Competitive or sport based martial arts are combat inspired arts or styles designed to bring victory in several variants of a sporting arena (ring, cage, mat, etc.) Although some competitive martial artists may also train combatively, once they enter the arena and acknowledge the rules of the match, their battle skills must be restrained as the objective no longer becomes to slay or defend but to accomplish victory as it pertains to the rules (KO, TKO, Submission, Doctor Stoppage, “Throwing in the Towel,” judges’ decision, etc.). Competitive arts also solely focus on fighting a “fair” fight, meaning a one-on-one clash within a certain weight class. There are rounds, bells, referees, and varying degrees of mandatory protection depending on the event. Fitness and stamina is a major training component, and combat athletes are often some of the most finely conditioned of all. Victory is rewarded by ranking, money, title belts, etc. Popular styles that specialize in functioning within sporting rules include: Boxing, Wrestling, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Judo, San Da, Olympic Tae Kwon Do, any type of point Karate, or Gung-fu.

At UNITED COMBAT ARTS we do not offer classes specific to the objective of a sporting victory. We do however utilize competition disciplines and their training methods to further combative skill. We believe it essential for a combative martial artist to (as Sun Tzu explains in the last verse of Chapter 3 in his military treatise, The Art of War), to "know thy enemy," and understand the skills and objectives of all disciplines to overcome and prevail.