Although Martial Arts developed in nations worldwide, could they have all come from one source? Similarities in art styles in adjacent countries have posed the question of a single origin. Ultimately, historians have come up with three theories on the origin of these arts.
Theory 1: Greece
A popular theory describes the rise of Pankration in Ancient Greece. Indeed, Greek soldiers of the ancient world learnt this fighting style and used it against numerous opponents in different times. Alexander the Great's legendary conquest, the conquering of the majority of what was then the modern world, is considered to be the catalyst of all oriental martial arts. In the occupation of numerous nations, it is quite possible that Pankration spread in this way. While there is evidence to show that countries such as India already had pre-existing fighting methods, Pankration may still have had an influence on techniques and the way they were used. Pankration's influence on India would in turn, influence China, then Japan and Korea and so on, indirectly influencing martial arts across the world.
Theory 2: India
This theory is similar to the Greek theory- only without Greece. India did have ancient martial art systems predating Alexander the Great and may not have been influenced by Greece at all. Yoga-style exercises are the earliest form of martial arts found and this spread through Indian monks into China and so on.
Theory 3: There is no origin
This theory states that arts such as Pankration, Indian and Chinese martial arts are indigenous to their own country and martial arts is a 'coeval' discovery of each nation. Indeed most countries have evidence of primitive or early combat arts pre-dating most international connections and it could have been possible that each nation simply developed these arts around the same time, as necessary for war.
Sunday 28 July 2013
Saturday 27 July 2013
Greece (Pankration)
Pankration is considered to be one of the oldest martial arts. In Greek mythology, Heracles and Theseus invented the art when the combined both wrestling and boxing in their fights. The old term pammachon was used instead of the later term pankration and appeared in Greek legends such as Theseus' victory against the Minotaur and Heracles' against the Nemean lion, both of which have been depicted in ancient artwork. The first official record of sport Pankration was in the 33rd Olympic Games in Athens, 648 BC but the combat form may have been practiced two thousand years before that.
Before it became an atheletic competition, Pankration was a staple part of the arsenal of Greek soldiers. In the case of losing both the sword and shield, soldiers were always prepared to fight hand-to-hand combat. This famous martial arts was practiced by the Spartans, who were said to have fought with bare hands and teeth once spears and swords has shattered) and by Alexander the Great's incredible army which conquered almost the entire civilised world of his time. Spartan soldiers trained in Pankration as well as other weapon arts at the age of 7 years old for 25 years in military training known as the Agoge. Women were not exempt- many regularly exercised and competed in sports such as Pankration. Pankration kicks were trained to be strong enough to break a shield in half. Alexander the Great's formidable Macedonian phalanx would have also practised Pankration and his invasion of India in 326 BC is said to have spread martial arts throughout Asia.
In Athens, Pankration was established as an event in the men's division in 648 BC alongside the previously existing boxing and wrestling events. As a combination of the two, Pankration is considered a predecessor to modern day MMA matches (mixed martial arts) and contains numerous similarities even today. However, Pankration began as a bloody sport that all too often resulted in death. Dr Emmanuel Mikzogiannakis states that the lack of weight divisions meant that only the biggest and heaviest competitors dominated the event. The amount of pride that went into the event also contributed to fatal injuries as many refused to submit, even though the rules allowed them to at any time. The majority of deaths resulted from chokeholds when the opponent refused to admit defeat.
Pankration involves a variety of grappling techniques such as takedowns, chokes and jointlocks but also strikes with both arms and legs. The rules of Pankration were limited only to forbidding biting and eye-gouging, but other than that, it was 'anything goes'. One such competitor was nicknamed 'Fingertips', famous for starting off matches by breaking his opponents fingers.
http://www.usadojo.com/styles/about-pankration.htm
http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=164
http://www.atlantamartialarts.com/styles/pankration.htm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/28473-ancient-greek-pankration-the-origins-of-mma-part-one
http://www.pankration.gr/history.htm (this site is kinda debatable in reliability though- "The oldest written evidence of Pankration can be found in the 586th lyric of Orfica in the ancient poem Argonautica, which researches believe dates as far back as the 12th Millennium BC" 12th millenium??
http://www.historical-pankration.com/article-7.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0ueeS-zoxc
India (Kalaripayattu, Pehlwani)
There is evidence of martial arts practice dating back to ancient India and even pre-dating Indo-Aryan invasions. Records of these martial arts are passed down through religious legends such as the Hindu god Krishna who has been reported to have engaged in wrestling matches which included strikes and locks. However, written records of martial arts practice can only be dated around 200 BC- 200 AD in Tamil Sangam literature but around 400 BC in the Mahabharata text.
