The Different Types of Combat Sports

For fitness business owners, understanding the different types of combat sports is more than just trivia—it’s vital for shaping your class offerings, belt systems, member progression, and how you use your gym management software.

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Broadly speaking, combat sports fall into three main categories:

1. Striking-Based Combat Sports – Think boxing, kickboxing, and Taekwondo. These styles focus on punches, kicks, and speed.
   
   
2. Grappling-Based Combat Sports – Like Judo, wrestling, and BJJ. These are all about throws, takedowns, and submissions.
   
   
3. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) – A fusion of striking and grappling techniques, built for performance inside the cage.
   
   

In this guide, we break down each category, explore where the styles come from, how grading works (if it does), and what it takes for students to move up in the ranks. Whether you're running a traditional dojo or a modern fight gym, this is your cheat sheet to understanding the combat sports landscape.

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Striking-Based Combat Sports

These styles focus on hitting—whether it’s punches, kicks, knees, or elbows. They're fast, technical, and require serious conditioning.

Boxing

• Origin: Athens
• Grading system: No belts or formal ranks
  
  
• Known for: Jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts
  
  
• What it takes: Endurance, speed, footwork, and serious ring IQ
  
  
• Blurb: Boxing is a pure striking art. It’s a test of hand speed, timing, and mental toughness. Progression is based on sparring ability and fight experience, not belts.
  
  

Muay Thai

• Origin: Thailand
  
  
• Grading system: Traditionally none, but armband or shorts colour grading exists in some Western gyms
  
  
• Known for: The "eight limbs"—punches, kicks, elbows, knees
  
  
• What it takes: Pain tolerance, clinch control, and explosive power
  
  
• Blurb: Muay Thai is as raw as it gets. It's brutally effective in the ring and on the street, and mastering it requires technical skill and relentless conditioning.
  
  

Kickboxing 

• Origin: Japan/USA (modern sport)
  
  
• Grading system: Sometimes (coloured belts used in some systems)
  
  
• Known for: Punches, kicks, and sometimes knees
  
  
• What it takes: Agility, flexibility, and the ability to mix attacks
  
  
• Blurb: A blend of martial arts and boxing, kickboxing is high-energy and competitive. Some schools use belts for structure, others don’t.
  
  

Taekwondo

• Origin: Korea
  
  
• Grading system: Yes (coloured belts up to black)
  
  
• Known for: Spinning and high-flying kicks
  
  
• What it takes: Flexibility, speed, precision
  
  
• Blurb: Taekwondo is flashy, technical, and heavily focused on kicking. It's a popular choice for kids and adults, with structured grading through belts.
  
  

Karate

• Origin: Japan
  
  
• Grading system: Yes (white to black belt)
  
  
• Known for: Strikes, blocks, and kata (forms)
  
  
• What it takes: Discipline, form perfection, and strong basics
  
  
• Blurb: Karate focuses on self-defence, discipline, and respect. It’s a great entry point into martial arts, with a clear belt progression.
  
  

Kung Fu

• Origin: China
  
  
• Grading system: Varies (some use sashes, some none)
  
  
• Known for: Fluid movements, animal styles, and traditional forms
  
  
• What it takes: Patience, practice, and a focus on philosophy
  
  
• Blurb: Kung Fu covers a wide range of traditional Chinese martial arts. It’s rich in history and form, and often includes weapons and philosophy.
  
  

Savate

• Origin: France
  
  
• Grading system: Yes (glove colours instead of belts)
  
  
• Known for: Kicks with shoes, boxing-style hand techniques
  
  
• What it takes: Precision, balance, and sharp technique
  
  
• Blurb: Known as “French boxing,” Savate is a unique blend of kicks and punches with a technical flair. Grading is based on glove colour.
  
  

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Grappling-Based Combat Sports

These arts focus on holds, throws, and submissions. It's not about striking—it's about control.

Judo

• Origin: Japan
  
  
• Grading system: Yes (coloured belts)
  
  
• Known for: Throws, pins, and submission techniques
  
  
• What it takes: Timing, leverage, and explosive movement
  
  
• Blurb: Judo is about using your opponent’s energy against them. It's highly technical and Olympic-recognised, with a strong belt system.
  
