Martial Arts

Martial arts are physical training systems designed to train practitioners in combat methods, either using bare hands or weapons of various kinds. In the Western world, the term "martial arts" was developed in the sixteenth century to refer to the European arts of wrestling, boxing, and fencing, but today, most in the West use the term to refer specifically to the fighting arts developed in Asia. Persons practicing martial arts do so for a variety of reasons, including enhancing physical fitness, practicing self-defense, and competing in sporting events.

According to historian Kang Gewu in his book The Spring and Autumn of Chinese Martial Arts (1995), Chinese fighting systems originated more than five thousand years ago. The Chinese combat systems developed along with the imperial Chinese military, and military training programs were eventually codified into comprehensive systems of techniques for fighting with hands or weapons. In addition, martial arts systems were greatly developed within many of China's Buddhist and Taoist spiritual institutions as the practice of martial arts skills was, and still is, seen as an avenue toward spiritual enlightenment.

Many historians believe that the martial arts systems developed in China were imported into Japan at least three to four thousand years ago and were then imported from Japan to Korea and elsewhere in Asia. In both Japan and Korea, martial arts systems developed along independent lines, leading to art forms that are quite different from the techniques developed in China. Some historians believe that martial arts systems developed independently across Asia and that China was not the first nation to develop martial arts techniques.

Asian martial arts were first brought to Europe in the latter part of the nineteenth century, largely through European travelers who had spent time in Japan. For this reason, the Japanese fighting arts karate and jujitsu were among the first Asian martial arts to be taught in the West. Japanese fighting techniques were imported to the United States in the early twentieth century, through Japanese and European immigrants.

In the 1970s, films and television programs depicting Chinese martial arts stimulated an interest in Chinese fighting systems in the West, resulting in a proliferation of martial arts schools throughout the United States. By this time, schools teaching Japanese and Korean fighting arts were also widespread in the United States. Through immigration, Asian martial arts spread around the world, and by the twenty-first century, traditional fighting arts from China, Japan, and Korea evolved into worldwide sports practiced by thousands of individuals around the world for fitness and for self-defense.

Techniques

Chinese martial arts can be broadly divided into two categories, internal and external. The internal arts focus on cultivating a blend of relaxation, flexibility, and physical training along with philosophical/spiritual principles. An example of this type of martial artis tai chi, which is practiced by thousands of students around the world. External martial arts are those concerned with more direct combat techniques. All Chinese martial arts are typically grouped under the term "kung fu," derived from gongfu, meaning "skill" or "art." There are hundreds of different styles of Chinese martial arts that are presented in schools throughout the United States and Europe.

Japanese martial arts can also be divided into numerous specific schools of techniques. In the West, karate is the most famous category of Japanese martial arts, but hundreds of practitioners also study aikido and jujitsu, which are ancient Japanese fighting systems. Japanese karate and aikido were among the first martial arts introduced to the West and are still the most widely practiced martial arts in the United States.

Korean martial arts can also be divided into a large number of schools featuring different techniques. Tae kwon do is the most popular and widely taught form of Korean martial arts in the West, but other forms, including hapkido, are also taught through schools in the United States and Europe. Korean martial arts tend to focus on effective techniques, and dedicated students can advance through ranks relatively quickly compared to studying many types of Chinese or Japanese martial arts.

In addition to these basic schools of martial arts, there are a variety of other martial arts styles from Asia, India, and a variety of other countries. Training in any of the Asian martial arts styles requires years of dedicated training and practice. Many traditional martial arts styles involve not only physical training but also mental and philosophical training, coupling physical skills with a philosophical approach.

Trends

Ultimate fighting and mixed-martial arts (MMA) are modern martial arts trends that emerged largely in the United States during the late twentieth century and that have evolved into popular sports in the twenty-first century. Ultimate fighting practitioners generally train in some elements of kickboxing and some elements of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a martial art that evolved in Brazil with influence from judo brought by Japanese immigrants. Brazilian jiu-jitsu concentrates on grappling techniques used to immobilize opponents on the ground.

Ultimate fighting and MMA are modernized sport martial arts that differ significantly from traditional martial arts training. The skills utilized in MMA training are somewhat limited to skills that are effective within the context of organized, rules-based competition, whereas some traditional arts teach skills that cause fatal or serious injury and are therefore inappropriate for competition. Learning MMA is thus quite different from learning traditional martial arts. MMA tends to appeal more to those who want to learn relatively simple and effective techniques as opposed to the more holistic approach of a traditional martial arts program.

Martial Arts for Fun vs. Profit

Most martial artists engage in martial arts for exercise, recreation, and personal enjoyment. However, skilled martial artists can earn money by training students through a martial arts school or through private lessons. In order to maximize profit, martial artists may want to teach through an established martial arts school, cooperating with other teachers to attract students to the school.

Some individuals involved in martial arts can earn income by competing in paid martial arts competitions. In the MMA field, professional fighters can earn upward of ninety thousand dollars annually from prizes, endorsement contracts, and other income sources. To participate in professional martial arts competitions, individuals should seek out and become involved with local schools that have contacts within the professional fighting industry.

Learning More

Organizations  

American Martial Artists Association <http://amaaunited.com/>

Shaolin Temple, United States <http://www.shaolinusa.us>

United States Martial Arts Association (USMAA) <http://www.wwmaa.org>

United States Martial Arts Federation (USMAF) <http://www.usmaf.org>

World Martial Arts Association (WMAA) <http://www.wmaa.com>

Books  

Chun, Richard. Tae Kwon Do: The Korean Martial Art. Boston: YMAA Pub, 2007. Print.

Craig, Darrell. Japan's Ultimate Martial Art. Boston: Tuttle, 1995. Print.

Gewu, Kang. The Spring and Autumn of Chinese Martial Arts. Santa Cruz: Plum, 1995. Print.

Green, Thomas A., and Joseph R. Svinth. Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print.

Kane, Lawrence. Martial Arts Instruction. Boston: YMAA Pub., 2004. Print.

Lee, Bruce. Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Valencia: Black Belt, 2011. Print.

Lorge, Peter Allan. Chinese Martial Arts: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century. New York: Cambridge UP, 2012. Print.

Shahar, Meir. The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts. Honolulu: U of Hawaii P, 2008. Print.

Magazines  

Black Belt

Dragon Times

Journal of Asian Martial Arts

Kung Fu

Ultimate MMA