Akshay Kumar in Savate

SAVATE

Savate, also known as boxe française, French boxing, French Kickboxing or French Footfighting, is a French style of foot and fist fighting. This French martial art uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of western boxing with graceful kicking techniques. Only foot kicks are allowed unlike systems such as Muay Thai, which allow the use of the knees or shins.

Savate is a French word for "old shoe". Savate is perhaps the only style of kickboxing in which the fighters habitually wear shoes.

Systematized in post-Napoleonic France, savate is the only martial arts native to Europe that still exists in both sport and combative forms.

The precise origin of the art is unknown. Though, it is known that 17th-century sailors of Marseilles were required to practice stretch-kicks to keep them in condition for ocean voyages. Sailors called this form of foot-fighting "chausson," or "slipper," in reference to the felt slippers they wore when practicing the kicks.

Later, Napoleon's soldiers developed an unofficial punishment for regimental misfits. A group of soldiers would hold an offender in place while another kicked him severely in the buttocks. The punishment was called "la savate."

By the beginning of the 19th century, the fighters of Paris brawled with their feet rather than their fists. Their kick-fighting was popularly called savate.

Eventually, Michael Casseuse sought out the better street fighters and observed and categorized their techniques. The result was a refined fighting system. His offensive techniques emphasized front, side, and round kicks to the knee, shin, or instep. The hands were held low and open to defend against groin attacks. Palm heel strikes were used to attack the face, nose and eyes. In addition, as a result of encounters with chausson street fighters, savate came to include both mid-level and high-level kicks, in addition to Casseuse's low kicks.

Later, Charles Lecour, one of Casseuse's best students, studied bare-knuckle boxing from one of England's most respected teachers. He later synthesized English boxing and Casseuse's savate to create "la boxe Francaise," or "French boxing." Lecour also introduced the use of boxing gloves for training, which minimized accidents and increased the art's popularity.

Akshay Kumar in Sambo

SAMBO

Sambo is a relatively modern martial art, combat sport, and self-defense system developed in the Soviet Union as a style of wrestling that originated in the 1930's. Recognized as an official sport by the USSR All-Union Sports Committee in 1938, it contains techniques from judo/jujitsu and more than 20 styles of folk wrestling popular throughout the various republics of the Soviet Union at the time.

The word "Самбо" (Sambo) means "self-defense without weapons" in Russian. Initially created as a means of unarmed crowd control, Sambo was also used by domestic police and soldiers for training in hand-to-hand combat.

Sambo has its roots in Japanese judo and traditional folk styles of wrestling techniques from elements of several martial arts including Greco-Roman wrestling, Armenian jacket-throwing; Turkish kuresh wresting, “kokh,” the national wrestling of Armenia.

Sambo wrestlers differ from judo in that they compete in shoes, with trunks or singlets instead of barefoot and in pants. The kurtka is a jacket with longer sleeves than a judo gi. The belt is worn through loops that keep it in place, since the belt can be grabbed in sambo.

The founders of Sambo were Vasili Oshchepkov and Viktor Spiridonov. They independently developed two different styles, both with the same name. Spiridonov's style was a soft, aikido-like system developed after he was maimed during World War I. Anatoly Kharlampiev, a student of Victor Spiridonov, is often officially recognized as the founder of Sport Sambo.

The most famous practioner in modern times is MMA star Fedor Emelianenko.

Akshay Kumar in Pankration

PANKRATION

Pankration is one of the oldest martial arts and combative sports on record. Pankration, sometimes spelled pancration, or pancratium or even pankratium, was a combination of earlier forms of boxing and wrestling practiced by the Greeks. Some historians trace its origin to the Indian vairamushti system. In Greek mythology it was said that the heroes Heracles and Theseus invented pankration as a result of using both wrestling and boxing in their confrontations with opponents. Theseus was said to have utilized his extraordinary pankration skills to defeat the dreaded Minotaur in the Labyrinth.

Introduced to the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC and founded as a blend of boxing and wrestling, the term comes from an Ancient Greek word literally meaning "all powers". It is also used to describe the sport's contemporary variations. Some consider it as the first all-encompassing fighting system in human history. It is also arguable that pankration competitions in antiquity were the closest an athletic event has come to outright, no-rules, empty hand combat. The object was to force an opponent to acknowledge defeat, and to this end almost any means might be applied. Though rules were enforced by officials with a switch or stout rod. As in Greek boxing, there were no rules against hitting a man when down. More often than not, the contest was decided on the ground, even though, when both fighters were down, hitting was usually ineffective. Biting and gouging were prohibited. Kicking was an essential part of pankration.

Facing one another, opponents tried to bring one another violently to the ground by grappling, hitting, kicking, leg-sweeping, choking, or joint-locking. Hands were bare and generally held open, although the clenched fist was used for hitting. The feet were also bare.