Like most martial arts of the ancient world, religion played a large role in Indian martial arts. Practicing martial arts in ancient India was considered tribute to the gods. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, finger movements and dancing became an important part of martial arts, much like how the Japanese kata and Chinese forms had been in their respective arts. In fact, dancing became so interlinked with martial arts that until recent times, the chhau dance was only performed by martial artists as both arts enhanced each other. In some traditional Indian dance schools, martial arts are still considered part of their program.
Pehlwani
Pehlwani is a form of South Asian wrestling developed in the Mughal era as a combination of native Indian wrestling as Persian combat arts. Forms of Pelwani can be dated back to at least the 5th century BC and is considered an ancestor of modern South Asian wrestling. When North India was conquered by the Central Asian Mughals, Persians of Mongol descent, in the 16th century AD, Iranian and Mongolian wrestling were incorporated to the local Indian arts, resulting in Pehlwani. A man by the name of Ramadasa, who is considered the father of Indian athletics, encouraged Hindus in the country to participate in physical activity as tribute to the monkey god Hanuman in the late 17th century, which popularised Indian martial arts.
Pehlwani includes mainly locks, throws, pins and submission holds similar to Japanese Jujitsu, avoiding strikes and kicks.
Kalaripayattu
Kalaripayattu was first documented in the 11th-12th century AD by historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai however oral folklore which described the creation of Kalaripayattu by Hindu gods, precedes that. Kalaripayattu's origin in Kerala is traced back to the legend of the 6th avatar of Vishnu, where he threw his axe into the sea and when the water receded, the land of Kerala was created. He is said to have introduced Kalaripayattu to help protect the land and it's people. The art's development was emphasised during the 9th century when warfare was ripe and warrior clans practiced it to defend their state and king. Writings of early colonial historians such as Varthema, Logan and Whiteway attest to the wide popularity of the art, transcending gender and communal lines, becoming as important as reading and writing. In the earliest western accound of kalaripayattu by Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa (1518), he mentions that warriors begin training as young as seven years of age and they are taught tricks of dexterity, dance, leaping and weapon training.
Kalaripayattu is a deeply religious art. Kalari, meaning school, is a holy sanctuary watched over by a guardian deity (usually Kali or Shiva) and is worshipped with floers, incense and water before every training session. Traditionally, when a kalari was closed down, it would be made into a small shrine dedicated to the god. Kalaripayattu also emphasised on pressure points, becoming famous for allegedly being able to kill or disable opponenets by merely touching one of these vital points. As a result of studying the human body, Indian martial artists also became excellent doctors and masseuses. In fact, massages were often given by teachers to their students to increase flexibility of treat injuries.
Kalaripayattu includes strikes, kicks, grappling and weapon arts. It is rumoured to be the forerunner of Chinese martial arts, as the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma took this knowledge from India to China.
http://www.kalari.in/kalaripayattu.htm
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/martial-arts-india/
http://www.shajikalari.com/
http://eng.inkungfu.com/resource/content.aspx?id=1622
http://www.indianetzone.com/57/pehlwani.htm
http://www.mykickboxing.com/India/malla-yuddha.html
http://4point4milliondays.com/disciplines-sport-39-1051
Like most martial arts of the ancient world, religion played a large role in Indian martial arts. Practicing martial arts in ancient India was considered tribute to the gods. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, finger movements and dancing became an important part of martial arts, much like how the Japanese kata and Chinese forms had been in their respective arts. In fact, dancing became so interlinked with martial arts that until recent times, the chhau dance was only performed by martial artists as both arts enhanced each other. In some traditional Indian dance schools, martial arts are still considered part of their program.
Pehlwani
Pehlwani is a form of South Asian wrestling developed in the Mughal era as a combination of native Indian wrestling as Persian combat arts. Forms of Pelwani can be dated back to at least the 5th century BC and is considered an ancestor of modern South Asian wrestling. When North India was conquered by the Central Asian Mughals, Persians of Mongol descent, in the 16th century AD, Iranian and Mongolian wrestling were incorporated to the local Indian arts, resulting in Pehlwani. A man by the name of Ramadasa, who is considered the father of Indian athletics, encouraged Hindus in the country to participate in physical activity as tribute to the monkey god Hanuman in the late 17th century, which popularised Indian martial arts.
