial art form that provides the student with the combat skills necessary to meet an attack with a takedown or throw.

“The focus in Judo is self-defense and the immobilization of your opponent through pins, joint-locks, grappling, choke-holds or strangle-holds,” explain Karate experts in New York. “The Judo commonly taught in schools and martial arts academies around the city do not permit the use of kicks, strikes or punches. These combat techniques are also banned from professional competition. It’s only special pre-arranged fights, competitions and practices that make provision for this more aggressive fighting.” Popular Martial Arts in NYC # 5: Tai Chi

“Tai Chi is a martial art form that originated in China and it focuses more on internal development, meditation and overall physical health than actually teaching students offensive fighting techniques,” explain karate experts in New York. “The western adaptation of Tai Chi (known as ‘Tai Chi Chih’) doesn’t provide any martial art training and is used entirely as a form of meditation and as a way to develop whole-body balance, tone

and flexibility. “The more traditional forms of Chinese Tai Chi (Tai Chi Chuan) look quite similar in practice but do involve the mastering of any martial arts and self-defense techniques,” explain our panel of karate experts in New York. Stay Tuned for Part 3

Stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series to learn more about the different

kinds of martial arts that have become really popular in New York, such as Karate, Judo and Tai Chi.