Sports
India's traditional martial arts
Most families know karate and taekwondo. Far fewer know that India has its own martial traditions, some of them among the oldest documented anywhere, and a handful of teachers now teach them in the United States.
Kalaripayattu
From Kerala, Kalaripayattu is frequently described as one of the oldest surviving martial arts in the world. It is practiced in a kalari, traditionally a sunken earthen pit, and training progresses through clear stages.
Students begin with meithari, body conditioning sequences that build the extraordinary flexibility the art is known for, including deep lunges, high kicks, and jumps. Then come kolthari with wooden weapons, angathari with metal weapons including the flexible urumi sword, and finally verumkai, bare-handed combat.
It is also connected to marma, the study of vital points, and to a tradition of massage and healing. Many teachers treat the physical and the therapeutic as inseparable.
Silambam
Silambam is the Tamil staff art, fought with a bamboo stave usually around the practitioner's own height. It is fast, circular, and visually striking, built on footwork patterns and spinning strikes that flow continuously.
Because the weapon is simple and cheap, it is an accessible starting point, and the footwork translates well to other arts. It has deep roots in Tamil Nadu and features in Sangam-era literature.
Gatka
Gatka is the Sikh martial art of the Punjab, practiced with wooden sticks called soti paired with a small shield, and at advanced levels with the sword. It is closely associated with the Nihang tradition and is performed publicly at Vaisakhi and Hola Mohalla.
For Punjabi families it carries real cultural weight beyond the physical training, and it is often taught through gurdwaras rather than commercial studios.
Mallakhamb and kushti
Mallakhamb is not a combat art but belongs in the same family of traditional Indian physical disciplines. Practitioners perform gymnastic poses on a vertical wooden pole or a hanging rope, building extraordinary core strength and grip. It originated in Maharashtra as conditioning for wrestlers.
Kushti, or pehlwani, is the traditional wrestling practiced in earthen pits called akhadas, with a training culture built around diet, discipline, and communal living. It is rarely taught in its traditional form outside India, though the wrestling itself maps closely onto modern freestyle.
What to know before enrolling
Availability is the honest constraint. These arts are taught by a small number of dedicated teachers in the United States, often one per metro if that. If you find one, treat it as a genuine opportunity.
Ask about the surface, since Kalaripayattu traditionally trains on earth and a hard floor changes the risk profile of the jumps and falls. Ask what age the teacher starts weapons work, which is usually well after a foundation of body conditioning.
Ask about lineage too. These traditions pass through named teachers, and a serious instructor will tell you exactly where their training comes from.
Ages and physical demands
Most teachers start children around age seven or eight with conditioning sequences only. The flexibility demands of Kalaripayattu in particular are substantial, and children generally develop them far more easily than adults.
Adults can absolutely start, though they should expect the conditioning phase to be longer and the flexibility to come slowly. Silambam and Gatka tend to be more forgiving entry points for an adult beginner than Kalaripayattu.
Common questions
- What is the oldest Indian martial art?
- Kalaripayattu from Kerala is frequently described as one of the oldest surviving martial arts in the world. Training progresses from body conditioning through wooden weapons and metal weapons to bare-handed combat.
- What age can kids start Kalaripayattu or Silambam?
- Most teachers begin children around age seven or eight with body conditioning sequences only, introducing weapons work considerably later once a foundation is established.
- Can you learn Indian martial arts in the US?
- Yes, but availability is limited. Kalaripayattu, Silambam, Gatka, and Mallakhamb are each taught by a small number of teachers, often only one per metro. Gatka in particular is frequently taught through gurdwaras rather than commercial studios.