Mors Tua Vita Mea Trivia Quiz

Answer: Armed strike

Kendo is a modern version of kenjutsu, an umbrella term for the various schools of Japanese swordsmanship. The modern version uses a bamboo sword (shinai) and is a rules-based sport that targets fewer areas and uses fewer attack patterns. By contrast, the sword-based kenjutsu places emphasis on actual sword-combat scenarios. Kendo can be translated as 'sword path' or 'way of sword'.

Answer: Armed strike

Arnis is the national martial art of the Philippines and is sometimes called eskrima (or escrima) or kali. Eskrima is primarily weapons-based fighting using sticks, knives, bladed weapons and improvised weapons. Eskrima comes from the Spanish word for fencing and is often combined with other types of martial art such as kuntaw and silat, blurring the boundaries between the disciplines. Arnis is perhaps the more encompassing term for the Philippino martial art and includes some unarmed techniques for close-quarter situations.

Answer: Armed strike

Bojutsu is a Japanese martial art using a staff and has a long history in Asian martial arts. The techniques used, such as thrusting, striking and swinging with the staff, often echo those in unarmed or empty-hand styles of fighting such as karate, and as a result may be incorporated as an element in such martial art fighting styles.

Answer: Armed strike

Although similar to bojutsu in the sense that it uses a cane, the French canne de combat is much younger, having a 19th century heritage amongst the French upper classes. It uses a lighter stick, more like a walking cane, than the mediaeval stick-fighting precurser known as bâton français.

It provides a self-defence technique from a distance and is often combined with the savate boxing technique. The First World War saw many practitioners die and it was not until the late 1970s that it was codified with a view to encouraging a revival.

Answer: Unarmed strike

Falling into the unarmed striking category, taekwondo is a Korean martial art that involves mostly kicking and punching. The name translates as 'tae' ('strike with foot'), 'kwon' ('strike with hand') and 'do' ('the art'). It came from the kwans (or martial arts schools) which emerged following the end of World War II.

These practitioners who established the nine original kwans had been exposed to Japanese and Chinese martial arts, which has led to debate over whether this national martial art is indigenous or is rooted in karate.

Answer: Unarmed strike

The Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira was first recorded during the early colonial period in Brazil, although some consider that its roots go back to the Bantu martial art of N'golo from Africa. In the past, it has at times suffered from attempts to suppress it. Dance, music and games are often elements of it, perhaps providing an innocuous way of training.

The 1993 film "Only the Strong" showcases capoeira. There are a number of variants including the violent street-fighting version, capoeira carioca, developed by Rio de Janeiro gangs in the 19th century.

Answer: Unarmed strike

Modern savate is a hybrid martial art and full-contact sport from France, combining boxing with some kickboxing techniques. It differs from kickboxing in that only foot-strikes are permitted, not knee- or shin-strikes. Gloves and footwear are also worn.

The originators are thought to be French sailors from Marseille during the 17th century who developed a system of kicks and open-handed slaps. There were also contributions from Parisian street-fighters. Gloved boxing was adopted in the 19th century, borrowed from the English.

Answer: Unarmed strike

Leithwei is a full-contact combat sport from Myanmar. It is also known as Burmese boxing. Leitwei translates as 'art of the nine limbs' with the knees, elbows and head forming part of the total. It is considered one of the more brutal martial arts with the only protection being tape and gauze on the hands.

Its violent ruleset means that the sport is banned in most countries outside Myanmar.

Answer: Unarmed grapple

By contrast, the Japanese martial art judo translates as 'gentle way'. It is a form of jacket wrestling with no weapon training elements. Joint locks, choking and throwing are the aims. Striking techniques are not permitted in competition. Created in the late 19th century, it has contributed to other martial arts such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Krav Maga.

Answer: Unarmed grapple

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a relatively recent martial art, being developed by two Brazilian brothers around 1925 after they were taught jujitsu and catch wrestling. It is a self-defence system based on grappling and submission holds and is mainly ground-based and submission-focused when compared to judo. The main advantage for this is to reduce any size advantage of the opponent.

Answer: Unarmed grapple

In the Japanese wrestling sport of sumo ('striking one another'), size is considered an advantage judging by the average weights of the competitors. Considered the national sport, two wrestlers compete to put each other outside a ring or forcing the other to touch the ground inside the ring with something other than the soles of his feet.

This means it is stand-up wrestling. Ceremonies and rituals are an important part of the sport. Wrestlers follow a highly-regimented life, living in communal sumo training stables and following a strict regime, resulting in a much lower lifespan than the average Japanese male.

Answer: Unarmed grapple

Unlike some martial arts, the modern Japanese martial art of aikido was developed as a self-defence martial art where neither the attacker nor defender is injured. The name has been translated as 'the way of harmonious spirit'. The martial art was developed in the late 1920s and early 1930s as an expression of the founder's martial studies, philosophy and religious beliefs. Various aikido styles have since been developed from the original, with some involving weapons training such as aiki-ken and aiki-jo.