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People tend to think of martial arts as being oriental, Kung Fu type fighting. However, the word 'martial' derives from the Latin word 'mars, martis', who was the Roman god of war. 'Martial', consequently, means 'to do with war or fighting'.
As a result, martial can refer to Western ways of fighting too such as boxing and wrestling.
These martial arts have been in existence for thousands of years at least and originated on the battlefield where one's competency in fighting was literally a question of life and death. Wrestling was in the Olympic Games over 2,000 years ago.
Likewise, lots of the oriental martial arts are just as old and came into existence because peasants were not permitted to bear arms in the social structures of the times.
In spite of the age of these martial arts, they did not get popular in the Developed world until Bruce Lee made them famous with his Kung Fu films in the early Seventies.
It is a little known fact that when Lee was dispatched to America at the age of 18 to avoid the wrath of a local Hong Kong mafia chief, he wanted to teach traditional martial arts, but was forbidden permission by the local Chinese community.
There was an unwritten rule that non-Chinese were not to be taught Chinese martial arts. Lee ignored the rule, and he claimed to have been sent death threats from powerful Chinese underworld leaders from America and Hong Kong.
Lee taught martial arts to a select group of well-known Caucasians and even developed his own style known as Jeet Kune Do.
Jeet Kune Do used Lee's astonishing speed and strength in its moves. Three of Lee's most famous moves were:
The Power Side Kick: with one kick, he could kick a 300 pound sack to hit a regular ceiling
The One Inch Punch: he could knock a trained fighter over with a punch that had travelled merely one inch
The Lightning Snatch: with his arm by his side, he could snatch a dime from an open hand three feet away and leave a penny behind in 5/100 ths of a second.
Individuals wanted to be able to do the same. However, there are many different types of martial arts and many countries have their own peculiar style of fighting.
China has Judo and Kung Fu; Japan has Karate; Brazil has Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; Thailand has Muay Thai.. There are many other, mostly oriental styles, too, like Tae Kwando and Aikido but also French Kick Boxing.
Some martial arts are more defensive in nature, but others are positively belligerent: Judo and Aikido are examples of defensive styles and Karate and boxing are far more belligerent in character. However, all martial arts teach self-control and the students develop more self-assurance. Martial arts are experiencing a resurgence in popularity at the moment, largely owing to UFC bouts or mixed martial arts.
You might not approve of the brutality of mixed martial arts, but it cannot be denied that numerous kids are learning a couple of martial arts, Western and Oriental, because of these well-liked TV fights.
As a result, martial can refer to Western ways of fighting too such as boxing and wrestling.
These martial arts have been in existence for thousands of years at least and originated on the battlefield where one's competency in fighting was literally a question of life and death. Wrestling was in the Olympic Games over 2,000 years ago.
Likewise, lots of the oriental martial arts are just as old and came into existence because peasants were not permitted to bear arms in the social structures of the times.
In spite of the age of these martial arts, they did not get popular in the Developed world until Bruce Lee made them famous with his Kung Fu films in the early Seventies.
It is a little known fact that when Lee was dispatched to America at the age of 18 to avoid the wrath of a local Hong Kong mafia chief, he wanted to teach traditional martial arts, but was forbidden permission by the local Chinese community.
There was an unwritten rule that non-Chinese were not to be taught Chinese martial arts. Lee ignored the rule, and he claimed to have been sent death threats from powerful Chinese underworld leaders from America and Hong Kong.
Lee taught martial arts to a select group of well-known Caucasians and even developed his own style known as Jeet Kune Do.
Jeet Kune Do used Lee's astonishing speed and strength in its moves. Three of Lee's most famous moves were:
The Power Side Kick: with one kick, he could kick a 300 pound sack to hit a regular ceiling
The One Inch Punch: he could knock a trained fighter over with a punch that had travelled merely one inch
The Lightning Snatch: with his arm by his side, he could snatch a dime from an open hand three feet away and leave a penny behind in 5/100 ths of a second.
Individuals wanted to be able to do the same. However, there are many different types of martial arts and many countries have their own peculiar style of fighting.
China has Judo and Kung Fu; Japan has Karate; Brazil has Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; Thailand has Muay Thai.. There are many other, mostly oriental styles, too, like Tae Kwando and Aikido but also French Kick Boxing.
Some martial arts are more defensive in nature, but others are positively belligerent: Judo and Aikido are examples of defensive styles and Karate and boxing are far more belligerent in character. However, all martial arts teach self-control and the students develop more self-assurance. Martial arts are experiencing a resurgence in popularity at the moment, largely owing to UFC bouts or mixed martial arts.
You might not approve of the brutality of mixed martial arts, but it cannot be denied that numerous kids are learning a couple of martial arts, Western and Oriental, because of these well-liked TV fights.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently concerned with the London 2012 Olympics mascot. Click a link if you are interested in the 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.
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