Pehlwani includes mainly locks, throws, pins and submission holds similar to Japanese Jujitsu, avoiding strikes and kicks.
Kalaripayattu
Kalaripayattu was first documented in the 11th-12th century AD by historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai however oral folklore which described the creation of Kalaripayattu by Hindu gods, precedes that. Kalaripayattu's origin in Kerala is traced back to the legend of the 6th avatar of Vishnu, where he threw his axe into the sea and when the water receded, the land of Kerala was created. He is said to have introduced Kalaripayattu to help protect the land and it's people. The art's development was emphasised during the 9th century when warfare was ripe and warrior clans practiced it to defend their state and king. Writings of early colonial historians such as Varthema, Logan and Whiteway attest to the wide popularity of the art, transcending gender and communal lines, becoming as important as reading and writing. In the earliest western accound of kalaripayattu by Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa (1518), he mentions that warriors begin training as young as seven years of age and they are taught tricks of dexterity, dance, leaping and weapon training.
Kalaripayattu is a deeply religious art. Kalari, meaning school, is a holy sanctuary watched over by a guardian deity (usually Kali or Shiva) and is worshipped with floers, incense and water before every training session. Traditionally, when a kalari was closed down, it would be made into a small shrine dedicated to the god. Kalaripayattu also emphasised on pressure points, becoming famous for allegedly being able to kill or disable opponenets by merely touching one of these vital points. As a result of studying the human body, Indian martial artists also became excellent doctors and masseuses. In fact, massages were often given by teachers to their students to increase flexibility of treat injuries.
Kalaripayattu includes strikes, kicks, grappling and weapon arts. It is rumoured to be the forerunner of Chinese martial arts, as the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma took this knowledge from India to China.
http://www.kalari.in/kalaripayattu.htm
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/martial-arts-india/
http://www.shajikalari.com/
http://eng.inkungfu.com/resource/content.aspx?id=1622
http://www.indianetzone.com/57/pehlwani.htm
http://www.mykickboxing.com/India/malla-yuddha.html
http://4point4milliondays.com/disciplines-sport-39-1051
Tuesday 9 July 2013
Japan (Sumo, Jujitsu/Judo, Ninjutsu)
Japanese Martial Arts are wide and varied but can be traced back to Ancient times. Sumo, Jujitsu and Ninjutsu are just a few but are some of the more popular ones that are still practiced today.
Sumo
Sumo is one of Japan's most ancient arts and is suspected to have originated around 2000 years ago, somewhere in the 8th century AD. Sumo matches were exceedingly popular and are thought to have influenced other nations such as Mongolian, Chinese and Korean wrestling. Sumo started off as a religious ritual in the Shinto religion and some rites such as salt purification are still in practice today. In the Edo period, Sumos were prized for their strength and professional sumo wrestlers and matches started to be established.
Jujitsu
Unlike Chinese and Okinawan arts, Jujitsu focused not on striking but on throwing and joint-locks to incapacitate an armoured opponent as quickly as possible. These Jujitsu techniques were used commonly by the samurai against each other, especially if they happened to be disarmed and were considered just as important as the katana. The origins of Jujitsu are unknown but have been mentioned as far as 2500 years ago in mythical legend, where two gods were rumoured to have punished an eastern province using Jujitsu techniques. An early wrestling sport appeared in Japan in 230 BC and contained many Jujitsu-like techniques and is considered to be a predecessor to the martial art which was established in the samurai training regime about 784 AD. Jujitsu was not made to replace weapons arts but to complement it, and even now Jujitsu complements the majority of striking arts.
Judo
However, Jujitsu began rapidly losing popularity after the age of the samurais and Japan started becoming more interested in the Western world. Jujitsu was saved only by the creation of Judo, when a man by the name of Kano Jigoro creatively reinvented Jujitsu to a more sport-like practice and competitive art in 1884. New techniques and training methods re-popularised Jujitsu, now known as Judo and resulted in more competitive matches and was even established as an Olympic sport as of 1964. Judo also had influence on a later Brazilian martial art called Brazilian Jujitsu (which was only named so because Judo was still being called Jujitsu).
