Fighting Styles are systems of combat or approaches to battle; forms. They are either Taijutsu or strategy and tactics. In Taijutsu or Ninjutsu, different fighting styles are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for physical education, exercise and combat.
Taijutsu Styles
For example, the taijutsu style known as Strong Fist is a both an 'External' style and a 'Hard' style martial art:
- An 'External' martial arts style is a fighting style which is characterized by the focus on fast, explosive movements and developing the practitioner's physical strength and agility. Training regimes for external styles focus around the practitioner's muscular power, speed and application, developing their muscle memory, building up to the desired 'hard' physical level for real combat. Flashback's of Rock Lee show him training rigorously for hours doing exercises such as punching and kicking a hard, wooden training post, hundreds of squats, as well as cardiovascular exercises such as skipping with a jump rope.
- A 'Hard' martial arts style is a fighting style which is characterized by its approach by intercepting and countering an opponent's incoming force with equal and/or greater force: In these styles, the practitioner either directly blocks the incoming attack with an attack of their own of head-on force or by cutting through the attack at an angle with one's own force. These styles rely more on one's external power; in the case of a Strong Fist practitioner, its the user's superior strength and physical conditioning, that brings success. The practitioner fights head-on offensively, and their offense becomes their defense.
Another example of a fighting style is the Taijutsu style known as Gentle Fist, which is a both an 'Internal' style and a 'Soft' style martial art:
- An 'Internal' martial arts style is a fighting style which is characterized by its emphasis on the use of the practitioner's mind to coordinate the leverage of the relaxed body, (as opposed to the use of brute strength,) and the internal development, circulation, and expression of their chakra. A practitioner of a internal style understands that an opponent is only as strong as their weakest joint. Training regimes for internal styles include meditation and exercising control over their internal chakra flow.
- A 'Soft' martial arts style is a fighting style is characterized by its approach by receiving the aggressor's force and momentum and turning it against him by leading the attack in another direction. In these styles, the user seeks to turn their opponents own strength against them, to bring them off-balance, diffusing the energy of the incoming attack, and, in the case of the Gentle Fist, to take them down from the inside. A 'soft' style is less about ones physical strength and more about ones internal power, in the case of of a Gentle Fist practitioner, its the user's superior chakra control and precision that brings success. This fighting style empathizes control and defense.
Combat Tactics
In Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, a fighting style also refers to an approach to fighting opponents. One example is Naruto Uzumaki's fighting style - as a 'power' type, Naruto's fighting style exemplifies raw power, charging straight in and clearing a path through the enemy's defensive line, making a way in for the rest of the team. Another example is Gaara's fighting style - as a 'stationary' type, Gaara makes use of his sand to reach his opponents and attack from a distance, using "catch and crush" tactics. The Aburame clan's approach to combat revolves around 'search and seizure' tactics, seeking out the opponent and restricting their movements to capture them dead or alive.
A "Supplementary" fighting style involves working in co-ordination with others to bring down enemy forces. an example of supplementary fighting formations in the series are the fighting formation used by both the former and the current Ino-Shika-Cho Trio.
Fighting styles are main divided into long-range, mid-range, and close-range fighters.