What martial arts does Catwoman know?

Also known as Selina Kyle, Catwoman is a villain in the Batman and DC Comics universe. She is known for transforming into Catwoman after suffering from a mental breakdown. After this, her personality became more feline and she also used the physical attributes of cats too. Of course, it would always be tough to beat someone as agile as a cat in real life, but it turns out that like many in the superhero world, she also has a background in martial arts.

Not only this but when it comes to certain martial arts, Catwoman is actually very skilled and a tough opponent for even the likes of Batman. Here’s a list of the martial arts that Catwoman uses (for the record, we won’t be mentioning that Halle Berry portrayal of Catwoman either)

Catwoman knows Karate

In Batman: Year One, it’s revealed that Catwoman is trained in Karate. In fact, Batman even says that it’s ‘all she’s trained in’. Of course, since then a few more revelations have been revealed about her fighting repertoire. Here, it’s said that Catwoman was taught Karate by Wildcat, who is also known as Ted Grant.

Although Wildcat is mostly known for his boxing skills in the comics, he’s meant to be very skilled in a number of martial arts. There’s also an obvious link between their skills and names as well as image, so it’s not too surprising that he taught her Karate. As Wildcat would often go on to fight Batman, it also makes logical sense that he would teach Batman’s rival how to fight, in order to make his life more difficult. Throughout many of her fight scenes, she can be seen using Karate style kicks.

Catwoman knows the Chain Whip

Technically, the Chain Whip isn’t a standalone martial art. However, it is featured in Chinese Wushu alongside plenty of other weapons. As it happens, Catwoman often uses a leather whip but the principle of using a whip as a weapon remains the same. It turns out that once again, this was taught to her by Wildcat after she fought Batman.

As you may have figured at this point, Wildcat is actually responsible for a lot of Catwoman’s martial arts skills. Having said this, throughout the years he has actually taught plenty of people martial arts within the DC universe. Obviously, the whip is commonly associated with Catwoman who can be considered a master when using it. Although it may look stylish, learning how to use a whip as a weapon is no easy feat and can take years to learn. It’s also a very unorthodox weapon to come across from a defensive standpoint.

Catwoman knows Fencing

In one particular scene where Catwoman fights Two Face, we also see that she is highly skilled in the art of fencing. During a battle in a manor house, Catwoman easily defeats Two Face before fleeing. Whilst in the heat of combat, Two Face looks pretty stressed whereas Catwoman treats it like a game.

She even jokes in between slashing him which proves her superior level of fighting compared to Two Face. Due to her cat-like speed and agility, arming Catwoman with a fencing sword would make her incredibly dangerous. As seen with Two Face, she runs circles around him and is literally too quick for him. The technical speed of your feet is also a big deal in fencing, so it’s arguably the perfect martial art for Catwoman to learn.

Catwoman knows Capoeira

Talking of playing to her strengths, Catwoman is also well versed in Capoeira. It makes sense that Catwoman would know Capoeira too, considering she’s incredibly athletic from her acrobatics days. This is a Brazilian martial art that involves great athleticism to pull off and relies on speed, flexibility, and technique. Her use of Capoeira is mostly seen in the movies, where she can pull off incredibly slick spinning kicks whilst in mid-air.

This is yet another example of Catwoman practicing a martial art that works around her body type. Instead of using something like Judo which wouldn’t suit her, she instead uses something based on speed and being agile. Whilst she may not be the strongest fighter in Gotham, she can definitely cause damage and uses Capoeira to hit without getting hit. Imagine trying to fight someone with the speed and ferocity of a cat. The result is that she is a tremendously clever and tricky fighter.

Conclusion

When looking at all of this together, Catwoman’s fighting style is a mixture of speed-based martial arts, as well as using certain types of weapons. It’s clear that she is not exactly a grappler either or a heavy puncher. However, due to her physique, this was always going to be the case and she uses her body type quite well overall.

In summary, it’s fair to say that Catwoman is a skilled fighter, and a very tricky opponent at that. Due to her immense speed and crazy amount of heart during battle, she is trouble for most superheroes and would easily be able to defeat the average male. As a result, Catwoman can be considered a solid martial artist who may not know a broad amount of disciplines but is very good at the stuff she does know.