NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Martial art

A martial art, often referred to as a fighting system, is a system of codified practices and traditions of training for combat, usually without the use of guns and other modern weapons. Today, people study martial arts for various reasons including sport, fitness, self-defense, self-cultivation (meditation), mental discipline & character development, and self-confidence. Download high resolution version (1200x800, 146 KB)Martial Arts, Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... Download high resolution version (1200x800, 146 KB)Martial Arts, Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... State nickname: The Aloha State Official languages Hawaiian and English Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Governor Linda Lingle (R) Senators Daniel Inouye (D) Daniel Akaka (D) Area - Total - % water Ranked 43rd 28,337 kmÂ² 41. ... Combat, or fighting, is purposeful conflict between one or more persons, often involving violence and intended to establish dominance over the opposition. ... A gun is a mechanical device that fires projectiles at high velocity, using a propellant such as gun powder or compressed air. ... Fitness in biology refers to individuals ability to propagate its genes. ... Self defense refers to actions taken by a person to defend onself, ones property or ones home. ... Meditation refers to any of a wide variety of spiritual practices (and their close secular analogues) which emphasize mental activity or quiescence. ...

"Martial arts" derives from the Japanese terms bugei武芸) and the synonymous butsu武術 or their Chinese equivalents wǔ yì 武藝 and wǔ shù武術. The Chinese-English Diction of Herbert A. Giles, 1882, tranlates wǔ yì as "military arts." It does not use the later term wǔ shù, nor does the 1931 Mathews' Chinese-English Dictionary. The term was also translated in 1920 in Takenobu's Japanese-English Dictionary from Japanese bu-gei (武芸) or bu-jutsu (武術)as "the craft/accomplishment of military affairs". Other common pronunciations of the character pair 武術 include: Cantonese: mou seut and Vietnamese: Võ-Thuật). It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kung fu. ... ... This article is on all of the Yue dialects. ...

This term is slightly anomalous in its English usage. Its strict meaning should be "arts for military use" (flying fighter aircraft, sniper training, and so forth) but in normal usage it is used to refer to formalized systems of training to fight without modern technology. It is nevertheless valuable to distinguish between fighting systems intended for soldiers in battle (even without modern technology) and fighting systems intended for sport or for civilian self-defense. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... The traditional definition of a sniper is an infantry soldier especially skilled in field craft and marksmanship, who kills selected enemies from concealment with a rifle at long distances. ...

The practice of martial arts goes back to Zhou dynasty times, i.e., to a time more than 2,500 years ago, in which students were required to master the liù yì (藝) Six Arts, rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and arithmetic. So the word yì has long been associated with fighting arts that can be used in battle. The Zhou Dynasty (å‘¨æœ; Wade-Giles: Chou Dynasty (also Chow or Jou)) (late 10th century BC or 9th century BC to 256 BC) followed the Shang (Yin) Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty in China. ... Six Arts refer to the six practices in ancient Chinese culture. ...

Overview

There are many styles and schools of martial arts; broadly speaking, they share a common goal: to physically defeat a person or defend oneself. Some Eastern martial arts have a tradition of being about more than simple fighting, which is perhaps why their practice has been seen as worth preserving in the face of their military obsolescence in modern technological culture. Certain martial arts, such as T'ai Chi Ch'uan, may also be practiced to maintain or improve mental or physical health. Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan (Chinese: 太極拳; pinyin: ; literally supreme ultimate fist), commonly known as Tai Chi, Tai Chi, or Taiji, is a nei chia (internal) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some...

What differentiates the martial arts from mere unarmed brawling is the organization of their techniques into a coherent system and the codification of effective teaching methods. One common training technique is to have a series of routines called forms (also called kata, poomse, ch'ůan t'ao, kuen, tao lu, hyung, sequencias, or tuls) which can serve as a dictionary of essential techniques to be memorized and drawn from at need. Martial arts are also characterized by the controlled, mindful application of force in ways selected for empirical effectiveness. In this sense, boxing, fencing, archery, and wrestling can also be considered martial arts. Rocky Marciano and Archie Moore at Yankee Stadium, New York City, 1955 Julio Cesar Chavez and Ivan Robinson at the STAPLES centre, Los Angeles, 2005 Boxing, also called pugilism or prizefighting, is a sport where two participants of similar weight attack each other with their fists in a series of... Russian Ivan Tourchine and American Weston Kelsey fence in the second round of the Olympic Mens Individual Ã‰pÃ©e event at the Helliniko Fencing Hall on Aug. ... Archers in Competition Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. ... The sport of wrestling involves standing and/or ground fighting, and has ancient roots. ...

Martial arts may focus on

striking (e.g. Boxing, Karate, Southern Praying Mantis, Wing Chun, Krav Maga, Bando)
kicking, (e.g. Kickboxing, Taekwondo, Savate, Capoeira, Lethwei)
grappling and throwing (e.g. Wrestling, Jujutsu, Judo, Sambo, Naban, Aikido,Qin na, Kampfringen), or
weaponry (e.g. Iaido, Naginata-do, Bojutsu, Kendo, Fencing, Kali, Gatka, Banshay, Kalarippayattu, Kunst des Fechten).

Most martial arts include some study of all of these different styles and some explicitly attempt to be complete systems (Eskrima, many types of Jujutsu, many traditional Chinese martial arts). Rocky Marciano and Archie Moore at Yankee Stadium, New York City, 1955 Julio Cesar Chavez and Ivan Robinson at the STAPLES centre, Los Angeles, 2005 Boxing, also called pugilism or prizefighting, is a sport where two participants of similar weight attack each other with their fists in a series of... Two Karate practitioners engaging in competition style Karate. ... Bamboo Forest Praying Mantis more commonly known as Southern Praying Mantis was developed as a kung fu style by the Hakka Chinese. ... Wing Chun (Chinese: è© æ˜¥; pinyin: ; Yale Cantonese: wing2 cheun1), also romanized Ving Tsun, is a system of Chinese martial arts with an emphasis on unarmed close-range fighting, although its curriculum includes weapons and techniques suitable for various ranges. ... Krav Maga (Hebrew קרב מגע: contact combat) is a martial art, at first developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For other uses of the words kick and kicker see Kick (disambiguation). ... Kickboxing match(not Thai boxing) Kickboxing can be described as a generic term for a sporting martial art that, while similar to boxing, uses feet as well as hands for fighting. ... Taekwondo (also spelled Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do) is the most popular of the Korean martial arts and is the Korean national sport. ... Savate (pronounced ), also known as boxe franÃ§aise (French boxing) or French kickboxing, is a French martial art which uses both the hands and feet as weapons and contains elements of western boxing, grappling and graceful kicking techniques (only foot kick, no knee, no tibia). ... Capoeira or the Dance of War by Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1835 Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art developed initially by African slaves in Brazil, starting in the colonial period. ... Lethwei or Lethawae also known as Burmese Boxing and Myanma Traditional Boxing may well be the most brutal and exciting form of kickboxing the world has ever seen. ... Grappling refers to the gripping, handling and controlling of an opponent without the use of striking. ... Throwing can have different meanings depending on the context. ... Andrell Durden (top) and Edward Harris grapple for position during the All-Marine Wrestle Offs. ... Jujutsu (also jujitsu, ju jitsu, ju jutsu, or jiu jitsu; from the Japanese æŸ”è¡“ jÅ«jutsu gentle/yielding/compliant Art) is a Japanese martial art. ... Judo (Japanese: æŸ”é“ JÅ«dÅ; literally gentle way) is a martial art, a sport and a philosophy which originated in Japan. ... President Vladimir Putin throwing a sparring partner at a Sambo wrestling training session in Novo-Ogaryovo, 16 June 2002 Sambo (Russian, ÑÐ°Ð¼Ð±Ð¾) -- (also called Sombo and sometimes written in all-caps) is a modern martial art, combat sport and self-defense system developed in the Soviet Union. ... Categories: Move to Wiktionary | Martial arts stubs | Martial arts ... Aikido (åˆæ°—é“ AikidÅ, also åˆæ°£é“ using an older style of kanji), literally meaning harmony energy way, or with some poetic licence, way of the harmonious spirit, is a gendai budo â€” a modern Japanese martial art. ... Chin Na or Qinna (æ“’æ‹¿, pinyin: qÃn nÃ¡, Wade-Giles: chin2 na2) is a Mandarin Chinese term describing joint-manipulation techniques for self defense used in the Chinese martial arts. ... Tom Schwarz loves penis, he enjoys it in sandwiches as well as in muffins. ... Respect due to the sword (To Rei) before and after the practice Iaido (å±…åˆé“ iaidÅ) is a sword-based Japanese martial art that trains the motions associated with drawing a katana from its sheath, striking an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then re-sheathing the katana with smooth, controlled... Naginatajutsu (なぎなた術, 長刀術 or 薙刀術) is the art of fighting with a Japanese naginata, a weapon resembling the medieval European glaive. ... Bojutsu (棒術) is the martial art of using a staff weapon called bo (abbreviation of roku-shaku-bo (six-shaku-staff), a shaku being close to one foot long). ... Kendo Kendo (å‰£é“ KendÅ, åŠé“) , which is the modern martial art of Japanese fencing, developed from traditional techniques of Japanese swordsmanship known as kenjutsu. ... Russian Ivan Tourchine and American Weston Kelsey fence in the second round of the Olympic Mens Individual Ã‰pÃ©e event at the Helliniko Fencing Hall on Aug. ... Full contact kali gear A collection of training weapons used in an Eskrima class. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Banshay is a term for the various martial arts of Myanmar which focus on the use of weapons. ... Sword fighting in Kalarippayattu Kalarippayattu (Malayalam: à´•à´³à´°à´¿à´ªà´¯à´±à´±àµ) is a martial art practiced in Kerala, a state in South India and in parts of Tamil Nadu. ... Hema can refer to: a Dutch chain of stores; see Hema (store) a figure from Polynesian mythology; see Hema (mythology) Bollywood actress Hema Malini the Hema (ethnicity) of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (Hydroxyethyl)methacrylate, a chemical Historical European Martial Arts This is a disambiguation page â€” a navigational aid which... Full contact kali gear A collection of training weapons used in an Eskrima class. ... Jujutsu (also jujitsu, ju jitsu, ju jutsu, or jiu jitsu; from the Japanese æŸ”è¡“ jÅ«jutsu gentle/yielding/compliant Art) is a Japanese martial art. ...

