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Martial Arts
At its most basic, the term martial art describes a war skill (martial = war,
art = skill). Although martial arts are predominantly associated with Oriental
styles of combat, it actually applies to a variety of styles of fighting that
have developed from such diverse cultures as Ancient Rome, colonial Latin America,
and World War Two era Japan. Martial arts transcend time and cultures and the
term is a catch all phrase that describes a variety of physical combat skills.
Martial arts describes such varied techniques as boxing (an exercise that originated
from either ancient Greece or Rome that is usually performed in a competitive
setting) to ninjutsu (a Japanese feudal art that was used during missions of
espionage and assassinations against warlords) to Jeet Kune Do (a modern martial
art developed in the 1960s by the actor Bruce Lee that is renowned for its street
effectiveness.) Martial arts can be used as a self-defense art like capoeira
(the Brazilian martial art that was developed by African slaves who had to defend
themselves against their slave masters) or it can be used as an offensive skill
fighting like savate (the 19th century French martial art that utilizes a variety
of foot and fist fighting techniques.) Martial arts can also describe forms
of fighting that are primarily designed for competition such as kickboxing (a
modern martial that combines the hand fighting techniques of boxing with the
kick fighting techniques of the Asian martial arts) and it can also describe
forms of fighting that grew out of philosophical schools such as Hsing-i Chuan
(an ancient Chinese martial art that is heavily based on Taoist philosophy that
reflects the five elements of wood, water, earth, metal, and fire).
Regardless of its intent, the martial arts have increased in popularity over
the last century. Many proponents of the martial arts are attracted to the philosophical
tenets of certain types of martial arts. Others are attracted to the competitive
sports aspects of other types of martial arts. Another source of attraction
to the martial arts lies in the way some martial arts emphasize graceful moves.
Despite the many differences of the different forms of martial arts, all of
the martial arts share at least one thing in common. All forms of martial arts,
when practiced, will improve your overall health. As a physical exercise that
has its own sets of rules and techniques, the martial arts will increase your
life span by improving your overall health. It is often more enjoyable than
such conventionally Western forms of exercise such as strength training. There
are also a variety of other benefits towards practicing the Martial Arts, with
many proponents of the martial arts finding that they have increased their spiritual
awareness, their self-confidence, and their social skills through learning the
Martial Arts.
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