Combat forms.

Many martial artists pick up the sport to learn how to fight. Combat is an important and essential element of martial art. In life threatening situations, combat skills can even help save lives. 

Pencak Silat is a form of highly combative martial art that originated from the deep jungles of South East Asia. It is practiced by many different people in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, and many other countries in South East Asia. Silat consists of many forms of attack and defense, but its main focus is on bladed attacks. Therefore, you will witness many techniques and strategies that involve using blades or defending against them.

Systema is a type of martial art that originated from Russia and is practiced by the Russian Special Forces. Unlike traditional forms of martial arts, Systema does not focus on a fixed set of movements. Instead, drills are incorporated into the training to ensure that martial artists develop their coordination and sense of timing. In many ways, Systema is very effective and practical. The system moves away from rigidity and towards fluidity.

Internal martial arts.

Internal martial arts have been in existence for many decades. Mostly, they have originated from the Chinese community. Three very popular forms of Internal martial arts are Bagua, Tai Chi, and Xing Yi. Such techniques incorporate special breathing techniques with the movements. 

Often, such martial arts involve more precise and meticulous movements. However, practicing such arts may require a huge amount of patience. A true master may easily spend years practicing just one form of Internal martial art.

Though highly beneficial for health, many youngsters find it hard to participate in training sessions because the training involves a lot of patience. However, many experts have been able to demonstrate that Internal martial arts may be more effective than traditional forms of combat martial arts.

Sports martial arts.

These are fighting techniques that are officially recognized as competitive sports. In other words, if you are a student of such a sport, you will be able to take part in competitions. Such sports include boxing, Jui Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do (founded by Bruce Lee) and Teakwondo. 

Some people participate in sports martial arts because they want to get into shape, but others love to compete. A sport martial art is ideal because it helps the individual achieve both goals. Those who do not wish to take the sport further as a competitive sport can just practice for fun and fitness. For those who are more serious about the sport, they can train hard and compete in many different kinds of events.

Then there are many other forms of main stream martial arts that you may already have heard of. These include Capoeira, Aikido, Karate, Kendo, Chinese Kung Fu, Iaido, and Praying Mantis. You get to see and experience all of these for yourself in Knoxville.