Combat Sports
Most of these sports are derived from genuine forms of combat but have been
transformed into disciplines with the element of danger reduced to a minimum.
They are mostly performed between 2 competitors who try to score points rather
than to hurt the opponent.
Combat sports include e.g. fencing, boxing, wrestling, plus martial arts.
Boxing
Boxing is a combat sport in which two fighters hit each other using only their fists
while wearing a pair of big puffy gloves!
This sport isn't just about how tough you are, it requires brains and skill too.
The fight takes place in a ring, which is actually a square! Boxers get points for
every punch landed successfully.
Guide to punching:
The Jab
The jab is the most important punch because it operates in the shortest distance
between yourself and the opponent.
It can be used as a form of attack or defence and once you have a beautiful jab, you
can control a fight.
Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali and Thomas Hearns all had great jabs.
The Hook
It is quite difficult to learn the hook because you have to arch and turn your body
into the shot. But it comes out of your line of vision, and done properly, you can’t
see it coming.
Evander Holyfield had a good left hook, as did Julio Cesar Chavez and Mexican
fighters generally love the left hook to the body.
The Cross
The cross is used as a form of attack but it can be used as a counter to stop your
opponent coming forward. Or as a powerpunch to take control of a fight.
One of the greatest exponents of this punch was Alexis Arguello. And in his
heyday, Mike Tyson could deliver a fearsome cross.
The Uppercut
You bring the uppercut up and it comes underneath your opponent’s jaw, who
can’t see it coming and it does look very dramatic.
It is a dangerous punch because when you throw it, you do leave yourself open
The Block
A block belongs to defence techniques. There are different types of defence - a
fighter like Mike Tyson uses his attack as defence.
Good boxers use lateral movement - good hand and foot movement and sharp
reflexes.
Old school fighters like Roberto Duran just used to slip punches and he would
make people miss by the smallest of margins.
Boxing styles
Punchers
Punchers are very powerful and are always in exciting fights because they have the
ability to turn a fight around with one punch.
Good punchers were Tommy Hearns and Mike Tyson when he was younger.
Boxers/punchers
These stylish fighters are well schooled and can do a bit of everything.
They are the hardest kind of men to fight. Perhaps the most famous was Ray
Robinson, who had everything - a good boxing brain, good power, good skill and
could take a punch.
Defensive boxers
A pure boxer is someone like Herol Graham, who could hit hard but would
generally wear you down. If you do something well enough over a period of time
and you just go chip, chip, chip, eventually the opponent comes tumbling down.
There are not too many purely defensive boxers.
Fencing
Fencing is sword fighting, where you get points every time you touch your
opponent with your sword.
There are special moves for attack and defence, all with French names. The first
one to 15 points wins and protective clothing makes sure there are no nasty
stabbing incidents.
Sumo wrestling
In sumo wrestling, two fighters enter a ring, face each other and then try and throw
each other out of the ring or onto the floor.
Possibly the maddest sport of all, sumo comes from ancient Japan and is still
hugely popular today.
Before wrestling, the wrestlers jump up and down a bit to scare each other and then
bow!
Wrestling
Wrestling is a combat sport in which two fighters have to use a series of throws,
holds and groundwork to score points.
The match takes place over two rounds of two minutes and the first one to get 10
points is the winner.
Martial Arts
Aikido
Aikido is a brilliant Japanese sport where you defend yourself using dodging,
twisting and throwing.
All the moves look pretty cool - you make lots of circles and can even get to use a
wooden sword.
There's no actual fighting in competitions, but if you've got good moves you can
enter freestyle tournaments.
Jiu Jitsu
A Japanese martial art that involves throwing, punching, blocking, kicking and
striking an opponent.
It was used by Japanese ninja and samurai in ancient times.
Some moves can bring down an opponent simply by pressing a certain point on
their body!
Judo
The word judo actually translates as 'gentle way', but this Japanese martial art is
anything but!
It involves lots of holding and wrestling, plus throws with names like 'mountain
storm' and 'flying scissors'.
Judges give you points for your throws or you can win by holding your opponent
on the ground for 25 seconds.
Karate
In this martial art you get to use your hands and feet as weapons rather than, say, a
great big stick!
You get to use blocks, strikes and throws and score points depending on how good
your moves are.
In karate the colour of your belt changes as you get better. You start with white and
end up with black.
Kendo
This sport gives you the opportunity to fight with a sword. Well, a stick that looks
like sword.
To win a fight you must score points by hitting your opponent on the head, the
arm, the chest or the throat.
Kick boxing
In a kick boxing fight you score points by using your hands and feet to strike an
opponent.
This means you have to be doubly careful - a blow could come from anywhere!
Fights last for three to 12 rounds and the boxer with the most points at the end is
the winner.
Kung Fu
In this Chinese sport you get points by punching, kicking and holding your
opponents.
The better you become, the cooler colour belt you get to wear! The different styles
of kung fu are based on the actions of animals, such as the dragon, tiger and snake.
Tae Kwon Do
Tae Kwon Do is a sport for self-defence. Unlike other martial arts, most of the
blows are made with the feet not the hands.
Invented in Korea, this sport is famous for its flying kicks - some fighters jump up
to two and a half metres in the air!
In competition you strike opponents above the waist, with points scored for clean
hits.
Vocabulary:
Tumble – falling to the ground
Stab – to hurt someone by pushing a knife or other sharp object into their body
Dodge – to avoid someone or something by moving quickly
Czech equivalents of some boxing terms:
The jab – krátký přímý úder
The hook – hák
The cross – kros, křížový úder
The uppercut- zvedák
The block – blok, blokování
Puncher – ranař
Topics for discussion:
Do you ever watch boxing, wrestling or other similar sports on TV? Why? Why
not? What is your attitude towards them? Do you practise any?
Explain the term knock out.
Feedback:
Where are the roots of combat sports?
Where do most of martial arts originate? Why?