Ninjutsu
Ninjutsu is quickly fading in practice however remains as one of the most popular martial arts in the entertainment business. More than one film or cartoon has focused on the mysterious Japanese Ninja, infamous for stealth, secrecy and deadly martial arts. Ninjutsu was developed as a means of survival in feudal Japan where skills in espionage and assassination were necessary in surviving the warring factions. The exact origin of Ninjutsu is difficult to trace as the rise of Ninjas occurred much later in the 14th century, however Ninjutsu could have existed as early as the first century AD. Unlike other arts, Ninjutsu not only taught unarmed combat but armed combat, concealment, free running and medicene, all of which created a very deadly assassin.
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/sumo/sumo03.html
http://www.sumotalk.com/history.htm
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/10/13/2481689/jiu-jitsu-history-birth-on-the-battlefield
http://www.reddragonjujitsu.com/history.htm
http://www.akayamaryu.com/history.htm
http://www.csub.edu/judo/history.html
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/judo/judo01.html
http://www.ninjutsu.org.uk/history.htm
http://www.ninpo.org/ninpohistory/ninpohistory.html
http://www.igaryu.com/history_IgaRyu.html
Sumo
Sumo is one of Japan's most ancient arts and is suspected to have originated around 2000 years ago, somewhere in the 8th century AD. Sumo matches were exceedingly popular and are thought to have influenced other nations such as Mongolian, Chinese and Korean wrestling. Sumo started off as a religious ritual in the Shinto religion and some rites such as salt purification are still in practice today. In the Edo period, Sumos were prized for their strength and professional sumo wrestlers and matches started to be established.
Jujitsu
Unlike Chinese and Okinawan arts, Jujitsu focused not on striking but on throwing and joint-locks to incapacitate an armoured opponent as quickly as possible. These Jujitsu techniques were used commonly by the samurai against each other, especially if they happened to be disarmed and were considered just as important as the katana. The origins of Jujitsu are unknown but have been mentioned as far as 2500 years ago in mythical legend, where two gods were rumoured to have punished an eastern province using Jujitsu techniques. An early wrestling sport appeared in Japan in 230 BC and contained many Jujitsu-like techniques and is considered to be a predecessor to the martial art which was established in the samurai training regime about 784 AD. Jujitsu was not made to replace weapons arts but to complement it, and even now Jujitsu complements the majority of striking arts.
Judo
However, Jujitsu began rapidly losing popularity after the age of the samurais and Japan started becoming more interested in the Western world. Jujitsu was saved only by the creation of Judo, when a man by the name of Kano Jigoro creatively reinvented Jujitsu to a more sport-like practice and competitive art in 1884. New techniques and training methods re-popularised Jujitsu, now known as Judo and resulted in more competitive matches and was even established as an Olympic sport as of 1964. Judo also had influence on a later Brazilian martial art called Brazilian Jujitsu (which was only named so because Judo was still being called Jujitsu).
Ninjutsu
Ninjutsu is quickly fading in practice however remains as one of the most popular martial arts in the entertainment business. More than one film or cartoon has focused on the mysterious Japanese Ninja, infamous for stealth, secrecy and deadly martial arts. Ninjutsu was developed as a means of survival in feudal Japan where skills in espionage and assassination were necessary in surviving the warring factions. The exact origin of Ninjutsu is difficult to trace as the rise of Ninjas occurred much later in the 14th century, however Ninjutsu could have existed as early as the first century AD. Unlike other arts, Ninjutsu not only taught unarmed combat but armed combat, concealment, free running and medicene, all of which created a very deadly assassin.
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/sumo/sumo03.html
http://www.sumotalk.com/history.htm
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/10/13/2481689/jiu-jitsu-history-birth-on-the-battlefield
http://www.reddragonjujitsu.com/history.htm
http://www.akayamaryu.com/history.htm
http://www.csub.edu/judo/history.html
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/judo/judo01.html
http://www.ninjutsu.org.uk/history.htm
http://www.ninpo.org/ninpohistory/ninpohistory.html
http://www.igaryu.com/history_IgaRyu.html
Okinawa (Karate)
Okinawa is a chain of islands sitting between China and Japan. At the time of the creation of Okinawan Karate, Okinawa was neither part of China or Japan, and enjoyed political freedom for more than two hundred years. Thus, the first known martial arts in Okinawa was Kari Te, meaning 'Chinese Hand', influenced heavily by the booming Kung Fu popularity in China. It was only much later when Okinawa became a part of Japan that they changed the name of Kari Te to a more Japanese 'Karate' meaning 'empty hand'.
