Grappling is an element of many martial arts, and consists of techniques for handling the opponent in which the opponent is held or gripped rather than struck. This includes maneuvers to obtain a strong position (for example guard or mount), takedowns, various pins, joint locks, and pain locks. Chinese martial arts have a system related to grappling known as chin na which involves the use of acupressure points to obtain locks or to otherwise incapacitate an opponent.

When unskilled fighters get embroiled in combat, a very common instinctive reaction is to attempt to slow the situation down by grabbing the opponent and holding them still. As a result, grappling happens very often between unskilled fighters. Of course, skilled fighters can grapple much more effectively and may choose to grapple with an opponent. With sufficient skill, grappling offers the possibility of controlling an opponent without injuring them, so most police staff receive some training in grappling. Moreover, it is possible to design rules making grappling into a relatively safe sport; this is more difficult with other kinds of fighting.

Grappling is notably not a distinct martial art, but a mode of fighting used by many different martial arts artound the world, just as much as striking in and of itself is not a complete martial art, but one mode of fighting. Many martial arts contain grappling training, although the degree to which it is emphasised varies. Judo, wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu focus primarily on grappling techniques, whereas boxing, karate and Muay Thai contain practically no grappling. Among the styles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, the Wu style is best known for its soft style grappling (see pushing hands). Some martial arts have their own name for grappling; for example, in Eskrima, grappling is normally called Dumog.

Chinese martial arts, Aikido and some Eskrima systems practice grappling while one or both participants is armed. This practice is significantly more dangerous than unarmed grappling, and generally requires a great deal of training.

Many sports that are derived from martial arts have rules which forbid grappling (for example in Western fencing, boxing or savate competition, when competitors become too close and they "clinch" or grab each other at all the referee immediately stops the fight). This is generally done to prevent injuries as much as to encourage practitioners to focus on other aspects of the match such as accuracy with the sword, punching or kicking, which are deemed more controllable or more entertaining.

Sumo (相撲 Sumō, or Sumo wrestling, is today a competition contact sport wherein two wrestlers or rikishi face off in a circular area.

Wrestling is a form of fighting, both playfully and as a sport, between two opponents without weapons who grab each other's body and/or clothing (grappling, as opposed to punching, striking, kicking and pinching). The term "wrestling" is also used figuratively, as in "wrestling with a problem".

Wrestling is often categorized as one of the martial arts. It is one of the oldest types of sport; there are wall-paintings more than 15,000 years old depicting men wrestling.

There are almost as many wrestling styles as there are nations. Some samples are sumo in Japan and Yağlı Güreş (oiled wrestling) in Turkey. In the example of oiled wrestling, the wrestlers wear tight knee-length leather trousers and cover themselves with diluted olive oil. A noted oiled wrestling tournament, called Kirkpinar, has been held annually in Edirne, Turkey since 1362; it is the oldest continuously-running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world, and in recent years this style of wrestling has also become popular in other countries, most notably the Netherlands and Japan.

Freestyle and Greco-Roman differ in what holds are permitted; in Greco-Roman, the wrestlers are permitted to hold and attack only above the waist.

Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinaesthetic awareness, such as handsprings and handstands. It developed from fitness exercises used by ancient Greek soldiers, including skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and circus performance skills.

Mudo: Korean martial arts. Includes Tae Kwon Do (Destroy with kick), Geomdo (fencing), and Gungdo (archery).

Budo: Japanese martial arts. Bujutsu ("Warrior's Artistry" or "Warrior's Skill") Kyudo ("The Way of the Bow"), Kendo and Kenjutsu ("Way of the Sword" and "Sword Artistry" or "Sword Skill").

Includes Karate-do (Shito-ryu , Shobayashi, Kobayashi-ryu, Matsubayashi-ryu, Matsumura Seito, Matsumura Motobu, Chito-ryu, Shorinji-ryu, Shorei-ryu, Shotokan, Shotokai, Goju-ryu ("hard-soft way"), Kyokushin ("ultimate truth"), Kyokushin-kaikan, Shorinjiryu, Seido, Wado-ryu ("way of peace"), Uechi Ryu, Shito-ryu, Shudokan, Bushido Goju-Ryu, Genseiryu and Isshin-ryu (there are at least 3 different styles of isshinryu). )

Judo: The focus in judo is on throwing techniques (nage-waza, 投げ技, with groundwork (ne-waza, 固技 also a major component. Nage-waza is divided in two groups of techniques, standing techniques (tachi-waza, 立技 and sacrifice techniques (sutemi-waza, 捨身技. Standing techniques are divided in hand techniques (te-waza, 手技, hip techniques (koshi-waza, 腰技 and foot/leg techniques (ashi-waza, 足技. Sacrifice techniques are divided into those in which the thrower falls directly backwards (ma-sutemi-waza, 真捨身技 and those in which he falls onto his side (yoko-sutemi-waza, 橫捨身技.

The groundwork techniques are divided into: attacks against the joints (kansetsu-waza, 関節技 known in English-speaking countries as "leg-" and "arm-locks", stranglehold (shime-waza, 絞技, and holding techniques (osaekomi-waza, 押込技.

