Mixed Martial Arts (M.M.A.) is comprised of using the best techniques of many, many different martial arts listed on the front page, and detailed on this one, are many of the main components/martial arts that go into M.M.A.. This, however, does not mean that these are the only arts that are utilized, but we have tried to detail at least the main ones, along with describing the no-rules, street-defense tactics we train at Collins Martial arts.

Below are more in-depth descriptions about the elements of the Goju-Jitsu Mixed Martial Arts system taught at Collins Martial Arts.

• No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting. It is a derivative of early 20th century Kodokan Judo,[2] [1] which was itself then a recently-developed system (founded in 1882), based on multiple schools (or Ryu) of Japanese jujutsu. Like judo, it promotes the principle that smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger assailant using leverage and proper technique; applying joint-locks and chokeholds to defeat them. BJJ can be trained for self defense, sport grappling tournaments (gi and no-gi) and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition.[3] Sparring (commonly referred to as 'rolling') and live drilling play a major role in training, and a premium is placed on performance, especially in competition. The reason we list our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as "No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu" is because we use these techniques but train them without the traditional Gi, or uniform. This is so that we can specifically cater the training towards M.M.A., in which, in most cases, the Gi is not worn. For more information on Brazilian Jiu-Jtsu, further information can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_jiu_jitsu.



• Kickboxing - Kickboxing (キックボクシング?) refers to the sport of using martial-arts-style kicks and boxing-style punches to defeat an opponent in a similar way to that of standard boxing. Kickboxing is a standing sport and does not allow continuation of the fight once a combatant has reached the ground.   Kickboxing is often practiced for self-defense, general fitness, or as a full-contact sport. In the full-contact sport the male boxers are bare-chested wearing shorts and protective gear including: mouth-guard, hand-wraps, 10-oz. boxing gloves, groin-guard, shin-pads, kick-boots, and optional protective helmet (usually for those under 16). The female boxers will wear a tank top and chest protection in addition to the male clothing/protective gear. In European kickboxing, where kicks to the thigh are allowed using special low-kick rules, use of boxing shorts instead of long trousers is possible.  More information on kickboxing can be read about at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickboxing.



• Thai Boxing (Muay Thai) - Muay Thai (Thai: มวยไทย, RTGS: Muai Thai, IPA: [muɛ̄j tʰɑ̄j], lit. Thai Boxing) is a form of hard martial art practiced in large parts of the world, including Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. The art is similar to others in Southeast Asia such as: pradal serey in Cambodia, lethwei in Myanmar, tomoi in Malaysia, and Lao boxing in Laos. Muay Thai has a long history in Thailand and is the country's national sport. Traditional Muay Thai practiced today varies significantly from the ancient art muay boran and uses kicks and punches in a ring with gloves similar to those used in Western boxing.   Muay Thai is referred to as "The Art of Eight Limbs", as the hands, shins, elbows, and knees are all used extensively in this art. A practitioner of Muay Thai ("nak muay") thus has the ability to execute strikes using eight "points of contact," as opposed to "two points" (fists) in Western boxing and "four points" (fists, feet) used in the primarily sport-oriented forms of martial arts.  More info on Muay Thai can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_boxing.



• Catch Wrestling - Catch wrestling is a style of wrestling. Catch wrestling is arguably the ancestor of modern grappling, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts and no-holds-barred competition. Catch wrestling's origins lie in a variety of styles, most notably the regional wrestling styles of Europe, particularly the England (e.g. Collar-and-elbow, Lancashire catch-as-catch-can wrestling etc.), and Asia (e.g. pehlwani). 'Collar-and-elbow' refers to the initial hold of the wrestlers. The term is sometimes used in a restricted sense to refer only to the style of professional wrestling as practiced in United States carnivals just before and after 1900. Under this stricter definition, "catch wrestling" is one of many styles of professional wrestling, specifically as practiced in carnivals and at public exhibitions from after the American Civil War until the Great Depression. There are a number of modern submission wrestling enthusiasts whose foundation lies in catch wrestling as well as no small number whose training "lineage" traces back to catch-wrestling.  More on Catch-Wrestling can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_wrestling.