The decisive struggle on the ground was said to be as long and as complicated as it is in modern wrestling. It was to this aspect of pankration that Plato objected, saying it "did not teach men to keep their feet."

In the palaestra, the Greek wrestling school, pankration was given a separate training room, known as the Korykeion.

Up to today, pankration has not yet been recognized as an event in the modern Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not include pankration in its list of "recognized sports". Moreover, the IOC does not include in the list of the Association of the IOC Recognized International Sports Federations any international pankration federation. Inclusion in the latter list would be a first step toward including pankration in the modern Olympic program of events.

Pankration has seen an extraordinary revival in recent decades, especially since the explosive growth of interest in MMA, which closely resembles pankration competitions.

Akshay Kumar in Ninjutsu

NINJUTSU

Ninjutsu is the martial art, strategy, and tactics of unconventional warfare and guerrilla warfare as well as the art of espionage purportedly practiced by the shinobi (commonly known outside of Japan as ninja).

Developed by groups from the Iga Province and Kōka, Shiga of Japan, practitioners who mastered the art were the commandos and secret agents of their time having been seen as assassins, scouts, and spies. They are mainly noted for their use of stealth and deception. They have been associated in the public imagination with activities that are considered criminal by modern standards.

Ninjutsu was developed as a collection of fundamental survivalist techniques in the warring state of feudal Japan. The ninja used their art to ensure their survival in a time of violent political turmoil. Ninjutsu included methods of gathering information, and techniques of non-detection, avoidance, and misdirection. Ninjutsu can also involve training in disguise, escape, concealment, archery, medicine, explosives, and poisons.

Skills relating to espionage and assassination were highly useful to warring factions in feudal Japan. Because these activities were seen as dishonorable, Japanese warriors hired people who existed below Japan's social classes to perform these tasks. This form of espionage became known collectively as ninjutsu and the people who specialized in these tasks were called shinobi no mono.

Ninja jūhakkei was often studied along with Bugei Jūhappan, the "18 samurai fighting art skills". Though some are used in the same way by both samurai and ninja, other techniques were used differently by the two groups. These skills have included unarmed combat, sword fighting, stick and staff fighting, and other forms of fighting and tactics.

Ninjutsu training often started in early childhood, as such the ninja was in such superb condition that he could well outperform most opponents. His incredible physical prowess coupled with the many arts of deception mastered earned the ninja a reputation as being able to disappear and appear at will which fostered the “art of invisibility” known to Ninjutsu.

The Tokugawa family’s unification of Japan brought an end to ninja activities, and in the 17th century the practice of ninjutsu was banned. Ninjutsu was so feared by the government that even mentioned of it brought the death penalty.

Today, there are a number of modern schools of martial arts self-identifying as practicing ninjutsu. Neo-ninja is a term that refers to modern martial arts schools which claim to teach elements of the historic ninja of Japan, or base their school's philosophy upon traits attributed to the historic ninja of Japan.

Akshay Kumar in Muay Thai

MUAY THAI

Muay Thai is a form of martial arts practiced in large parts of the world, including Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. The national sport of Thailand, the art of Muay Thai is similar to others in Southeast Asia such as: pradal serey in Cambodia, lethwei in Myanmar, tomoi in Malaysia and Lao boxing in Laos.

Known as "The Art of Eight Limbs", Muay Thai utilizes the hands, shins, elbows, and knees. A practitioner of Muay Thai thus has the ability to execute strikes using eight points of contact.

The art of Thai boxing is a self-defense technique that is as old as Thailand itself. Thai boxing is a branch of knowledge, whose existence dates far back Thai culture.

In 300 B.C., the Thai Mung were invaded and sent fleeing for their lives to the south of Thailand. The vanquished villagers developed a form of self-defense using their feet, knees elbows and fists as a way to defend themselves. This evolved into the art we now know as Muay Thai.

When Burma attempted to conquer Thailand, they were defeated when the Burmese army was driven back at the hands of Thai fighters using Thai boxing, spears, and elephants. For more than 2000 years Thai boxing has played a significant role in the survival of Thailand.

In former times, Thai boxers would bind their hands with hard and abrasive surfaces. The practice was eventually discontinued and then replaced with padded gloves. Kicking rubber plants for conditioning legs and shins has since been replaced by canvas bags but the training remains as rigorous now as it was centuries ago.

Traditional Muay Thai practiced today varies significantly from the ancient art muay boran and uses kicks and punches in a ring with gloves similar to those used in Western boxing.

A practitioner of Muay Thai who is not of Thai nationality or race, is known as a Falang Nak Muay (foreign boxer).

Muay Thai has seen a jump in popularity worldwide as it has been recognized as effective in mixed martial arts training and competition. Competitors including Anderson "The Spider" Silva, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, and Gina Carano, Cris Cyborg are some of many fighters who claim Muay Thai as their main fighting style.

