Karate:

This art, first developed in Okinawa and then in Japan, is one in which hand and foot are used to strike an opponent. It teaches strength and discipline as well as fighting technique. In some Okinawan styles of Karate Jutsu, nerve and pressure point strikes are taught as well.

Strengths: Great power of hand and foot. Speed and timing are also taught.

Weaknesses: Karate depends greatly on linear movement, rather than circular. An experienced fighter can predict where his opponent will be because of this rigidity.

Hun Gar:

This Chinese style created by and for the Hun Turks, is one that deals primarily with shifting of your opponent's weight and leverage for your advantage.

Strengths: Hun Gar is a style of strength and leverage. It is one of the most efficient grappling styles in existence. If caught by a
proficient Hun Gar practitioner, chances are he'll turn you into a pretzel. It uses external strength and dynamic tension exercises and is excellent for developing muscles and strong low stances.

Weakness: Hun Gar is most efficient when practiced by large, very strong people. It relies on strength more than any other Chinese martial art.

Kung Fu:

Rather than being a style, is a group of styles. Included in these styles are the Shaolin animal styles of Tiger, Eagle, Snake, Mantis, and Monkey. Also in this category are the internal styles of Tai Chi, Bagua Xiang and Hsing-I. Many other styles exist aswell, including Wing Chun, and Jeet Kun Do. Each of these styles has strengths and weaknesses, but taken as a whole, Kung Fu provides a group of systems for every occasion.

Strengths: A well-rounded Kung Fu fighter is very fast, very strong and very versatile because of the large number of styles he has learned.

Weaknesses: Kung Fu takes a great deal of time to master. It is also not as effective at the lower levels of study as some other arts.

Tae Kwan Do:

Started in Korea about a century ago, Tae Kwan Do is a formidable kicking art, based very much on Japanese Karate.

Strengths: Tae Kwan Do boasts some of the most powerful kicks in martial arts. Practitioners are also known for their athleticism and stamina.

Weaknesses: Tae Kwan Do has few offensive hand techniques. It is also known more as a sport than a fighting art.

American Boxing:

Famous for its punching power, American-style Boxing is popular worldwide. Based on the English Marquis of Queensbury rules, boxing is enjoyed by many participants, male and female.

Strengths: Powerful punching and strong footwork. Practitioners are also able to take a great deal of punishment without going down. Also, it is relatively easy to learn.

Weaknesses: No foot strikes. Boxers are used to having a rest between rounds. Also, Boxing has many rules about where one can strike which do not apply to real fighting situations.

Savate:

This French kicking style is very old, and rarely seen in the USA. This method was once popular with the aristocracy of France.

Strengths: Like Tae Kwan Do, Savate is known for its power kicks.

Weaknesses: (only foot kick, no knee, no tibia).

Capoeira:

This African/Brazilian fighting style originated when
Brazilian slave owners refused to allow their slaves to practice their fighting arts. In order to continue their practice, they hid their arts in dance. Capoeira is only now beginning to become popular in the USA.

Strengths: This style teaches acrobatic movement, balance and speed. It also teaches the user how to put their entire body behind a technique.

Weaknesses: This style is better suited to the dance studio than the street. Many of its techniques have little practical application during a street fight. But don't be lulled into a false sense o' security.

Grappling styles are any styles that deal with grappling, grabbing or throwing an opponent. It should be noted that many striking styles have grappling techniques and many grappling styles have striking techniques. So there is always the possibility of crossover between styles.

Aikido:

Aikido is the most purely defensive style in existence today, having no offensive punching or kicking techniques. It is a style in which the practitioner uses circles of force to turn his opponent's momentum back on him. Known for its flashy throws, Aikido also has a very strong ground in joint locks and immobilization techniques.

Strengths: Strong grappling style in which the practitioner need not be stronger than his opponent to beat him

Weaknesses: This style has no offensive techniques at all, making it inefficient as a style to be used for first strikes. An Aikido practitioner is weak in attack.

Judo:

Judo which has its origins in Jujutsu is a Japanese style based on throwing and joint locks. Primarily a sport style, this is still a dangerous style to have to fight against.

Strengths: This style teaches leverage, and the ability of a smaller
fighter to overcome a significantly larger one.

Weaknesses: Primarily a sport style, Judo is lacking in killing
techniques. Also, it lacks basic punching and kicking techniques.

Juijutsu:

Older than Judo, Juijutsu is a true martial style, replete with killing techniques. Its origins lie in the Bushido arts of the
Samurai of Medieval Japan.

Strengths: One of Japan's older martial arts, Juijutsu is a very well
known art replete with deadly throws and crippling joint locks and
breaks.

Weaknesses: Like Judo, true Juijutsu lacks punching and kicking
techniques.

Chin-Na:

This Chinese art of 'Joint Turning' is very effective,
especially for smaller opponents. Chin-Na offers a broad array of
techniques from pressure point attacks, to joint locks. It is a strong all-around style with punching, kicking and grappling techniques. It is also said to be the style that holds the secret of "Dim Mak", the ancient art of the "death touch".

Strengths: An extremely well rounded style with a vast array of
techniques that are effective against many types of opponents.

Weaknesses: This style is so replete with so many different types of techniques, its mastery takes much longer than other Chinese styles. Also, its techniques are so precise that any mistake by the
practitioner in the execution of a technique will mean the loss of
advantage of the practitioner. Where other styles might be effective if the technique is a "near miss", in Chin-Na any miss is
catastrophic.

Brazilian JuiJutsu:

Made famous by the Gracie family, this Brazilian grappling form is becoming more and more popular in the United States. Its origins are in the original Japanese style Juijutsu, but have been adapted for modern times. It is said that no master of Brazilian Juijutsu has ever been defeated except by other Brazilian Juijutsu practitioners.

Strengths: Quite possible the most effective one-on-one grappling style in existence, it is replete with joint locks, holds, defensive techniques, and a vast array of knock-out holds.

Weaknesses: Extremely effective against one opponent, Brazilian Juijutsu does not teach effective techniques for handling multiple opponents.Wrestling:

Greco-Roman is one of the oldest and most effective grappling styles out there. A good Greco-Roman wrestler can tie you up, hold you down and knock you out more ways than you can dream of. And a Freestyle wrestler is no easy opponent either.

Strengths: Strong grappling.

Weaknesses: Like many other grappling styles, they lack any king of punching or kicking techniques. Also, as a sport style, it doesn't generally teach the killing mentality taught in other more martial styles.

Sumo:

These fat guys really do know how to fight. Sumo is the national sport of Japan, very popular among Japanese of all ages. The fighting style consists of approximately 25 different slapping, pulling and pushing attacks and defensive techniques, which used in combination, create a formidable fighting style.

Strengths: These guys are powerful grapplers and masters of leverage. They are also huge and strong and deceptively fast.

Weaknesses: Their techniques are generally slaps or pushes, rather than seriously dangerous killing techniques. Furthermore, like most sport styles, Sumo don't train to kill.