• Karate - Karate (空手^?) or karate-do (空手道^?) (Japanese pronunciation: [kaɽate]  ( listen), English: /kəˈrɑːtiː/) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods and Chinese kenpō.^[1][2] It is primarily a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands and ridge-hands. Grappling, locks, restraints, throws, and vital point strikes are taught in some styles.^[3] A karate practitioner is called a karateka.  The Goju-Jitsu sytem of Mixed Martial Arts that is taught at Collins Martial Arts is named as such due to the extensive experience in the particular style of Karate known as Goju-Ryu. 

  Gōjū-ryū (剛柔流 ^?), (Japanese for "hard-soft style") is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book Bubishi (Chinese: wu bei ji), used by Okinawan masters during the XIX and XX centuries. Go which means hard, refers to closed hand techniques or straight linear attacks; Ju which means soft, refers to open hand techniques and circular movements.

  Major emphasis is given to breathing correctly. Gōjū-ryū practices methods that include body strengthening and conditioning, its basic approach to fighting (distance, stickiness, power generation, etc.), and partner drills. Gōjū-ryū incorporates both circular and linear movements into its curriculum. Gōjū-ryū combines hard striking attacks such as kicks and close hand punches with softer open hand circular techniques for attacking, blocking, and controlling the opponent, including locks, grappling, takedowns and throws. For more information on a general history of Karate, you can visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate.  For more information on Goju-Ryu Karate specifically, you can visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goju_Ryu.



• Boxing - Boxing (sometimes also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism"^{[citation needed]}) is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. Victory is achieved if the opponent is knocked down and unable to get up before the referee counts to ten seconds (a Knockout, or KO) or if the opponent is deemed too injured to continue (a Technical Knockout, or TKO). If there is no stoppage of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner is determined either by the referee's decision or by judges' scorecards.  Further descriptive on this sport can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing.



• Street and Weapons Self-Defense - Real Street Self-Defense and Weapons-Defense Tactics - These techniques refer to ways to survive a real street fight with absolutely no rules, possibly against multiple attackers, and against attacker(s) who are armed with weapons.  At Collins Martial Arts, this is reserved for our most advanced students, and, in special cases, as needed, our military and law-enforcement students only.  These tactics will leave your opponent(s) incapacitated, seriously wounded or maimed, or worse.  These techniques are only to be used in life-or-death situations, which is why they are only taught to our high-ranking students and those students whose occupation puts them in such life-or-death situations.  You can think of our Street-Defense/Weapons Defense as something like M.M.A. blended with the increasingly-popular Krav-Maga, except without the hefty price tag often associated with it, and all the hype that surrounds Krav-Maga.  Now, this is  not in any way trying to discredit Krav-Maga, I just believe that as it is an art that is very centered around many techniques that can be very devastating, in my view it is not a beginner's art.  If you are set on looking for that art specifically, however, just check to see that the school/instructor(s) you are considering are properly accredited.  Since it is becoming increasingly popular, just as with M.M.A. there are many unscrupulous people who are not credible and are just looking to cash in on the art's popularity.
  
  As far as our Street-Defense and Weapons-Defense training - don't get me wrong; if you're already a truly trained martial artist and decide to join our school, you'll likely be learning our deadly street techniques much sooner than someone who is a complete beginner.  However, if you have no martial arts background and are looking to come in and just learn these type techniques, this is not the place for you - and I wouldn't advise going to any place who would be willing to show you those things too soon when you don't have the proper background.  There are plenty of schools that will be willing to take your money and show you some techniques that theoretically work, but can't be fully practiced "because of the danger of injuring your partner or yourself".  Good luck getting those to work when you really need them to.  At Collins Martial Arts, if/when you reach the level of being privileged enough to begin real street self-defense and weapons-defense training, you will have the control necessary and the proper training background to be able to practice these tactics in an extremely realistic environment, and you will know what works and what doesn't - instead of relying on someone else's word, or on half- executed techniques that leave you wondering about their true effectiveness.






Much of the above information about the basic descriptions of various martial arts and their histories was retrieved from www.wikipedia.org. Some of it was used directly, while some was edited to give the best brief but informative descriptions of the various martial arts.  If you click on any of the links to Wikipedia and find the information on those pages or the site in general to be helpful, please consider donating to their organization so they can remain a free source of information that functions to help be an informative resource for everyone.