Eastern Asian Fighting Sports takes us into more modern combat sports. If you avoid given martial arts like boxing, wrestling, and any other type of grappling sport, Eastern Asia has surprisingly few ancient martial arts.
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Judo |
Chinese martial arts |
Judo, meaning, "Gentle way," is a modern Japanese martial art. Created in 1882 by Jigoro Kano, the goal of judo is to subdue using grapples and throws, as well as using defensive jabs. It is currently an Olympic sport, and has been credited for the creations of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Sambo.
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Chinese Martial Arts are commonly referred to by the umbrella terms, "Kung Fu" and, "Wushu." Under these terms are several hundred families of martial arts, that correspond to different styles of fighting. While some styles may mimic certain animals, or may mimic other fighting styles, most forms of Chinese Martial arts are used for religious purposes.
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While the exact origin of Karate is unknown, the martial art itself most likely started in the Okinawa islands, as karate means "empty hands," in Japanese. Originally created as a form of self defense, Karate is now a popular and well known professional sport.
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