Martial Arts Match Up Trivia Quiz

Answer: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

In 1917, Mitsuyo Maeda, a traveling Japanese martial artist, came to Brazil to give demonstrations and taught Carlos Gracie Kodokan Judo. Along with his brothers Gastão Jr., Oswaldo, George and Hélio, Carlos developed the new martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which also came to be known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ.

BJJ is a form of submission grappling that focuses on the skills necessary to take an opponent to the ground and gain dominance through chokeholds, joint locks, and other techniques. In Portuguese, the sport is known as Jiu-jitsu brasileiro. In Japanese, it is called Gureishī.

Answer: Karate

Karate has its roots in the common fighting system known as "te," which was used by the Pechin class of the Ryukyuans. The Ryukyu Kingdom was annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1879. Karate employs kicking, punching, elbow strikes, and knee strikes, among other techniques. The sport was selected to debut in the Olympic Games in the summer of 2021.

Answer: Tae Kwon Do

Tae (kicking) Kwon (punching) Do (the way of). Tae Kwon Do has been an Olympic sport since the year 2000. It incorporates techniques such as jumping spinning kicks and head-height kicks. The martial art was developed in Seoul after the end of World War II.

Answer: Krav Maga

Krav Maga was developed for the Israeli security forces and the IDF and uses a variety of techniques drawn from boxing and other martial arts such as karate and Judo. The fighting system was created by Imi Lichtenfeld, a Hungarian-Israeli who was trained as both a wrester and a boxer.

In the 1940s, he began to provide combat training to what would later become the Israeli Defense Forces.

Answer: Okichitaw

This modern martial art, developed by George Lépine in the 1990s, is said to draw upon the techniques used by Plains-Cree warriors. Lépine was trained in a variety of arts from his Plains-Cree heritage, including weaponry, hunting, tracking, and throwing.

He also studied hapkido and taekwondo. The name for this martial art is derived from the term "okichitawak," an honorific that would be bestowed by an elder upon a Plains-Cree warrior when he exhibited great survival and fighting skills.

Answer: Aikido

Ai (harmony), ki (spirit), do (way). Ai can also be translated "unifying" and ki as "energy." Originally developed by Morihei Ueshiba, Aikido is now practice in over 130 countries nationwide. Ueshiba's goal in creating the system was to synthesize his philosophy and religious beliefs with his studies of marital arts.

Answer: Sambo (SOMBO)

Sambo was first used in the 1920s by the Red Army and the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs to improve servicemen's hand-to-hand combat skills. The name Sambo comes from a Russian acronym meaning "self-defense without weapons." One of the early pioneers of Sambo, Vasili Oshchepkov, was accused of being a Japanese spy during the Great Terror of 1936-1938 and ended up dying in prison.

The art is influenced by Judo, which Oshchepkov spent years learning in Japan.

Answer: Kendo

Practitioners of kendo use bamboo swords called shinai and wear protective armor called bōgu. The art is descended from kenjutsu (the art of swordsmanship). Bamboo practice swords have been used for training since the Shotoku Era in the early 1700s. In 1952, the All Japan Kendo Federation was founded, following a ban on martial arts in Japan by occupying powers.

Answer: Muay Thai

Muay Thai's roots lie in 16th century Siam, where a version of the art was practiced as a peace-time martial art by King Naresuan's soldiers. The sport became particularly popular in the 1980s and 1990s, and in 1995, the Thai government established the World Muaythai Council.

Answer: Tai Chi

With roots in traditional Chinese medicine, Tai Chi focuses on slow and meditative body movements and on making appropriate responses to outside forces. The subtle movements make use of internal energy to neutralize a greater external force. Sometimes referred to as "shadowboxing," Tai Chi's origins are murky, but legend suggests it was created by Zhang Sanfeng in the 12th century.