India

There is no evidence of hand-to-hand combat techniques being used in India before the Arian invasions of the twelfth to tenth centuries BC. Before then, the people probably only practiced "meditation under trees," the supposed origin of "yoga." One cannot definitely say that Yoga was a part of a combat regime, but its meditation and breathing disciplines, along with the principles of Zen Buddhism, made important contributions to the development of all the Oriental martial arts.

The Arians codified Yoga in the Upanishads, in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. The first records of Indian combat techniques were written during this same period. Later, Indian combat techniques were categorized in the famous Buddhist chronicle Lotus Sutra as either joint locks, fist strikes, grapples, or throws. During the fifth and fourth centuries BC, these categories gained firm standing and developed separately.

When Gautama Siddartha, the Buddha, lived on earth, the Bhramin religious group held sway over much of India. They believed the duty of every man was to become an itinerant priest. Combat training was of great importance to these wandering priests who had only a staff to defend themselves against wild animals, robbers, and villagers of different religious faiths. Their hardships were intensified by the constant warring of all sixteen principalities of India.

Gautama, a man of peace and love, was also a prince, and, as such, he received the military training given all people of high birth. His fighting skills were so great that it was said he was never defeated. Before Gautama devoted himself to religious meditation and teaching, he had won the hand of the beautiful Princess Yasudara by excelling above all other contenders in running, leaping, fencing, archery, and fisticuffs. It is said that, after becoming Buddha, he was able to overcome evil spirits by dazzling then with the reflection from the nimbus surrounding his body. This description was probably a romanticized explanation of his lightning-fast movements.

Some of the first written records of unarmed self-defense come from ancient India, from about 2,600 BC. One story tells of an Indian prince who developed the first scientific method of self-defense by systematically jabbing needles into his slaves. He recorded the results and developed techniques to attack the vulnerable areas he had discovered.

An Indian warrior class called the "Kshatriya," who were similar to the Japanese "Samurai" or the European Knight, were dominant during the times. Experts agree that the Kshatriya probably developed at least one early fighting style, but the first documented proof of an Indian empty-hand fighting style is found in the Lotus Sutra. The chronicle mentions an early type of pugilism but it also reveals an earlier type of unarmed combat called "Nata," which translates to mean a dancer or a performer. This is significant since one of the basics of Taekwondo is the performing of hyung/patterns/forms, which resemble dancing. Another empty hand fighting style called "Vajramushti" also developed in India. These early Indian arts, once they were coupled with the Buddhist teachings, gave birth to "Yoga" and later to "Kalarippayattu."

Practically all martial arts trace their beginnings to the Indian Buddhist priest, Bodhidharma, and Taekwondo is no exception. Since Bodhidharma's influence on the martial arts actually occurred in China, rather than in India, he is discussed in detail after the following section on China.

China

The hygienic calisthenics practiced by the Chinese since about 2600 BC suggest that they were the beginnings of Chinese combat arts. During the Chou period in twelfth to third centuries BC, the character used to write the word "fist" indicated physical power and martial strength. The frequency the character was used in writings indicates that punching was a common fighting technique of the times. The Nine Chinese Classics, compiled during the Chou period, suggest that grappling and throwing had also gained in prominence.

In 2250 BC, during the Hsia Dynasty, Emperor Yu noticed that a pond of water collected diseases while a running stream stayed pure, so he reasoned that a moving human body should stay healthy and free of disease. He ordered that his people should exercise in sequenced patterns. During the Chou Dynasty (1150 BC), early Taoist and Confucian texts, including the I Ching (Book of Changes), the Shin Ching (Book of Poems), and much later the Li Chi (Book of Ceremonies and Rites) mentioned the martial arts.

Records from the Han period, from the third century BC to third century AD, such as the Kansho, describe techniques similar to modern wrestling techniques. Around 770 BC, nomadic Mongolian tribesmen invaded northern China and brought with them a bloody style of fighting "Sumo" in which opponents attempted to crack skulls or break limbs by striking with their heads while wearing ram heads. Because of the ram heads worn by the competitors, this early form of Sumo was called "evaluating the strength of the horns." Later, Sumo was performed ritually as a preparation for war in a dance-like fashion, from which come its second meaning "bare hands dance."

During the Chi'in and Han periods, Sumo came under the influence of "kemari" (a kicking game designed to develop the feet for war). This gave birth to a fighting style called "Shubaku." Modern martial arts in China are still called Shubaku.

During the Han period, China taught its armed and unarmed military tactics to neighboring counties, such as Mongolia and Korea. A famous doctor of the Han period, Hua T'o, a skilled surgeon who is said to have been the first to use anesthetics, also developed a set of calisthenics. He based his exercises on the movements of five animals: tiger, bear, deer, monkey, and bird. These exercises were later refined for the first emperor of Sung dynasty, Tai-Chung, and had an important influence on the later development of "Kempo."

Buddhism was probably introduced to China when Emperor Ming Ti of the Later Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) sent envoys to India to obtain Buddhist sutras and images. The form of Buddhism that took hold in China was different than that practiced in India. Whereas Buddhism in India was austere and antisocial, Buddhism in China emphasized salvation through faith and metaphysical speculation. Where as Buddhism in India emphasized reaching spiritual perfection in life, Buddhism in China placed greater importance on being admitted into paradise after death than on attaining perfection in this life. This difference between Buddhism in India and China compelled an Indian priest in India named Bodhidharma to travel to China to teach the Chinese the true path to perfection.