Some martial arts, particularly the traditional Chinese arts, used to go beyond this to teach side disciplines such as bone-setting, qigong, acupuncture, acupressure (tui na), and other aspects of traditional Chinese medicine. This was a natural extension, as at an advanced level techniques can take advantage of a detailed knowledge of how the opponent's body works to drastically increase their effectiveness. Qigong (Simplified Chinese: æ°”åŠŸ; Traditional Chinese: æ°£åŠŸ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: chi4 kung1) is an increasingly popular aspect of Chinese medicine involving the coordination of different breathing patterns with various physical postures and motions of the body. ... Acupuncture chart from the Ming dynasty. ... Acupressure is a traditional Chinese medicine bodywork technique based on the same ideas as acupuncture. ... Tui na (推拏 or 推拿, both pronounced tūi ná), is a form of Chinese manipulative therapy often used in conjunction with acupuncture, moxibustion, Chinese herbalism and qigong. ... Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) also known simply as Chinese medicine (Chinese: ä¸é†«å¸, zhÅngyÄ« xuÃ©, or ä¸è¯å¦, zhÅngyaÃ² xuÃ©) is the name commonly given to a range of traditional medical practices used in China that have developed over the course of several thousand years of history. ...

The martial arts, perhaps due to a half-century of dramatic portrayals in popular media, (particuarly in films starring the famous Martial arts stars such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li; see Orientalism), have been inextricably bound in the Western imagination to East Asian cultures and people. Martial arts are by no means unique to Asia, however. Humans around the world have always had to develop ways to defend themselves from attack, often without weapons. Not all martial arts were developed in Asia. Savate, for example, was developed as a form of kickboxing in France. Capoeira's athletic movements were developed in Brazil by slaves based on skills brought with them from Africa. Bruce Lee. ... Jackie Chan (born on April 7, 1954 in Hong Kong) is a martial artist, actor, director and stuntman. ... Jet Li Jet Li (Traditional: æŽé€£æ°; Simplified: æŽè¿žæ°; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Li Lien-chieh; Cantonese: Ley5 Lin4 Git6; born April 26, 1963) is a Chinese martial artist and film actor. ... Orientalism is the study of Near and Far Eastern societies and cultures by Westerners. ... Geographic scope of East Asia East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... Savate (pronounced ), also known as boxe franÃ§aise (French boxing) or French kickboxing, is a French martial art which uses both the hands and feet as weapons and contains elements of western boxing, grappling and graceful kicking techniques (only foot kick, no knee, no tibia). ... Kickboxing match(not Thai boxing) Kickboxing can be described as a generic term for a sporting martial art that, while similar to boxing, uses feet as well as hands for fighting. ... Capoeira or the Dance of War by Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1835 Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art developed initially by African slaves in Brazil, starting in the colonial period. ... Africa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

History

The history of martial arts is both long and universal. Martial arts likely existed in every culture, and at all classes and levels of society, from the family unit up to small communities, for instance, villages and even ethnic groups. One example is t'an t'ui, a northern Chinese kicking art, often said to be practiced among Chinese Muslims. Systems of fighting have likely been in development since learning became transferable among humans, along with the strategies of conflict and war. In some places, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, one can still see this plethora of village fighting systems. Tantui (å½ˆè…¿/æ½è…¿), or springy legs, is a style in martial arts based on kicks, created in Northern China by Chinese Muslims. ... The Hui people (Chinese: å›žæ—; pinyin: ) are a Chinese ethnic group, typically distinguished by their practice of the Islamic religion. ... War is essentially the opposite of peace. ...

Every martial arts system and every martial arts school has its own history. This generally falls into two categories: recent history and ancient history.

Recent history, in this context, is relatively verifiable: who did the teacher learn from? Where did the teacher study? What other arts has the teacher studied, and how has the teacher incorporated them into their teaching? Was the teacher given permission to teach by their teacher? What are the teacher's goals in teaching the class?

This last question deserves some explanation. Some classes are taught primarily to teach students to become effective competitors in tournaments. Some classes are taught to attempt to teach the students to defend themselves effectively against some class of anticipated situations. Some classes are taught to preserve an ancient tradition. The practical details of these distinct kinds of classes will be very different.

Ancient history, at least in the sense used here, is much more difficult. In fact, for most systems it is essentially a legend — in the sense that it is propagated by word-of-mouth among students in the absence of verifiable evidence. This is not to say that it is not also true! But the importance of such a history does not depend on its truth: the effect of such a legend on shaping the development of a martial art is probably much greater than the effect of events two hundred years ago (at least five generations of passing the art on from teacher to student). So an art that is believed to be an art of warriors will focus on battlefield effectiveness and weapon use against highly skilled opponents, while an art that is believed to be for self-defense will focus on reactions to surprise attack and multiple opponents. A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ...

The history of martial arts around the world is therefore quite complex; on the one hand, most groups of people have had to defend themselves and have developed effective fighting techniques, but on the other hand, most of those techniques have been rendered militarily obsolete over the centuries. Even at an individual, rural level, the threat to the safety of a village is now more likely to come from warriors armed with automatic rifles than from men with swords. Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to preserve a martial art; doing so requires many years of teaching at the hands of a good teacher to pass on the art for a single generation. So it is relatively rare that a martial art would survive and become popular in today's culture, and each art that has done so has a unique history. Some generalities can be said, though, and the next few sections will attempt to discuss the overall rise to popularity of some martial arts. An automatic rifle is a term used to describe a full-sized, full-powered military rifle capable of fully-automatic fire; a type of automatic firearm. ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century A sword (from Old English sweord; akin to Old High German swerd, lit. ...

Martial arts in Asia

The teaching of martial arts in Asia has historically followed the Confucian cultural tradition of teacher-disciple apprenticeship. Students are trained in a strictly hierarchical system by a master instructor: Sensei in Japanese ; in Chinese 老師, (Wade-Giles) Lao Shih, (Pinyin) lǎo shī (lit., old master); Cantonese Sifu; 師父 Mandarin (Wade-Giles) Shih fu, (Pinyin) Shī fù (lit., the master-father), 사범님 Sabeomnim (Korean). The instructor is expected to directly supervise their students' training, and the students are expected to memorize and recite as closely as possible the rules and basic training routines of the school. This is a list of martial arts, broken down by region and style. ... Confucianism (儒家 Pinyin: rújiā The School of the Scholars), sometimes translated as the School of Literati, is an East Asian ethical, religious and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of Confucius. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... Cantonese (Traditional Chinese: ç²µèªž; Simplified Chinese: ç²¤è¯, Cantonese: Yuet6yue5; Mandarin pinyin: Yueyu, Yá»¥et (Guangdong) language) is one of the major dialect groups or languages of the Chinese language or language family. ... Sifu or Shifu (å¸«å‚… or å¸«çˆ¶) means Master or Teacher in the Chinese language. ... Mandarin, or Guanhua (Traditional Chinese: å®˜è©±; Simplified Chinese: å®˜è¯; pinyin: ; literally official speech), or Beifanghua (Traditional Chinese: åŒ—æ–¹è©±; Simplified Chinese: åŒ—æ–¹è¯; pinyin: â–¶(?)]; literally Northern speech) is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. ...

Open speculation about training methods or the instructor's motives and personality is generally not tolerated in juniors, as they are not considered familiar enough with the basic requirements of their respective arts to make realistic distinctions. They are instead encouraged to repeatedly train applications of the forms and techniques that they've been shown in gradually more complex scenarios.

In this Confucian family-based hierarchy, those who enter instruction with the instructor before the student are considered older brothers and sisters; those after, younger brothers and sisters. The instructor's peers are considered aunts and uncles, etc. into other generations above and below. Such clearly delineated relationships, based on seniority, are designed to develop intangibles such as good character, patience and discipline in martial students. As a matter of safety for the instructors, the student body and the individual student, before they are shown anything beyond the most basic conditioning exercises, students learn their place in the school hierarchy. Students should learn how and why to clearly demonstrate respect for others and how to follow the directions of their instructors properly. The traditional schools are said by this reasoning to provide thereby a level playing field for all students, providing a relatively fixed framework for interaction with one's seniors, peers and juniors, so that everyone, not just the physically gifted, can have an opportunity to benefit from the training provided in a martial art school.

Some method of certification can be involved, where one's skills would be tested for mastery before being allowed to study further; in some systems, especially in China, there are no such certifications, only years of close personal practice and evaluation under a master, much like an apprenticeship, until the master deems one's skills satisfactory. This pedagogy, while still preserved and respected in many traditional styles, has weakened to varying degrees in others and is even actively rejected by some schools, especially in the West. Pedagogy is the art or science of teaching. ...

