Vovinam

Vovinam – Vietnamese Martial Arts Style

Vovinam is a Vietnamese martial arts. This style involves unarmed combat, grappling, weapons training (i.e. sword and staff), etc. This martial arts also uses forms (katas) such as Khai Mon Quyen, Tan Quyen and Thap Tu Quyen.

The name Vovinam is an abbreviation of the Vietnamese words – Vo (martial arts) and Vinam (Vietnam). Given Vietnamese emigration, this rapidly growing martial arts has spread from Vietnam to other countries such as France and the United States.

According to Vovinam Houston, “Vovinam Viet Vo Dao was founded by Master Nguyen Loc in 1938 and is based on both traditional Vietnamese martial arts as well as a combination of foreign martial arts. It can be considered a form of “mixed martial arts” due to the vast amount of techniques being taken and utilized more effectively from other martial arts. It is one of the most popular Vietnamese martial arts and is practiced on all continents… Often called simply Vovinam, Vovinam Viet Vo Dao uses a combination of holds and grips as well as kicking, chopping, elbowing and falling. Offensive movements often center around sending an opponent falling to the ground and keeping him pinned. More advanced techniques involve the use of some weapons such as the sword and the bo staff. A Vovinam Viet Vo Dao practitioner is constantly in motion, rolling with falls and always transforming stances so that the opponents have no idea what to expect next”.

Vovinam

References

  1. Vovinam Houston, http://vovinamhouston.org/, Added – 12/17/14