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Now, as we probably all know, the East is famous for its long and surviving hand to hand combat traditions. Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Karate, Jujitsu, Thai Kwon Do, and hundreds of other styles evolved and flourished there.

However, in the West (Europe and the rest of the Mediterranean Basin), there has not been so much. All that we have nowadays is Boxing and Wrestling. Pankration used to be very popular in Ancient Greece, but so far as I know, this is the end of Western Martial Arts. Other styles of hand to hand combat in the West never evolved.

So, how can we create some martial arts in the West focusing on hand to hand combat? What areas would be best suited for them? How would they come about? What might they look like?

One scenario I was thinking of would be if after one of Ireland's many rebellions against the British, the British made it illegal for an Irishman to own weapons (kind of like what Japan did to Okinawa, leading to the rise of Karate).

So, what do y'all think, and what are some other possibilities?
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