Many people think that Karate came from Korea or China, this is not true. Although many styles did originate from these two areas, quite a few styles developed in other countries as well. The word Karate has been associated with any type of Martial Arts in the western world, and thanks to a few martial arts actors, have made the western world rush to learn any form of Karate that they could.

Japan and Okinawa developed their own form of Karate, with some changes being made from one instructor to another. Some styles have even been developed in the United States.

Originally Karate got its start in China, in the 16th century but the development of Karate started when Okinawan travelers began visiting China and were so enthused with this ancient style of fighting, that they learned the techniques and once they became masters of the Chinese Martial Arts, and in the 20th century these travelers went back to Japan and began teaching Karate to the solders, using the styles that they had learned and also made some changes of their own.

Today there are hundreds of different types all throughout the world. Karate is not just restricted to Oriental fighting techniques, in France, there is a form called, Savate, this style was first used in Marseille, and is a method of using kicks. Savate uses the feet and legs for both striking and blocking. It has become a form of today’s kickboxing.

Krav Maga is a method of self-defense that was developed in Israel, and practiced by the entire Israeli Army; it has become quite popular in the United States.1,000 years ago, India developed a form of Karate, called Pentjak Silat, which used forms of martial arts mixed with some mystic powers, magic, and healing. Pentjak Silat has now spread the Indonesian Islands.

Sambo is an ancient Russian self-defense art. It is used with the Russian Elite Special Forces, and consists of many striking, kicking and defense.
Sumo dates back to the 8th century and originally was held as ceremonies in the Imperial Court. It used the techniques of both boxing and wrestling. The competitors usually weight 100′s of pounds (kg), but as time passed throughout the centuries, it has become a very popular sport in Japan.

The kung fu styles can be divided into soft and hard styles. Soft styles mean diverting momentum to unbalance an opponent. They are used to bring opponents into striking range. These styles use less physical force and more internal energy and skills. Hard styles direct the energy outward. These are used to strike with the force.

Kung fu can also be divided by the form of movements. This subtle distinction classifies kung fu styles as circular and linear. As the name depicts, circular styles use around and aside movements in relation to the opponents. Linear styles use direct, straight-line movements. Most kung fu masters use a mixture of these two styles.

Then there are distinctions of styles, like internal and external styles. Here, internal styles emphasize the non-tangible elements like meditation, body control, perception and mind control. These styles are also known as mystical styles. Internal styles are part of soft styles. External styles use body mechanics and force. Weight, strength and positioning are used to gain the advantage. External styles are hard styles.

As a kung fu master learns from his surroundings, there are many styles which are adopted from the behavior of the animals. The famous example of this is monkey style, which is adopted from the behavior of monkeys.

Finally there is no end to the discussion on kung fu styles. A kung fu master learns from the environment and himself, or makes his own style.