Martial arts in Europe

Martial arts with historical roots in Europe do not exist to the same extent as in Asia. Boxing as well as forms of wrestling have endured. European martial arts have mostly adapted to changing technology and are truer to the English meaning of that phrase, so that while their descendants still exist, martial arts are focused on things like flying helicopters and infantry tactics for riflemen. These are generally not referred to as martial arts. This is a list of martial arts, broken down by region and style. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, covering around 10,790,000 kmÂ² (4,170,000 sq mi) or 2. ... The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors (propellers). ... // Introduction Ever since human beings fought, infantry existed. ...

Martial Arts existed in classical European civilization, most notably in Greece where sport was integral to the way of life. Boxing and Pankration (pan, meaning all, kratos, meaning power or strength) were represented in the Ancient Olympic Games. The Romans produced Gladiatorial combat as public spectacle based on a more martial sport. It has been suggested that Greco-Roman be merged into this article or section. ... Pankration (from the Greek all force) is a sport or martial art introduced in the Olympic games in 648 BC, and its modern version. ... Ruins of the training grounds at Olympia The Ancient Olympic Games were an athletic and religious celebration held in the Greek town of Olympia from (historically) as early as 776 BC to 393 AD. // Origin The historical origins of the Ancient Olympic Games are lost in the fog of time... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine Empire. ... Pollice Verso, an 1872 painting by Jean-LÃ©on GÃ©rÃ´me, is a well known history painters researched conception of a gladiatorial combat. ...

Some traditional martial arts have been preserved in one form or another. For example, boxing, archery, and fencing were preserved by being made into sports; of course this has changed the practice significantly. Some historical fencing has survived, and some groups have attempted to reconstruct old European martial arts from a few surviving combat manuals. This includes such styles as sword and shield, two-handed swordfighting, jousting and other types of melee weapons combat. Rocky Marciano and Archie Moore at Yankee Stadium, New York City, 1955 Julio Cesar Chavez and Ivan Robinson at the STAPLES centre, Los Angeles, 2005 Boxing, also called pugilism or prizefighting, is a sport where two participants of similar weight attack each other with their fists in a series of... Archers in Competition Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. ... Russian Ivan Tourchine and American Weston Kelsey fence in the second round of the Olympic Mens Individual Ã‰pÃ©e event at the Helliniko Fencing Hall on Aug. ... Historical martial arts reconstructions are attempts at reviving martial arts with no living tradition. ... Historical martial arts reconstructions are attempts at reviving martial arts with no living tradition. ... A style of martial arts first practiced in Europe around 1100s, sword and shield fighting involves using a sword, most commonly a longsword, to attack with, and a shield to defend. ... This article concerns European two-handed sword fighting, as East Asian and other forms already have pages, for instance at kendo and kenjutsu Two-handed swordfighting is a broad and somewhat non-technical term comprising several possible styles and weapons. ... Jousting is a staple entertainment at renaissance fairs. ...

Another aspect of the reconstruction effort involves more historically recent martial arts and combat sports, such as those practiced during the 1800s and 1900s. A partial list would include bare-knuckle boxing, Bartitsu, quarterstaff fencing according to late 1800s rules, etc. Historical martial arts reconstructions are attempts at reviving martial arts with no living tradition. ... Events and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815). ... // Events and Trends Technology Lawrence Hargrave makes the first stable wing design for a heavier-than-air aircraft Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first documented flight in a powered heavier-than-air aircraft Mass production of automobile Wide popularity of home phonograph Panama Canal is being built by the... Bare-knuckle is a phrase often used to distinguish between boxing with gloves and the more ancient form of combat sport performed by two individuals fighting without any gloves or other form of padding on their hands. ... Bartitsu stick fighting Bartitsu is an eclectic martial art developed in England during the late 1890s and early 1900s. ... Quarterstaffs in use, from Old English Sports, Pastimes and Customs, published 1891 A quarterstaff is a Medieval English variant of the staff weapon, consisting simply of a long shaft of hardwood, usually oak, hawthorn, hazel or ash. ...

Unarmed European martial arts that have survived in active form include English boxing, Olympic wrestling, and French savate. Some weapon systems have also survived as folk sports and as self defence methods, including stick-fighting systems such as the Juego del Palo style(s) of the Canary Islands. Rocky Marciano and Archie Moore at Yankee Stadium, New York City, 1955 Julio Cesar Chavez and Ivan Robinson at the STAPLES centre, Los Angeles, 2005 Boxing, also called pugilism or prizefighting, is a sport where two participants of similar weight attack each other with their fists in a series of... Andrell Durden (top) and Edward Harris grapple for position during the All-Marine Wrestle Offs. ... Maestro Elisio Deniz fences with a young student Juego del Palo or the Game of the Stick is a traditional martial art/folk sport of stick fighting practiced in the Canary Islands. ... Canaries redirects here. ...

Other martial arts were made into sports that we no longer recognize as combative, such as some kinds of gymnastics, where the pommel horse is called a horse because it simulates a horse; the art comes from the necessity of a cavalryman to be able to change positions and fight effectively from the back of a horse. More ancient origins exist for the shot put and the javelin throw, both weapons utilised extensively by the Romans. Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness, such as handsprings and handstands. ... The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. ... Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ... Horses: the meat of kings!!! ... Shot put The shot put is an athletics (track and field) event involving putting (throwing in a pushing motion) a heavy metal ball, also called the shot, as far as possible. ... The javelin throw is an athletics (track and field) throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear-like object made of metal, fibreglass and in some javelins, carbon fibre. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine Empire. ...

Martial arts in North America

While the native peoples of North America had their own martial training, these, like much of their culture, have been almost completely lost. However, the European colonists (and later, Asian immigrants) brought over their own martial arts such as boxing, fencing and wrestling. This is a list of martial arts, broken down by region and style. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... Rocky Marciano and Archie Moore at Yankee Stadium, New York City, 1955 Julio Cesar Chavez and Ivan Robinson at the STAPLES centre, Los Angeles, 2005 Boxing, also called pugilism or prizefighting, is a sport where two participants of similar weight attack each other with their fists in a series of... Russian Ivan Tourchine and American Weston Kelsey fence in the second round of the Olympic Mens Individual Ã‰pÃ©e event at the Helliniko Fencing Hall on Aug. ... Andrell Durden (top) and Edward Harris grapple for position during the All-Marine Wrestle Offs. ...

The interest in Eastern Martial Arts dates back to the late 19th Century, as Americans became involved in China and Japan. This involvement was initially through trade, where the martial arts seen were recorded as eccentricities of strange lands. Relatively few Westerners actually practiced the arts, most seeing them as performances. This view held with many of the first Asians to demonstrate martial arts in America and Europe doing so as part of vaudeville shows. Vaudeville was a style of multi-act theater which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ...

As Western influence grew in the East a greater number of military personnel spent time in China, Japan and elsewhere protecting Western interests, and advising certain factions on military matters. Initially much of this advice was aimed at changing the Eastern way of fighting to a Western way of fighting, but gradually individual members of the western contingents began to see the value of Eastern martial arts and actually began training in them seriously. This training resulted in various techniques being incorporated into Western military training. This escalated to the extent that by the Second World War nearly all commandos received training in Japanese jujutsu.

After the War, with large numbers of servicemen stationed in Japan the adoption of techniques and the gradual transmission of entire systems of martial arts to the West started. It was in the 1950's however when this exportation of systems really began to gain momentum. Large groups of US Military personnel were taught Korean arts (Taekwondo) during the War with North Korea and many of these brought their training home and continued to practice and teach after their demobilisation. By the 1960s the Japanese arts like Karate and Judo had become very popular, the early 1970s saw martial arts in the movies and, due in part to Bruce Lee, the rise in popularity of Chinese styles. The 1960s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... The 1970s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1970 and 1979. ... Films are produced by recording actual people and objects with cameras, or by creating them using animation techniques and/or special effects. ... Bruce Lee. ...

The exportation saw an increase in the dilution of the arts with many of them being molded into competitive disciplines. Sport Karate for example became a major force internationally with professional fighters and big prizes, television coverage and sponsorship deals.

The later 1970s and 1980s saw a rise in interest in non-sport arts, especially those that provided weapons as well as empty hand techniques. This interest was fed by the media with magazines, books and movies embracing the supposed mysticism and alleged supernatural lethality of various arts (especially those claiming to be associated with ninjas and neo-ninjas). This in turn led to opportunistic teachers at one end of the spectrum exploiting the fashion by making many claims of the overwhelming superiority and rarity of their techniques to sell books, videos and certificates, yet providing little evidence of such superiority; to the other end of simpler black belt factory schools selling expensive long-term training contracts as well as a diverse array of uniforms and multicoloured belts to children of affluent suburban families. The 1980s (sometimes refered to as the geighties) in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... ... The supernatural (Latin: super- exceeding + nature) comprises forces and phenomena which are beyond the realm of current scientific understanding, and which may actually directly contradict conventional scientific understandings. ... A ninja on the cover of Black Belt magazine. ... Neo-ninja, sometimes used in conjunction with the term Gendai Ninpo, refers to modern martial arts schools which claim to teach elements of the historic ninja of Japan, or base their schools philosophy upon traits attributed to the historic ninja of Japan. ... McDojo is a pejorative term used by some Western martial artists to describe a martial arts school where image or profit is of a higher importance than technical standards. ... Illustration of the backyards of a surburban neighbourhood Suburbs are inhabited districts located either on the outer rim of a city or outside the official limits of a city (the term varies from country to country), or the outer elements of a conurbation. ...

