Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5 - Page 6

The martial arts are similar to a buffet. Everything is good to someone, but everything is not good to everyone. Some things people love, some things people hate. Some things people want all the time, some things people never want. Some things people want a lot of, some things they avoid. Some times people get too much of what they want, but not enough of what they need. Some things that are good, may not be good for you. So, just as in a buffet, in the martial arts there are a lot of choices and you will never know what you might like until you sample everything.

Disclaimer

There are hundreds of styles of martial arts and new ones are being "founded" every year. Men have been fighting hand-to-hand since Cain fought Able in the Garden of Eden. After all these millions of years of human fighting, do really think some "master" has suddenly discovered some new technique, some new pressure point, some some new way to use your hands and feet in a fight, or some "lost" method of empty hand fighting. Think about how many bowling alleys there would be if "master" bowlers changed their stance, the way the held the ball, or the way the released the ball, and then started their own style of bowling. Some people just want to be noticed so they try to make something new and complicated out of something that is common and simple.

This topic attempts to give you an overview of many different martial art styles. I get e-mail all the time from martial artists who disagree with the descriptions of a particular art or its history. The purpose of TKDTutor.com is to inform, not to get involved in arguments about which art was first, which art is the best, or about whose version of an particular art's history is correct. If you want to know more about a specific martial art, do some intensive research on the art, but do not necessarily believe any one source.

Martial Arts

The term martial arts is used to describe a wide variety of physical activities. Nowadays, anything that involves some type of human fighting is called a martial art. The martial arts may be compared to auto racing. There are many types of auto racing, including NASCAR racing and Formula One racing.

NASCAR stock cars are basic, steel cars with massive engines. They are simple machines that compete by using brute force. The cars are tough, the drivers are tough. Drivers compete by banging their cars into each other and forcing their way to the front. They race on dry, oval tracks where they bump into each other and the retaining walls. At the end of a race, even the winning car is dented and ratty looking. Stock car drivers are usually "good old boys" with limited educations.

Formula One cars are complicated pieces of machinery, made from exotic materials with small technologically advanced engines. The cars are fragile, and, although not fragile, the drivers are refined.  Drivers compete by using skill and finesse, rarely touching other cars. They race on winding road courses in any weather. At the end of a race, the cars, and drivers, are usually as pristine as when they began the race. Formula One drivers are usually "gentlemen" with higher educations.

Although NASCAR and Formula One are both ways to race automobiles, they are very different in their approaches to racing. One is basic, brutal, and in your face; the other is complicated, beautiful, and refined. The same may be said of the various systems of the martial arts.

Some martial arts are basic, brutal, in your face fighting systems whose only goal is to beat down the opponent. Other martial arts are complicated, beautiful, and refined fighting arts whose goal is the perfection of human character. Some martial arts, such as Brazilian Jujitsu or Mixed Martial Arts, claim to be the real deal, the best way to beat any opponent. They seek fights and feel fulfilled when they are in a fight, whether they win or not. They train to bang it out with opponents and see who is left standing at the end. Other martial arts are just that, they are martial ARTS. They are a way of life. They train to achieve perfection in fighting skills. They have the skills need to win in an actual fight but they have the philosophy that, if an actual fight occurs, you have failed in your art.

Although practically all ways of fighting are grouped under the term "martial arts," they are actually two major types of skills involved and thus, two separate entities: combat skills and martial art skills. Combat skills are skills that are used almost exclusively for real fighting, self-defense situations. Combat skills have been practiced for thousands of years. The first biblical account of combat training is recorded in Genesis 14:14. "When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan."

Combat skills may be learned rather quickly and do not require much physical ability. They do not require much mental training other than the thought processes needed to be able to execute ruthless, deadly techniques upon another human being. Military personnel and law enforcement personnel learn hand-to-hand combat skills in a few short weeks in boot camp, and most never train in the techniques again even though they are may use them regularly in the field.

Martial arts are effective in, and may be used in, real fighting situations, but they involve much more than than just fighting. Sometimes extraordinary physical abilities are required and intense mental control is always required. Martial artists learn core fighting skills and become proficient in them, but they go far beyond mere proficiency and strive for perfection of advanced martial art techniques. This is what separates the martial arts from the purely combative arts. Martial artists train in physical and mental fighting skills, but they also strive for perfection of human character.

Students may become proficient in a combat skill, such as a stomp to the instep or a uppercut palm under the chin, in a few days. However, once they are proficient at a skill, there is little more they may do to improve the skill. So, even if they continue to train for years, they will stay stay proficient at the skill but they will learn or develop little else. People tend to get bored when they are not challenged or when they are not learning anything new. This is even more evident in today's society where we are bombarded with information daily, Nowadays, people need constant stimulus or they get bored. The martial arts demand precision of technique and movement, and being able to perform techniques with precision at testings and competitions. Since there is always room for improvement, students are never satisfied with their performance. If they ever do become satisfied, there is always a new advanced technique to challenged them. If not challenged by others, students will challenge themselves to reach perfection.

Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5 - Page 6