Jujutsu: katana or tachi (sword), yari (spear), naginata (glaive), and jo (short staff), bo (quarterstaff).

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Emphasis on using off-balancing, leverage, and the opponent's own power,

Tai Chi Chuan: Weapons training and fencing applications employing the straight sword known as the jian or chien or gim (jiàn 劍, a heavier curved sabre, sometimes called a broadsword or tao (dāo 刀, which is actually considered a big knife), fan, staff (棍, 7 foot (2 m) spear and 13 foot (4 m) lance (both called qiāng 槍. Less commonly known weapons still in use are the large Da Dao or Ta Tao (大刀 or Bagua sabre, halberd (jǐ 戟, cane, rope-dart, Three sectional staff and steel whip.

Ninjutsu: Seishin-teki kyōyō (spiritual refinement) Taijutsu (unarmed combat) Ninja ken (sword fighting) Bōjutsu (stick and staff fighting) Shurikenjutsu (throwing blades) Sōjutsu (spear fighting) Naginatajutsu (halberd fighting) Kusarigama (chain and sickle weapon) Kayakujutsu (fire and explosives) Hensūjutsu (disguise and impersonation) Shinobi-iri (stealth and infiltration methods) Bajutsu (horsemanship) Sui-ren (training in water) Bōryaku (military strategy) Chōhō (espionage) Intonjutsu (escaping and concealment) Tenmon (meteorology) Chi-mon (geography)

Krav Maga (Israeli): In the given situation, the defense or attack must be the fastest, the strongest, the shortest, the most natural , and to the point (for instance, if you mean to escape, escape; if you mean to hit, hit).

The basic idea is to first deal with the immediate threat (e.g. hands around one's neck), prevent the attacker from re-attacking, then neutralize the opponent, proceeding through all the steps in a very straightforward manner. An emphasis is put on taking the initiative from the attacker as soon as possible. Krav Maga generally assumes a no-quarter situation- the attacks and defenses are intended to inflict or divert the most pain possible on the opponent. Groin, eye, and other "unfair" attacks are emphasized, as are a variety of other fairly brutal attacks.

Fencing: Fencing encompasses any system of sword-based offence and defence but is most commonly used to denote styles of European origin.

Savate: Savate (pronounced /sæ'væt/), also known as boxe française (French boxing) or French kickboxing, is a French martial art which uses both the hands and feet as weapons and contains elements of western boxing, grappling and graceful kicking techniques (only foot kick, no knee, no tibia). Practitioners of savate are called savateurs (men), and savateuses (women).

La Canne: La canne is a French martial arts weapon. It is a walking stick designed for fighting rather than simply for support. Standardized in 1970s for sporting competition, la canne is light, made of chestnut wood and slightly tapered. A moltonnée combination and a fencing mask are worn for protection. The use of the cane as a weapon, as originally taught in the weapons schools, was codified by the Masters of Savate so that the cane was taught as a weapon of self-defence. The French tradition includes techniques of medieval stick fighting (see also grande canne), excepting those techniques considered too dangerous to be used in sport.

Grand canne: French for "large stick," grand baton is a European fencing system that uses an approximately 4-foot-long staff. Grand canne shares many mechanics with longsword and quarterstaff. The origins of this system have been lost to antiquity but probably share a common root with other European stick fighting systems such as quarterstaff, German stockfechten, etc.

Forms of Stickfighting:

Egyptian stick fencing Zulu stick fighting Quarterstaff (English mediaeval) Bata (Irish) Grand canne (French) Hanbo (Japanese) Jojutsu (Japanese) Bojutsu (Japanese, Okinawan) La canne (French modern) Kendo (Japanese) Silambam (Hindu) Juego del Palo (Canary Islands) Eskrima (Filipino)

Eskrima: Eskrima or Escrima refers in a general way to Filipino martial arts. Many different systems of Eskrima exist. In most systems, skills with weapons and with empty hands are developed at the same time, using training methods designed to emphasize the common elements. Practitioners of these arts are noted for their ability to fight with weapons or empty hands interchangeably. Most Eskrima systems include fighting with a variety of weapons, striking with hands and feet (panantukan, sikaran, panajakan), grappling and throwing (dumog), biting, and all the other skills that would be needed for a warrior's complete training in the old days of tribal warfare.

The stick techniques used in Eskrima fall into two categories: the stick techniques that are training for sword fighting, and the stick techniques that are training for stick fighting. As usual, most systems are designed so that the practitioner can adapt their training to either weapon. Other weapons traditionally included in Eskrima training include spears, shields, whips and flails. The most common weapon used in training is a rattan stick about the length of the practitioner's arm.

