Duration: 1st April – 30th June 2019
Number of books: 15
Hosted by:Crazy Challenge Connection

I have a child who is very active. He can focus for a good amount of time when playing with Legos or reading books, but he doesn’t have the same discipline for doing anything else. So, I’ve been trying to get him interested in martial arts classes. I look at these classes not as self-defense lessons, but primarily as something that will help him focus. We’ve settled on Karate, but we did look at a couple of other forms also, and I thought it would make a good challenge. Here are 15. To finish, read a book for each martial art.

Information from sportsaspire.com.

1. Aikido: ‘Ai’ means harmony, ‘ki’ means spirit, and ‘do’ means way in Japanese. Founder Morihei Ueshiba developed this fighting style by combining his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Unlike most other martial arts, the central principle of Aikido is to allow practitioners to defend themselves, while at the same time prevent their attackers from being seriously injured.
👊 Read a book about philosophy or religion -or- read a book whose author’s first or last name begins with a U. – Laughing All the Way to the Mosque by Zarqa Nawaz

2. Arnis: Arnis is a fighting style developed in the Philippines by its inhabitants as a means of self-preservation against invaders and in local conflicts. In this martial art form, weapons like knives, swords, and rattan sticks are used, along with blocking, footwork, and disarming maneuvers to overpower an opponent.
👊 Read a book where a group of people defend themselves from an invading force -or- read a book whose cover shows a knife or a sword (post the cover). – The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

3. Boxing: This is one of the most natural forms of fighting known to man. In boxing, hands are curled into fists and are used to throw punches. Hands are also used to shield the face and neck against attacks. Though a boxer solely uses his hands for fighting, he needs to train his legs also in order to achieve greater balance, speed, and agility. Professional boxing events brutally test a boxer’s strength, stamina, and reflexes, along with his willpower. 
👊 Read a book whose cover shows hands but no feet (post the cover) -or- read a book with a word in the title which ends with an X. – High Stakes by Erin McCarthy

4. Capoeira: This art originated in Brazil during the 19th century among the African slaves. Drums and other musical instruments are used to create a rhythm by which this art is practiced. Capoeira constitutes various elements from dance and acrobatics, and is known for its rapid and complex moves that include a variety of kicks and spins. It relies on the practitioner’s speed and power to take down an opponent.
👊 Read a book in which slavery of some form exists -or- read a book whose cover shows someone in movement (bonus for dancing, post the cover). – The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence

5. Gatka: Gatka is a south Asian martial art that has its origins in northern India in what is now Pakistan. It was mainly practiced by the Punjabi Sikhs. Gatka is a weapon-based combat training, which mainly focuses on training one to use swords and shields. Its techniques are effective for both offense and defense. Gatka is spectacular to watch. 
👊 Read a book with something that covers hair on the cover (scarf, turban, hat etc., post the cover) -or- read a book that you think will make a great movie. – Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle

6. Judo: The name Judo means the ‘gentle way’. This art was developed in Japan by Jigoro Kano in the late nineteenth century. Judo is an unarmed martial art derived from Jujitsu. It trains the practitioner in the use of different holds and grappling techniques to quickly unbalance an opponent, making him fall down, where a joint-lock or a choke is employed in order to get him to submit.
👊 Read a book with a gentle character -or- listen to an audiobook whose narrator has a gentle voice. – The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

7. Jujitsu: Jujitsu is one of the most ancient martial art forms; it is more than 2,500 years old. It was originally developed as a means of self-defense against armored opponents, such as the Samurai warriors of the time, on whom punches and kicks were ineffective. This technique therefore emphasizes locks, throws, and other defensive techniques to unbalance the opponent and bring him to the ground. 
👊 Read a book set in ancient civilizations (for the purpose of this task, set before 10th century AD) -or- read a book with a piece of armor on the cover (post the cover). – Circe by Madeline Miller (Ancient Greece)

8. Kalaripayattu: Kalaripayattu is an Indian martial art, widely considered to be the oldest fighting system in existence. It is now chiefly practiced in the Indian state of Kerala. This martial art form utilizes strikes, kicks, jumps, grappling, and other complex maneuvers. It also includes training in the use of weapons and healing methods.
👊 Read a book set in India -or- read a book with a healer or a doctor (they don’t need to be a main character, but they should be important).