The recent films "Ong-Bak" and "The Protector" have demonstrated Muay Thai star Tony Jaa's incredible martial arts abilities.

Akshay Kumar in MMA

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS (MMA)

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques developed from various martial arts traditions and styles.

Modern MMA competition traced its roots from mixed style contests throughout Europe, Japan, and Brazil during the 20th century. However, MMA began its true explosion with international exposure and widespread publicity in 1993, with the formation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Originally organized with the intention of finding the most effective martial arts for real unarmed combat situations, competitors were pitted against one another with minimal rules for safety. Fighters from various disciplines battled it out in the same ring to the delight of bloodthirsty crowds. Rorion Gracie organized the first fight and designed the trademark arena, the Octagon. Aside from three simple rules—no biting, eye-gouging, or fish-hooking—the UFC prided itself on no-holds-barred fighting, with little regulation.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Royce Gracie won the first UFC tournament, subduing three challengers in a total of just five minutes. A similar type of Vale Tudo event in Japan in 1985 with fighter Rickson Gracie winning the tournament helped continue interest in the sport resulting in the creation of the Pride Fighting Championships.

As the sport's popularity grew, politicians condemned it. John McCain called it “human cockfighting”. As a result, later promotions adopted many additional rules in order to promote the sport to more of a mainstream audience for acceptance. In November 2000, the UFC added weight classes and 28 more rules, outlawing head butts, hair pulling, and groin shots.

MMA combines techniques of various other fighting systems, most notably including boxing, jujitsu, wrestling, judo, karate, kickboxing, kung fu, and taekwondo. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground. Competitions from different backgrounds are able to compete against one another. Prominent MMA contenders include wrestlers, boxers, and black belts in martial arts. Most train in various disciplines for greater success. Notable disciplines for training typically include wrestling and/or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for ground fighting and Muay Thai for striking.

Modern mixed martial arts fighters come from varied backgrounds including Brock Lesnar's amateur and pro wrestling background, Lyoto Machida's karate background, Anderson Silva's Muay Thai expertise, and BJ Penn's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training.

Driven by the phenomenal success of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) pay-per-view televised contests, MMA is now the fastest-growing sport in the United States. The sport reached a new peak of popularity in December 2006 when Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz broke pay-per-view records with their rematch at UFC 66. The event rivaled the pay-per-view sales of some of the biggest boxing events of all time. According to Sports Illustrated, the UFC scored pay-per-view revenues of $223 million in 2006, compared to $177 million for boxing, and $200 million for WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).

In November 2005, the United States Army also began to sanction mixed martial arts with the first annual Army Combatives Championships held by the U.S. Army Combatives School.

Akshay Kumar in Marine Corps

MARINE CORPS MARTIAL ARTS

The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, MCMAP, is a martial arts combat system developed by the United States Marine Corps in 2000. The motto of the MCMAP is “One Mind, Any Weapon.” It has several nicknames, including semper fu (a play on the Marine Corps motto semper fi and kung fu), MCSlap, MCNinja, and new Bushido.

The Corps had already utilized close quarter combat fighting techniques developed since the bayonet days of the Revolutionary War era. However, they wished to combine existing and new hand-to-hand and close quarters combat techniques with morale and team-building functions and instruction. The Marine Corps calls this way the "Warrior Ethos".

In the early 1990s, the U.S. military, specifically the Marine Corps and the Army, began to concentrate on training its special operations soldiers in techniques that could be used in international peacekeeping missions and other operations other than war where close combat would be necessary but force was not required to be lethal.

A study was order by General James L. Jones, commandant of the Marine Corps, in 2000. The purpose of the study was to find the possibility of having all Marines train in one system such as Aikido or Taekwondo. Jones had seen Korean Marines practicing Taekwondo during the Vietnam War. His idea was a martial arts system that that could be used in any environment, terrain, or situation. He also wanted this system to extend to rigorous physical conditioning, mental discipline, and character-building.

After the study, the MCMAP was then established and headquartered at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. According to Marine Corps Order 1500.54, which established the MCMAP, the program was “a synergy of mental, character, and physical disciplines with application across the full spectrum of violence.” The first director was Lieutenant Colonel George Bristol who was an experienced fighter with black belts in Judo, Jujitsu, and Karate.

The program trains Marines (and U.S. Navy personnel attached to Marine Units) in unarmed combat, edged weapons, weapons of opportunity, and rifle and bayonet techniques.

Although the system combines aspects of many different martial arts, it focuses less on traditional movements and more on techniques designed to work in actual close-quarter-combat situations. The moves are adjusted necessarily to better suit the fighters depending upon the situation.

MCMAP fighters proceed through a belt system, beginning with tan and advancing through grey, green, brown, and on to six different levels of black.