List of the martial arts that use weapons

When it comes to martial arts, some are based on hand-to-hand combat, whilst others involve weapons. Some of these arts exclusively use weapons, whilst others have a crossover with hand-fighting. However, this guide should give you a comprehensive list of what martial arts styles actually use weapons.

Remember, using weapons in a street fight is not encouraged unless you are literally fighting to survive in terms of self-defense. For legal reasons, using weapons can be problematic due to the possible fatal outcomes. Anyway, for those wanting to learn martial arts that involve the use of weapons, look no further…

In total there are 15 main martial arts that focus on weapons. We should note that some of these martial arts have crossover arts, which we have not included. For instance, Kendo is quite similar to Kenjutsu. However, we haven’t mentioned Kenjutsu as it is very obscure compared to Kendo. Similarly, we’ve decided not to mention military or combative training as otherwise, the list would be too high. With this said, the total number of martial arts that use weapons is even higher.

This number gets bigger if we add other martial arts that don’t exclusively use weapons too. For instance, the likes of Vovinam could have easily made the list as it often uses weapons. Ninjutsu, Aikido, and Hapkido also feature weapons, as well as others. Nonetheless, as weapons aren’t always the main focus of these arts, we’ve chosen not to feature them.

Fencing

Fencing began in the 14th century and has origins dating back to Italy. Although some do not regard this as a martial art, it should be considered one as like other forms of defense on this list. In terms of style, it is fairly similar to Kendo. Fencing uses short, slim swords and focuses on jabbing the body of the opponent.

Kendo

Kendo is a Japanese martial art that involves striking the opponent with a large stick. These strikes cannot be jabs, and instead must be hit by swinging. The wooden stick is called a shinai. Thanks to the protective wear whilst training Kendo, it is very difficult to get hurt. The idea of Kendo was to originally replicate the Samurai swords.

Eskrima

Also known as Kali or Arnis, Eskrima is a Filipino martial art. By today’s standards, it is considered as one of the leading martial arts in terms of knife fighting. According to some, it is as realistic as it gets without using literal knives. Often, practitioners will train by using wooden sticks or plastic knives.

Okinawan Kobudo

A lot of these weapons can be found in some forms of Karate and other martial arts. The origins of Okinawan Kobudo came from the region in Japan which had weapons banned. To get around this, peasant farmers used their farming tools as weapons such as the scythe. This is why many of the weapons used replicate those found in farming communities.

Tahtib

Tahtib originates from Egypt and involves the use of stick fighting. These are typically large, wooden sticks. Although this martial art is relatively obscure by today’s terms, it is still practiced in some circles. Often the reason for this is mostly cultural and traditional, rather than practical reasons.

Toyama Ryu

This martial art comes from Japan and is based on striking and slicing by using a katana sword. Often, this involves practicing on wooden poles with the intention to slice completely through the wood. Because of this, those who are experienced in Toyama Ryu are thought of as highly skilled when it comes to handling swords. Like Kendo, it has origins in the Samurai. However, as this uses real swords, sparring is quite rare.

Silat

Silat originates from Indonesia and has a similar reputation that compares to Eskrima. That is, it is still relatively common today and hasn’t faded into obscurity. Silat often uses swords, knives, and poles to train with. It can also teach fighting skills without weapons, however for the most part people think of Silat as involving weapons.

Kalaripayattu

This is an ancient Indian martial art that uses a sword and shield. Interestingly, most martial arts don’t use shields too often. Often, Kalaripayattu also focuses on athleticism, with this said – it’s not too uncommon to see its practitioners jumping and flying through the air whilst training.

Silambam

Silambam is another Indian martial art that is again, ancient. The idea of Silambam is that it uses long, wooden poles or spears. This not only focuses on striking with the poles, but also how to defend with them. The earliest origins of Silambam date back to 400 BC.

Angampora

This is a similar martial art to Kalaripayattu and is from Sri Lanka, an island off India. Like Kalaripayattu, it uses swords and shields and is very similar. Unlike Kalaripayattu, it also has an emphasis on grappling if the weapons are not involved. This is an example of one martial art spreading to a local area and changing slightly.

Jodo

Not to be confused with Judo, Jodo is a martial art that focuses specifically on the Jo. The Jo is a long, thin wooden pole that is commonly used in other martial arts such as Aikido. It has similar rules to Kendo, but most practitioners do not spar with the armor. Because of this, sparring is often done in a very light way, or not at all.

Haidong Gumdo

This is a Korean sword-fighting martial art that has hard and soft practices. It usually involves katana swords, but can also be trained by using a bokken. This is a very ceremonial martial art, meaning it isn’t used as much for self-defense reasons. Like many of the Korean martial arts, Haidong Gumdo is relatively new in terms of its history.

Gatka

Another Indian, martial art, Gatka is yet again similar to Kalaripayattu. Originating from the Punjab region, Gatka has similar swords, but can also be trained without the shield. Sometimes, practitioners will also hold two swords at the same time. Unlike Kalaripayattu, Gatka is often practiced by wearing a traditional outfit, whereas Kalaripayattu is often done shirtless.

Iaido

Iadio is a Japanese martial art that once again involves a katana. The idea of Iaido is to be able to draw your sword as quickly as possible. This means a large emphasis of the training is placed on quickly being able to draw your sword. In the times of the Samurai, this would have been an invaluable skill to possess, and could literally be the difference between life and death. This is similar to Iaijitsu.

Krabi Krabong

Originating from Thailand, the idea of Krabi Krabong is to be able to fight whilst yielding two swords. These are medium-sized, and training focuses on both attack and defense. Although it does feature other weapons, usually two Darb Thai swords are the most commonly used. It was also trained by ex-royal guards at one time.