Top 10 martial arts facts

Capsaicin. Pepper spray (also known as capsicum spray) is a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain, and temporary blindness used in policing, riot control, crowd control, and self-defence.

Elvis Presley. Presley was introduced to karate by The Army, during his service in Germany. He included some karate moves in his live performances.

Kendo and karate. Kendo, along with other martial arts, was banned in Japan in 1946 by the occupying powers. This was part of "the removal and exclusion from public life of militaristic and ultra nationalistic persons" in response to the wartime militarisation of martial arts instruction in Japan.

Ryukyu Kingdom. Karate developed from the indigenous martial arts of Ryukyu Islands (today Japanese) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. The Ryukyu Kingdom was an independent kingdom from the 15th to 19th century, and despite its small size, the kingdom played a central role in the maritime trade networks of medieval East Asia. Until the 19th century, it has had much more in common with China, than with Japan.

Ninjatō. The ninjatō or shinobigatana, are allegedly the preferred weapon that the Shinobi of feudal Japan carried. It is portrayed by modern ninjutsu practitioners as the weapon of the ninja, and is prominently featured in popular culture. Replicas of this sword have also been prominently on display at the Ninja Museum of Igaryu located in Iga

Aikido. A hakama is a pair of wide pleated black trousers used in aikido and kendo. In most schools, its use is reserved for practitioners with dan ranks or for instructors, while others allow all practitioners to wear a hakama regardless of rank.

"gentle way". The word consists of two kanji, "ju" meaning "gentle" (the same is used in "ju-jitsu", meaning "gentle skill") and "do" meaning "way" (also used in "aikido", often translated as "the Way of harmonious spirit").

"empty hand". Karate developed from the indigenous martial arts of the Ryukyu Islands (called 'te' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian White Crane.

Aikido. Freestyle (randori, literally "chaos") practice with multiple attackers is required for the higher level aikido ranks. The techniques should be chosen based on how they reposition the student relative to other attackers. For instance, an ura technique might be used to neutralise the current attacker while turning to face attackers approaching from behind.

Aikido is basically self defence system. Its techniques require that one of the practitioners plays a role of uke (attacker), while the other is tori (defender). The lack of competitive format is often criticized as the weakness of aikido, leading to weak attacks of uke and lack of realism in training.