Martial arts were unearthed and brought to America from Vietnam, Burma, the Philippines, Indonesia, South America, and almost every other corner of the Earth. Others were simply invented by the unscrupulous out of previously existing styles or out of whole cloth. Some gained a measure of popularity due to the novelty of their claims of effectiveness, in some cases justified. This in turn led to further exploration of disciplines from Korea, Japan and China for their historical and cultural value.

Martial arts internationally

Every village and tribe around the world had a few trained fighters who passed on their knowledge; however, it is difficult to pass on a fighting system, so almost all of these have been lost as their practical relevance has declined. However, a few have survived for one reason or another, and a very few of those have seen a recent boom in popularity, perhaps related to the world music phenomenon. Examples of this are Pehlwani(India)Capoeira and some related arts in Cuba, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago, which were preserved partly through their relationship with Candomblé, Santería, Vodun, and other syncretic religions. Of these, only Capoeira has risen to worldwide prominence. This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Pehlwani (also spelled as pahlwani) is a form of wrestling native to India. ... Capoeira or the Dance of War by Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1835 Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art developed initially by African slaves in Brazil, starting in the colonial period. ... IlÃª AxÃ© Iya NassÃ´ OkÃ¡ - Terreiro da Casa Branca CandomblÃ© is an Afro-American religion practiced chiefly in Brazil but also in adjacent countries. ... LukumÃ, Regla de Ocha or Afro-Cuba, most widely known as Santeria, (SanterÃa in Spanish) is a set of related religious systems that superficially seem to fuse Catholic beliefs with traditional YorÃ¹bÃ¡ beliefs. ... The term Voodoo (Vodun in Benin; also Vodou or other phonetically equivalent spellings in Haiti; Vudu in the Dominican Republic) is applied to the branches of a West African ancestor-based religious tradition with primary roots among the Fon-Ewe peoples of West Africa, in the country now known as... Syncretism is the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing, beliefs and to meld practices of various schools of thought. ... Capoeira or the Dance of War by Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1835 Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art developed initially by African slaves in Brazil, starting in the colonial period. ...

The 2003 movie Whale Rider featured several scenes involving Mau rakau, a traditional martial art of the Maori people. It involves the use of the taiaha, a 2-handed fighting staff. 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Whale Rider is a 2003 book by New Zealand Maori author Witi Tame Ihimaera. ... Mau rakau is the more modern reference to martial systems practised by the Maori people of New Zealand pre-colonization. ... Te Puni, MÄori Chief MÄori is the name of the indigenous people of New Zealand, and their language. ... A Taiaha (pronounced Tie-uh-ha) is a weapon carried by the Maori warriors of New Zealand. ...

Martial arts also developed among military and police forces to be used as

arrest and self-defense methods. One example is Krav Maga, a self-defense system developed by the armed forces of Israel. Another example is Kombato developed for the Brazilian armed forces.
lethal tactical arts for use in close quarter combat warfare, i.e. Military Martial Arts e.g. UAC (British), LINE (USA), ACCS Advanced Commando Combat System

Krav Maga (Hebrew קרב מגע: contact combat) is a martial art, at first developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. ... Kombato is a Brazilian military martial art of self defense and security created by a team led by Paulo Albuquerque. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Comparisons between martial arts

It is common to compare the goals, teaching methods and the techniques of different fighting systems in order to understand their similarities and differences. Such comparisons tend to be controversial when there is a lack of format in which a direct and objective comparison is possible. In addition to physical combat, many martial arts have spiritual or philosophical aspirations, such as the various Chinese, Japanese and Korean martial arts that emphasise traditional Confucian teaching methods. Some systems are sports oriented, such as Judo, Tae Kwon Do and Wushu, and have their own distinct set of rules which are incompatible with other systems. Some are described as "reality based", with a focus on self-defense, including Jeet Kune Do, Defendo, Krav Maga, Kombato, and Angeles Eskrima. Because different martial arts often have differing goals, it is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of various martial arts based on one general standard or method; it is arguably impossible to directly compare the arts with fundamentally different domains of practice, such as Kendo against Tae Kwon Do. Sage Confuciusâ€”â€”å”å Confucianist temple Thian Hock Keng in Singapore Confucianism (Chinese: å„’å®¶, Pinyin RÃºjiÄ, The School of the Scholars; or, less accurately, å”æ•™ KÅng jiÃ o, The Religion of Confucius) is an East Asian ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the early Chinese sage Confucius. ... Judo (Japanese: æŸ”é“ JÅ«dÅ; literally gentle way) is a martial art, a sport and a philosophy which originated in Japan. ... Taekwondo is the Korean national sport and martial art, and is also one of the worlds most commonly practiced sports. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kung fu. ... Jeet Kune Do (æˆªæ‹³é“ in pinyin: jiÃ© quÃ¡n dÃ o; in Jyutping: zit6 kyun4 dou3; literal meaning: Way of the Intercepting Fist), also Jeet Kun Do or JKD, is the system developed by Bruce Lee. ... System of Self-Defense, Self-Protection and Law Enforcement Compliance and Control Tactics created by Canadian Bill Underwood in 1945. ... Krav Maga (Hebrew קרב מגע: contact combat) is a martial art, at first developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. ... Kombato is a Brazilian military martial art of self defense and security created by a team led by Paulo Albuquerque. ... Angeles Eskrima A Cebuano system originating from the Angeles Family and passed on through Maestro Armando p. ... Kendo Kendo (å‰£é“ KendÅ, åŠé“) , which is the modern martial art of Japanese fencing, developed from traditional techniques of Japanese swordsmanship known as kenjutsu. ...

However, many martial arts claim to be effective fighting disciplines within a particular context, such as unarmed combat between two fighters, self-defense against multiple attackers, use of specific weapons, escaping from those seeking to harm or capture the practitioner, and so on. While some of these claims are sometimes difficult to assess, an objective evaluation of practitioners may be achieved within context. For instance, regardless of background, those sharing a common interest in hand-to-hand fighting may engage in sparring using a mutually accepted set of rules in order to determine who is the better fighter at that time. An example of a martial arts tournament that attempted to answer the question of "which fighting system is the best" using as few rules as possible was the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the United States in the early 1990's. Organizations such as the UFC have since evolved due to the rise of mixed martial arts. Ultimate Fighting Championship is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization. ... Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the combat sport in which two competitors attempt to achieve dominance over one another by utilizing a wide variety of permitted martial arts techniques. ...

Mixed martial arts or MMA is an eclectic, modern form of martial arts cross-training. Followers of this practice believe that no traditional fighting system is strictly better than all others, and that by being competent and well-trained in multiple areas, one can become a better fighter overall. Due to this movement, tournaments such as the UFC and Pride Fighting Championships have emphasized more on competition between individuals and less on competition between specific systems, as virtually all participants in these events have become knowledgable in multiple systems. While MMA is currently seen largely as a form of sport competition with organization-specific rules, it can also be considered a school of thought in which the practitioner may incorporate any useful martial art technique into their personal training. Many competitive MMA fighters manage to incorporate traditional techniques from boxing, Muay Thai, jujutsu, wrestling and so on, while using a central strategy of fighting such as "sprawl-and-brawl" or "ground-and-pound", among others, which may be seen as complex, modern fighting styles. Pride logo PRIDE or PRIDE Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts organization based in Japan. ...

Classification

Numerous criteria have been devised to classify different fighting systems, though many of these criteria are either controversial or overly generalized. For example, while some Chinese systems have traditionally been classified as either "internal" or "external", these notions require concepts such Qi which are not necessarily applicable to all systems internationally. Another category is the notion of "hard" versus "soft", which asks whether a system relies on using force and power to defeat the opponent or, instead, on avoiding attacks and applying leverage: the Shotokan school of karate may be perceived as using a "harder" approach than judo does. However, many systems have both hard and soft aspects and do not always fit into either category; a judo practitioner still uses full physical strength when throwing opponents in competition. Another set of similar concepts is "striking" versus "grappling": does the art focus on punching and kicking, as in boxing and Taekwondo, or on clinching and holding, as in wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? While some systems may consist of mostly striking or mostly grappling, various arts such as Sambo or San Shou, among many others, often utilize both areas in conjunction. Muay Thai, for example, is studied primarily as a striking art, yet it makes frequent use of the grappling technique known as the Muay Thai clinch. Nei chia (Chinese: 內家; pinyin: ; literally internal school) denotes the soft style group of Chinese martial arts, in distinction to the wai chia (Chinese: 外家; pinyin: ; literally external school) or hard style group, which is associated especially with Shaolin Quan (Shaolin Chüan) and its many derivatives. ... QI, standing for Quite Interesting, is a comedy panel game television show shown on BBC Two and BBC Four and hosted by Stephen Fry. ... Shotokan (æ¾æ¶›é¤¨) is a school of karate, reflecting the style of the initial students (including his son, Yoshitaka) of master Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957). ... Grappling refers to the gripping, handling and controlling of an opponent without the use of striking. ... Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a sophisticated extension of pre-1925 Kodokan Judo (known then as jiu-jitsu). ... President Vladimir Putin throwing a sparring partner at a Sambo wrestling training session in Novo-Ogaryovo, 16 June 2002 Sambo (Russian, ÑÐ°Ð¼Ð±Ð¾) -- (also called Sombo and sometimes written in all-caps) is a modern martial art, combat sport and self-defense system developed in the Soviet Union. ... San Shou (散手) or San-Da (散打) is a relatively new martial art, which was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon intense study of various traditional methods. ... Muay Thai (Thai à¸¡à¸§à¸¢à¹„à¸—à¸¢, IPA /muai32 tÊ°ai32/) (Thai Boxing) is the Thai name for an indigenous form of martial art practiced in several southeast Asian countries including Cambodia (where it is known as Pradal Serey) and Myanmar where it is generally known as Lethwei . ...

