Martial arts is a term that is used to describe a system of
fighting that is very unique but often quite varied. The system
has codes and rules to it. It is not one that has weapons,
especially any type of modern day weapons, but one that focuses
the body and the mind to have them work as one. It is used for
traditional uses, for sport in competitions around the world,
for fitness, for self defense although it does not teach to go
out and fight but to defend and for improvement of the self. For
this aspect, there are several things that martial arts can do.
It can help to keep you mentally disciplined, provide self
cultivation such as that of meditation and provide for self
confidence. Character development is the key to martial arts.
Martial arts have been practiced for many years. It can be dated
as far back as 2500 years ago in the Zhou Dynasty. Here,
students would master the Six Arts which including rites,
calligraphy, mathematics, charioteering, archery and music.
The systems that are used within martial arts are quite varied.
Here are some of the various focuses of them.
* Kicking which can be found in Tae kwon do, Capoeira and
tantui. * Striking which is a main element and is found in
karate, Wing Chun, Bando and Southern Praying Mantis. * Weapons.
In some forms such as Iaido, Kendo, Fencing, and Bojutsu, there
is the use of old style weaponry. * Grappling and throwing are
also evident. Here they are used in such forms as wrestling,
Judo, Shuai Jiao, Sambo, Naban, and Qin Na.
Most individuals that study martial arts will study several or
many of these different areas of combat. Other forms such as
those that come from traditional Chinese arts teach more
including acupuncture, acupressure and bone setting as part of
the study of traditional Chinese Medicine.
Today, martial arts are quite misunderstood. Many have seen it
done on television in various movies and have come to think of
it as just a style of fighting. But, there is much more to it
than that. It is not only in the combat element that martial
arts are quite powerful, but also in the element of self control
and character building. Many parents allow children who
misbehave to take classes not to teach them to fight, but to
teach them control.
About the author:
This article was written by T.Potter. You can visit
Genuine Martial
Arts for further information and
martial
arts resources.
