Hey everyone, I am here for the third installment of the Art of Fighting series. Previously, we covered combat techniques from North America and South America. So in this article, we will be covering the fighting styles originally from Europe!
1. Savate
A form of kickboxing originally founded by French sailors in the 19th century, Savate literally translates to "old shoe." Unlike Muay Thai or Silat, only foot kicks are allowed as Savate fighters (which are referred to as tireur) habitually wear shoes when fighting. Although today it is a popular form of sport in France, it was originally used as a form of self defense that not only included punches and kicks but elbows, knees, locks, sweeps, holds, and headbutting. This is often referred as Savate de Rue. Sport Savate, however, only has punches and kicks.
2. Pankration
Widely considered to be MMA's great grand pappy, Pankration is an ancient martial art founded by the Greeks. It combined elements of boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling with submissions and while knockouts were common, fights often ended in a submission hold. Even killing your opponent would be considered as a win. Now modern Pankration, which was founded by Jim Arvanitis in 1969, is much less dangerous. Modern Pankration also paved the way for the mixed martial art events of today!
3. Sambo
A Russian martial art the has roots in Judo and Wrestling, Sambo was founded by Viktor Spiridonov and Vasili Oshchepkov (although most sources often attribute Anatoly Kharlampiev, one of Oschepokov's students, as the founder. Sambo takes most of the throws and submissions from Judo, with an emphasis on leg locks. This is a popular fighting style among Russian armed forces, as it is taught in near all defense levels from local police to military commandos.
4. German Jujutsu
German Jujutsu was created in 1967 by members of the Deutsche Dan-Kollegium (or the German Dan Council, for my English speaking audiences). It takes elements from Karate, Judo, Aikido and Jiu-Jitsu. Later more fighting styles were added to its repertoire, such as Escrima, Arnis, Sambo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and Wing Chung. Practitioners often practice while wearing gi and follow a kyu/dan system like in Judo and Jiu-Jitsu.
And this is it for this installment of the Art of Fighting! Next up, we are going to be discussing the fighting styles of Africa!