China was influential in the formation of Karate and indirectly, India was too. Karate adopted much of the philosophy and technique from China and over the years, developed in the small villages of Okinawa around the 17th century. It was said that each village personalised their own style of Karate, demonstrating the reason for so many styles today.
Like how the Chinese exercised certain forms to enhance health and strength, a teacher by the name of Itosu Ankoh popularised 'kata', a series of forms emphasising the importance of preparing the mind before training the body. He is famous for his belief that Karate was not just a combat art but 'a way of life' and for the fisherman in the villages who learnt it, it was.
In 1609, Okinawa became Japanese Territory. The weapons ban actually progressed Karate as practitioners were forced to practice in secret. If any soldiers were suspicious of the Okinawans practicing kata, they would claim it was a harmless folk dance. Kata, then, became the primary way of transmitting knowledge and information to other masters and down through generations as it did not change throughout the years. While Japan had pre-existing martial arts such as Kendo and Jujitsu, they did not have any 'empty hand' striking arts and became interested after a Karate demonstration in Okinawa. After an invitation to demonstrate in Japan, Karate was surprisingly well received and spread quickly throughout the country where it is still popular today.
Other Japanese influence also includes the uniform which is adopted from the Japanese Judo uniform.
Other Japanese influence also includes the uniform which is adopted from the Japanese Judo uniform.
http://www.shuriway.co.uk/ryukyuhist.html (a useful karate resource website which details the history of karate)
http://www.shinjinbukan.com/history.html (another website useful on karate history complete with timeline and pictures)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4xPcmodWuk (this is an excellent tv series that was aired in 2007 which follows two mixed martial artists on a road to discovering different martial arts, travelling to each country of origin to train for a week in that particular art before engaging in a match to test their skills. this is the karate episode and while its extremely entertaining to watch it's also informative on okinawan history)
Monday 8 July 2013
Chinese Martial Arts (Wushu)
Chinese Martial Arts, or commonly referred to as 'kung fu' or 'wushu', hit explosive popularity in the 1900's where it was first exposed to the Western World.
Famous practitioners of Martial Arts today include world-renowned actors such as Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan whose incredible, acrobatic fighting styles have awed audiences of all ages for years. Any style of kung fu takes years to master and as a result, few masters of it exist today such as the Shaolin Monks.
So how far does kung fu trace back? It is difficult to pin point exactly when or where kung fu originated since it is an umbrella term used collectively to include a multitude of different styles, however it is safe to say that kung fu has been around for approximately 4000 years.
Kung fu revolves deeply around the spiritual. Religion and culture both played a major role in Chinese martial arts, in particular the integration of Buddhist philosophy and that study of animal movement. By Chinese legend, kung fu originated in semi-mythical Xia Dynasty where the ex-general, Yellow Emperor Huangdi allegedly introduced hand-to-hand combat for the first time, however, the first record that mentions martial arts was much later in the 5th century BCE. Kung fu was designed and altered over many years through trial and error during fights between tribes and against the wild until techniques were perfected and then passed down. Animals such as snakes, monkeys, cranes and even the praying mantis were imitated in the hopes to adopt their natural skill and talent which they believed far surpassed a human's. Taoist monks were said to have been practicing exercises similar to Tai Chi as early as 500 BC, simply to improve their health.
Buddhism arrived in China around the 1st century AD and was immensely popular among the Emperors and people of China. Historians argue whether India influenced Chinese Martial Arts at all, however, the fact that Buddhism entered China from Nepal and India, it is likely there was at least some influence. Chinese monks travelled to India to learn about Buddhist philosophy and in turn, many Indian monks came to China to preach. An Indian monk by the name of Da Mo was invited to teach in China in 527 AD and is considered to be fundamental in shaping the Shaolin Temple. Using Da Mo's philosophy and techniques, the Shaolin monks gradually improved their health and strength by using their 'Qi'. This newfound strength coupled with Chinese Martial Arts greatly enhanced results. The official Shaolin Temple website also states that the underlying basis of the belief system of Shaolin Kung fu was introduced to them by a prestigious Indian monk by the name of Bodhidharma in the 6th century and the temple has since been regarded as the origin of Chan Buddhism in China.
Once styles and techniques of kung fu had been stabilised, they were passed down orally to the next generation and spread across China and even further, where is it said to have also influenced some Japanese styles of Martial Arts. While China did seem to already have some sort of fighting style, India also influenced their Martial Arts philosophy and methods.
