Image from Video Game Classic Street Fighter: Gouken
In the days of the first creations of man, there was an ideal of being able to adapt to the land, as man knew there was danger from all sides, which different forms of Martial Arts have been created for one purpose, Self-Defense.
There are variations of Martial-Arts, from most parts of the world, as weapons were designed, so was the human body to utilized as a weapon of Self-Defense, either in the arts of war, protecting one self from bandits, to learn how to fight back from being a victim to those close to us who cause us harm. What are the Martial Arts?
Is it just punching, kicking, grappling, and being able to hurt the attacker? Or is it just an expression of the body that performs movements with or without weapons in a Self Defense situation? To many, it can be just a way to get back in shape and start feeling young again, to have a healthy, strong and flexible body. Martial, really defines warfare or battle in combat at life and threatening situations. Art, as what it explains for itself, is an expression or form of movements, whether it is sculpting, painting, linguistics or building. But to define the term, is really an expression of the body performing movements of a Self-Defense experience.
To name of the various types of Martial Arts and explain the origins and different styles which expresses the Art, could take a long journey back in time, to interpret how what we know or what we watch on a movie, on video games, and what history has to tell us about the Martial Arts.
To only name a few, Tae Kwon Do (The way of the hand and foot), which has become popular in North America where it originates from Korea. Karate (Open or Empty Hand) which originates from Japan, Kung-Fu (literally translates as Chinese Boxing) which is originated, the style or father of all Asian Martial-Arts. As time elapsed and as each style has evolved to its environment, such as other grappling styles, Pankration, Jiu-Jitsu, Greco-Roman Wrestling, so have the weapons have become an essential part of each style.
"Krava Maga" (Close Contact/Fighting)
Israelian Military Martial Arts
When speaking of weapons, many are more familiar with perhaps a knife, sword, or an axe, which were more assessable to normal people on a daily routine, which have been used for hunting, cutting meat, or chopping wood. As in life, being human, means making mistakes, or be part of the problem not part of a solution, to cause harm to other human beings. In our human history, ever since the first history recorded about war from ancient scriptures from the bible, people have learned to kill and hurt other people.
As in the Martial-Arts has been evolved, it has changed depending on the persons environment, whether it be fighting with or without weapons. Chinese Martial Arts has been a foundation, on all Asian Martial Arts, on utilizing weapons for a life and threatening situation. All styles of Self-Defense have used some form of weapons to be able to have the advantage to a fight either it be to save a life or take a life.
But are the Martial-Arts all about creating danger or to eliminate harm? The Art is really on the beholder, as with the great comic hero, Spider-Man, has always reminiscent the words of his Uncle, Ben, and “WITH GREAT POWER COMES WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY”, so is the same with the Martial-Arts. The Martial-Arts is a form of a military discipline, but not only to teach the student to control his/her anger, but to be self-disciplined to have that control his/her emotions.
Any style can teach a person to hurt a person, but it takes personal integrity to uphold his/her behavior, to limit the extent of the emotions that comes from anger or from negative thoughts. It’s really how a person lives their life style, to be an example, and lead with knowledge of being responsible for the use of that power.
This message is really about how to live to be a better person, as the Martial-Arts develops a sense of character, as the body forms to become a human weapon, but also how to channel ones energy psychologically, as well as physical. The Martial-Arts was created for man, not for man to create the Martial-Arts, for it’s a spiritual journey as it becomes a physical encounter of the mind.
~武德为首, Martial Art Virtue comes first
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