swap_horiz Kalarippayattu Alternatives

1

Muay Boran

Muay Boran is the ancient Thai martial art that served as the direct predecessor to modern Muay Thai, incorporating brut...

Traditional Ancient Striking Thai

8.3 Great

2

Muay Chaiya

Muay Chaiya is a regional style of Muay Boran originating in southern Thailand, heavily distinguished by its compact, de...

Traditional Defensive Striking Thai

8.3 Great

3

Pradal Serey

Pradal Serey is a Cambodian kickboxing style renowned for its emphasis on elbow strikes, closely related to the martial...

Traditional Striking Cambodian Elbows

8.0 Great

4

Arnis

Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima, is the national martial art of the Philippines, distinguished by its training meth...

Traditional Filipino Weapons Sticks

7.9 Good

5

Goju-ryu Karate

Goju-ryu is a major Okinawan karate style founded by Chojun Miyagi in 1930, distinguished by its combination of hard str...

Traditional Sport Striking Karate

7.7 Good

6

Uechi-ryu Karate

Uechi-ryu is a traditional Okinawan karate style founded by Kanbun Uechi in the early 20th century, notable for its emph...

Traditional Striking Karate Okinawan

7.5 Good

7

Shito-ryu Karate

Shito-ryu is an Okinawan karate style founded by Kenwa Mabuni in 1928, recognized for its extensive kata curriculum that...

Traditional Japanese Sport Striking

7.5 Good

8

Wado-ryu Karate

Wado-ryu is a Japanese karate style founded by Hironori Otsuka in 1934, notable for being one of the first pure styles t...

Traditional Japanese Sport Striking

7.4 Good

9

Tomoi

Tomoi is a Malaysian combat sport derived from Malay Peninsula traditions that closely mirrors Muay Thai, featuring punc...

Traditional Striking Southeast Asian Malaysian

7.2 Good

10

Kushti

Kushti is a traditional form of mud wrestling practiced in India where athletes train in specific dirt pits called akhar...

Indian Traditional Grappling Wrestling

7.2 Good

11

Pehlwani

Pehlwani is a South Asian combat sport heavily influenced by Persian Varzesh-e Pahlavani, combining traditional grapplin...

Indian Traditional South Asian Grappling

7.2 Good

12

Taekkyeon

Taekkyeon is a traditional Korean martial art recognized by UNESCO, notable for its fluid, dance-like footwork and sweep...

Korean Traditional Striking Fluid

7.1 Good

13

Dambe

Dambe is a traditional Nigerian martial art historically practiced by the Hausa people, characterized by a single heavil...

Traditional Striking Bareknuckle West African

7.0 Good

14

Nguni Stick Fighting

Nguni Stick Fighting is a traditional South African martial art practiced by Zulu youth, notable for its use of two stic...

Combat Traditional Zulu Stick

6.7 Fair

15

Adimurai

Adimurai is an Indian martial art from Tamil Nadu that emphasizes empty-hand combat and strikes to vital pressure points...

Indian Traditional Striking Tamil

6.2 Fair

16

Bando

Bando is a Burmese martial art emphasizing unarmed defense and animal-inspired striking techniques, which was formally s...

Traditional Striking Grappling Weapons

6.0 Fair

17

Vo Co Truyen

Vo Co Truyen means traditional Vietnamese martial arts, a broad family of regional schools with shared forms, weapons, a...

Combat Traditional Vietnamese Striking

5.9 Mediocre

18

Angampora

Angampora is a traditional Sri Lankan martial art combining unarmed combat, weaponry, and pressure point strikes, famous...

Traditional Striking Grappling Weapons

5.8 Mediocre

19

Musti Yuddha

Musti Yuddha is a traditional South Asian unarmed combat sport, particularly from Varanasi, India, characterized by figh...

Indian Traditional Boxing Ancient

4.5 Poor

20

Varma Kalai

Varma Kalai is an ancient Indian martial art originating in Tamil Nadu, distinguished by its focus on attacking vital pr...

Indian Traditional Striking Tamil

4.0 Poor