Another smart goal that I have to achieve in week 13 is learning martial art--Wushu.
Following is the research of me, at the wikipedia website.
The foundation of the
Asian martial arts is likely a blend of early
Chinese and
Indian martial arts. Extensive trade occurred between these nations beginning around 600 BC, with diplomats, merchants, and monks traveling the
Silk Road. During the
Warring States period of
Chinese history (480-221 BC) extensive development in martial philosophy and strategy emerged, as
described by
Sun Tzu in
The Art of War (c. 350 BC).
An early legend in martial arts tells the tale of a
South Indian Pallava prince turned monk named
Bodhidharma (also called Daruma), believed to have lived around 550 A.D. The martial virtues of discipline, humility, restraint and respect are attributed to this
philosophy.
Shaolin Monastery was built by the
Emperor Xiaowen of the
Northern Wei Dynasty in AD 477.
(Ancient depiction of Shaolin monks practicing the art of self defense. )Buddhabhadra (called
Batuo in
Mandarin), an
Indian dhyana master becomes the first abbot of the
Shaolin temple.
The teaching of martial arts in
Asia has historically followed the cultural traditions of teacher-disciple apprenticeship. Students are trained in a strictly hierarchical system by a master instructor:
Sifu in
Cantonese or Shifu in
Mandarin;
Sensei in
Japanese; Sabeom-nim in
Korean;
Guru in
Sanskrit,
Hindi,
Telugu and
Malay; Kruu in
Khmer;
Guro in
Tagalog;
Kalari Gurukkal or Kalari Asaan in
Malayalam;
Asaan in
Tamil;
Achan or Khru in
Thai; and
Saya in
Myanmar. All these terms can be translated as master, teacher or mentor.
Kalaripayat, an
Indian martial art that witnessed a revival in the 20th century. Europe's colonisation of
Asian countries also brought about a decline in local martial arts, especially with the introduction of firearms. This can clearly be seen in
India after the full establishment of
British Raj in the 19th century. More European modes of organizing police, armies and governmental institutions, and the increasing use of firearms, eroded the need for traditional combat training associated with caste-specific duties and in 1804 the
British Colonial government banned
kalaripayat in response to a series of revolts.
Kalaripayat and other
(Kalaripayat, an Indian martial art that witnessed a revival in the 20th century)traditional arts experienced a resurgence in the 1920s in
Tellicherry and spread throughout
South India. Similar phenomena occurred in
Southeast Asian colonies such as
Malaysia,
Indonesia,
Vietnam and the
Philippines. Other
Indian martial arts, like
Thang-Ta also witnessed a resurgence in the 1950s
.The Western interest in
Asian martial arts dates back to the late 19th century, due to the increase in trade between the United States with
China and
Japan. Relatively few Westerners actually practiced the arts, considering it to be mere performance.
Edward William Barton-Wright, a railway engineer who had studied
Jujutsu while working in Japan between 1894–97, was the first man known to have taught Asian martial arts in Europe. He also founded an eclectic martial arts style named
Bartitsu which combined jujutsu, judo, boxing, savate and
stick fighting.
As Western influence grew in Asia a greater number of
military personnel spent time in China, Japan, and South Korea. Exposure to martial arts during the
Korean war was also significant. The later 1970s and 1980s witnessed an increased media interest in the martial arts, thanks in part to Asian and
Hollywood martial arts movies.
Jackie Chan and
Jet Li are prominent movie figures who have been responsible for promoting Chinese martial arts in recent years.
Boxing was practiced in the ancient
MediterraneanMartial arts existed in
classical European civilization, most notably in
Greece where sports were integral to the way of life.
Boxing (pygme, pyx), Wrestling (pale) and
Pankration (from pan, meaning "all", and kratos, meaning "power" or "strength") were represented in the
Ancient Olympic Games. The
Romans produced
Gladiatorial combat as a public spectacle.
A number of
historical fencing forms and manuals have survived, and many groups are working to
reconstruct older European martial arts. The process of reconstruction combines intensive
(Boxing was practiced in the ancient Mediterranean.)study of detailed combat treatises produced from 1400–1900 A.D. and practical training or "pressure testing" of various techniques and tactics. This includes such styles as
sword and shield,
two-handed swordfighting,
halberd fighting,
jousting and other types of melee weapons combat. This reconstruction effort and modern outgrowth of the historical methods is generally referred to as
Western martial arts. Many
Medieval martial arts manuals have survived, the most famous being Johannes
Lichtenauer's Fechtbuch (Fencing book) of the 14th century. Today Lichtenauer's tome forms the basis of the
German school of swordsmanship.
