Martial Arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development.
The term Martial Arts today has become heavily associated with the fighting arts of eastern Asia, but was originally used in regard to the combat systems of Europe as early as the 1550s and an English fencing manual of 1639 used it in reference specifically to the "Science and Art" of swordplay. The term is ultimately derived from Latin, martial arts being the "Arts of Mars," the Roman god of war (Wikipedia).
When we think of martial arts, we tend to think to those of East Pasific origins such as Karate, Taekwondo, Kungfu, or Judo. So let's just focus on those.
Martial art was first made to accommodate the need for surviving social life where then, life was literally chaos. Some people are born with natural strength and posture, while others are not. That's why a system of body movements were created to be used for the small and weak to level up the naturally strong opponent.
As time goes by, the effective and ineffective techniques are selected and codified into a system and then passed on to another generation and named. Thus, a Martial Art is born.
Martial Arts Today
Today, the need for self-defense is not as high as it used to. so, the practice changed from combat to sport. Thus, the system have to change also. Killing blows are wiped out from the system. Kata routines become meaningless and becoming more and more like a dance routine.
I'm not implying that old style training and techniques are better. Techniques and training methods have to evolve from time to time. The problem here is the spirit that comes with it.
Every eastern martial arts have one thing in common: philosophy. Without it, what you are doing are just dance routines and sparring matches. To fully understand eastern martial art one must have a grasp of the philosophy behind them. Karate emphases on striking by utilizing your ki on your opponent, while judo uses one's opponent's ki to help with the execution of a technique, thus in popular Hollywood martial arts movie saying goes "use your opponent's energy against him".
The two -- Philosophy and technique -- must be equal on every level of one's journey in martial art. It cannot exist without the other. Philosophy is like the soul of martial art, without it the body is as good as dead. While the vigorous training we undergo is the body that contains the soul, without which, the soul is meaningless.
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