How far can Indian Martial Arts be traced back? How far can others?
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34300 (this thread was interesting in disputing Indian influence on Chinese Martial Arts)
http://ymaa.com/articles/history/history-chinese-martial-arts (this is an article by an author and teacher of Chinese Martial Arts which describes a brief history)
http://shaolin.org.cn/templates/EN_T_new_list/index.aspx?nodeid=374 (an overview of kung fu by the official shaolin temple website)
What is left of Martial Arts today?
Martial Arts have struggled and evolved to exist in the world today. To trace back the origin of Martial Arts, it is important to first start looking at the evidence of existing Martial Arts.
In the 21st century, what used to have been centuries of culture, tradition, dance and self-defence has now become little more than sport. One of the booming entertainment industries today is what is known as MMA or Mixed Martial Arts where it has become popular to fight for sport. MMA professionals are commonly known to have trained and cross-trained (meaning learning more than one art) in various styles across the world. The reason for cross-training is to obtain a wide variety of fighting styles, primarily broken up into three stages; "stand up", "grappling" and "ground" fighting which makes certain styles extremely popular. The most common styles seen in MMA matches would be Brazilian Jujitsu, which is famous for almost unbeatable groundwork , and Muay Thai (Thai boxing), popular for quick and brutal blows.
As a result, Martial Arts have a different purpose today than they did in the past and have had to adapt. The spiritual side, or the 'art' side of Martial Arts is often neglected as it isn't necessary for sport fighting. Much of the culture from particularly ancient arts are becoming forgotten and in the present, only exist in some as 'patterns' or 'forms'. Muay Thai, for example, is not really known for anything but for fast and efficient knockout, however it's ancestor, Muay Boran, literally meaning 'ancient boxing', can be traced back even further back in time and does consist of the more spiritual side of Martial Arts.
The popularity of Martial Arts today is still incredible among adults and children alike, seeking a regular form of exercise as well as techniques for self-defence. In the Art's country of origin, it is common for young children to be trained in the art as a form of patriotism or simply as part of the culture. Many Koreans, for example, have had training in Taekwondo from ages as young as four or five and is compulsory to learn in the conscripted army. Many fighting forces across the world still use and teach Martial Arts, such as the Israeli Mossad, which is famous for it's brutal Krav Maga. Even in the Olympics, Taekwondo had officially become an Olympic sport as of the year 2000 and Wrestling (which evolved from the Greek Pankration) still exists.
Martial Arts may have changed a lot over the years but the links to the past still remain.
In the 21st century, what used to have been centuries of culture, tradition, dance and self-defence has now become little more than sport. One of the booming entertainment industries today is what is known as MMA or Mixed Martial Arts where it has become popular to fight for sport. MMA professionals are commonly known to have trained and cross-trained (meaning learning more than one art) in various styles across the world. The reason for cross-training is to obtain a wide variety of fighting styles, primarily broken up into three stages; "stand up", "grappling" and "ground" fighting which makes certain styles extremely popular. The most common styles seen in MMA matches would be Brazilian Jujitsu, which is famous for almost unbeatable groundwork , and Muay Thai (Thai boxing), popular for quick and brutal blows.
As a result, Martial Arts have a different purpose today than they did in the past and have had to adapt. The spiritual side, or the 'art' side of Martial Arts is often neglected as it isn't necessary for sport fighting. Much of the culture from particularly ancient arts are becoming forgotten and in the present, only exist in some as 'patterns' or 'forms'. Muay Thai, for example, is not really known for anything but for fast and efficient knockout, however it's ancestor, Muay Boran, literally meaning 'ancient boxing', can be traced back even further back in time and does consist of the more spiritual side of Martial Arts.
The popularity of Martial Arts today is still incredible among adults and children alike, seeking a regular form of exercise as well as techniques for self-defence. In the Art's country of origin, it is common for young children to be trained in the art as a form of patriotism or simply as part of the culture. Many Koreans, for example, have had training in Taekwondo from ages as young as four or five and is compulsory to learn in the conscripted army. Many fighting forces across the world still use and teach Martial Arts, such as the Israeli Mossad, which is famous for it's brutal Krav Maga. Even in the Olympics, Taekwondo had officially become an Olympic sport as of the year 2000 and Wrestling (which evolved from the Greek Pankration) still exists.
Martial Arts may have changed a lot over the years but the links to the past still remain.
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