Book excerpt: Martial arts are extremely popular today, and teens will be captivated by the history of the fighting sports. This volume takes a look at kung fu and tai chi chuan in China; the practices of the Japanese samurai warriors as well as jujitsu, judo, sumo, and karate; and the global rise of martial arts from muay Thai in Thailand and capoeira in Brazil to the Mixed Martial Arts that are now so widespread in the United States. Legendary and contemporary fighters are profiled, including Yue Fei, Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Randy Couture, B. J. Penn, Ronda Rousey, and Anderson Silva.