Technical aspects

Fighting is a highly complex discipline. In the past, soldiers such as Mongolian cavalrymen, Manchu bannermen, European knights and Japanese samurai usually spent lifetimes studying all relevant aspects of unarmed fighting and fighting with basic weapons, honed by real, close-quarters combat resulting in fatalities. While soldiers today are still trained in these areas, due to the characteristics of modern warfare, unarmed fighting is often practiced now by civilians in sport-like and less lethal fashions. Practitioners today generally study a limited number of fighting aspects within specific martial art systems. Nonetheless, many practitioners would like to have some skill in more than one context, and most arts include some study of many aspects. In certain systems, in-depth study of certain aspects is not begun until a practitioner has been training for many years. A Norwegian soldier (a Corporal, armed with an MP-5) A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment to defend that country or its interests. ... The Eight Banners (In Manchu: gūsa, In Chinese: 旗 qí) were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. ... The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ...

Some aspects of fighting include:

Long-range unarmed fighting. In this situation, things happen relatively slowly (hundreds of milliseconds), giving participants time to react to visual stimuli. This allows powerful strikes as well as subtle feints to be performed.
Short-range unarmed fighting. In this situation reaction time is such an important factor that visual stimuli are not very useful, and practitioners must learn to react to tactile stimuli. Strikes are still possible but reactions must become reflexes, making feints more difficult.
Grappling. In this situation participants are wrestling each other attempting to get the other in a submission or weak spot for striking. Leverage and physical strength become very important. If not forbidden by rules, biting, pinching and spitting can be very effective at this range.
Armed fighting. Fighting with weapons can be rather different from unarmed fighting, both because strikes can become much more destructive and because weapons can drastically increase the reach of a practitioner. Of course, each weapon and each range requires its own techniques, but a cleverly designed teaching system can take advantage of similarities to simplify the study.
The study of pressure points can be used to improve the effectiveness of traditional techniques, and they also add a whole range of new options to the martial artist. For example, instead of just striking the body, knowledge of pressure points means that the target point can be chosen for much greater effect.
Moral, emotional, and physical development. The dedication and practice required to acquire skill in a martial art can be very beneficial to the character of a practitioner. Some martial arts systems focus on these effects, and emphasize techniques and training that encourage this development.
Fighting against a single opponent. Both traditional duels and most modern sparring matches pit one expert fighter against another, with some set of rules, and after a battle, declare a victor. This has a number of different effects; for example, footwork can be simplified as a practitioner rarely needs to turn quickly. On the other hand, one can expect one's opponent to be about as highly skilled as oneself.
Fighting against multiple opponents. Some martial arts systems focus on being able to deal with multiple opponents simultaneously. In order for this to be possible, normally the opponents must be assumed to have less skill than the practitioner. This has technical effects as well, including tight, careful footwork to allow rapid turning, as well as rapid disabling of opponents in order to move on.
Fighting without injuring the opponent. Many systems are suggested for police or security work; as such, there is a certain amount of effort devoted to minimizing the damage a practitioner inflicts on an opponent. Disarming, locking and controlling techniques are emphasized in this situation over the simpler striking techniques which disable or kill.
Avoidance of fighting. Some martial arts systems are strongly oriented towards practical self-defense, and so some emphasis is placed on defusing or avoiding violent situations rather than fighting.

A millisecond is an SI-derived unit of time, equal to one thousandth of a second. ... For a reflex, reaction time is the time from the onset of a stimulus until the organism responds. ... A reflex action or reflex is a biological control system linking stimulus to response and mediated by a reflex arc. ... Pressure points are points on the body that produce a known reaction (reflex) by either hitting, touching, or rubbing them. ... A duel or duel of honour is a formalised type of armed combat in which two individuals participate. ... Sparring is a form of training common to many martial arts. ...

Testing and Competition

In general, testing or evaluation in some form is important to martial art practitioners of many disciplines who wish to determine their own level of skill in specific contexts. Students within individual martial art systems often undergo periodic testing and grading by their own teacher in order to advance to a higher level of recognized achievement, such as a different belt color or title. The type of testing used varies from system to system but may include forms or sparring. Sparring can generally be divided into light- or medium-contact, and full-contact variants. Both forms and sparring are commonly used in martial art exhibitions and tournaments. Some competitions pit practitioners of different disciplines against each other using a common set of rules. A belt A belt is a flexible band, made of either leather or a type of cloth, worn around the waist. ...

Forms

Forms, known as kata in various Japanese arts and hyung or poomse in various Korean arts, involve the performance and interpretation of routines, either traditional or recently invented, both unarmed and armed. These may be performed solo or with more than one practitioner. By definition, forms are distinguished from sparring in that they involve mostly pre-determined routines and patterns which may artistically resemble combat but are inherently non-combative or co-operative. Jet Li is a well-known practitioner who has been successful in form-based wushu tournaments. In open competitions, the routines may be evaluated by a panel of master-level judges from more than one martial art background. Kata (åž‹ or å½¢) (literally: form) is a Japanese word describing detailed patterns of defense-and-attack movements practiced either solo or in pairs. ... Jet Li Jet Li (Traditional: æŽé€£æ°; Simplified: æŽè¿žæ°; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Li Lien-chieh; Cantonese: Ley5 Lin4 Git6; born April 26, 1963) is a Chinese martial artist and film actor. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kung fu. ...

Light and medium-contact sparring

Sparring in some martial arts may involve a point-based system of light to medium-contact sparring in a marked-off area where both competitors are protected by foam padding; certain targets are prohibited, such as face and groin, and certain techniques may be also prohibited. Points are awarded to competitors on the solid landing of one technique. Again, master-level judges start and stop the match, award points, and resolve disputes. After a set number of points are scored or when the time set for the match expires (for example, three minutes or five points), and elimination matches occur until there is only one winner. These matches may also be sorted by gender, weight class, level of expertise and even age. Some critics of these point sparring competition note that this type of training teaches students to pull their punches or not throw combination attacks as the fighting is frequently stopped by judges to award points or declare fouls. This disruption alters the flow of actual combat and enforces what some see are the bad habits of not following through on attacks, lowering your guard, and relying on tactics that may score points but lack the power to disable or hurt an actual attacker.

Full-contact fighting

"Full-contact" sparring or fighting is often pursued by martial art practitioners who are interested in realistic unarmed combat. The phrase may refer to several aspects which differentiate it from light and medium-contact sessions. It may imply a general lack of protective gear. For example, Kyokushin is a variant of karate that requires advanced practitioners to engage in sparring while wearing no more than a groin guard for protection. It may refer to a full variety of permitted attacks and contact zones on the body, excluding a small and limited number of forbidden techniques such as biting, groin striking or attacking the eyes, bestowing significant fighting freedom upon the competitors. The phrase could also refer to the use of full force in order to disable the opponent, either by knock out or direct submission of defeat. There is often a lower emphasis on scoring points, assuming a point system exists; points, judges and time limits were not used in the early UFC events, whose outcomes were determined only by the inability to continue. Due to these factors, full-contact matches tend to be more aggressive in character. Vale tudo, meaning anything goes in Portuguese, is a definite form of full-contact fighting. Nearly all MMA events, including UFC, PRIDE, Pancrase and Shooto, use full-contact rules, although recently the use of small protective gloves and other safety rules have been added. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo do not allow striking but are full-contact in the sense that full force is applied during grappling and submissions. Some versions of Sambo are full-contact. Emblem of Kyokushinkai Kyokushin (æ¥µçœŸ) or Kyokushinkai (æ¥µçœŸä¼š) is a style of Karate founded by Masutatsu Oyama (å¤§å±±å€é”) in 1964. ... Two Karate practitioners engaging in competition style Karate. ... Vale tudo is a Portuguese term meaning anything goes used to describe mixed martial arts competitions with minimal rules. ... Pancrase or Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling is a mixed martial arts promotion in Japan founded in 1993. ... Shooto logo ISC logo This article deals with the martial arts organisation, for the baseball pitch, see gyroball. ... Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a sophisticated extension of pre-1925 Kodokan Judo (known then as jiu-jitsu). ... Judo (Japanese: æŸ”é“ JÅ«dÅ; literally gentle way) is a martial art, a sport and a philosophy which originated in Japan. ... President Vladimir Putin throwing a sparring partner at a Sambo wrestling training session in Novo-Ogaryovo, 16 June 2002 Sambo (Russian, ÑÐ°Ð¼Ð±Ð¾) -- (also called Sombo and sometimes written in all-caps) is a modern martial art, combat sport and self-defense system developed in the Soviet Union. ...

Some practitioners believe that physically defeating the enemy, as opposed to winning a sport match by rules, is the only important matter in hand-to-hand combat. Some of them treat martial arts only as matters of self-defense or life-and-death situations. For instance, one practioner said "Forget about winning and losing [...] let him fracture your bones and you take his life." As such, these people may prefer not to participate in most types of rule-based martial art competition (even one such as vale tudo), electing instead to study fighting techniques with little or no regard to competitive rules or, perhaps, ethical concerns and the law (the techniques practiced may include attacking vulnerable spots such as the groin or the eyes). Nonetheless, others maintain that, given proper precautions such as a referee and a ring doctor, full-contact matches with basic rules could serve as a useful gauge of one's overall fighting ability, encompassing broad categories including striking, grappling and finishing holds. Self defense refers to actions taken by a person to defend onself, ones property or ones home. ... Bruce Lee. ... Ethics (from Greek ethikos) is the branch of axiology â€“ one of the four major branches of philosophy, alongside metaphysics, epistemology, and logic â€“ which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to define that which is right from that which is wrong. ... Law topics overview List of areas of law List of legal topics List of legal terms List of jurists List of legal abbreviations List of case law lists List of law firms Further reading Cheyenne Way: Conflict & Case Law in Primitive Jurisprudence, Karl N. Llewellyn and E. Adamson Hoebel, University...

