Combat sport facts for kids
A combat sport is a type of contact sport where two people fight against each other. The goal is to win by scoring more points or by making your opponent unable to continue. Some well-known combat sports include Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Boxing, Wrestling, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Judo, and Fencing.
These sports use different techniques. They can involve:
- Striking: Hitting with hands, feet, elbows, or knees.
- Grappling: Holding, throwing, or wrestling an opponent on the ground.
- Weapon Usage: Using simulated weapons, like in fencing.
Some combat sports focus on just one of these areas. Others, like MMA, combine many different techniques.
Contents
History of Combat Sports
People have been enjoying combat sports for a very long time. Different types of Folk wrestling have been found in almost every culture around the world.
The Ancient Olympic Games in Greece featured many combat-related sports. These included boxing, wrestling, and pankration (a mix of boxing and wrestling). The first recorded combat sports at the Olympics were in 648 B.C. Later, during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, tournaments became very popular. Jousting, where knights fought on horseback, was a main event.
Girls and Boys in Combat Sports
For many years, combat sports were mostly seen as sports for boys and men. The first recorded event for women in combat sports in the United States was on March 28, 1997.
Recently, more girls and women have become interested in combat sports. This is partly thanks to famous athletes like Ronda Rousey, a former UFC champion. She helped more females learn about MMA and the UFC. In fact, female participants have won the most Olympic gold medals in freestyle wrestling!
Types of Combat Sports
Combat sports can be grouped by the main techniques they use.
Striking Sports
Striking sports focus on hitting an opponent.
- Fist Fighting (Boxing)
- Historical Boxing: This includes ancient Greek boxing and old English bare-knuckle boxing.
- Modern Boxing: This is what you see in the Olympics (Amateur Boxing) and professional fights.
- Kickboxing
- Taekwondo
- A Korean martial art known for its powerful kicks.
- Full Contact Karate
- Shoot boxing
- A Japanese sport that started in 1985.
Grappling Sports
Grappling sports focus on wrestling, holding, and taking an opponent to the ground.
- Wrestling
- This includes styles like Judo, Freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, and Sumo.
- The goal is often to pin your opponent or throw them down.
- Submission Grappling
- These sports aim to make an opponent give up using joint locks or chokeholds.
- Examples are Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and luta livre.
- Folk wrestling
- Many different wrestling styles from cultures around the world.
Hybrid Combat Sports
Hybrid sports combine both striking and grappling techniques.
- Pankration
- An ancient Greek sport that mixed boxing and wrestling.
- Dambe
- A traditional boxing style from the Hausa people, which includes kicking and wrestling.
- Combat Sambo
- A Russian sport that started in the 1920s.
- Vale Tudo
- A Brazilian sport that means "anything goes," with very few rules.
- Sanshou (Sanda)
- A Chinese kickboxing style that also includes some grappling.
- Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
- This is a very popular sport today that combines striking, grappling, and wrestling. It became well-known in the 1990s.
Weapons Sports
These sports use simulated or safe versions of weapons.
- Bladed Weapons (Simulated)
- Kendo is a Japanese sport that uses bamboo swords.
- Modern Fencing uses foils, épées, or sabres.
- Stick Fighting
- Singlestick was even an Olympic sport in 1904.
- Arnis is a Filipino stick fighting style.
- Modern Competitive Jousting
- This is a modern version of the medieval sport where people on horseback use lances.
Images for kids
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A photo of Connor McGregor, for the fight between McGregor and Aldo
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The Pancrastinae statue shows the pancratium, which was like modern MMA with lots of grappling. This statue is a Roman copy of an old Greek statue from around 3rd Century B.C.
See also
In Spanish: Deporte de combate para niños
