| what is martial arts? |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Sunday, 28 January 2007 14:04 |
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Die hard fans know what martial arts is but to the average person it might mean anything from karate or judo to tai kwon do, but martial arts is really codified practices and traditions of training for combat. Martial arts was shaped by East Asian philosophical conepts, mostly Zen Buddhism. The better known forms of martial arts include: karate, kung fu, tai kwon do, sumo wrestling, judo, aikido, tai chi chuan and kendo with kung fu and karate being the best known forms. All martial arts have a common goal and that is to defeat a person physically or to defend oneself from physical threat. Today however, martial arts may be practiced for many other reasons such as self-defense, meditation, self-discipline, self-esteem, confidence, combat or just for the sport itself Martial arts has alot of other dimensions as well. Spirituality, morality, health and fitness are just some. Traditional Chinese martial arts teaches acupuncture, acupressure and other Chinese medicines while Indian martial arts teaches traditional Indian medicine. This promotes the ideal of a healthy body, healthy mind. One common characteristic of martial arts is the systemization of fighting tecniques which are performed alone or with a partner and although martial arts is commonly associated with East Asia, many other cultures practice similar fighting techniques. The Hawaiians traditionally use joint manipulation in their martial arts while the French incorporated street fighting with high kicks into their martial arts and yet again, Brazil adopted the athletic movements developed by African slaves, into their martial arts which is called Capoeira. The master of martial arts (sensei) tries to instill moral values into children and provide guidance. The martial arts student looks up to his master in admiration while the master demands nothing less than perfection from his student. Many martial arts also require those who achieve a black belt, to take an oath restricting the use of their skills which proves that people study martial arts for the wholeness of it, not just for the fighting. The development of martial arts can be largely attributed to military development but many of these techniques have been rendered obsolete. Nowadays, soldiers will more than likely come up against firearms and artillery rather than melee weapons. Furthermore, the fact that martial arts takes many years to learn and is passed down from generation to generation, it is no surprise why it is not used in battle anymore. So, now that we can conclude that martial arts is more than just a karate chop to the spleen, we could agree it is alot of things rolled into one discipline. Passion, honesty, integrity, athleticism, humility, self-defense, self-discipline and sincerity. Confucious says there are three things not long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth. With martial arts all is revealed leaving the opponent at a clear disadvantage! |