Martial arts and self defense

Main article Self-defense

Self-defense strategies formed the basis of numerous martial arts, especially East Asian martial arts, which usually provide self-defense classes as part of their curricula. Self defense refers to actions taken by a person to defend onself, ones property or ones home. ... East Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... In education, a curriculum (plural curricula) is the set of courses and their contents offered by an institution such as a school or university. ...

Many schools of self-defense also teach strategies aimed at avoiding or defusing physical confrontations. The curriculum for such courses commonly teach positioning strategies and strengthening the defender's self-confidence, which is assumed to discourage some physical attacks.

Martial arts practice, with or without actual emphasis in self-defense specific techniques, is a recognized way to both teach positioning strategy and to boost self-confidence thus, subjectively, martial arts in general could be regarded, to some extent, as a kind of self-defense system.

Martial arts as sport

On the subject of competition, martial artists vary wildly. Practitioners in some arts such as Boxing, Taekwondo, Judo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu often train for sport matches in those arts, whereas those in other arts such as Aikido and Krav Maga generally spurn such competitions. Some schools believe that competition breeds better and more efficient practitioners, and gives a sense of good sportsmanship. Others believe that the rules under which competition takes place have removed the combat effectiveness of martial arts or encourage a kind of practice which focuses on winning trophies rather than the more traditional focus of combat effectiveness, or in East Asian cultures, of developing the Confucian person, which eschews showing off (see Confucius, also renaissance man.) Rocky Marciano and Archie Moore at Yankee Stadium, New York City, 1955 Julio Cesar Chavez and Ivan Robinson at the STAPLES centre, Los Angeles, 2005 Boxing, also called pugilism or prizefighting, is a sport where two participants of similar weight attack each other with their fists in a series of... Taekwondo (also spelled Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do) is the most popular of the Korean martial arts and is the Korean national sport. ... Judo (Japanese: æŸ”é“ JÅ«dÅ; literally gentle way) is a martial art, a sport and a philosophy which originated in Japan. ... Muay Thai (Thai à¸¡à¸§à¸¢à¹„à¸—à¸¢, IPA /muai32 tÊ°ai32/) (Thai Boxing) is the Thai name for an indigenous form of martial art practiced in several southeast Asian countries including Cambodia (where it is known as Pradal Serey) and Myanmar where it is generally known as Lethwei . ... Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a sophisticated extension of pre-1925 Kodokan Judo (known then as jiu-jitsu). ... Aikido (åˆæ°—é“ AikidÅ, also åˆæ°£é“ using an older style of kanji), literally meaning harmony energy way, or with some poetic licence, way of the harmonious spirit, is a gendai budo â€” a modern Japanese martial art. ... Krav Maga (Hebrew קרב מגע: contact combat) is a martial art, at first developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. ... Confucius (traditionally September 28 551 BCEâ€“479 BCE) was a famous thinker and social philosopher of China, whose teachings have deeply influenced East Asia for centuries. ... This article is about the 1994 film. ...

Some martials artists, including Forrest Morgan, have criticized sports derivatives for being unrealistic and distracting warriors from looking at the whole art - instead concentrating only on techniques allowed in their competitions.

As part of the response to sport martial arts, new forms of competition are being held such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the U.S. or Pancrase in Japan which are also known as mixed martial arts or MMA events. While the financial success or failure of these events is not well-known, it is interesting to note that certain systems do indeed tend to dominate these full contact or freestyle competitions. Supporters of those styles which win time and again make the statement that this proves the real-world self defense effectiveness of their art. Ultimate Fighting Championship is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization. ... Pancrase or Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling is a mixed martial arts promotion in Japan founded in 1993. ... MMA may refer to: MacRobertson Miller Airlines, a Western Australian airline (1934-1980s). ...

Martial arts and dance

As mentioned above, some martial arts in various cultures can be performed in dance-like settings, either for evoking fiercefulness/pumping adrenaline in preparation of battle, or rather showing off skill in a more stylised manner, or both.

Examples of such war dances include the gymnopaidiai from ancient Sparta, New-Zealand's Haka, the Sabre Dance depicted in Khachaturian's ballet Gayane, the Maasai "jumping" dance, Brunei's Aduk-Aduk, Qatar's Ayyalah, the Indian Kalarippayattu, Pakistani/Afghan Khattak Dance, Brazil's Capoeira, Scotland's Dannsa Biodag ... (not to forget the spoofing weasel war dance). Gymnopaedia derives from the ancient Greek γυμνοπαιδία, a festivity in Sparta, where naked youths would perform war dances. ... Sparta (Greek Î£Ï€Î¬ÏÏ„Î·) was a city in ancient Greece, whose territory included, in Classical times, all Laconia and Messenia, and which was the most powerful state of the Peloponnesus. ... Haka is the generic name for Maori dance. ... This article is about the dance involving swords - for the uncontrollable upward movement of the F-86 Sabre: see Sabre dance The Sabre Dance is a movement in the final act of Aram Khachaturians ballet Gayane, completed in 1942. ... Aram Ilich Khachaturian (Armenian: Ô±Ö€Õ¡Õ´ Ô½Õ¡Õ¹Õ¡Õ¿Ö€ÕµÕ¡Õ¶, Aram XaÄatryan; Russian: ÐpaÐ¼ Ð˜Ð»ÑŒÐ¸Ñ‡ XaÑ‡aÑ‚ypÑÐ½, Aram IliÄ HaÄaturjan) (June 6, 1903 â€“ May 1, 1978) was a composer of classical music. ... Gayane (sometimes written Gayaneh) is a ballet composed by Aram Khachaturian in 1942. ... A Maasai tribesman The Maasai or Masai, an indigenous African tribe of semi-nomadic people located primarily in Kenya and northern Tanzania, are probably one of the most familiar tribes of East Africa. ... Sword fighting in Kalarippayattu Kalarippayattu (Malayalam: à´•à´³à´°à´¿à´ªà´¯à´±à´±àµ) is a martial art practiced in Kerala, a state in South India and in parts of Tamil Nadu. ... The Khattak are a famous tribe of the Pashtun nation, originating from the region currently known as the North-West Frontier Province (N.W.F.P.) of Pakistan. ... Capoeira or the Dance of War by Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1835 Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art developed initially by African slaves in Brazil, starting in the colonial period. ... Travel guide to Scotland from Wikitravel Transport in Scotland Timeline of Scottish history Caledonia List of not fully sovereign nations Subdivisions of Scotland National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Flower of Scotland Wars of Scottish Independence National Trust for Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in... A Scottish dance recorded by J. F. & T. M. Flett in their book, Traditional Step-Dancing in Scotland, taught to them by Mary Isdale Mac Nab of Vancouver. ... The Weasel war dance is a behavior of extremely excited ferrets. ...

Often there appears some tension between martial arts (considered macho) and dancing (considered more effeminate): e.g. Plato's The Laws devotes some attention to this topic. The solution given to this by the Maasai can be considered amongst the most original: they perform their "jumping" martial dance in women's attire, because, as they say, women are prettier than men. Being macho is overconforming to traditional male gender roles or hypermasculinity and often implies misogyny. ... Effeminacy is character trait of a male showing femininity, unmanliness, womanliness, weakness, softness and/or a delicacy, which contradicts traditional masculine, male gender roles. ... The Laws is Platos last and longest dialogue. ...

Ballet, as it originated at the court of Louis XIV also goes back to a sort of ambiguity between being the strongest and being the most refined: worldly power was granted by the king to his noblemen, according to their ability to perform refined "ballet" dancing. The Waltz of the Snowflakes from Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker Ballet is the name given to a specific dance form and technique. ... For the musical group of the same name, see Louis XIV (band). ...

In addition, in theatre and film, the fight scene is essentially a dance meant to depict hand to hand combat. Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... Films are produced by recording actual people and objects with cameras, or by creating them using animation techniques and/or special effects. ... A Fight scene is a scene in a dramatic production that is intended to simulate combat with varying degrees of realism. ...

