About martial arts
Martial arts are involved with personal hand-to-hand fighting; not only how to fight when the situation demands it, but how to avoid situations that may lead to a fight. There are hundreds of martial arts and new ones are "created" daily. The bottom line is that martial arts are methods for people to use while fighting; their is nothing mystical or magical about a martial art—it is just people fighting, just as they have since their creation.
The term "martial art" has become a generic term used to describe any type of human physical fighting, be it classical karate, traditional Taekwondo, boxing, wrestling, or the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). However, if a fighting style does not include the 'Art' in its methods, philosophy, or training, it should not be classified a martial art, it is just a fighting style or method. The 'Art' is what separates a martial art from a fighting style. An 'Art' is not just a way of fighting, it entails a way of life, a melding of body, mind and spirit, and the goal of reaching an unreachable level of perfection.