Since the earliest form of human society, humans have engaged in different forms of martial arts. This drive to fight results from an instinct to come up with the best possible way to defeat threats that stand in our way. The oldest sports that we still participate in today happen to be combat sports. And in this article, we are going to take a look at a few combat sports that any fan of sports should try at least once.
Boxing
First on our list is boxing. The most popular combat sport today, and one of the oldest in the world, boxing’s origins can be traced to 3000 BC. However, while the official mention of boxing comes from Ancient Egypt, certain historians have expressed the opinion that the sport is prehistoric.
The epitome of striking martial arts, boxing focuses on deliver quick successive punches, or powerful blows, in hopes of knocking down one’s opponent. The sport’s popularity reached its peak in the 20th century, however, betting on the sport remains popular, where you can not only bet on boxing, but also play all of your favorite casino games on Novibet.
For anyone whose goal it is to lose weight, gain muscle mass, and develop better strength and stamina, boxing is the perfect choice. That, combined with the fact that it is the most popular martial art in the world right now makes it the perfect choice for those looking to get into martial arts.
Karate
The history of karate, as many might know, can be traced to Japan. The martial art, it is believed, was derived from kung fu, and first came about in the Ryukyu Kingdom. Since then however, the combat sport has developed and changed quite significantly, with quite a few rules that make it tournament friendly.
Karate was popularized in America during the 80s, when the Karate Kid film came out. Many are under the impression that the release of the Karate Kid played a huge part in popularizing the sport in the United States, as well as the rest of western Europe.
Grappling
The two aforementioned sports could very accurately be described as striking sports. What this means is, is that moves in these sports focus on delivering blows to one’s opponent. Grappling is a bit different. In grappling, the goal is to disable the opponent through shoves, pushes, holds, or any other method of takedown.
Grappling doesn’t really describe a single sport. More so it reflects a style of martial art or hand-to-hand combat. There are several different martial arts that can fall under the grappling umbrella. The most popular of them is probably wrestling. Other popular grappling sports include judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, aikido, etc.
Grappling tends to be a lot more popular, especially when it comes to MMA competitions, in which grappling-practitioners excel above strikers. However, the best mixed martial artists tend to combine the two into a perfect blend of grappling and striking.
Conclusion
These are just examples of some martial arts that anyone interested in the practice should try out. For those who are curious to delve deeper into the world, there are quite a few other sports just waiting to be explored.