10 most common styles of MA

[KNOCKuOUT]

I would have to go with:

tae kwon do

karate

kung fu

some form of wrestling

judo

brazilian jiu jitsu

muay thai

boxing

krav maga

tai chi

in some order.

[G95champ]

After watching the Human Weapons last night on the Hist. Ch. they said Karate was the most practiced style of MA. That covers all differant styles of karate however.

1. Karate

2. Kung Fu

3. Boxing

4. TKD

5. Judo

6. Wrestling

7. Yoga or Tia Chi

8. BJJ or Jujitsu in general

9. MT

10. JKD

[shogeri]

gzk did well...I concur with that answer.

[NightOwl]

Isn't judo the 2nd most practiced sport in the world??? I'd have to say:

Judo

TKD

Karate (all styles)

Wushu (contemporary)

Taichi

Greco-roman

Boxing

BJJ

....that's all I could think of. I'm missing 8 eh?

[kenpo4life]

bjj should not be on the list. It helped to develop a cult following, but it really does not repesent much of the MA world. Krav neither

[YoungMan]

Based on what you would find in the Yellow Pages:

1. Tae Kwon Do. Seem to be more of this than any other. The Olympics and kids programs definitely help.

2. Okinawan/Japanese karate

3. Tai Chi.

4. Non-Tai Chi Kung Fu

5. Hapkido. Often taught with TKD in some schools.

6. Aikido.

7. Brazilian Jujitsu.

8. Boxing

I see very few ads for the other styles mentioned.

[bushido_man96]

I know you were mainly looking at commercial-type places, but I think that Wrestling would make the list as well, with the sheer numbers that exist with kids, high school, and collegiate practitioners.

[NightOwl]

I agree- too often it is not counted as a 'real' martial art...whatever that means...

[YoungMan]

Because it's not. Wrestlers (and boxers as well) are not considered martial artists in this country, they are considered athletes. Also, you never see wrestling and boxing listed in the martial arts section of Yellow Pages. Okay, boxing maybe.

Wrestling is considered a western sport, is taught as a sport, and practiced to win medals and compettions.

Therefore, in my opinion, wrestling should not be considered one of the major martial arts.

[bushido_man96]

Wrestling and Boxing are just as much Martial Arts as any other system out there, in my opinion. I think that people get caught up in the idea that if it didn't come from the Orient, then it can't be a Martial Art.

If you look in Medieval Combat manuals, you can find old forms of Boxing and Wrestling in the pages for close-quarters and unarmed combat. The reason that these styles have evolved into sporting events is a simple result of the part of the world that they are in. In the Orient, everything becomes "a way" of bettering oneself physically, spritiually, mentally, etc. And that is ok. It is the mindset that exists in that part of the world. In the West, Boxing and Wrestling became more sprotish because in the West we don't make everything into "a way." Just because the Western ideals are different, does not mean that Boxing and Wrestling are any less of a Martial Art than any Eastern styles. I consider them just as serious of styles of Martial Arts as any Eastern style out there.