You could say that the martial arts story began when Cain smashed his brother’s Abel head with a stone out of jealousy.
You may consider Cain and Abel just a religious story; however, the human behavior of encroachment into others’ rights has been the driving force for the development of all martial arts styles.
Since humans populate every corner of this planet, you will find one martial arts style everywhere. Only TV and movie production and marketing lead us to believe there are only a handful of martial arts styles.
While it is unlikely to find a comprehensive list of martial arts types, it is possible to list the most known styles of personal combat and self-defense.
The key here is to recognize that martial arts are personal combat and self-defense techniques with or without tools.
Since each martial arts style in the hands of an expert could be deadly, I have listed them in alphabetical order.
- Aikido
- Boxing
- Fencing
- Hapkido
- Jiu-Jitsu
- Judo
- Karate
- Krav Maga
- Kung Fu
- MMA
- Muay Thai
- Taekwondo
- Tai Chi
- Wrestling