Europe

The UK’s National Health Services now publicly encourages martial arts as a form of keeping fit and improving health. Unsurprising to us, as most martial arts were a way to stay healthy and battle-ready for thousands of years. The NHS recently included links on its website that encourage people to [...]

Cа́мбо (Sambo) or samozashchita bez oruzhiya: self defense without weapons. The foundation of Sambo in the 1920s against the backdrop of political turmoil and the Red Army's unarmed combat preparations is an incredible story of survival and endurance.  Two Russian martial artists, namely Viktor Spiridonov and Vasili Oshchepkov who were both recognized sports [...]

Anne-Marie was born in East Tilbury, Essex, England, to an English mother and Irish father, and although there's nothing particularly remarkable about that, the principles and discipline she adopted into her lifestyle from Shotokan Karate was–in her own words–"all she needed for her music career to be successful." Today, Anne-Marie [...]

Inspired by the Roman Empire's Gladiators and what they ate at the time, James 'Lighting' Wilks, a seasoned martial artist and former UFC champion, was astonished by what he discovered. What had initially started out as just intrigue soon became a journey of revelation, which would eventually pave the way [...]

The English are known for many things but martial arts aren’t one of them. However, there is evidence to support the notion that MMA was the invention of an eminent English engineer's son. Typically, the English brought a sense of gentlemanly Edwardian etiquette to fighting, and in March 1899, Pearson's [...]

A substantial amount of archaeological and historical evidence has shown that the ancient Greeks celebrated and practiced combat sports that were remarkably similar to many of the fighting sports we watch and engage in today. Pammachon is considered a long lost cousin of today's modern combat arts. The Greeks considered [...]