In Europe, the martial arts declined with the rise of
firearms. As a consequence, martial arts with historical roots in Europe do not exist today to the same extent as in Asia, since the traditional martial arts either died out or developed into
sports. Swordsmanship developed into
fencing. Boxing as well as forms of wrestling have endured.
European martial arts have mostly adapted to changing technology so that while some traditional arts still exist, military personnel are trained in skills like
bayonet combat and marksmanship. Some European weapon systems have also survived as folk sports and as self-defense methods. These include stick-fighting systems such as
bataireacht of
Ireland,
Jogo do Pau of
Portugal and the
Juego del Palo (Palo Canario) style(s) of the
Canary Islands.
Other martial arts evolved into sports that no longer recognized as combative. One example is the
pommel horse event in men's
gymnastics, an exercise which itself is derived from the sport of
Equestrian vaulting.
Cavalryriders needed to be able to change positions on their horses quickly, rescue fallen allies, fight effectively on horseback and dismount at a gallop. Training these skills on a stationery barrel evolved into sport of gymnastics' pommel horse exercise. More ancient origins exist for the
shot put and the
javelin throw, both weapons utilized extensively by the Romans.
Native peoples of
North America and
South America had their own martial training which began in childhood. Some
First Nations men, and more rarely some women, were called warriors only after they had proved themselves in battle. Most groups selected individuals for training in the use of bows, knives, blowguns, spears, and war clubs in early adolescence. War clubs were the preferred martial weapon because Native American warriors could raise their
social status by killing enemies in single combat face to face.[
citation needed] Warriors honed their weapons skills and stalking techniques through lifelong training.
Capoeira, with great roots in Africa, is an African-Brazilian
martial art originating in Brazil that involves a high degree of flexibility and endurance. It consists of kicks, elbow strikes, hand strikes, head butts, cartwheels and sweeps.
Jeet Kune Do is a martial arts system developed by martial artist and actor
Bruce Lee. Its roots lie in
Wing Chun, western boxing and fencing with a philosophy of a casting off what is useless and using no way as way. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an adaptation of pre-World War II Judo developed by the brothers
Carlos and
Hélio Gracie, it was restructured into a sport with a large focus on groundwork. This system has become a popular martial art and proved to be effective in
mixed martial arts competitions such as the
UFC and
PRIDE.
As of 2003, over 1.5 million US citizens practice martial arts.
African knives may be classified by shape—typically into the 'f' group and the 'circular' group—and have often been incorrectly described as throwing knives. There are also wrestling and grappling techniques found in
West Africa. "Stick fighting" formed an important part of Zulu culture in
South Africa, and is a significant part of
Obnu Bilate, a fighting form practiced in southern Botswana and Northern South Africa. Stick fighting was also described in Ancient Egyptians tombs, it is still practiced in upper Egypt and a modern association was formed in the 1970s.
Modern history
Wrestling,
Javelin,
Fencing (1896 Summer Olympics),
Archery (1900),
Boxing (1904), and more recently
Judo (1964) and
Tae Kwon Do (2000) are the martial arts that are featured as events in the modern Summer
Olympic Games.
Martial arts also developed among military and
police forces to be used as arrest and self-defense methods including:
Kapap and
Krav Maga developed in
Israeli Defense Forces;
San Shou in Chinese;
Systema: developed for the
Russian armed forces and
Rough and Tumble (RAT): originally developed for the South African special forces (
Reconnaissance Commandos) (now taught in a civilian capacity). Tactical arts for use in close quarter combat warfare, i.e.
Military Martial arts e.g.
UAC (British),
LINE (USA). Other combative systems having their origins in the modern military include Soviet Bojewoje (Combat)
Sambo. Pars Tactical Defence (Turkei security personally self defence system)
Inter-art competitions came to the fore again in 1993 with the first
Ultimate Fighting Championship this has since evolved into the modern sport of
Mixed martial arts.