Pangamut is the empty hand component. Dumog is the grappling component; often it emphasizes disabling or control of the opponent by manipulation of the head and neck (neck breaking is very common). Usually too dangerous to allow free sparring. Panantukan is the kickboxing component; it focuses on striking with (empty) hands and feet, although it does not assume the opponent is unarmed. Pananjakan is the kicking component; it is a subset of panantukan. (It is not pronounced "pananjakman" as one popular martial artist likes to say). Gunting, meaning scissors, is the component that focuses on destroying the opponents ability to wield their weapon. This can be done by cutting the hand or wrist with a pair of blades (hence the name) but it can also be done with a single blade or with the empy hand by striking nerves and tensed muscles. (However, successful application of this technique during a real empty hand confrontation is difficult.) Espada y daga is the use of a sword and knife (often simulated with a stick and a wooden knife). Doble baston is the use of a pair of sticks. Solo baston is the use of a single stick. Mano mano is empty hand combat.

San Miguel is a forehand strike with the right hand, moving from the striker's right shoulder toward their left hip. It is named after Saint Michael or the Archangel Michael, who is often depicted holding a sword at this angle. This is the most natural strike for most untrained people. It is also referred to as a "#1," in 12 systems which employ 5, 12 or multiple angles. A redondo (Spanish for "round") is a strike that whips in a circle to return to its point of origin. Especially useful when using sticks (rather than swords), such a strike allows extremely fast strikes but needs constant practice. An abaniko (from the Spanish for "fan") is a strike executed by whipping the stick around the wrist in a fanning motion. Not very forceful and not well suited to swords, this strike can be very quick and arrive from an unexpected angle. Hakbang is a general term for footwork. For example, hakbang paiwas is pivoting footwork, while hakbang tatsulok is triangle stepping. Punyo is a strike delivered with the butt of the weapon, usually to a nerve point or other soft spot on the opponent, although not necessarily: in skilled hands, the punyo is often used to shatter bones.

Muay Thai: The basic offensive techniques in Muay Thai use hands, elbows, kicks and knees to strike the opponent. To bind the opponent for both offensive and defensive purposes, small amounts of stand-up grappling are used: the clinch. The clinch is applied by holding the opponent either around the neck or around the body. In Western Boxing, the two fighters are separated when they clinch. Defensively, the concept of "wall of defense" is used, in which shoulders, arms and legs are used to hinder the attacker from successfully executing his techniques. Because of the power involved with Muay Thai techniques, fighters do not often block strikes like in other martial arts. Fighters prefer to evade attacks by stepping out of range or moving toward their opponent in order to buffer techniques such as kicks.

Kickboxing: Kickboxing is a martial art which was made for beating Muay Thai by Japanese boxing promotor Osamu Noguchi in 1950. Opponents are allowed to hit each other with fists and feet, hitting above the hip. Using elbows or knees is forbidden and the use of the shins is seldom allowed (except in Thai boxing, where the knee is also allowed).

Boxing: Fighting with the fists for sport and spectacle is probably as old as sport itself. Boxing contests are found throughout antiquity. Greek boxers would wear boxing gloves (not padded) and wrappings on their arms below the elbows, but were otherwise naked when competing. There is evidence to suggest that boxing was prevalent in North Africa during 4000 B.C.

Wu Shu:

Weapons: Dao (Broadsword) Jian (Straightsword) Taijijian (Taiji Straightsword) Nandao (Southern Broadsword) Gun (Staff) Qiang (Spear) Nangun (Southern Staff)

Changquan Nanquan Houquan Wing Chun Taijiquan Xingyiquan (形意拳 - Shape-Intent Fist Baguazhang (八卦掌 - Eight-Trigrams Palm Bajiquan (八極拳 - Eight Extremes Fist Fanziquan (翻子拳 - Overturning Fist Chuojiao (戳腳 - Poking Feet Tongbeiquan (通背拳 - Through-the-Back Fist Piguaquan (劈掛拳 - Chop-Hitch Fist Chaquan (查拳 - Cha Fist Huaquan (華拳 - Hua Fist Paoquan (炮拳 - Cannon Fist Houquan (猴拳 - Monkey Fist Tanglangquan (螳螂拳 - Praying Mantis Fist Ditangquan (地躺拳 - Ground-Prone Fist Zuijiuquan (醉酒拳 - Drunken Fist Yingzhaoquan (鷹爪拳 - Eagle Claw Fist Shequan (蛇拳 - Snake Fist

Similarly, there is also a traditional weapons category, which often includes the following:

Changsuijian (長穗劍 - Long-Tasseled Sword Shuangshoujian (雙手劍 - Two-Handed Sword Jiujiebian (九節鞭 - Nine Section Whip Sanjiegun (三節棍 - Three Section Staff Shengbiao (繩鏢 - Rope Dart Dadao (大刀 - Great Sword Pudao (撲刀 - Pu Sword Emeici (峨嵋刺 - Emei Daggers Shuangdao (雙刀 - Double Broadsword Shuangjian (雙劍 - Double Sword Shuangbian (雙鞭 - Double Nine Section Whips Shuanggou (雙鈎 - Double Hooksword

Is it possible to disarm an opponent? If so - it would be very cool (and probably ridiculously hard to program) to be able to pick up any object and use it as a weapon. Of course, you shouldn't be able to do as much damage as with a weapon or skill you're trained in, but still be able to defend and attack. Could I smash a flower pot over someone's head? Pick up a rock and throw it? Can I use a serving platter or hubcap as a shield? If I'm strong enough can I pick up a car and smash my opponent with it?