Notable styles of martial arts

Aikijujutsu is a Japanese martial art which dates back to the samurai. It has been suggested that Aikido evolved from this style.
Aikido is a Japanese martial art which evolved from Jujutsu and Kenjutsu.
Baguazhang is an internal Chinese martial art that trains in distinctive circular footwork patterns and is also known for training with unusually large weapons at advanced levels in some schools.
Bando is the official Burmese Fighting System that includes techniques of throws, holds, locks, chokes, foot-sweeps, etc. Several Bando sub-systems include Lethwei, Naban and Banshay which includes stick fighting, sword fighting, knife fighting, spear fighting, etc.
Capoeira is a survival-oriented dance-fight-game originally developed in the 16th century by Angolan slaves in Brazil. It emphasizes kicks, dodging, and mental training including trickery, sense of humor, and understanding of rhythm.
Eskrima or Pekiti Tirsia Kali highly combative Filipino Martial Art.
Fencing (the European Olympic style), exists now almost entirely as a sport.
Hapkido is a Korean martial art with kicks, punches, joint manipulation, locks, and throws that is said to have developed from Aikijutsu. Many of its techniques are similar to those of Aikido.
Jeet Kune Do, meaning 'Way of the intercepting fist', was developed by Bruce Lee, one of the most famous martial artists of the 20th century.
Judo means gentle way, ('Do' means 'Way of'), a Japanese martial art and sport that consists in the aggregation of techniques from many jujutsu schools. Striking (atemi-waza) and some dangerous throws are forbidden in competitions but still present in trainning and sparring.
Jujutsu is a general Japanese term encompassing mostly unarmed martial arts with strikes, throws, grappling and locks and those using small weapons. It´s a commom misconception to think of jujutsu as a singular fighting style (this same misconception occurs with the Chinese term Kung Fu and Wushu).
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a much modified version of some original Japanese jujutsu schools, based on and closely related to Judo but with even greater emphasis on ground fighting. Sometimes referred to as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu after its founders.
Kalarippayattu a martial art from Kerala in South India. It has a strong association with Ayurveda and healing systems.
Karate simply means 'Empty hand' (originally 'Chinese hand'), and is perhaps the most popular martial art in Japan and the West. It is Okinawan in origin and has several sub styles including Shotokan, Shotokai and Wado Ryu.
Isshin-ryu, meaning "One Heart Way", is a descendent of Karate created by Master Tatsuo Shimabuku in 1954, on the island of Okinawa, Japan. It's forms were taken from Shirin-ryu and Gojo-ryu, however, most of the forms were "simplified" by showing the punches, kicks, strikes, and blocks in plain view. The style stands out because of it's vertical fist punch (much like a boxer's jab) and it's forearm blocking, which utilizes the large area of the forearm instead of the muscled sides.
Kendo is the Japanese art of sword fighting, using bamboo swords (shinai) and protective clothing.
Kuk Sool Won is a systematic study of all of the traditional fighting systems which together comprise the martial arts history of the Korean Peninusla.
Kung Fu, or more precisely "wushu", refers to the many diverse Chinese martial arts, some of which include: Shaolin, Shuai Chiao, Wing Chun, Drunken boxing, Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, Yiquan, Lau Gar, Hung Gar and many more. The Chinese words kung fu can be used to describe one's skill in any discipline, not just martial arts.
Krav Maga is a modern martial art, derived from the distinctive fighting style of the Israeli Haganah and the modern day IDF. The style is purely focused on practical combat skills and eschews competitions beyond occasional 'fight club' nights, wherein practitioners can free-form spar with protective padding.
Mixed martial arts or MMA, a modern martial art which attempts to combine practical aspects of many (or all) useful martial arts, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and wrestling, among others. The emphasis is on actual combat and freestyle competition with few rules, as opposed to theoretical philosophy. Well-known MMA organizations include PRIDE and UFC. By definition, any combinational or open-ended style of fighting may be considered a form of MMA.
Muay Thai, a Thai martial art, from which most styles now known as kickboxing descend.
Ninjutsu is a Japanese style said to have originally been practiced by Ninja, this martial art combines traditional attacks with scout style survival and elusive moves.
Silat is an art from the Malay World and has regional variations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, among others.
Systema is an art of Russian origin. This style employs no pre-defined moves, katas, rankings, or sport application. Rather, Systema works from the basis of the breathing, movement, form (not to be confused with "forms"), and lastly technique. Practicing technique in Systema is more a means for objective exploration by the practitioners rather than a procedural advancement of combat heuristics and mental/physical conditioning. This exploration can be geared towards any situation on any level of human ability as the core philosophies of Systema do not exclusively apply to combat.
Tai Chi Chuan, the different styles of which are a Chinese martial art practiced nowadays by many people for health maintenance. Its slow moving training forms are often described as "moving meditation," but are also a catalogue of self-defence techniques. Despite the emphasis on relaxed training the name actually means "Supreme Ultimate Fist" and often uses its soft style interceptions to simultaneously counter attacks and strike the attacker in its advanced level martial training. Traditional T'ai Chi classes at intermediate level and above should include weapons training, two person pushing hands as well as ch'i kung, for greater health benefits and generating coordinated martial power.
Taekwondo is modern Korean art, descended from Karate but with a much greater emphasis on kicking. Along with Judo, one of only two Asian martial arts to make it into the Olympic Games.
Tang Soo Do (which means 'way of the Chinese hand') is a traditional Korean martial art descended from Karate, which remained outside the merging of Korean styles into a national sport in 1961. Its most famous proponent is Chuck Norris.
Western martial arts (WMA) consist mainly of fighting techniques developed in Europe. They include everything from unarmed combat to grappling ("ringen") to weapons practices with a great variety of weapons such as the longsword, various types of staves and polearms, daggers, sword and buckler, to more specialized weapons such as the rapier. The premier organization for WMA training is the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts, better known as ARMA. Other organizations such as the Society for Creative Anachronism also practice WMA, but due to the fact that that such organizations are generally more concerned with re-enactment the fighting techniques they teach are generally watered down and/or historically inaccurate.
Xingyiquan is also an internal Chinese martial art, known for its direct offensive style.
Yiquan is a relatively modern Chinese martial art, which attempts to move away from traditional concepts.

