"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." - Sun Tzu, master strategist and author of "The Art of War", regarding the human warrior spirit.

The martial arts are a collection of combat systems, strategies, and philosophies stemming from ancient techniques of war. Almost all the martial arts were borne from the need to survive; Capoeira was the African slave's answer to enslavement by Porteugeuse colonists, while Kali evolved by Filipino natives to repel the Spanish conquistadors from invading their country.

In recent history when countries were taken over, the occupying countries tended to outlaw martial arts in order to prevent uprisings, creating a defenseless population. For this reason arts like Ninjitsu formed to make use of everyday items found in farms such as sickles, sticks, and home-made weapons such as the sickle on a chain, which could be used as a throwing weapon.

The world has evolved many different styles of martial arts, from the grappling arts of Judo and Jiu Jitsu, the striking styles of Karate and Muay Thai, to the weapons-based arts of Kendo and Iaido. We'll be exploring 10 of the most fascinating styles and their origins in today's top ten.