Martial arts - Further resources

A martial art, often referred to as a fighting system, is a system of codified practices and traditions of training for combat, usually (but not always) 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. "Martial arts" derives from the Japanese terms bugei (武芸) and the synonymous bujutsu (武術) or their Chinese eq ...

Including:

• Martial arts - Overview
• Martial arts - History
• Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia
• Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe
• Martial arts - Martial arts in North America
• Martial arts - Martial arts internationally
• Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts
• Martial arts - Technical aspects
• Martial arts - Testing and Competition
• Martial arts - Forms
• Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring
• Martial arts - Full-contact fighting
• Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense
• Martial arts - Martial arts as sport
• Martial arts - Martial arts and dance
• Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts
• Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia - Martial arts

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 t ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - 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 th ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Classification, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - 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 th ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - History

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- ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Classification, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Testing and Competition

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. 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 ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Classification, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense

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 ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Classification, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Martial arts and dance

On the subject of competition, martial artists vary wildly. Practitioners in some arts such as Boxing, Taekwondo, Judo, 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 ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Martial arts as sport

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 ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Classification, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts

On the subject of competition, martial artists vary wildly. Practitioners in some arts such as Boxing, Taekwondo, Judo, 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 ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Classification, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Martial arts as sport

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. Some believe that it is worthwhile practicing martial arts, because the principles of warriorship and understanding of tactics and strategy remain applicable in modern warfare. Certain martial arts, such as T'ai Chi Ch'uan, may also be practiced to maint ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Classification, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Overview

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- ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Testing and Competition

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 ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts

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. 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 ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense

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 encou ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Martial arts as sport

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 ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Martial arts and dance

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. Some believe that it is worthwhile practicing martial arts, because the principles of warriorship and understanding of tactics and strategy remain applicable in modern warfare. Certain martial arts, such as T'ai Chi Ch'uan, may also be practiced to maint ...

See also:

Martial arts, Martial arts - Overview, Martial arts - History, Martial arts - Martial arts in Asia, Martial arts - Martial arts in Europe, Martial arts - Martial arts in North America, Martial arts - Martial arts internationally, Martial arts - Comparisons between martial arts, Martial arts - Technical aspects, Martial arts - Testing and Competition, Martial arts - Forms, Martial arts - Light and medium-contact sparring, Martial arts - Full-contact fighting, Martial arts - Martial arts and self defense, Martial arts - Martial arts as sport, Martial arts - Martial arts and dance, Martial arts - Notable styles of martial arts, Martial arts - Further resources

Read more here: » Martial arts: Encyclopedia II - Martial arts - Overview