martial art - any of several Oriental arts of weaponless self-defense; usually practiced as a sport; "he had a black belt in the martial arts"aikido - a Japanese martial art employing principles similar to judo judo - a sport adapted from jujitsu (using principles of not resisting) and similar to wrestling; developed in Japan jiujitsu, jujitsu, jujutsu - a method of self-defense without weapons that was developed in China and Japan; holds and blows are supplemented by clever use of the attacker's own weight and strength ninjitsu, ninjutsu - the traditional Japanese method of espionage; involves stealthy movements and the use of camouflage karate - a traditional Japanese system of unarmed combat; sharp blows and kicks are given to pressure-sensitive points on the body of the opponent Kung Fu - a Chinese martial art; combines principles of karate and judo |