  

Wrestling

• Origin: Global (ancient roots)
  
  
• Grading system: No belts
  
  
• Known for: Takedowns, pins, and positional control
  
  
• What it takes: Strength, grip, stamina, and grind
  
  
• Blurb: Wrestling is one of the oldest combat sports. There’s no grading—just mat time and tournament wins.
  
  

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)

• Origin: Brazil (from Japanese Jujutsu)
  
  
• Grading system: Yes (belt ranks with stripes)
  
  
• Known for: Ground fighting, submissions, chokes
  
  
• What it takes: Patience, strategy, and serious mat time
  
  
• Blurb: BJJ is all about control and submissions. It’s hugely popular in MMA and has a formal grading system—though belts can take years to earn.
  
  

Catch Wrestling

• Origin: UK
  
  
• Grading system: None
  
  
• Known for: Joint locks, pins, and submission holds
  
  
• What it takes: Brutal pressure and tactical knowledge
  
  
• Blurb: Catch wrestling is aggressive, old-school grappling with a focus on submission. No belts, just pain.
  
  

Freestyle & Greco-Roman Wrestling

• Origin: Olympic sports
  
  
• Grading system: No belts
  
  
• Known for: Upper-body throws (Greco) and full-body attacks (Freestyle)
  
  
• What it takes: Explosiveness, technical precision
  
  
• Blurb: These are Olympic-level grappling arts. Pure competition—no belts, just medals.
  
  

Jujutsu (Traditional Japanese)

• Origin: Japan
  
  
• Grading system: Yes (belts)
  
  
• Known for: Joint locks, throws, and strikes
  
  
• What it takes: Technical mastery and tradition
  
  
• Blurb: The root of many modern martial arts, traditional Jujutsu mixes strikes and grapples with a structured belt system.
  
  

Aikido

• Origin: Japan
  
  
• Grading system: Yes (belts)
  
  
• Known for: Using an opponent’s momentum, joint locks, throws
  
  
• What it takes: Flow, balance, and discipline
  
  
• Blurb: Aikido is about harmony and redirecting force. It's a non-aggressive style with structured grading.
  
  

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

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Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

• Origin: Global (popularised by the UFC)
  
  
• Grading system: None (but individual arts may have grading)
  
  
• Known for: Combining striking, wrestling, and submissions
  
  
• What it takes: All-round ability, fight IQ, and mental toughness
  
  
• Blurb: MMA blends everything—boxing, BJJ, wrestling, Muay Thai. There’s no belt, just your performance in the cage or on the mat.
  
  

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Other Combat Systems

Fencing

• Origin: Europe
  
  
• Grading system: Competitive ranking, not belts
  
  
• Known for: Swordplay, speed, and tactics
  
  
• What it takes: Lightning reflexes and strategic thinking
  
  
• Blurb: Fencing is a modern duelling sport using foil, epee, or sabre. It’s ranked by competition, not belts.
  
  

Krav Maga

• Origin: Israel
  
  
• Grading system: Yes (level or belt system)
  
  
• Known for: Real-world self-defence
  
  
• What it takes: Aggression, efficiency, and situational awareness
  
  
• Blurb: Krav Maga isn’t about tradition—it’s about survival. It’s fast, dirty, and designed for real-world defence.

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Why Understanding Combat Sports Matters for Fitness Businesses

If you run a martial arts studio, gym, or combat training centre, knowing your sport’s structure is key to building:

• Class levels and progressions
  
  
• Member motivation through grading
  
  
• Billing and memberships based on belt tests
  
  
• Reporting and attendance for promotions
  
  

A fitness management system like Clubworx makes it easy to track belt progressions, schedule gradings, and manage memberships—so your students can focus on levelling up, and you can focus on growing your business.

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Ready to Take Your Dojo to the Next Level?

Whether you're running a traditional karate school, a no-gi BJJ academy, or a Muay Thai gym with fighters on the rise—Clubworx gives you the tools to streamline everything.
✔️ Track student ranks
✔️ Manage gradings
✔️ Automate payments
✔️ Grow your memberships

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Combat sports require discipline. Managing your gym shouldn't.

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