Combat SportsMost of these sports are derived from genuine forms of combat but have been transformed into disciplines with the element of danger reduced to a minimum. They are mostly performed between 2 competitors who try to score points rather than to hurt the opponent.Combat sports include e.g. fencing, boxing, wrestling, plus martial arts.

BoxingBoxing is a combat sport in which two fighters hit each other using only their fists while wearing a pair of big puffy gloves! This sport isn't just about how tough you are, it requires brains and skill too. The fight takes place in a ring, which is actually a square! Boxers get points for every punch landed successfully.

Guide to punching:

The Jab The jab is the most important punch because it operates in the shortest distance between yourself and the opponent. It can be used as a form of attack or defence and once you have a beautiful jab, you can control a fight. Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali and Thomas Hearns all had great jabs.

The Hook It is quite difficult to learn the hook because you have to arch and turn your body into the shot. But it comes out of your line of vision, and done properly, you can’t see it coming. Evander Holyfield had a good left hook, as did Julio Cesar Chavez and Mexican fighters generally love the left hook to the body.

The Cross The cross is used as a form of attack but it can be used as a counter to stop your opponent coming forward. Or as a powerpunch to take control of a fight. One of the greatest exponents of this punch was Alexis Arguello. And in his heyday, Mike Tyson could deliver a fearsome cross.

The Uppercut You bring the uppercut up and it comes underneath your opponent’s jaw, who can’t see it coming and it does look very dramatic. It is a dangerous punch because when you throw it, you do leave yourself open

The Block

A block belongs to defence techniques. There are different types of defence - a fighter like Mike Tyson uses his attack as defence. Good boxers use lateral movement - good hand and foot movement and sharp reflexes. Old school fighters like Roberto Duran just used to slip punches and he would make people miss by the smallest of margins.

Boxing styles

Punchers Punchers are very powerful and are always in exciting fights because they have the ability to turn a fight around with one punch. Good punchers were Tommy Hearns and Mike Tyson when he was younger.

Boxers/punchersThese stylish fighters are well schooled and can do a bit of everything. They are the hardest kind of men to fight. Perhaps the most famous was Ray Robinson, who had everything - a good boxing brain, good power, good skill and could take a punch.

Defensive boxers A pure boxer is someone like Herol Graham, who could hit hard but would generally wear you down. If you do something well enough over a period of time and you just go chip, chip, chip, eventually the opponent comes tumbling down. There are not too many purely defensive boxers.

FencingFencing is sword fighting, where you get points every time you touch your opponent with your sword. There are special moves for attack and defence, all with French names. The first one to 15 points wins and protective clothing makes sure there are no nasty stabbing incidents.

Sumo wrestlingIn sumo wrestling, two fighters enter a ring, face each other and then try and throw each other out of the ring or onto the floor. Possibly the maddest sport of all, sumo comes from ancient Japan and is still hugely popular today. Before wrestling, the wrestlers jump up and down a bit to scare each other and then bow!

WrestlingWrestling is a combat sport in which two fighters have to use a series of throws, holds and groundwork to score points.

The match takes place over two rounds of two minutes and the first one to get 10 points is the winner.

Martial Arts

AikidoAikido is a brilliant Japanese sport where you defend yourself using dodging, twisting and throwing. All the moves look pretty cool - you make lots of circles and can even get to use a wooden sword. There's no actual fighting in competitions, but if you've got good moves you can enter freestyle tournaments.

Jiu JitsuA Japanese martial art that involves throwing, punching, blocking, kicking and striking an opponent. It was used by Japanese ninja and samurai in ancient times. Some moves can bring down an opponent simply by pressing a certain point on their body!

JudoThe word judo actually translates as 'gentle way', but this Japanese martial art is anything but! It involves lots of holding and wrestling, plus throws with names like 'mountain storm' and 'flying scissors'. Judges give you points for your throws or you can win by holding your opponent on the ground for 25 seconds.

KarateIn this martial art you get to use your hands and feet as weapons rather than, say, a great big stick! You get to use blocks, strikes and throws and score points depending on how good your moves are. In karate the colour of your belt changes as you get better. You start with white and end up with black.

KendoThis sport gives you the opportunity to fight with a sword. Well, a stick that looks like sword. To win a fight you must score points by hitting your opponent on the head, the arm, the chest or the throat.

Kick boxingIn a kick boxing fight you score points by using your hands and feet to strike an opponent. This means you have to be doubly careful - a blow could come from anywhere! Fights last for three to 12 rounds and the boxer with the most points at the end is the winner.

Kung FuIn this Chinese sport you get points by punching, kicking and holding your opponents. The better you become, the cooler colour belt you get to wear! The different styles of kung fu are based on the actions of animals, such as the dragon, tiger and snake.

Tae Kwon DoTae Kwon Do is a sport for self-defence. Unlike other martial arts, most of the blows are made with the feet not the hands. Invented in Korea, this sport is famous for its flying kicks - some fighters jump up to two and a half metres in the air! In competition you strike opponents above the waist, with points scored for clean hits.

Vocabulary:Tumble – falling to the groundStab – to hurt someone by pushing a knife or other sharp object into their bodyDodge – to avoid someone or something by moving quickly

Czech equivalents of some boxing terms:The jab – krátký přímý úderThe hook – hákThe cross – kros, křížový úderThe uppercut- zvedákThe block – blok, blokováníPuncher – ranař

Topics for discussion:Do you ever watch boxing, wrestling or other similar sports on TV? Why? Why not? What is your attitude towards them? Do you practise any?Explain the term knock out.

Feedback:Where are the roots of combat sports?Where do most of martial arts originate? Why?