What martial arts does Black Widow use?

Black Widow is one of few superheroes that doesn’t actually have superpowers. Instead, she was trained in the ‘red room’ which was a Soviet Russian training room. Here, she was extensively trained in espionage and combat training which is where she got her nickname of ‘Black Widow’ from, due to being incredibly dangerous. Also known as Natasha Romanoff, she has a versatile skill set both in physical fighting as well as mental warfare.

Perhaps what’s most interesting about Black Widow though is her reliance on these skills which need to be perfect for her survival. Remember, she isn’t immortal like Wolverine, nor does she have super strength or speed. As a result, she must rely only on human skills which is why she’s so proficient when it comes to martial arts. Read on for more information.

Black Widow knows Japanese style pro wrestling

Although Japanese pro wrestling is not technically a martial art, it did go on to inspire Catch wrestling which certainly is a martial art. In short, Black Widow is incredibly agile and athletic which comes from her background in dancing and acrobatics. This results in her being able to pull off crazy moves that are seen in Japanese pro wrestling.

For instance, in some scenes, she uses huricanrannas and head scissors throws that rely on wrapping her legs around the head of her opponents and twisting until they’re taken down or suffer a broken neck. This sort of stuff is specifically meant for Hollywood as it isn’t realistic. Nonetheless, it makes for good viewing and certainly looks the part. The result is that Romanoff probably wouldn’t need Judo or wrestling if she was this good with her throws as her legs would do all of the work instead.

Black Widow knows Capoeira

Capoeira is a legit martial art, which also requires great flexibility and athleticism for certain moves. This is possibly why Black Widow relies on it, as it plays to her strengths. This means she uses certain kicks and spins in mid-air to knockout her opponents and enemies. Again, this may be inspired by her background and Capoeira may not work for certain body types.

Again, this is also something that looks particularly good in terms of appeasing cinema goers. Having said this, if you are good at Capoeira then it can be quite a dangerous skill. Interestingly, Capoeira originated from dancing which is one of Black Widow’s main hobbies.

Black Widow knows Muay Thai

Natasha Romanoff isn’t afraid to use her knees and elbows too, which are a clear sign of her training Muay Thai at some point. You could assume that this was taught to her in the red room as part of her combat skills. If Black Widow is fighting enemies that get up close then she will engage in a Thai clinch which means putting her hands on the back of their head.

Then, she will thrust knees into their chin and use glancing elbows. Once more, this is partly reliant on her flexibility to bring her knees up to a certain point. You could say that Black Widow is a pretty smart fighter with this in mind.

Black Widow knows Eskrima

It’s no secret that Black Widow is highly skilled in the Filipino art of Eskrima and Kali. This is a form of stick fighting that often uses smaller sticks both defensively and offensively. She is seen using electro shock batons which as the name suggests, combine a traditional baton with electricity to shock and subdue her enemies.

In one scene, she also uses dual nightsticks as well. Basically, if Black Widow is armed then you’re in trouble. As usual, she also relies on her speed with her Eskrima skills. This is a different type of speed though which is usually done by quick hands and arm movements, rather than with her feet.

Black Widow knows Krav Maga

It makes sense that Black Widow is also well versed in the Israeli art of Krav Maga. This is used when fighting armed enemies and especially those wielding pistols. Once up close, Black Widow uses her Krav Maga skills to disarm firearms and turn these weapons on her enemies. Unsurprisingly, as she’s a trained weapons specialist, she faces off against lots of armed enemies, especially when infiltrating buildings.

With this in mind, it’s important for her to be able to disarm weapons that could otherwise result in her death. Krav Maga is also great for fighting dirty and has other options such as eye gouging and biting which are useful in certain situations.

Black Widow knows Karate and Taekwondo

Lastly, Black Widow also uses a mixture of Karate and Taekwondo when fighting, especially from distance. If she can get up close then her wrestling, Krav Maga and Muay Thai skills are effective. However, she also needs options from range. This is where Karate and TKD come in handy as they offer long-range kicks and punches as well as good defensive stances and footwork.

These martial arts are also useful against multiple attackers, as it means she can fend off more than one opponent and use her quick feet to her advantage. Once more, these martial arts also look stylish on the big screen.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, Black Widow is a highly skilled martial artist. This isn’t a surprise either as you won’t last very long in the spy business if you’re incompetent. As a result, her fearsome reputation and nickname have spawned from her effective combat skills. Perhaps the biggest strengths of Black Widow are drawing upon her athletic dancing background which brings balance and speed into her martial arts. For example, her Capoeira is enhanced by her light feet, whilst her wrestling moves are also reliant on her dynamic movements. These would simply be less effective without her athletic background.

Overall, it’s fair to say that Black Widow is both highly skilled in close and distance martial arts and has a variety of skills. Whilst some of her techniques may have been created for the big screen and lack realism, there are also enough moves and disciplines in there that actually work. Combined with a high fight IQ and years of mental and physical training, the result is that Black Widow is very worthy of her nickname