Aikijutsu, also known as aikijujutsu, is a form of Japanese martial arts. ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... Aikido (åˆæ°—é“ AikidÅ, also åˆæ°£é“ using an older style of kanji), literally meaning harmony energy way, or with some poetic licence, way of the harmonious spirit, is a gendai budo â€” a modern Japanese martial art. ... Jujutsu (also jujitsu, ju jitsu, ju jutsu, or jiu jitsu; from the Japanese æŸ”è¡“ jÅ«jutsu gentle/yielding/compliant Art) is a Japanese martial art. ... Kenjutsu (Japanese: 剣術) is a classical Japanese martial art, a koryu budo. ... BÄguÃ zhÇŽng is one of the three major internal Chinese martial arts, the other two being Xingyiquan (å½¢æ„æ‹³) and Taijiquan (å¤ªæ¥µæ‹³). Baguazhang also includes a powerful healing system. ... Nei chia (內家, pinyin nèi jiā Internal Family) denotes the internal, or soft style family of Chinese martial arts, in distinction to the wai chia (外家, wài jiā) or hard style school, which is associated especially with Shaolin Chüan (Shaolinquan) and its many derivatives. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Lethwei or Lethawae also known as Burmese Boxing and Myanma Traditional Boxing may well be the most brutal and exciting form of kickboxing the world has ever seen. ... Categories: Move to Wiktionary | Martial arts stubs | Martial arts ... Banshay is a term for the various martial arts of Myanmar which focus on the use of weapons. ... Capoeira or the Dance of War by Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1835 Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art developed initially by African slaves in Brazil, starting in the colonial period. ... Full contact kali gear A collection of training weapons used in an Eskrima class. ... Pekiti Tirsia Kali is a Filipino Martial Art founded in 1897. ... Full contact gear The Filipino war arts or arts of war were a result of Southeast Asian ideas that flowed from one neighboring island to another. ... Russian Ivan Tourchine and American Weston Kelsey fence in the second round of the Olympic Mens Individual Ã‰pÃ©e event at the Helliniko Fencing Hall on Aug. ... Hapkido or Hap Ki Do is one of the Korean martial arts. ... Aikijutsu, also known as aikijujutsu, is a form of Japanese martial arts. ... Aikido (åˆæ°—é“ AikidÅ, also åˆæ°£é“ using an older style of kanji), literally meaning harmony energy way, or with some poetic licence, way of the harmonious spirit, is a gendai budo â€” a modern Japanese martial art. ... Jeet Kune Do (æˆªæ‹³é“ in pinyin: jiÃ© quÃ¡n dÃ o; in Jyutping: zit6 kyun4 dou3; literal meaning: Way of the Intercepting Fist), also Jeet Kun Do or JKD, is the system developed by Bruce Lee. ... Bruce Lee. ... Judo (Japanese: æŸ”é“ JÅ«dÅ; literally gentle way) is a martial art, a sport and a philosophy which originated in Japan. ... Jujutsu (also jujitsu, ju jitsu, ju jutsu, or jiu jitsu; from the Japanese æŸ”è¡“ jÅ«jutsu gentle/yielding/compliant Art) is a Japanese martial art. ... Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a sophisticated extension of pre-1925 Kodokan Judo (known then as jiu-jitsu). ... Ground Fighting refers to any technique used by a combatant or martial artist to grapple an opponent while one or the other is on the ground. ... Sword fighting in Kalarippayattu Kalarippayattu (Malayalam: à´•à´³à´°à´¿à´ªà´¯à´±à´±àµ) is a martial art practiced in Kerala, a state in South India and in parts of Tamil Nadu. ... List of famous Keralites Districts of Kerala Local Body Election in Kerala External links Government of Kerala Chief Minister of Kerala Kerala Trivia Poorams Pachakam Categories: | | ... A map of South India, its rivers, regions and water bodies. ... Ayurveda (à¤†à¤¯à¥à¤°à¥à¤µà¥‡à¤¦ Sanskrit: ayuâ€”life; vedaâ€”knowledge of) or ayurvedic medicine is a comprehensive system of medicine, more than 5,000 years old and based on a holistic approach rooted in Vedic culture. ... Two Karate practitioners engaging in competition style Karate. ... This article is about the prefecture. ... Shotokan (æ¾æ¶›é¤¨) is a school of karate, reflecting the style of the initial students (including his son, Yoshitaka) of master Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957). ... Shotokai is a style of karate, named after the Shotokai, a group brought together by the family of Gichin Funakoshi after his death in 1957, to look after the arrangements for his funeral. ... Wado-ryu (和道流) is one of the worlds major karate styles. ... Isshin-ryu (ä¸€å¿ƒæµ) is a style of Okinawan karate founded by Shimabuku Tatsuo at 1953. ... Kendo Kendo (å‰£é“ KendÅ, åŠé“) , which is the modern martial art of Japanese fencing, developed from traditional techniques of Japanese swordsmanship known as kenjutsu. ... shinai is a very popular name in asia. ... Kuk Sool Wonâ„¢ (National Martial Arts Association) is a systematic study of all of the traditional fighting systems, which together comprise the martial arts history of the Korean Peninsula. ... Alternative meaning: Kung Fu (TV series) Kung fu or gongfu (功夫, Pinyin: gōngfu) is a well-known Chinese term used in the West to designate Chinese martial arts. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kung fu. ... Chinese martial arts, often abbreviated as CMA, refers to the enormous variety of martial art styles native to China. ... For the style associated with Gu Ruzhang, see Northern Shaolin (martial art). ... Shuaijiao (Chinese: æ‘”è·¤ or æ‘”è§’; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shuai-chiao) is the modern term for Chinese and Mongolian wrestling. ... Wing Chun (Chinese: è© æ˜¥; pinyin: ; Yale Cantonese: wing2 cheun1), also romanized Ving Tsun, is a system of Chinese martial arts with an emphasis on unarmed close-range fighting, although its curriculum includes weapons and techniques suitable for various ranges. ... Zuijiuquan (é†‰é…’æ‹³), commonly known as Drunken Boxing or Drunken Fist, but also translated as Drunkards Boxing, is a southern style of Wushu that imitates a drunkard in its movements. ... Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan (from Chinese 太极拳 Tàijíquán, literally supreme ultimate fist), commonly known as Tai Chi or Taiji, is a nei chia (internal) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent... Xingyiquan is one of the three major internal Chinese martial artsâ€”the other two being Taijiquan and Baguazhangâ€”and is characterised by aggressive, linear movements and explosive power. ... Yiquan (Chinese:æ„æ‹³; pinyin: YÃ¬quÃ¡n; Wade-Giles: I4 ChÃ¼an2; lit. ... Lau Gar is one of the five most known southern Chinese style of Kung Fu. ... Hung Gar, also called Hung Kuen, is a southern Chinese martial art associated with the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-Hung, who was a master of Hung Gar. ... Krav Maga (Hebrew קרב מגע: contact combat) is a martial art, at first developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. ... Haganah Logo (1940s) The Haganah (Hebrew: The Defense, ×”×”×’× ×”) was a Jewish paramilitary organization in Palestine during the British mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948. ... IDF or idf may refer to: the International Diabetes Federation the Israel Defense Forces the AIDC Ching-kuo Indigenous Defence Fighter of Taiwan. ... Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the combat sport in which two competitors attempt to achieve dominance over one another by utilizing a wide variety of permitted martial arts techniques. ... Pride logo PRIDE or PRIDE Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts organization based in Japan. ... Ultimate Fighting Championship is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization. ... Muay Thai (Thai à¸¡à¸§à¸¢à¹„à¸—à¸¢, IPA /muai32 tÊ°ai32/) (Thai Boxing) is the Thai name for an indigenous form of martial art practiced in several southeast Asian countries including Cambodia (where it is known as Pradal Serey) and Myanmar where it is generally known as Lethwei . ... Kickboxing match(not Thai boxing) Kickboxing can be described as a generic term for a sporting martial art that, while similar to boxing, uses feet as well as hands for fighting. ... Ninjutsu (å¿è¡“), also called shinobi no jutsu (å¿ã³è¡“), is a collection of techniques originally practiced for espionage purposes. ... A ninja on the cover of Black Belt magazine. ... Look up Scout in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Scout can refer to: A reconnoiter; see reconnaissance. ... Pencak Silat or Silat (fighting by using techniques of self-defence) is an Asian martial art with roots in the culture of the Malay World. ... The Malay World or Nusantara refers to the Malay cultural and linguistic sphere of influence, covering the archipelago of modern-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, and East Timor. ... Systema (Russian: Ð¡Ð¸ÑÑ‚ÐµÐ¼Ð°, The System, Combat Sambo Spetsnaz) is a Russian martial art. ... Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan (Chinese: å¤ªæ¥µæ‹³; pinyin: ; literally supreme ultimate fist), commonly known as Tai Chi, Tai Chi, or Taiji, is a nei chia (internal) Chinese martial art. ... Meditation refers to any of a wide variety of spiritual practices (and their close secular analogues) which emphasize mental activity or quiescence. ... Nei chia (Chinese: 內家; pinyin: ; literally internal school) denotes the soft style group of Chinese martial arts, in distinction to the wai chia (Chinese: 外家; pinyin: ; literally external school) or hard style group, which is associated especially with Shaolin Quan (Shaolin Chüan) and its many derivatives. ... The bayonet, still used in war as both knife and spearpoint. ... For other uses of the term, see Pushing Hands Pushing hands, (æŽ¨æ‰‹, Wade-Giles tui1 shou3, pinyin tÅ«i shÇ’u), is a name for two-person training routines practiced in soft style Chinese martial arts such as Pa Kua Chang (Baguazhang), Hsing-i Chuan (Xingyiquan), Tai Chi... Qigong (Simplified Chinese: æ°”åŠŸ; Traditional Chinese: æ°£åŠŸ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: chi4 kung1) is an increasingly popular aspect of Chinese medicine involving the coordination of different breathing patterns with various physical postures and motions of the body. ... Taekwondo (also spelled Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do) is the most popular of the Korean martial arts and is the Korean national sport. ... The term Asian in a geographical sense simply refers to something or someone from Asia. ... The Olympic Games, or Olympics, is an international multi-sport event taking place every four years and comprising summer and winter games. ... Tangsoodo or Tang Soo Do (å”æ‰‹é“ / ë‹¹ìˆ˜ë„, Sino-Korean: The Way of the Tang Fist) is a popular Korean martial art that has been largely incorporated into Taekwondo. ... Two Karate practitioners engaging in competition style Karate. ... Chuck Norris being presented with the Veteran of the Year award at the American Veteran awards show Carlos Ray Norris Jr. ... See long-sword for other uses of the term. ... You may be looking for information on: Look up staff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the typographical mark, see dagger (typography). ... A buckler (French bouclier shield, from old French bocle, boucle boss) is a small shield gripped in the fist -- it was generally used in hand-to-hand combat during the Middle Ages, as its size made it poor protection against missile weapons (e. ... silver damascened rapier guard, between 1580 and 1600. ... The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA), is an international educational non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to the study and practice of historical fencing and the exploration and promotion of the martial heritage of Western Europe. ... The Society for Creative Anachronism (or SCA for short) is a not-for-profit educational organization devoted to studying and re-creating the Middle Ages and Renaissance. ... Xingyiquan is one of the three major internal Chinese martial artsâ€”the other two being Taijiquan and Baguazhangâ€”and is characterised by aggressive, linear movements and explosive power. ... Nei chia (內家, pinyin nèi jiā Internal Family) denotes the internal, or soft style family of Chinese martial arts, in distinction to the wai chia (外家, wài jiā) or hard style school, which is associated especially with Shaolin Chüan (Shaolinquan) and its many derivatives. ... Yiquan (Chinese:æ„æ‹³; pinyin: YÃ¬quÃ¡n; Wade-Giles: I4 ChÃ¼an2; lit. ... Chinese martial arts, often abbreviated as CMA, refers to the enormous variety of martial art styles native to China. ...

Further resources

For a detailed list of martial arts, see List of martial arts
For a detailed list of martial arts weapons, see List of martial arts weapons
For a detailed list of fictional martial arts, see List of fictional martial arts
For everything else, see List of martial arts-related topics

Koo Self Defense created by Master Roger Koo in 1992 with a unique out of the box approach for a martial art and self defense training system promoting health, extreme physical fitness and devastating power for street self defense. This is a list of martial arts, broken down by region and style. ... This is a partial list of martial arts weapons. ... Many works of fiction such as movies and books often have characters that practise martial arts, usually they practise existing martial arts such as Judo or Aikido. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of martial arts (Chapter only) . (Discuss) It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of martial arts weapons (Chapter only) . (Discuss) // Generic Main article is Martial art. ...

External links

rec.martial-arts FAQ
Das Martial Arts Forum
China Shaolin Martial arts
The ARMA
Martial Arts Studies (University BA degrees)

Categories: Martial arts | Individual sports | Combat sports

Results from FactBites:

Martial Arts Supplies, Weapons, Uniforms, Training Gear, Apparel & Martial Art Supply discounts. (283 words)
	We offer martial arts equipment at low prices with a 100% guarantee.
	Welcome to Martial Art Supply.com were we offer ninja gear and martial arts supplies at the lowest prices and a 100% guarantee.
	Just send us an e-mail (support@martialartsupply.com) describing the martial arts gear you are looking for, and we will reply with a low price on any item not listed on Martial Art Supply For Ninja and Martial Arts training camps, follow the links below.

Martial art (1608 words)
	Martial arts describes bodies of codified practices or traditions of unarmed and armed combat, often with the goal of developing both the character of the practitioner as well as the mindful, appropriate, controlled use of bodily force.
	The martial arts, due to a century of exaggerated, exoticized portrayals in popular media (see orientalism), has been inextricably bound in the Western imagination to East Asian cultures and people, but it would be incorrect to say the martial arts are unique to Asia.
	As part of the response to sport martial arts, new forms of competition are being held such as the Ultimate Fighting Champions in the U.S. or Pancrase in Japan which are also known as mixed martial arts or MMA events.

More results at FactBites »

COMMENTARY

Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.

Contents

Overview