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What Are the Martial Arts?
Home » Exercise Equipment » Martial Arts » What Are the Martial Arts?Posted by Your Guide on October 9, 2006 7:43 PM
The martial arts include about 200 different systematic traditions of hand-to-hand fighting, many of which also incorporate the use of simple weapons. Almost all of these traditions can trace their roots to East Asia, and some of them date from as long ago as 2000 years.
About 100 million people worldwide practice the martial arts today. Within the 200 distinct martial arts, there are also numerous styles, schools, or systems, with their own individual characteristics and emphases. Most martial arts training takes place under the leadership of an instructor who is very experienced in that particular art.
Many people today take up the martial arts to learn to defend themselves against an aggressor. However, students continue in the martial arts not only for the purpose of self-defense, but also for the recreational value, physical fitness, and mental development that the martial arts offer. Because they demand hard work, persistence, and concentration, martial arts also provide the opportunity for character development. Most of the traditions share a commitment to peace, believing that those who are truly wise and strong will use their martial arts training to avoid a fight, rather than to win one. However, all of the martial arts also believe in the appropriate use of their skills for self-defense or for the defense of others.
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