9. Karate: The term Karate means ’empty handed’ in Japanese. Master Gichin Funakoshi is widely credited for introducing and popularizing it in the main islands of Japan. Karate borrows from different Chinese martial arts, and is an unarmed combat system that relies on using the hands and feet to deliver and defend against punches and kicks.
👊 Read a book whose title begins with a letter in KARATE (Ignore A, An and The) -or- read a book set in Japan. – Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

10. Krav Maga: The birthplace of this art is Israel. However, owing to its effectiveness, military units and police forces have been practicing it all over the world. Krav Maga is a form of self-defense which teaches one to use reflexive responses to get through threatening situations. In it, defending against both unarmed as well as armed opponents is taught. It also has several drills and exercise routines to build stamina and strengthen the muscles.
👊 Read a book with Jewish characters (bonus if they’re Israeli) -or- read a long book (>600 pages).

11. Kung Fu: The term Kung Fu means ‘a skill or ability to do something’. It is also referred to as ‘Wushu’. This martial art is believed to have been created by the monks of the Shaolin Temple in China. Kung Fu focuses on the development of external strength: muscles, ligaments, and tendons; as well as internal strength: mental focus and chi manipulation. It includes both bare-handed fighting techniques and the effective use of rudimentary weapons.
👊 Read a book with a main character who is really good at something (art, music, craft etc. tell us what it is) -or- read a book with a monk in it (bonus for a Buddhist monk!) – Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne (climbing and thievery)

12. Muay Thai: This is the national sport of Thailand. It is known as the science of 8 limbs, because it has 8 striking points as opposed to 2 in boxing and 4 in other traditional arts. Muay Thai fighters can employ knees, elbows, feet, shins, and fists to strike the opponent. It works well for both normal and close-range combats.
👊 Read a book with an 8 in the year it was first published (tell us the year) -or- read a book with a nationality in the title. – I Am Heatchliff curated by Kate Mosse (2018)

13. Sambo: Sambo is short for “samozashchita bez oruzhiya”. In Russian, it implies ‘self-defense without weapons’. It is a relatively modern form of martial art, having been first brought into practice in the 1920s by the Soviet Red Army as a means to improve their hand-to-hand combat skills. Along with powerful strikes and blows; it also teaches throwing, groundwork, and submission techniques. 
👊 Read a book set in Russia -or- read a book in which every word of the title begins with a letter in SAMOZASHCHITABEZORUZHIYA (3 words minimum, all words count). – In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall

14. Sumo: Sumo is a full contact Japanese martial art, which has a history spanning centuries. It is basically a test of strength, wherein one wrestler tries to force another outside the bounds of a circular ring, or make him touch the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet. Traditionally, sumo wrestlers are required to live together in sumo training stables, where all the aspects of their daily lives are governed according to the strict set of rules laid down by The Japan Sumo Association. 
👊 Read a book set in a hotel/dorm/boarding school/some place where unrelated people stay together (tell us where the book is set) -or- read a book whose cover shows a human body not touching a flat surface (post the cover). – Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy (casino / hotel)

15. Tae-Kwon-Do: The phrase Tae kwon do means ‘the way of hand and foot’ in Korean. It is a Korean martial art that borrows from Okinawan karate, Chinese martial arts, and ancient traditional Korean combat arts of taekkyeon and gwonbeop. It is a form of unarmed self-defense system, wherein the emphasis is on potent kicks, rather than on hand strikes.
👊 Read a book set in a location that begins with a letter in KOREA (tell us where the book is set) -or- read a book with a punctuation mark in the title. – Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Ohio)